Author's Note: Sorry for the slow update. I thought I had an editor but it didn't work out in the end hence the delay. I've tried to edit this to the best of my ability. Please do vote!
Thanks and enjoy!
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Chapter 3
After Elle finished her shift at the diner on Sunday, she headed to the local animal shelter where she volunteered once a month. While on the train she decided to call her mother. It had been a while since she heard from her anyway.
"How is work, Elle?" Laura asked after the initial greetings.
"It's fine, Mom. I've just finished my shift at the diner," Elle said. She heard her mother sighed and immediately knew what she was going to say next.
"You know you can't work just as a waitress forever. When will you continue on with your studies? You know you still have the college funds," Laura said.
"I'm not 'just a waitress', Mom. I have a fulltime job working in a respectable hotel too," Elle reminded.
Laura sighed again. "How on earth are you going to make it work? You're working seven days a week; you're not a robot, darling."
"Mom, relax. I know what I'm doing," Elle assured. "I know you're worried about me but I want to make something of myself. I'm still young; I can take working seven days a week."
"I get that you don't want to use the college funds your father and I had saved for you. But at least come home. You can still go to work if you want to. You can save even more money if you stay here. At least you won't need waste so much time like you did with your diploma," her mother said.
Elle ran a hand over her face and suppressed the urge to groan. The reason why she hadn't taken her parents' money was because she didn't want to come home. "Mom, I am happy here, living with Zoe. I am happy with my job, I am happy with my life—"
"You would be safer here at home with your mother to take care of you!" Laura snapped.
"Mom, I love you and I appreciate everything you've done for me. But I can't let what happened to Evan control my life! I am not going to live my life in fear," Elle said adamantly.
"Elle, honey..."
Elle had had enough of their conversation. "Mom, I got to go. My station's here," she said even though she was still two stations' away.
"Fine, I'll talk to you later." Laura said a stiff goodbye before ending the call.
Guilt rose up in Elle, a feeling all too familiar in the years growing up under her mother's thumb. She refused to call her mother back to apologize, to explain. She had worked hard to kick that habit of trying to please her mother all the time, and she knew that if her mother loved her, she would accept the choices she made and to support her. It was not as if she was doing anything illegal.
She was twenty two, coming to twenty three. In her determination not to depend on her mother financially, she had just gotten her diploma from the local community college after saving enough for tuition fee from working various waitressing jobs for more than three years. At the rate she was going, it would take a miracle if she could get her degree before she hit thirty. Her mother was right: things would be easier if she went home. She could just let her mother take care of everything.
By the time Elle arrived at the animal shelter, she was still feeling down from the fight she had with her mother over the phone and she questioned about everything she had done for the past four years living in this city.
At the shelter, Elle was tasked with cleaning out the kennels. Once she got the dogs out to the dog runs, it was noticeably quieter and she began to clean out the kennels one by one. She concentrated on the push and pull of her muscles as she scrubbed out the scum from the concrete, even though she knew that they would hurt the next day yet she reveled in the physical labor. It distracted her from her thoughts.
When the kennels were cleaned, dried and disinfected and smelling less gross, Elle let the dogs back into their respective pens. One of them, a Pit-bull named Colt caught her attention as usual. It had a smooth grey coat of fur and blue eyes and Elle had fallen in love with it the first time she saw it.
"Hey, girl," she greeted softly. "No luck finding a human yet? Don't worry, we'll figure it out." Colt tilted its' head to the side as if listening and licked her hand.
Once Elle was done at the kennel, she went to organize the files at the office when the door opened and a family of three entered the room, led by another volunteer.
"Ben?" Elle got on her feet when she saw her boss. Then she looked down to see his son, River, surprise and recognition on his little face. He gave an excited cry and ran up to her. She dropped onto her knees and gave the little boy a hug.
"Hey, buddy," she greeted and ruffled his light brown hair. She straightened and smiled at Ben before her gaze cut to Karen who was standing beside him. Elle smiled politely, which the other woman returned. They had known each other since Elle started working at Becky's Diner, but they had never exchanged more than a few words.
Karen was slightly taller than Elle with wide blue eyes, a turned-up nose and a small mouth. With her porcelain complexion and long curly blond hair falling around her shoulders, Elle thought she looked like a doll. River tugged at Elle's hand to gain her attention.
"Ellie, my Mommy and Daddy are getting me a dog for my birthday!" he announced.
"Wow, you must be so excited!" Elle replied with equal enthusiasm.
"Yeah!" River answered, laughing. "What are you doing here, Ellie? Are you getting a dog too?"
"Ellie works here, son," Ben answered on her behalf. Her heart stuttered when she heard the nickname that his son gave her fell so naturally from his lips.
River frowned. "Aren't you working at Daddy's diner anymore?" he asked her.
"Yes, I still work at the diner. I volunteer here," Elle said.
River looked at his father. "Can Ellie take us to look at the dogs, Daddy? She volunteers here."
Ben's gaze was on Elle as he directed the question to his son. "Why don't you ask her?"
"Ellie, please can you take us to look at the dogs?" River asked in such a sweet voice that it melted her heart.
She smiled at him. "Okay."
"Ellie's busy with her work, honey," Karen said. "Leo here can take us." She indicated to the staff who had led them in earlier.
River turned to his mother then. "But she just said yes," he said before looking back up at Elle. "You don't mind, do you, Ellie?"
"If you don't mind putting off your work to attend to us, Elle," Ben added for him.
"Um, of course I don't mind," she replied. Her gaze immediately flitted to Karen, who was shaking her head, though there was no trace of malice on her face, only mild exasperation. Elle began to relax as she realized Karen was only worried about her inconvenience and not because she was an unwelcome presence in their little family outing.
"Maybe we can look at the animals' profiles first before we take the tour?" Leo suggested and took a file down from the cabinet. He led them to a clutter-free table and launched into an introduction for the animals which were available for adoption. Ben asked a few questions and Elle found that he was quite experienced with keeping and taking care of dogs.
River had instantly gravitated towards the picture of the one and only Pit-bull in the list. He said he liked the dog's blue eyes. Karen tried to persuade him from it, concerned that the dog might be aggressive. Leo tried to reassure the parents that Colt had only belonged to one family previously and they never had issues with it.
"What do you think, River?" Ben asked after they have perused the profiles.
"I still like this one," he answered, pointing at Colt's picture.
"I'm not sure about this," Karen said, concern etched on her face.
"What do you think of the dog, Elle?" Ben asked. Elle was startled that he directed the question at her and she quickly looked at Leo, who nodded encouragingly.
"Um, I was here when Colt came in nine months ago," she started. "The family who brought her in had three kids. She was obviously loved by them but they had to let her go because they had to move to another state and could not bring Colt with them." She still remembered how one of the children cried when she found out the dog won't be going home with them and she tried not to let her own emotions showed. "We monitor and put the dogs through multiple tests to assess their behavior and never once have Colt displayed any sort of aggressiveness."
Ben nodded slowly before glancing down at his son. "Want to get a look at Colt before we decide?"
"Yes, I want to!" River answered enthusiastically. "Ellie, let's go see Colt!"
"Why don't I go fetch Colt while you wait here with your parents?" Leo suggested to River. "Then Elle and I will leave you guys to spend some time with her." He looked at Ben and Karen. "Colt will be on a leash at all times and we will not leave until we are absolutely sure the dog is able to handle your presence." He then left the room and Ben and Karen continued to look through the files and talked in low voices.
"I can't wait to see Colt," River whispered to Elle.
She smiled at the boy. "I'm sure she's going to love you." A moment later the door opened and Leo reentered the room with Colt on a leash at his heels.
"Daddy, Mommy, look," River said, pointing at the beautiful grey-haired dog.
***
Ben looked at the grey Pit-bull standing close to Leo's legs. He took note of the dog's calm demeanor and how it surveyed its' surroundings with benign interest before lying down on its' stomach.
"Come on, guys, let's go see her up close," Elle said. They all stood and Colt lifted its' head to watch them approached and its' tail wagged slightly. Elle patted Colt and was rewarded with a quick lick on the hand. Then she put her hand over River's and held it close for Colt to sniff. River was a little excited and nervous so Elle kept talking to him in a low voice, encouraging him to touch the warm and smooth fur on its' head. Soon, it was accepting treats right out from his hand. Elle and Leo stepped back but remained close, letting the boy to interact with Colt on his own. Ben was happy that Colt was calm and patient as River fussed over it. Ben crouched down beside his son and together they showered Colt with gentle affection, which the dog responded in kind.
