Becki nods sympathetically. For just a second, I think some understanding passes between us. She swallows thickly but continues, “She left the farm to my parents, but they both work and live in the city. It would have been a lot of commuting for them, and it wouldn’t have worked out. The farm would have become dilapidated. They were going to sell it, but then they asked me if I could see myself living out here. I was only twenty-one at the time, and I was still in college. I couldn’t imagine selling it, so I did move out here. The place was already paid off, and my parents covered the bills for me while I was doing my last year of school. It was a way for them to keep the farm and make sure I had a place of my own too. I spent the first year driving back to Topeka for college until I finished, which was hard. It’s a half-hour there, but in the city, it took a while to get to wherever I was going. Thankfully, I was able to get it down to just three times a week, so it wasn’t so unbearable.”
I nod because what am I supposed to say in response to her telling me her entire life story all of a sudden? Not that I mind. I don’t, actually. It’s rare to find someone who is so open and vulnerable with a complete stranger. And I did kind of ask. Sort of.
“As soon as I moved out here, I thought about getting a cat and a dog since I wasn’t in the city anymore in a tiny apartment. I found Boots, and he only has three legs. He’s outside right now. He loves being out there, so he hardly ever comes in. At first, I was worried about him being outside, but he sticks close to me and spends the rest of his time in the barn. He gets around like you wouldn’t believe. His missing leg does not slow him down one bit. Then I got Griphy, who was my first wheelchair baby. Unfortunately, he passed away last year. He had some medical conditions, but he was also nine, and by big dog standards, it’s not too shabby. I was lucky enough to get to spend the last four years of his life with him, and I still feel so honored. After I got Boots and Griphy, it just kind of came naturally—the sanctuary. I met people through Griphy—vets and other people who know people at shelters who know people who know people. I started getting calls asking if I would take other medical cases. It was just dogs and cats at first, but then all of a sudden, it was a pig who had been surrendered to the shelter because it had grown too big for someone to keep in the city. Then a chicken. Then I got calls about cruelty cases the shelter was involved with and animals who were surrendered to them who needed a home, but mostly farm animals. So that’s basically the long and short of it—how the sanctuary started. I never saw myself doing it as a kid, but I’d like to think my Great Aunt May would be proud.”
Becki turns and grabs a lettuce wrap. She jams it into her mouth and chews loudly, which makes me unconsciously cringe a little internally. I can’t stand noisy chewers. It’s one of the things that drives me nuts. Loud eating, messy eating, gross eating, eating with the mouth open…but when she does it, I find it oddly intriguing—despite the little reflex cringe—which is crazy. Who finds watching someone eat intriguing? As far as I know, I don’t have any strange fetishes.
She holds out a wrap to me, but I politely decline. I’m not hungry. A change like this could make anyone lose their appetite—permanently, forever. Plus, I’m not exactly a hummus or avocado guy.
“So, how do you finance this place?”
Becki shrugs. “Mostly donations.” She takes another bite and talks with her mouth half full. I expect my teeth to clench in disgust at it, but they don’t. “I also just looked at what was working for every other sanctuary and copied their model. It took a few years, and I have to say, my parents were pretty darn generous with my Christmas and birthday presents while I was getting established, but it didn’t take so long that I ran out of time. I built up a social media following, and like other sanctuaries, I’m so blessed to have people who donate. I also blog about us, and people read that. It’s really grown over the years, so it generates some money. Besides that, I post videos online too, and the views bring in a bit of money. When I have a big vet day or a really bad medical case, I do fundraisers online, or I let people know I’m in a tough spot, and they donate.”