Sparkle’s sister put her arm around her and patted her shoulder.
“It’s just that,” Sparkle huffed, “I really believe he’s my spirit animal. I have such an attachment to him. We meditate together.”
Okayyy…
I looked at Maizy, who rolled her eyes.
All right. I got it.
One of them was a nut. The other was…well, I wasn’t sure yet.
I mean, I felt for Sparkle, I really did. No one knew better than I did what it meant to love an animal. And what it meant to lose an animal. Hell, I became a vet because when I was growing up, we couldn’t afford one. If one of our pets got sick, Dad would take them “out to the country.” I was so determined to learn how to take care of animals, I’d gotten myself a part-time job at the local vet when I was just fifteen and stayed there until I finished college.
But meditating with a pet rat? I couldn’t say I’d heard that one before. But if there’s one thing you learn as a vet, it’s that people have all sorts of relationships with their animals. And some of them were pretty out there.
“Well, let’s take a look at Cher,” I said, removing him from the small bag he was in. I picked up the little fella and realized Sparkle had been right. He was looking skinny, had runny eyes, and was barely moving.
“Can you help him, Doctor?” she wailed. Maizy hugged her tighter, and the dog tried desperately to lick him.
I rolled the lethargic rat over in my hands and listened to his heart and lungs with my tiny rodent stethoscope. I pressed on his abdomen to check for lumps or tumors, and he let out a sad little squeak. The tiny guy was sick, but he was going to live.
“Good news,” I said, putting Cher back in his bag. “He has a respiratory infection typical of a rat. Some antibiotic drops will bring him around in a few days.”
Sparkle sobbed. “Oh, thank god.” She reached for a tissue and blew her nose. After a deep breath, she began to calm down.
Maizy looked from her sister to me. “Okay! It’s nothing really bad. That’s so great.”
Sparkle sniffled loudly and nodded. “I…I know. I’m so relieved.”
Wow. This Sparkle was one of a kind—some might even say a little out there. Cute, but it was her sister who intrigued me.
A lot of women came through my practice. Not to say men didn’t bring their pets in. It just seemed, more often than not, that the task fell to the woman of a household. And sometimes their pets were not really sick—I seemed to have attracted a small collection of groupies. That kind of irritated me because it took valuable time that I could spend on animals that really did need help.
“I don’t mean to take too much of your time, Doctor Varten, but do you mind if I ask you some questions about caring for a pet rat?” Sparkle asked.
“Sure thing. Cher’s my last patient of the day. Let’s have a seat over here.” The sisters followed me to a small table in the corner of the office.
While Sparkle lobbed a few rodent-related questions at me, her sister sat quietly, scrolling through her phone. When Sparkle stood to leave, her sister did, too. Her messy blonde hair and her heavy black glasses were a great combo.
“Your dog is so sweet,” Sparkle said. The mutt had made himself at home, resting his big face on her leg.
“Thanks. I see a lot of animals that need homes, and I’m not good at turning any of them away.”
“How many do you have?” Sparkle asked.
Ugh. This was always a bit embarrassing. I took a deep breath.
“Well, I have five dogs and two cats. One snake and one lizard.”
Both sisters looked at me like I was out of my mind. I didn’t blame them. You had to be out of your mind to take in so many animals, especially in the city. But when I saw a pet who was healthy and clearly had many happy years ahead of him, well, I wasn’t going to let him be put down.
I walked them to the door. “So, Maizy, no pets for you?”
“Oh, no, Sparkle is enough to take care of.” She laughed so hard her sister punched her arm.
I wanted to see this woman again, and if she had no pets to bring by my office, I had to cook up some other excuse. So I took my chance while Sparkle was tickling Cher inside the bag and the dog followed her like he was in love.
“Maizy, uh, I was wondering whether you’d like to get a drink with me some time?”