We have three different sites for rescuing dogs and puppies for Maddox’s shelter. Lea and Glenn join Maddox and me in a car. Cassandra and her friends are in one car, and the third car is Sam and Luke.
“Angel, why did you allow those bitches to join us rescuing dogs? You know who they are. And I am sure they will do what they did before,” Lea told me. She talks with so much anger in her voice, crossing her arms on her chest.
“Lea, you know I can’t let mommy know about what happened during our first rescuing activities. She will doubt our relationship with Cassy and her friends. I already told mom they are one of us, our friends from Harper School. From then, she will dig deeper, and I can’t allow that to happen. It’s not good for mom to be stressed. Mom’s health is declining already, so I will hide anything that will be a burden to her.”
“I understand that, Angel. The thing is, they might know about all those things and are taking advantage just to join and get close to us. We never know what evil plans they have in mind. I can’t trust those bitches.”
“Yes, we have the same feeling. Don’t worry, Lea, we will handle this the right way,” I replied as I glanced at Maddox.
Maddox nodded at me. “Of course, we will. Lea was right; Cassandra and her friends can’t be trusted.”
Glenn gestures a hand to us. “Guys, this street has dogs as it has 3 fast-food restaurants. Dogs are more likely to ask for food from people or customers.”
“That’s what I’ve heard,” Maddox agreed.
Starting in the city center, the assigned area for the four of us, Royce parks the car near the fast-food restaurant. Glenn and Lea are on the right side, while Maddox and I are opposite. We all wear a jacket and cap to protect ourselves from the scorching heat typical in the Philippines.
True enough, there are four puppies and a dog roaming nearby the restaurant. They look healthy, but they seem to never bathe for days already.
“Hey, do you know if these dogs have owners, or do they just roam around in this area?” I asked one of the security guards.
“They don’t have owners, but our restaurant staff takes care of them. We give them food and water every day. The city made a program to help them and some volunteers take care of some of the stray dogs and cats here.” One of the security guards answered.
“That’s good to know. I didn’t know there was such a program because I can still see stray dogs on my way to school, and they look hungry and not taken care of.”
“Yes, not all dogs can be taken care of by the government, but hopefully, some shelters or non-profit organizations will provide for their needs.”
“I understand. Thanks for your time. You should go back to work.”
I walk to where Maddox is petting a dog.
“Hey, they are taken care of here. So, I guess we should go to the next block.”
“Sure, I’ll leave this cutie here.”
Maddox boops the nose of the black and white puppy before leaving him. The puppy keeps wiggling his tail even when we walk away from him. Street dogs are sweetest when you give them love. They will return it a hundred folds.
Maddox walks with me as we continue looking for stray dogs.
“Baby, your eyes have dark circles on them. Are you not getting enough sleep while watching your mom in the hospital?”
“Yeah, that’s inevitable for having a patient like mom. The symptoms are getting worse, so I needed to check on her more often.”
“Sorry to hear that, baby. Although it’s good to know that you have help with you, still, I want to remind you to watch your health. If you get sick, the more that you can’t take care of your mom.”
I laugh, remembering what Angelo told me.
“Angelo said the same thing. And yes, don’t worry, I’m looking after myself.”
Maddox rests one arm on my shoulder. “There are many people who care about you, Angel.”
I glance up, making eye contact with him. “Maddox, I know that. I’m trying to be at my best as much as possible; for you and mom.”
“How about Angelo?”
“Well, for Angelo also since he’s so good to me and mom.”
Maddox smiles in approval as we continue rescuing dogs. We have to hurry before it gets too hot and unbearable. We were glad to rescue 11 dogs from just our first location, Glenn and Lea rescue 6 dogs, Maddox and I have 5 rescue fur babies.
It’s right on time for lunch, so we have to drive to the shelter to clean up a bunch of fur babies and then have our lunch before proceeding to our next location.
“Guys, it’s lunchtime already; let’s have a break. Where do you want to eat? My treat.” Maddox offered when we arrived at the shelter.
Luke and Sam just park their car while Cassandra and her friends are already in the shelter when we arrive. The other staff in the shelter offers to bathe the dogs so we can have our lunch.
“Can we just go home and be back after an hour or two? I badly need to change my clothes,” Avery complained, pointing at her filthy shirt and pants.
Cassandra walks close to Avery, raising an eyebrow. She looks pissed off at how Avery reacted.
“Avery, no, Maddox offered to treat us to lunch. Don’t be so dramatic.”
“Cassandra, we can’t help it. We badly need to clean up. Look at you; you look like a beggar on the street,” Chloe expressed.
Scarlett nods as well. The three of them appear to have the same sentiment. They can’t bear seeing themselves in a mess. The good thing is that this time they look honest about rescuing puppies. Nothing suspicious about the 6 puppies they bring to the shelter. It’s probably the reason they look messed up from shirt to bottom.
“Cassandra, you guys can go home and change, or maybe call it a day. We can continue rescuing after our lunch,” Maddox suggested.
“No, we want to help,” Cassandra was quick to respond. I understand how desperate she is in helping us or in seeing Maddox close to her. We never know what her real motives are. Cassy can’t be trusted.
“Yes, I will be back if I can change clothes. I can’t eat wearing these clothes; I need to change.” Scarlett chimes in.
Cassy heaves a sigh of frustration.
“Alright then, but we will be back. Please wait for us.”
Maddox and I nod.
Avery, Scarlett, and Chloe quickly walk to their car. Cassandra follows them. The four of them wearing gloves, they probably dropped by in a store from the hospital before they started rescuing. I have to agree, though, that they need to change as they look and smell stinky. Good thing for me and my friends we brought clothes for us to wear.
Lea heaves a sigh of relief when Cassy’s pickup truck drives out of the shelter.
“Oh, finally, they’re gone.”