Boo Boo

Daniel walked past, carrying Boo and a doggie bed. “I hate to ask,” he said, “but can you keep an eye on Boo? I have to go to a meeting in Monroeville.”

“Sure,” I said. 

Boo curled up in her bed until the phone rang. She stretched, shook her head, and walked over to me, and put her front paws on my leg.  I picked her up and set her in my lap. Boo circled twice and laid down across my thighs.

Boo had a scar across her left hindquarters. I noticed a bump on her slightly twisted rear left leg. When I touched the bump she growled and nipped at me.  “Whoa!” I said to the dog, “I’m not trying to hurt you.”  I thought about putting her back into her doggie bed.

My first sponsor once told me to always under-react the first time someone overreacts. You don’t know why they have that sore spot. Don’t let them abuse you, but try to be patient until you know their story.  

My sponsor and I had been at a discussion meeting when a guy named Frank went off on a kid who joked about smoking in bed. He yelled at the kid until the chairman asked him to stop. We found out later Frank was a firefighter whose drinking got out of hand after a child died in his arms from smoke inhalation.

I wondered what had happened to Boo. Had she been hit by a car? Had someone kicked her? I stroked her neck until she settled back down.

Today I’ll underreact the first time someone overreacts.

Burnout Training ©2018 by Ken Montrose

Burnout Training is a work of fiction. Any similarity between the characters and anyone you might know is purely coincidental.

Other works by Ken Montrose are available at: www.greenbriartraining.com https://www.pinterest.com/kenmontrose/mt-rose/