The morning's rays from the sun peaked through the trees. The birds sang at the start of another day.
Mike woke up and looked around the woods. He got up on his paws, and his stomach growled. "I would love some scrambled eggs, bacon and a huge cup of coffee," Mike said while he stretched.
He walked out of the woods.
He headed down the road with his head hung down and was depressed. His stomach continued to growl while he moped down the road.
A couple of hours later and traffic on the road increased. Cars would drive by and blow their horns while they passed by Mike. He was too tired to get startled or step off the road.
Then twenty minutes later, Mike walked into the outskirts of Sylacauga, Alabama.
Mike walked down numerous streets while he pondered how he was going to get back up to Pennsylvania.
"I don't have a map," he said to himself while he turned down another street.
After Mike walked farther down this street, he stopped when he smelled something good. "Hamburgers! That's the smells I missed," he said while he wagged his tail for the first time since he realized he was a dog.
He soon walked upon a fast-food hamburger restaurant called Fantastic Burgers and stopped when he smelled hamburgers. His stomach growled with hunger while he looked at the outdoor café style tables out front where a couple of people sat and ate their meals.
"I could kill for a hamburger!" Mike said while his stomach growled.
He walked down the driveway into the burger place.
He walked into the area with the outdoor tables.
He walked over to a table where a young man and woman ate their juicy hamburgers. His stomach growled again and was louder.
"Could you please spare a piece of hamburger? I'm starving," Mike said.
The man heard Mike barking at him, and he got mad. He crumpled up the bag from the hamburgers. "Get away you mangy mutt!" the man yelled at Mike while he threw the bag at him.
Mike just sat there while it bounced off his head.
The man got up and ran after Mike, who suddenly realized this man didn't appreciate dogs.
Mike ran to the back of the restaurant.
He sat down by the row of hedges at the rear of the restaurant property.
His stomach growled louder while he sat by the hedges.
"Are you hungry?" a female's voice called out from behind the hedges a few seconds later.
Mike looked around to see who was talking.
"I said, are you hungry?" the voice said again then Ginger, the dog Mike previously treated poorly back home, walked out from behind the hedges.
"Starving!" he replied the second he saw Ginger.
"My name is Ginger," she said while she walked up to him.
"My name is Mike," he replied.
Mike stared at Ginger, and something about her seemed extremely familiar. "Where have I seen you before?" he asked while he looked Ginger over.
Ginger looked at Mike. "I've never met you," she said then walked over and sniffed him, which made Mike a tad nervous.
"Or smelled you before," she said, then stepped away from him.
"I have this feeling we've met before," Mike said.
"Maybe there's another dog that looks like me out there," she said then sat down next to Mike.
His stomach growled while he stared at the restaurant, and his tongue hung out of his mouth.
"I'm also hungry. Why don't we get something to eat," she offered.
"How? I don't have any money," he replied with sad eyes wondering if he would starve to death.
Ginger chuckled. "Money? People use money; we use our speed and wits," she said while she looked at the restaurant.
"Speed and wits? How?" he asked curiously.
Ginger looked at Mike. "I take it you're not from the streets. Maybe you're a house dog? Or maybe you're from an outside kennel?"
"Born and raised in a house," he answered while his stomach continued to growl.
"Watch and learn my new found friend," she said while she got up then walked away.
Mike got up, and curiously followed.
Mike followed Ginger while she walked to the garbage dumpster where it overflowed, and a couple of trash bags were on the ground.
Mike watched while Ginger ripped the bag open with her nails.
"Ewe gross!" he said while Ginger dug into the trash bag for some food.
"What's the matter?" she asked while she continued to dig through the trash.
"You're eating out of the trash?" he said in disgust.
"Who cares? I'm hungry, and trash is an excellent source of food," she replied while she dug through the trash and found a hamburger that was made yesterday and wasn't sold. She ripped open the wrapping and bit into it. "Mmmm! This tastes so good!" she said with a mouthful of burger.
Mike sniffed the air. "Something smells better like a freshly made hamburger," he said while the aroma of cooking charcoal burgers on the grill came from the opened back door.
"Hamburger has been one of my favorites," she said while she munched down on some more of the day-old burger.
"Nothing better than a burger off the grill," Mike said while his stomach growled.
"You better start liking trash food, or you're going to starve," Ginger said then she took another bite of burger.
Mike's empty stomach was too hard to resist. He swallowed his pride and walked over to the trash bag. He looked inside the hole she made and dug around with his paw. He found another day old burger wrapped up.
"I can't starve," he said and figured it would be okay since it's wrapped up. He dug at the wrapping, and the burger on the bun was exposed. He dove in and took a bite. "Mmmm!" he said while he ate the burger, and it made his tummy happy.
It was later that day and after they each ate three hamburgers, and lay by the hedges of the restaurant.
"That sure filled my stomach. Thanks," Mike said to Ginger then he sat up and looked at her. "How long have you been on the streets?"
Ginger sat up. "Pretty much my whole life. My mother gave birth to me and my brother and sisters at these humans house. The humans gave away my brothers and sisters but couldn't find me a home. So they left me out in the woods one afternoon saying I was too much of a burden. What kind of mean person does such a horrible thing?" she asked Mike while her eyes welled up when she recalled that horrible day.
"I wouldn't know," Mike replied and then felt terrible for leaving Rascal out in the woods, but wasn't about to tell Ginger.
"How long have you been on the streets?" she asked curiously.
"One day."
"What happened?" she asked
"It's a long story, and I don't feel like talking about it," Mike replied with sad eyes.
"I've been on the open road, traveling from Florida up to Pennsylvania, then back down to Florida," she said.
Mike's ears perked up, and his tail wagged. "Pennsylvania? That's where I'm from. I need to get back there and be with my family," he told her.
Ginger thought for a second. "If you're from Pennsylvania, how did you make it down to Alabama?" she asked curiously.
Mike thought for a few seconds for a cover story. "Well, my family drove down to Orlando, Florida for vacation and to visit a relative in Alabama. They stopped for a break at a rest stop. They left me inside the car while they went to eat in a restaurant. I had to pee so bad that I crawled out an opened window. I ran to some trees, and when I came back, they were gone. I guess they didn't realize I wasn't in the car," Mike said then gave her some fake sad eyes.
Ginger felt sorry for him.
"I need to get back to Pennsylvania," he added.
"What town?" she asked curiously.
"New Castle."
Her eyes lit up. "I know that place. The last time I was there, a dog pound guy caught me while I was on the streets. Then at the shelter, they almost put me to sleep forever, but I was too crafty and slipped away. So I'm not sure I want to head back to that city," she said then looked at Mike's sad eyes.
She thought about his sad eyes for a few seconds. "You know, you are kinda cute in an ugly way. Since you're not familiar with the streets, it'll be my pleasure to take you back home. I normally head up that way for the summers and spent the winters down in Florida. I was planning on going to Ohio this time, but I guess I can head back to New Castle," she said then gave Mike a lick across the side of his head.
Gross! A dog kissed me! Mike thought to himself and didn't want to say that out loud, as he didn't want to get her mad. "I would love the company," he told her and knew his life depended on Ginger.
"Super! We will have a good time, and I would love some company. After I drop you off at your home, I'm heading to Ohio," she replied.
Then one of the short-order cooks stepped out of the back door of the restaurant. He sat down to relax and drink a Coke; then he saw Ginger and Mike. He frowned at the sight of the dogs. He picked up a rock by the back door. "Get out of here!" he yelled while he threw the rock at Ginger and Mike.
The rock landed inches by Mike, and he jumped up startled.
"Welcome to life on the road," Ginger said while she turned around and bolted through the hedges.
Mike turned around and bolted after her through the hedges.
Ten minutes, Ginger and Mike huffed and puffed while they ran down the sidewalk.
Mike stopped and sat down.
People walked around him.
Ginger walked back to Mike. "Are you okay?" she asked, concerned.
"I need a rest. I'm not used to running like that," he said out of breath.
"House dogs are way too pampered," she said while she sat down next to Mike. Then she looked down at the sidewalk. "I would love being pampered," she quietly to herself.
Mike heard her comment and felt a little sorry for her.
Then Ginger's eyes widen in fear when she saw the city dog pound truck.
"We better get out of here really fast," she told him while she kept an eye on the truck.
"What's wrong?" he asked while he looked in the direction she looked.
"Dog pound truck," she said then jumped up and bolted down the sidewalk.
Mike jumped up and bolted after Ginger.
She quickly turned down another sidewalk.
"If they catch us, they'll put us in the pound where we stand a good chance of being put to sleep forever," she called out while she ran as fast as she could down the sidewalk.
"How do you know this?" Mike asked out of breath while he ran up to her.
"My experience up in New Castle," she said while she looked behind her for the truck, and saw it driving down the street after them.
"Oh yeah," he replied when he remembered her story.
They ran between some people's legs almost causing them to fall on their butts.
Ginger saw a residential area up ahead down the sidewalk.
A few minutes later, she made a sharp right turn and ran through someone's backyard.
Mike made a sharp right turn and ran after her.
The male driver of the dog pound truck stopped and got out and stood in the street. He looked at the yard where he saw Ginger and Mike run through, and they were nowhere in sight.
He looked disappointed while he got back into his truck and slowly drove down the street in search of the two dogs.
The dog pound truck made a right turn down the residential street. He slowly drove down that street in search of the two dogs.
A few minutes later, Ginger and Mike poked their heads out of a bush they ducked under to hide.
"The coast is clear," she told Mike and got out from under the bush.
Mike came out from under the bush.
They walked back down to the street.
The walked down the sidewalk to another main street.
Ginger stopped and looked around the area. "We need to cross the street so we can head north," she said.
Mike looked around and looked lost. "How do you know that?" he asked, as he was lost.
"This is my normal path to the north," she said.
"Well, let's cross the street," Mike said and got up and walked to the curb.
He set one paw on the street, and Ginger immediately chomped down on his tail and pulled him back.
"Ahhhh!" Mike cried out in pain. "What are you doing?" he said the second a car whizzed past him and the wheels missed him by inches.
"The streets are jam-packed with danger. You could get hurt if you don't look for cars," she scolded.
Mike was shaken up knowing a car tire almost flattened his head. He sat down on the sidewalk. "Thank you," he said.
"Just be careful, as I don't want to lose you," she said then licked the inside of his ear and snuggled next to him.
"I hope in doggie land, this doesn't mean we're married," Mike quietly said to himself.
Some people walked by and smiled at the sight of two dogs snuggling together.
"Let's go before that pound truck comes this way," she said then got up.
She walked to the curb and looked both ways. The coast was clear. "Now," she said then she bolted across the street.
Mike got up, and he got to the curb. He cautiously looked both ways then he bolted across the street.
Later that evening and the sun sunk fast below the horizon.
Mike and Ginger finally walked to Highway 280, which was north of Sylacauga.
"You see, eating out of the trash isn't a bad way to dine," Ginger told him after they had dinner at the dumpster behind McDonald's.
They were only one mile north of the Merkel Field airport of Sylacauga when Mike stopped and stepped off the road.
"What's wrong?" she asked while she walked back to him.
"I'm not used to all this walking, and I'm exhausted," he said.
She looked up at the sky. "It's getting dark, so we might as well sleep in these woods," she said then walked off into the woods.
Mike followed her.
A few minutes later, they found a spot twenty feet from the road.
Mike curled up and closed his eyes. He was asleep in minutes.
Ginger curled up next to him, and she closed her eyes, and she was asleep in minutes.
An hour later, Mike woke up. He felt something on his back. It took a few seconds for him to realize that Ginger rested her head on his back. "Again, I hope in doggie land this doesn't mean we're engaged," he quietly said to himself.
Ginger opened her eyes. "No. We're just friends. You're not my type anyway. Sleeping like this will help keep us warm tonight," she said, then closed her eyes.
Mike felt a little embarrassed. He closed his eyes.