It was another morning in Alabama, and the birds sang out a beautiful song from the trees.
One by one, the dogs in Bama Camp started to wake up once the sun's rays peeked through the trees.
Mike woke up and saw Tiny and Hans squatting over in the woods, going to the bathroom. "I will never get used to that. Never" he said then the urge overcame him. "Ah man," he said while he got up.
He rushed over to a bush and got behind it for some privacy. He went to the bathroom and walked back into the camp where the rest of the dogs were now awake.
"There you are," Ginger said while she rushed up to Mike.
Mike yawned. "Man, I sure could use a cup of coffee," he said.
"Coffee? What's that?" Ginger asked.
"Oh, just something humans need to get their morning started," he replied.
"Oh," she responded.
"Ginger, where are you heading?" Rufus asked while he walked up to them.
"We're going up to Pennsylvania to a town called New Castle," she replied.
"What's up there?" he replied.
"My owners," Mike replied.
"Mike was accidentally left in Alabama by his owner. He wants to go back home," Ginger added.
Rufus looked sad. "My owners left me outside Atlanta at a rest stop. I tried going back home but saw they got a new dog to replace me. So it's life on the streets for me," Rufus said while his eyes welled up.
"Where are you headed?" Ginger asked Rufus.
"Hans, Ralphie, Dexter, and Abby are heading up to the mountains in North Carolina. We've never been up there before and will stay to see the leaves change. Then we'll head back down to Florida," Rufus told her.
"Well, have a safe trip," Ginger said.
"You two my darling," Rufus said then leaned down and licked Ginger's face.
Ginger giggled. "I never get tired of your kisses, Rufus," he said.
"Come with us to North Carolina then," Rufus said then licked her face again.
Ginger thought about his offer, and it was tempting, but she looked at Mike and knew he would never survive on the streets alone. "Maybe next year. I promised Mike I want to help him get back home," she replied.
"Oh well," Rufus said, then looked at Mike. "Well my new found friend, I hope you get back home and take of Ginger for me. She's one sweet lady," Rufus said.
"I will," Mike responded.
"Good, now have a safe trip," Rufus said then walked away disappointed Ginger didn't want to join him.
"Bye, everybody!" Ginger yelled out at the rest of the dogs.
"Later, Ginger!" Hans replied.
"Have a safe trip," Tiny replied.
"See you later," Ralphie replied.
All of the dogs said their good-byes.
Later that day, Ginger and Mike trekked down the road and headed toward Birmingham.
Soon they walked upon the town of Lake Purdy, which was located southeast of Birmingham.
"I'm starving," Mike told Ginger while they walked down a side street.
Ginger stopped and sniffed the air. "I'm smelling another familiar smell," she replied.
She took off, running down the sidewalk.
Mike ran after her.
Ginger turned down a street to the right and ran down the sidewalk.
After a few minutes, they found another Fantastic Burgers joint.
Ginger led Mike back toward the rear of the restaurant and passed by the outside café area where a large man walked inside the restaurant.
At the rear of the restaurant, Ginger and Mike got there while the garbage truck emptied the dumpster.
"Rats," she said while her stomach growled while she watched the truck drive away with their lunch.
"Well, I guess we'll have to resort to another means," she told Mike.
"What means?" Mike replied, not sure he would like her plan.
Ginger moved in closer to Mike's ear and whispered her plan.
Mike looked unsure but agreed since his stomach growled.
Ginger and Mike snuck around to the corner of the outside café area and waited for a customer.
The large man walked out of the restaurant.
He headed to the outside café area with a large bag in hand.
Ginger's eyes lit up when she saw him. "This could be the jackpot. Are you ready?" Ginger asked Mike.
"You bet," he replied while his stomach growled.
"Let's move," she said then she bolted off to the large man the second he sat down on the concrete bench with tile inlays.
She jumped up on the bench next to the man then quickly jumped up on the table.
The large man saw Ginger on his table near his food and got mad. "Get away, you ugly mutt!" he yelled and shooed her away.
"Could you please give us some food?" Ginger asked the man.
All the large man heard was Ginger barking at him on the table. He jumped up and went after her.
Ginger jumped down to the bench. "Please give us some food," she said to the man.
All the man heard was Ginger barking, so he lunged after Ginger. She jumped off the bench and looked up at him from the ground.
"I'm starving!" she said.
All he heard was her barking, and that made him mad. He ran after her.
She ran away.
Mike sprang into action and jumped up on the bench then jumped up on the top of the table. He quickly grabbed the bag and jumped down off the table and down to the bench. He jumped off the bench to the ground.
While Mike ran to the back of the restaurant, the large man chased Ginger to the street.
Mike ran to the rear of the restaurant and hid behind the dumpster.
The large man chased Ginger down the sidewalk, and when he felt she wouldn't return, he turned around and headed back to the restaurant.
The large man returned to his table. He looked mad when he saw that his bag of burgers was gone. He looked under the table, and it was not there. He looked around the area, and it was not there.
He ran to the rear of the restaurant, thinking some kids stole his lunch and were there munching down on his burgers. He looked around the back of the restaurant, and nobody was in sight.
The man walked pissed back to the entrance and went back inside to buy another lunch.
Ginger snuck down through the drive-thru lane to the rear of the restaurant. She went behind the dumpster.
Mike sat there with the bag behind the dumpster.
"I'm surprised you didn't start eating," she said while she sat down.
"That wouldn't be good manners," he replied.
"A gentleman, I like that," she replied, then sniffed the bag. "Let's eat," she replied.
They both tore the bag opened, and each immediately ripped opened their wrapped hamburgers. They munched down on the fresh juicy burgers.
Twenty minutes after they rested from their meal, Ginger walked out from behind the dumpster.
She looked around. "We need to get to Pennsylvania a little quicker," she said.
"How? By running?" Mike asked.
"No, watch and learn," she replied, then walked away and headed toward the drive-thru lane.
Ginger and Mike sat by the entrance of the drive-thru lane.
"What are we waiting for? A taxi?" Mike asked, jokingly.
"Patience, my friend," she replied.
A Dodge Ram pickup truck drove in the drive-thru and passed them, and she saw it had a Kentucky license plate under the down tailgate.
"This one will work," she said.
"What will work?" Mike looked around a little baffled.
"That pickup will get us to Kentucky," she replied.
Mike looked and saw the license plate. "Good thinking," he replied, happy to get off his paws for a while.
Ginger raced to the pickup where she jumped on the tailgate and quickly got on her belly. She saw Mike, who just sat there looking a little nervous.
"Come on, Mike," she called out.
Mike got up and ran over to the pickup. He jumped up and smacked his head on the bottom of the tailgate. He dropped to the ground in a little pain.
"Way to go, Grace!" Ginger teased him.
"Sorry, I don't know how to jump that high," he said while he got up.
"You're kidding me?" Ginger replied while she jumped down off the tailgate. "It looks I have some more things to teach you," she said while she walked down the drive-thru lane and headed to the street.
Mike followed her to the street.
"Are you sure you're a dog?" she asked Mike while they ran down the street.
"No comment," Mike replied.
Ginger ran over to a convenience store. She walked around the rear of the store and saw numerous stacked boxes.
Ginger jumped up on a small box then jumped off. "It's that easy," she said.
Mike got a running start, and he jumped on the box.
"See, it's easy," she replied while she looked the area over and saw some other boxes stacked on top of each other. "I want you to jump on this boxes," she said.
Mike walked away, then took a running start. He jumped up and landed on top of the box.
"Good, now I want you to jump clear of the boxes and land on the other side," she ordered.
Mike ran away from the boxes then got a running start and raced toward the boxes. He jumped and cleared the top of the stacked boxes. He felt proud of himself when he landed on his paws.
"Great grasshopper, you've graduated from Ginger's jump school. Let's hitch a ride up north," she said then ran toward the street.
Mike ran after her and headed to the street.
Mike and Ginger ran back to the Fantastic Burgers and sat by the entrance to the drive-thru window. They watched for pickups with out of state plates.
An hour passed, and they still waited.
Then a Chevy Silverado pickup truck with its tailgate down with Tennessee tags pulled into the drive-thru lane.
"Tennessee will get us closer and save a few days of walking," Ginger replied then she bolted off after the pickup.
Mike ran after her and headed to the pickup.
Ginger jumped up and landed on the tailgate.
Mike jumped up and landed on the tailgate.
"Good job!" Ginger praised him.
"Get off my truck!" a voice yelled behind them.
Ginger and Mike turned around and saw a colossal Mastiff standing at the front of the bed. The Mastiff growled while he inched toward Ginger and Mike.
"I said, get off my truck!" the Mastiff snarled at them while he inched his way closer to them.
Ginger knew they were in danger. "We're sorry," she said then jumped off the tailgate.
Mike stood on the tailgate, frozen with fear.
"You better get off," Ginger yelled at Mike.
The Mastiff inched his way closer. Mike snapped to reality and jumped off the tailgate.
The Mastiff walked to the edge of the tailgate. "And stay off!" he snarled at them then stepped back and lay down on the bed under the cab windows.
The Chevy pickup drove away, and the driver submitted his order through the drive-through window.
Ginger and Mike walked back and sat down by the entrance to the drive-thru. They waited for some more vehicles.
"That also happens once in a while," she told him.
"That sure takes the fun out of living on the streets," he replied."
"Tell me about it; she replied while they watched the incoming vehicles.
Three hours had passed, and their chances of a free ride looked slimmer.
Then a Ford F150 pickup with a bunch of antique furniture in the bed pulled into the drive-thru lane. On the door was painted Jimmy's Antiques, Charleston, West Virginia.
Ginger saw the West Virginia license plate. "Now that will get us closer to Pennsylvania," she replied then ran after the pickup.
She jumped up on the tailgate of the pickup.
Mike ran after her then he jumped on the tailgate.
Ginger looked and found a cubbyhole between two pieces of furniture. "We better stay out of view," she said then crawled inside the hole.
Mike looked around the furniture for another cubbyhole. He found one and crawled inside the hole.
Ginger and Mike hid in the cubbyholes while Jimmy a sixty-two-year-old antique furniture restorer bought a bacon cheeseburger, fries, and vanilla shake from the drive-thru window.
An hour later, Jimmy drove his pickup north of Birmingham on Interstate 59.
Ginger and Mike poked their heads out of the cubbyholes and watched while the pickup drove down the Interstate.
"This sure beats walking the asphalt," Mike called out.
"You know it," Ginger replied.
They continued to watch the north Alabama countryside drive by.
Hours later and the sun fell below the horizon to the west.
Ginger and Mike sat on the tailgate and watched the passing Tennessee countryside while Jimmy drove his pickup truck north on Interstate 75.
Then an hour later, they watched while Jimmy drove his pickup down exit 383 on Interstate 75 in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Jimmy drove his truck to a Super 8 Motel and pulled into the parking lot.
He parked his pickup and got out with a small suitcase.
Ginger and Mike poked their heads out of their cubbyholes and watched while Jimmy walked with his small suitcase in hand to the front entrance.
"Looks like he's spending the night here," Mike said.
Ginger got out of her cubbyhole and sat on the tailgate.
Mike got out of his cubbyhole and sat on the tailgate next to her.
They both sniffed the air.
"Something smells good," Mike said happy to have his sense of smell back.
"There must be a restaurant over in that direction," she said while she looked in the direction of the smell. "I'll race you to dinner," she said then jumped off the tailgate.
She ran through the parking lot.
Mike jumped off the tailgate and ran after Ginger.
An hour later, Ginger and Mike walked back through the Super Motel 8 motel after eating out of the garbage from the nearby Waffle House restaurant.
"I don't know if I'll ever get used to eating out of garbage cans," Mike said.
"Some of us don't have the luxury of having a human give us food every day," Ginger replied while they walked back to Jimmy's pickup.
Ginger and Mike jumped on the tailgate of the pickup and sat down. They stared up at the stars and the full Moon.
After a few minutes, they saw a shooting star zoom across the sky.
"Shooting star, hurry up and make a wish," she told him then quickly closed her eyes.
Mike closed their eyes.
"I wish I could have a human family love me and take me off the streets," Ginger wished silently in her head.
"I wish I could get my human life back and take care of my family," Mike wished silently in his head.
They both opened their eyes then Ginger and Mike yawned.
"It's been a long day," Mike said.
"Let's rest up for tomorrow's journey," she said then crawled back into her cubbyhole.
Mike crawled back into his cubbyhole, and they were soon fast asleep.