It was the next morning in Knoxville, and the sound of traffic on Interstate 75 got louder.
Mike crawled out from his cubbyhole and stretched on the tailgate. He walked over to Ginger's cubbyhole. "Time to get up," he said to her.
"Not yet, I want to sleep for another couple of hours," she quietly said from while she lay in her cubbyhole.
"We better hurry up and find some breakfast before our ride takes off," he said.
Ginger didn't reply for a few seconds. "You're right," she said, then got out of her cubbyhole.
"Let's go grab some food," Mike said then jumped off the tailgate.
"I'm shocked you're in a hurry to eat out of the garbage," she replied while she jumped off the tailgate.
"As you said before, it's either the trash or we starve," he responded while they ran through the parking lot and headed back to the Waffle House.
Twenty minutes later, Ginger and Mike filled their tummies from the garbage of the Waffle House. Breakfast consisted of discarded toast, muffins, and bacon.
They ran through the parking lot of the Super 8 Motel.
Mike stopped and looked a little lost. "Where's our ride?" he asked while he looked around the lot, and Jimmy's truck wasn't in sight.
Mike ran down toward the other end of the lot and searched for Jimmy's truck, and it wasn't in sight.
He ran back to Ginger in a panic.
"He's gone. Now what?" he said when he got back to her.
Ginger scanned the area. She saw a Greyhound bus while it drove down the street in front of the motel. "Don't worry. I have another plan. Hurry!" she said while she ran off in the direction the bus drove.
"Now what?" Mike said while he ran after Ginger but knew she had an idea for a new mode of transportation.
While Ginger and Mike ran down the street, a stray cat slowly meandered up ahead of them.
Ginger suddenly stopped the second she saw the cat.
Mike slammed into her rear. "What's wrong?" he said while he back away from her furry rear end.
"Down the road a bit. There's a cat!" she said with a snarl.
Mike saw the stray cat while it meandered down the sidewalk ahead of them.
"So what," Mike replied and could care less about a cat.
"Let's chase it, that's what," she said while she kept an evil eye on the cat.
"Why?"
"Because it's fun," she said while she bolted after the cat.
The cat sensed something was wrong and turned around. The cat's eyes widened in fear at the sight of Ginger and Mike. "Dogs!" she cried out and ran away.
Ginger chased the cat.
"Dumb, dumb, and dumb!" Mike said, sat down and watched Ginger chased the cat across the street.
Mike waited on the sidewalk for another 15 minutes, and Ginger finally walked back over to him.
"Now that you're done playing, can we continue with our trek up north?" Mike said a little irritated with Ginger.
"Sure," Ginger said while she looked around the area and got a bearing on where she was in town. "Let's go," she said then walked off down the sidewalk.
Mike followed her down the sidewalk.
"Man was that fun! That cat ran like a scared rabbit," Ginger chuckled proudly of herself.
Dogs can be so stupid. Mike thought to himself.
Twenty minutes later, they walked down the street thru a residential neighborhood.
They walked by a house and saw a boy while he threw a ball in his front yard. The boy's Golden Retriever ran after the ball and snatched it up with his mouth. He trotted back and dropped the ball by the boy's shoes. The boy threw the ball, and his dog chased after it. He snatched it up with his mouth and trotted back over to the boy.
"That looks fun. He throws the ball, you get it, bring it back, and then he throws it, and then you get it. It just repeats and repeats. Duh!" Ginger said and rolled her eyes not impressed.
"I remember as a boy playing ball with my dog," Mike replied and didn't think about his statement.
It dawned on Ginger what he said. "Did you say as a boy? You might have damaged your brain when you smacked it on that tailgate," she replied a little concerned.
Mike faked a chuckle. "I meant playing ball with the boy from the family that owned me," he said.
"It must be a stupid guy thing," she responded.
They walked down the street then turned down another street.
Later that day, Ginger and Mike walked to the Greyhound Bus Station.
"A bus? How can we get a ride on a bus?" Mike asked a little concerned about her new plan.
They walked around the station to the rear area, where the buses arrived and departed.
They walked over and cowered under a concrete bench and watched the busses.
Five hours later and it looked hopeless for using a bus as a ride to Pennsylvania.
"This isn't working," Mike said and crawled out from under the bench.
"Where are you going?" she asked, extremely concerned.
"Home," he said while he walked away.
Ginger hurriedly crawled out from under the bench.
"How?" she asked, concerned.
"Walking," he replied, then walked away and wasn't thrilled of spending countless days walking.
"Don't give up just yet," she replied while a bus pulled into the entrance of the area. She glanced over at the bus, and her eyes widened. "That bus will work," she said.
Mike looked and saw a bus with Cleveland on the front marquee. "That would get us north of Pittsburgh, and that's closer than where we are now," he replied then he quickly crawled under the bench.
Ginger joined him and crawled under the bench.
"So, how can we sneak on that bus?" he asked curiously.
"Just wait, and our opportunity will open up," she replied while she kept an eye on the bus.
The door opened, and the driver stepped out. He walked over to the side and opened up the baggage compartment. He started unloading suitcases while people stepped off the bus. They walked over and grabbed their suitcases then walked into the station.
The driver removed all the required suitcases and left the baggage doors opened. He walked away and went inside the station.
"Let's roll," she said while she quickly crawled out from under the bench then bolted to the bus.
Mike quickly crawled out from under the bench and ran after Ginger. "What is her plan?" he asked while he chased after her.
Ginger jumped inside the luggage compartment.
Mike didn't question, and he jumped inside the compartment.
"Smart plan, I'm impressed," Mike said while he followed her to the rear of the compartment.
"This is one of the many ways I hitch a ride," she said while she sat down.
"You hit the jackpot with this bus, it'll get me closer to home," Mike said then his doggie instinct took over, and he licked Ginger's face.
She giggled and loved his licks on her face.
Then it dawned on him what he did. I'm turning into a real dog! He thought to himself and got worried.
They waited in the compartment.
An hour later, Ginger and Mike started to fall asleep, but the sound of luggage being loaded into the compartment woke them up.
"We're on our way," she said while they watched luggage filling up the compartment.
Ten minutes later, the compartment got darker and darker while it was being filled up with luggage. Then the compartment doors were slammed shut, and it was completely dark inside.
"We might as well sleep to pass the time," Mike said.
Then they heard the bus engine start. "And we're off and will be in Cleveland before you know it," she said then closed her eyes.
Mike closed his eyes and started to fall asleep.
"The wheels on the bus go round and round," Ginger quietly sang out a kid's song.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"Singing a song. What do you think?" she said. "Come on, join in. "The wheels on the bus go round and round," she added.
"Let's not and say we did," he said.
"Don't be a party pooper. Sing along," she replied.
"What if a human up above us on the bus hears us? Then the driver will stop and investigate the barking in this compartment," he warned her.
She stopped and thought about his comment. "You could be right," she said then. "It might be better if we just sleep the time away," she added then closed her eyes.
I hate that song! Mike thought to himself, remembering when Jenny would sing it day in and day out.
It was quiet and dark while the bus drove up to to the north ramp for Interstate 75.
All Mike could think about while he closed his eyes were Debbie and the kids.
About six hours had passed, and it was in the wee hours of the morning. While the bus drove closer to Cleveland, Mike had a dream while he slept.
In his dream, Mike walked back to his home, and he was a human again.
He walked to the front door and knocked.
The door opened, and Debbie appeared. She smiled the second she saw Mike and ran outside where she hugged him.
Jenny saw Mike from the living room, and she ran outside where she hugged Mike.
Chris saw Mike from the living room, and he ran outside where he hugged him.
They whisked Mike inside his home as one happy family.
While Debbie closed the front door, it sounded like tires screeching. Then the second the door closed there was a loud crash sound.
Mike looked around his living room, confused over that sound. Then he heard people scream while his house turned on its side. Mike, Debbie, and the kids were thrown onto the wall, which was now the floor. Something invisible smacked Mike in his head. The sound of metal scraping was loud, and the house shook, and it appeared to be sliding. Then there was a loud crash, and there was an eerie silence.
"Mike, are you okay," Ginger's voice echoed throughout his house.
Mike looked around in a daze at his house.
Mike woke up from his dream and saw part of the night sky full of stars through the opened luggage compartment door above him. The full Moon provided some light into the compartment.
"What happened?" he asked, confused.
"I think we had an accident," Ginger replied in the darkness.
"Are you okay?" Mike asked while he looked around in the dark.
"I'm fine," Ginger replied.
"Good," Mike replied while he looked up at the opened luggage compartment door.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
"I think a suitcase hit me in the head, but I'm fine," he said while he cringed in pain.
"We better get out of here," she replied while she looked at the mountain of suitcases that provided access to the opened door.
Ginger climbed up the tossed luggage to the opened door.
Mike followed her up the suitcases.
Ginger jumped out through the opening.
Mike jumped out through the opening.
They both landed on the ground and looked up and saw the bus was on its side with its front end smashed into a tree just off Interstate 71 about ten miles south of Cleveland. They could hear people inside the bus crying in pain.
"We better get out of here," Ginger told Mike.
They ran off toward a nearby field.
Hours later, Ginger and Mike continued walking away from the bus accident and were now in some woods along Interstate 71.
Ten minutes later, Ginger and Mike ran across someone sleeping in the woods, and it was a homeless guy.
Ginger stopped and looked at the guy.
Mike stopped and looked at Ginger. "What's wrong?" he asked.
"There's a human over there," she replied.
The guy woke up when he heard Ginger and looked over at her. It was Howard Langley, and he smiled the second he saw Ginger.
"Ginger, my girl!" he excitedly said while he sat up.
"How did he know your name?" Mike asked, curiously.
"I often would travel with Howard, and he gave me my name of Ginger," she replied while she rushed over to Howard wagging her tail.
Howard petted Ginger's head while she licked his face. "Good seeing you again, girl," he replied then he spotted Mike. "I see you have a friend," he said.
Howard got up and walked over to Mike, and he knelt. "Hello there. My name is Howard," he said while he petted Mike's head then saw the collar around Mike's neck. "I see your name is Peewee," he added.
"Please. Don't call me Peewee. Call me Mike," he said.
All Howard heard was Mike barking. "Okay, okay, Peewee," he said while he continued to pet Mike's head.
What's the use? Mike thought in his head, but he enjoyed the head petting.
"So Ginger, would you like to travel with me?" he asked.
"Yes!" Ginger replied.
Mike looked at Howard and had this feeling he's seen him before but couldn't figure out where.
"Good, now, where? Chicago?" he asked Ginger.
She just looked at him.
"Okay, how about Dallas?" he asked her.
She just looked at him.
"Pittsburgh?" he asked her.
"Yes, Pittsburgh!" Ginger quickly replied while she wagged her tail.
All Howard heard was Ginger barking, and that was an indication of where she wanted to head. "Then Pittsburgh it is," he said then walked over and rummaged through his ratty backpack. He pulled out a train schedule and looked it over.
"The train for Pittsburgh leaves later tonight. So we have some time," Howard said then shoved the schedule back in his backpack. He looked at the dogs. "Are you both hungry?" he asked.
Ginger and Mike wagged their tails.
"I take that as a yes," he said then bent down and picked up his dirty brown Fedora hat and placed it on his head. "Stay here, and I'll get us some grub," Howard said then walked away.
Mike watched Howard while he walked away between some trees. "Where have I seen him before?" Mike quietly said to himself, as it started to bug him.
Ginger lay on the ground and closed her eyes.
Mike lay next to her and pondered how his family would react to him when he showed up at his home. Then he wondered how he could turn himself back into a human again. His eyes welled up, thinking he would be a dog for the rest of his life.
Thirty minutes later, Howard returned with some hamburgers he bought from Burger King. He got the money panhandling out in the street and refused to steal for cash. He had a double cheeseburger for himself and Whopper Junior each for Ginger and Mike.
They chowed down on the juicy burgers.
After they ate, they relaxed in the woods until the sun dropped below the horizon.
Howard looked at his watch. "We have a couple of hours until the train to Pittsburgh leaves," he told Ginger and Mike. He got up and slung the backpack around his shoulder. He picked up his ratty old brown Fedora hat. "Let's head out of here," he told Ginger, and Mike then started walking away and wore his hat.
Ginger and Mike followed Howard while he walked through the woods.
Along the way to the train yard, Howard bought some food at a convenience store for their ride to Pittsburgh.
They snuck through the train yard, and Howard stopped while he double-checked his train schedule "There she is," he said and pointed at a freight train about fifty feet away.
Howard rushed across numerous train tracks and headed to the freight train.
The arrived at one of the freight cars, and Howard immediately slid the door open. He bent down and picked Ginger up and placed her inside the car. He bent down and picked up Mike and placed him inside the car. Howard climbed up inside the car.
"Move away to the other end of the car," Howard said while he slid the door closed and it was dark inside the car.
They all sat in the darkness of the freight car, which had some wooden crates of various supplies destined for Pittsburgh.
It was hours later, and the freight train was out of the Cleveland city area. It raced in the Ohio countryside and headed to Pittsburgh.
Howard slid the door of the boxcar opened and he sat in the opening and let his feet dangled outside. Ginger sat by his right side, and Mike sat by his left side. They watched while the dark Ohio countryside whizzed along.
Howard removed some beef jerky from the bag he bought at a convenience store. He handed a piece of beef jerky to Ginger, who wagged her tail, then he gave Mike a piece of jerky. Both dogs munched down on the treat.
"Ginger sure loves beef jerky," Howard said while he rubbed her head while he watched the countryside whizz by.
Ginger and Mike finished eating their beef jerky.
"Yeah little doggies, I didn't always travel like this," he told them while he munched on a piece of beef jerky. "I had a job, a wife, and a house. I had a good life," he said while he chewed on his snack. "Then my wife got breast cancer right before my plant closed down and I lost my job," he added while he continued to chew on his jerky.
"All my savings went to the hospital and doctors for her care. Then she died from cancer. After that I went broke, and since we never had kids and I don't have any other family members to help me out, so I've been on the streets ever since," he said then took another bite of his jerky. "And once you get on the streets, nobody will give you a second chance," he said while his eyes welled up and he chewed his jerky.
He reached in the bag and handed Ginger and Mike another piece of beef jerky.
"Well, enough of my sob story. Let's get some shut-eye," he said while he got up and walked to the other end of the boxcar.
Mike felt sorry for Howard while he watched him walk to the other end of the car and went to sleep.
"Howard's a good traveling companion, as he always feeds me. He found me as a pup in the woods after my owners abandoned me. He's been a good friend," Ginger quietly told Mike then she yawned. "I'm going to get some sleep," Ginger said and walked off.
Mike watched while Ginger walked over and curled up next to Howard and closed her eyes.
Mike stared out of the boxcar. Then it dawned on him, and he remembered where he met Howard. He glanced over at Howard and felt like a huge jerk for the way he treated him in the past.