3am, and I was jolted awake by the old brick of a mobile vibrating insistently on the nightstand. Groggy, I squinted at the machine, bewildered as to who could be calling at such an ungodly hour. When I saw it was my son, my heart raced.
Hello? Jamie, is everything alright? Why on earth are you ringing at this time? I stammered, my voice crackling with panic.
Sorry, Mum, I didnt mean to wake you, Jamie blurted out, his words tumbling out in a rush. Its just, well, I was driving home after late shift and I dont know what to do
What is it, son? Come on, spit it out! Trying to give your mother a heart attack, are you?
Theres um, well, shes just lying there. On the road. Ive never dealt with this before, Mum. Im a bit lost here.
We both fell silent for a few seconds.
Wait, do you mean youve hit someone? Is someone dead? I could hardly hold my phone, my hands trembling with dread.
No, thank God, not dead. Wasnt me who hit her either. And not a person, Mum.
Not a person? Then what?
A dog, Mum. Looks like a German Shepherd. Still breathing, but its rough. What should I do? There arent any 24-hour vets around here, and you know animals better than I do.
Jamie looked out at the poor dog, crumpled near the kerb. Under the headlights I could make out the barely-there rise and fall of her chest, her breath heavy and laboured. Those eyes, so sad, as though shed already given up hope.
At least shes breathing, he thought to himself, pressing the phone tighter to his ear.
*****
Three days earlier.
Mum, are you at it again? Dont you have better things to do? Jamie teased, wandering in for a quick visit and catching me feeding stray cats near my building. Id never been so soft-hearted, but ever since I retired, caring for these creatures had become a missionand maybe a bit of an obsession. Normal people wouldnt do this, not out on display for all the neighbours.
Hello, son, I straightened up, waving him over. You could have told me you were popping by! Id have made something nice for us.
Looks like youve given away all the treats to your cats already, Jamie grinned.
He never fully understood why I spent my time, money and energy on these animals. Why help anything with four paws you happened to meet on the street? You shouldve seen his face when he realised Id taken in four cats over the last yearnot even a full year, actually; eleven months, give or take.
Youd think that would have been enough, but I couldnt stop. I kept feeding the strays. My heart was especially lost to the cats, but I wouldnt turn my back on a dog eitheror even the pigeons gathered by the bins.
The neighbours behind closed doors called me Mother Teresa. But Jamie, he hated the way they stared, pointing and smirking, some even swirling a finger by their temple to make their point.
Let them think what they like, Id tell him, seeing how their snickers stung. This worlds got precious little kindness in itso I want to add just a little bit more.
I watched my feline crowd munch their food with gusto.
Think about it, Jamie. What good do these creatures ever see? Nothing. Thats why I want to give them a little loveas much as I canso they dont think nobody cares. Loneliness is a dreadful thing. Like your gran used to say.
But four cats? Isnt that enough, Mum? Jamie was genuinely baffled.
Its not about enough or not. Lord knows, Id take them all in if I could, but you know my flats small, and my pension isnt exactly generous. I take in who I can. The othersI give what I can, too. Let them call me mad, but Im not stopping. Someone has to set a better example.
A better example?
Of course. Maybe someone will see and think about doing it themselves. Were responsible for creatures we tame, and as humans, were duty-bound to help where we can. No one else will.
Jamie tried to understand, truly he did. But it just didnt make sense to him. To be so sentimentalhe could understand it with people in need. But animals?
He had nothing against cats or dogs wandering about, but he didnt see the point in, well, getting carried away.
But then, three nights after that very conversation, something happened that changed the way Jamie saw things.
He was heading home from work after midnight, much later than usual thanks to a last-minute crisis at the office. Normally, hed be back sooner, but maybe it was fate. It had been ages since hed cruised the city at night.
Jamie was a careful driver, but that night, as the roads were empty, he put his foot down a bit more than usual. When would he ever get this chance again? But the fun suddenly ended.
He just managed to brake in time, spotting the lump in the roada dog. For a long minute, his knuckles were white on the steering wheel, staring through the windscreen. When the shaking passed, he climbed out and rushed to the animal.
One look told him shed been hitprobably by another late-night speeder, or perhaps a drunk. Either way, that didnt matter now. What mattered was what to do to help. Jamie was so thrown, he was at a lossthats why he called me. He simply had no one else.
*****
Hello? Jamie, whats wrong? I anxiously repeated into the phone.
Mum, sorry for waking you. I was just heading home from work, and he couldnt quite get the words out. Now Im at a loss.
Come on, son, speak up! Whats happened?
Shes lying in the road. What should I do?
A pause. I could picture him frozen on the other end.
Are you telling me youve run someone over? Killed them? My hands shook so badly I nearly dropped the phone.
No, not a person. A dog. Looks like a German Shepherd. Definitely a stray. Shes still breathing, but only just. What am I supposed to do, Mum? Not a single all-night vet for miles. Any other ideas? You know animals so much better.
He looked at the wounded dog huddled by the roadside. I could imagine him watching her rugged breath, eyes reflecting defeat.
At least shes alive, Jamie thought, pressing the phone to his ear.
So what should I do, Mum? Do you know anyone who could help?
No, love, I sighed. No vet friends, and no 24-hour clinics here. Another towns too far, and she may not survive the drive Bring the dog here, Jamie.
To your place? Youre serious?
Yes, absolutely. Whats so shocking? Worrying what the neighboursll think?
Its just Youve got four cats, Mum. Wont it be chaos?
Jamie, Ive got cats, not tigers. Theyll cope. Youve wasted enough time talking, just get her here. Lay her on something soft in the car and come on. Ill get everything ready. Well do what we can.
*****
Half an hour later, Jamie was lugging the dog up to my fourth floor flat. Hed smeared mud and who knows what all over his car and himself, but for the first time, he didnt care. All he wanted was for that dog to live. He fretted over her as if she were a person, not a stray.
Just here, gently, I said, waving him to the sofa Id covered in old sheets saved for just such an emergency.
Id never been a vet, nor even an assistant, but Id spent enough time at the practice over the years to pick up the basics. Id remembered a few things, just in caseand now, it had come in handy.
Jamie didnt just stand by: he was online, reading up furiously on how to tend to injured animals. His phone, unlike my ancient model, had the internet. Between our efforts, we managed to stem the bleeding, and the dogs breathing eased a little.
You wont believe it, but even the cats rallied around. Theyd been a bit wary at first, but soon joined the poor hound on the settee, purring up a storm. She actually fell asleep to the sound, not passing out, but slipping into an untroubled slumber.
That was a blessing, because at least she wasnt in pain until morning thanks to our feline nurses.
Mum, do you think shell pull through? Jamie asked tentatively, stroking the dogs matted fur.
I do, I smiled, heavy-eyed. Her injuries arent too grave. And you know, if this wonderful dog woke real compassion in you tonight, then she came into your life for a reason.
Well, I couldnt just leave her there, could I? Jamie replied sheepishly. Wouldnt be right.
Thats just it, Jamie. Three days ago you were baffled why I fuss with street catsand here you are now, up all night for a dog. And something tells me you wont toss her back on the streets. Am I right?
Probably not Jamie blushed, the whole thing strange but somehow delightful.
He was discovering how good it feelssimply to be human.
*****
At sunrise, Jamie carried the dog to the local vets, arriving as they unlocked the doors. When the people in the queue saw him holding the dog, they moved aside wordlessly, no prompting neededthey just understood.
At that moment Jamie finally realised: loving and caring for animals doesnt make you soft, it makes you better. Kinder. More human.
He named the dog Ralph. The vets patched Ralph up, and now every weekend Jamie visits me, and we all go for a walk. Actually, not just the three of ussometimes five or even six, as our cats tag along too, trotting behind of their own accord.
The neighbours still gawk at our odd parade, whispering or shaking their heads, but Jamie no longer cares.
Thank you, Ralph, for stumbling into our life. Thank you, Mum, for teaching me what matters.
And thank you to those kind souls outside the surgery that morning for their quiet decency. I really do think the world grew a little bit warmer, right then.
No matter what anyone says, Ill do as Mum does, and help whoever I cancat, dog, or human. Thats the story. And thats the lesson I learned: compassion is never wasted.
