Returning Injury (5 page)

On good days, Roy was fun to be around. He was energetic and made her laugh. A couple of their dates were so good that she found herself thinking about a future with him. But on their bad dates, he hardly talked to her or anybody. He seemed to hate life and everybody in it.

Rebecca kissed Lily’s soft jowls and backed away to look at her. She noticed how every time Lily exhaled a breath, her cheeks would expand like she was playing the tuba. Rebecca started laughing, then kissed her again; Lily’s tail started to wag.

Rebecca read more of Angie’s work and learned more about the horrifying abuse at strip clubs. Besides the derogatory name calling and the grabbing of their breasts and buttocks, these women said that men attempted and often succeeded in penetrating them with their fingers. Their customers also exposed their penises, rubbed their penises on them and masturbated in front of them. The young women were propositioned for prostitution daily.

Rebecca was continually astounded about the strip club facts and statistics. She didn’t understand why this was going on, how women could do this for a living and why they rationalized that it was okay
to be treated that way. She feared men who treated women in such a way, women who were daughters, sisters, nieces and oftentimes mothers.

Rebecca thought about co-workers who would go to strip clubs with their husbands or boyfriends or even with a group of girlfriends. She could never understand those women, but she always figured that if women were going to strip clubs, their presence would keep men in check. She wanted to believe that the men would be less likely to try to finger the dancers or take their penises out in front of the other “normal” women. She thought the strippers were a little safer when there were female customers in the clubs. Rebecca wondered if the female spectators realized the gritty truth of degradation and violence against women in the strip clubs.

Several years ago, Rebecca remembered flipping through the channels on TV and stopping on Howard Stern interviewing a stripper. He asked the stripper if she had been sexually abused as a child. She said that she had been. There was such sadness in her eyes. He said every stripper he had ever talked to had been molested when they were little. Rebecca couldn’t believe that Howard Stern knew the horrific statistics about the industry. Unfortunately, it didn’t stop him from asking her to get naked and crawl under his desk. And so she did.

After reading through more of Angie’s papers, Rebecca couldn’t understand why Angie didn’t exploit the one thing that made her special. She didn’t share it with the kids in Boston, and she didn’t include any articles in the packet about her being shot at the strip
club. Rebecca, however, knew all about it, because she always researched new clients.

After writing a few more notes, Rebecca headed to the kitchen to get another glass of wine. Lily stayed on the chaise lounge, snoring loudly. Rebecca giggled to herself, “Not a watch dog, that’s for sure.”

When Rebecca walked back into the living room, she noticed that the fire was starting to heat up the house. A good time to take Lily outside, she thought, and the warm house would feel good when they came back inside. She went back into the kitchen to turn off the alarm.

“Lily, you wanna go outside?” Lily perked up so quickly her ear landed on top of her head, and Rebecca laughed out loud about her crazy clown Lily. “I sure love you, Lily baby. Let’s go outside.”

Almost immediately, the coyotes started yipping back and forth, echoing though the hills. Lily barked back into the darkness. She barked straight up toward the hill, then suddenly turned and barked behind her toward the driveway. Rebecca was scared and didn’t like Lily’s reactions, so she decided to go back inside. “Come on Lily. We’ll try again later.” Rebecca closed and locked the door behind them. She unhooked Lily, slipped off her shoes and headed straight to the alarm system to re-arm it, noticing that the red light was illuminated when the alarm was set. She shivered in the warm house but not from being cold. She hated taking Lily out at night, especially when Jack was out of town.

Rebecca sat back down on the chaise with Lily and took a sip of her wine. Still faintly hearing the coyotes outside, she reached for the remote and turned the jazz a little louder to drown out their
howling. Rebecca pet Lily’s side, touching the scar on her hip from a coyote attack and that horrifying morning came flashing back.

Rebecca woke suddenly to Jack’s yelling. Rebecca sprung out of bed and heard the front door slam. She knew in an instant Lily had been attacked by a coyote. She looked out the window and saw two coyotes running from the yard to the woods with Jack behind them yelling. Rebecca started to cry. She couldn’t see Lily. Jack turned and looked up at the window. He saw Rebecca, then bent over to call Lily.

“Please Lily… Please be okay.”

She saw Lily walk up to Jack, wagging her tail. Jack looked back up to the window, guilt ridden. Rebecca ran down the hall and down the stairs to meet them at the front door. Lily was bleeding from the back of her neck, hip and rear of her left leg. She smelled horribly and was filthy, but she seemed to be okay. But Jack felt awful, Rebecca could tell.

Rebecca looked over Lily to see how badly she was hurt. The smell and dirt made it hard to tell the extent of her injuries, so Rebecca rushed her upstairs and into their big master tub. She ran lukewarm water and put Lily in, washing her with antibacterial soap and water. When she was finished Lily started bleeding worse, so Jack and Rebecca drove her to the animal emergency about forty-five minutes away. It was five-thirty in the morning.

On the drive over, Jack kept apologizing.

“Honey, it’s not your fault. If anything you’re our hero. You chased off those two coyotes,” Rebecca said as she held Lily tighter. “Daddy’s a hero, huh, baby? Daddy’s our hero.”

Jack reached over and pet Lily. “I’m sorry, baby.”

“What’s that?” Rebecca pretended that Lily had whispered something to her. “Oh. Okay, I’ll tell him.” She looked at Jack. “She’s mad at you.”

“I know. I’m sorry I put you out there.”

“No, it’s not that. She’s mad at you because she has no neighborhood friends, and she meets two fun friends and Daddy chases them away.”

“I won’t laugh until I know she’s okay.”

“She’ll be just fine, honey. I think we were very lucky. I keep remembering all the times she wanted out and I just tied her outside. I didn’t watch her; I wouldn’t have been able to hear her. That scares me so much, I’m sick about it.”

“Yes, we’ve been lucky. I just had no idea they would come up to the house like that. Brazen. I hope she’s okay.”

They left the hospital loaded with horror stories about the local coyotes, medication for Lily, and Lily shaved in several areas with a staple in her hip. The vet said they were lucky; one second later and there would have been an entirely different outcome.

On the drive home, Jack said, “I tied her out like bait. I just can’t believe it. Did you see them?”

Rebecca could tell he was fighting tears. “Yes, I saw them. I can’t believe it either.”

“Reb, I attached the cable to her harness. I turned and went inside the house. You know, she is right there by my office window.”

Rebecca nodded.

“I sat down in my chair, heard a noise, looked out and started yelling. It happened that fast.”

“They saw you put her there.”

“They must have. They must be in the woods behind us watching the house, waiting for an opportunity.”

“Don’t scare me.”

“Rebecca, we have to be careful. Lily can’t be outside alone ever again.”

“You’re right. I’m still sick about how many times we have left her outside alone. I wonder why now, why this morning?”

“I guess it’s the time of the year, fall moving in. And remember what the vet said, first thing in the morning and around dusk seem to be the most dangerous times for small animals, family cats and dogs.”

Rebecca pet Lily lying on her lap. “Lily, we’re not good parents.”

“We’ll get better. We’re learning.” He reached over and rested his hand on Lily’s back. “Lily honey, I don’t want you hanging around those friends anymore. Do you understand me? They’re no good. They play too rough.”

“I agree with your father. Those two are not allowed to play over here ever again.” Rebecca held onto Jack’s hand and kissed it. “Thank you for saving my baby’s life.” Tears welled up in her eyes.

Jack kissed Rebecca’s hand back.

“What if they would have gone after you?”

“They wouldn’t. They’re afraid of humans.”

“How do you know?”

“They ran off when I started yelling.”

“I saw them, Jack. You were outside, and they were not that far from you. They didn’t run off very fast. And what about that woman the vet told us about who had to play tug-of-war with her dog on a leash. That coyote wasn’t afraid of her. I’m a lot smaller than you. Would they have gone after me? If they would come that close to the house and they didn’t run off as quickly as I think they should have. I’m a little nervous.”

“Honey, I really don’t think you have to be afraid. The coyotes are hunting during dusk and dawn. I’m almost always home during those times, so I’ll take her out then.”

“No, I don’t want to be afraid in my own yard. I like where we live. I’ll just keep my eyes out and scream like a crazy person if I see one heading our way.”

Lily snorted. Jack and Rebecca giggled.

The coyote howls grew louder and closer, jolting Rebecca back to the present. She knew that the coyotes were more active again because of the season. It was getting colder and the nights were longer, getting dark earlier in the evening and staying dark later in the morning. Rebecca gave Lily a kiss on the head. “We were so lucky, baby.”

The phone rang, and Rebecca jumped.

“Honey, it’s Dad. I’ve been watching the news, and I just wanted to tell you about some recent coyote attacks where people are being attacked. Those coyotes are getting less fearful of humans.”

“Are you serious? Where? Who?”

“Here in Colorado and I think Kansas. Oh, and a young woman was killed in Canada. You may want to do a little research of your own to find out more. But I thought about you and Lily, and I know Jack’s away. I want you to be careful.”

“I will, Dad. Thanks for calling.”

“Yes, and do you know what to do if you see one and he isn’t shying away from you?”

“Well, I guess Lily and I would run into the house.”

“Becky, if you see one, don’t turn your back on him.”

Rebecca always felt like a child when he called her that. He was the only one who could get away with it.

“Make as much noise as you can and make yourself look big by raising your arms up. Maybe you should pick up Lily and hold her,
but make a lot of noise. Even if one gets close to you and starts to circle you, don’t turn your back on him, okay?”

“Okay, Dad, but you’re scaring me.”

“Well, Becky, I want you to know what to do. You’re out there living with the coyotes. I wish you and Jack would consider getting a gun.”

“Dad, we’re not getting a gun. We’ve had this talk. I don’t want a gun in this house.”

“…well maybe I should come and stay with you, at least while Jack’s out of town. This is a bad time of year; those coyotes are hungry.”