I couldn\u2019t put my finger on why, exactly, but I had been feeling far away from God lately, like he wasn\u2019t really hearing me.<\/p>\n
A case of the spiritual blues, I guess.<\/p>\n
The sweltering heat didn\u2019t help\u2014August here in Georgia can get pretty unbearable. It was 100 degrees today, and really sticky. I turned up the air conditioner in my car full blast, ready to head home from my errands.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s when I saw the dog.<\/p>\n
He lay on top of a lumpy Army-green duffel bag right on the walk outside Applebee\u2019s restaurant. No shade. Sleeping, or at least I hoped he was. Why, he could be dead in this heat!<\/p>\n
I pulled in and found a parking spot then I hurried over to the dog. I bent down. \u201cHi, fella. You thirsty?\u201d<\/p>\n
I love dogs and they like me. But this one\u2014he was medium-sized, black, graying around the muzzle\u2014opened one eye, then shut it and turned his head away from me. Deliberately. His tail didn\u2019t budge.<\/p>\n
He had a collar, and by the way he was guarding the duffel bag, I figured he was waiting for his owner, who was no doubt sitting inside the restaurant in air-conditioned comfort!<\/p>\n
I stormed into Applebee\u2019s, ready to do battle. Right away, I spotted the owner. He sat alone at the counter, a tall glass of iced tea in front of him. Longish wavy blond hair and a goatee.<\/p>\n
Thin, like he didn\u2019t always get enough to eat. He was wearing jeans that had seen better days, but they were clean, though his hands had what could have been faint paint stains. He seemed to sense me coming and turned on the stool to face me.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat your dog?\u201d I demanded.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, ma\u2019am, he is.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s in the sun and has no water. I imagine he\u2019s hungry too.\u201d I must have raised my voice because some people stared at me. \u201cDogs like me, but he wouldn\u2019t even open both eyes when I spoke to him.\u201d<\/p>\n
The man broke into a slow, easy grin. He slid off the stool. \u201cThat\u2019s because he hasn\u2019t been properly introduced to you. Come on. I\u2019ll do the honors.\u201d<\/p>\n
Introduced?<\/em> I followed him outside.<\/p>\n He squatted down next to the dog, who sat up and fastened his eyes onto his owner. His tail came alive.<\/p>\n \u201cMa\u2019am, I don\u2019t know your name.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMarion.\u201d I bent close to them.<\/p>\n \u201cMarion, I\u2019d like you to meet Cheeseburger. Cheeseburger, this nice lady is Marion.\u201d The dog looked right into my eyes and offered a paw.<\/p>\n I took it. \u201cHi, Cheeseburger,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n He licked my hand and his tail shifted into high gear.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I\u2019m Johnny,\u201d the man said.<\/p>\n \u201cJohnny, I\u2019m afraid he\u2019s thirsty.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, he\u2019s okay,\u201d he said. \u201cThis spot was shady when I left him here just a few minutes ago.\u201d Johnny picked up his duffel bag.\u00a0\u201cWe\u2019ve been together for nine years. See, his collar has my cell phone number on it, and he\u2019s been vaccinated.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Johnny moved his bag beneath a Japanese maple tree and Cheeseburger settled down there beside it, in the shade. \u201cHow far do you live from here?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n \u201cNot far,\u201d he said. \u201cBack in those woods across the street. We have a good tent.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut couldn\u2019t you go to a shelter?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey won\u2019t take Cheeseburger, and I don\u2019t go anywhere without him,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Each time he said Cheeseburger, the dog\u2019s tail flopped back and forth joyfully.<\/p>\n \u201cJohnny, I\u2019m not going to be able to drive off without first getting Cheeseburger some food and water,\u201d I said. \u201cIt\u2019s not you. It\u2019s just, well, I have this thing about dogs…\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOkeydoke, if it\u2019ll make you happy,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m going back in now and finish up my drink. It was nice to meet you, Marion.\u201d<\/p>\n I zipped into Walgreen\u2019s and came back with a bowl, a big bottle of cold water, a small sack of dog food and a bone. Then I went in and fetched Johnny from the restaurant. \u201cI thought you should be with me when I give the food and water to Cheeseburger,\u201d I told him.<\/p>\n \u201cOkeydoke,\u201d he said. Cheeseburger stood as Johnny and I approached. I set the food down and he nibbled at it\u2014mostly to be polite, I think. He did lap up quite a lot of water.<\/p>\n \u201cI guess he was<\/em> thirsty,\u201d Johnny said. \u201cThanks. I\u2019m not going to start giving him bottled water, but don\u2019t worry, I take really good care of him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd who takes care of you?\u201d The words flew out of my mouth before I could stop them, and I knew they sounded sharper than I intended.<\/p>\n Johnny didn\u2019t seem to mind. \u201cHere\u2019s the way it works,\u201d he said gently. \u201cEvery morning me and Cheeseburger step out of our tent and look up at the sky. And I say, \u2018Lord, we belong to you. We trust you. Take care of us another day. Thank you.\u2019 And then at night when we lie down to sleep, I look out at the stars and say, \u2018We still trust you, God.\u2019\u201d He smiled again\u2014that slow, easy grin.<\/p>\n I smiled back. There was just something about his eyes I liked. \u201cMaybe I\u2019ll see you and Cheeseburger again sometime,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n \u201cOkeydoke. Me and Cheeseburger come here or head over to McDonald\u2019s most mornings. Then we walk down toward the post office. I\u2019m a painter by trade, hoping to find some work.\u201d<\/p>\n There was a genuine peace about Johnny, even in the face of my unkind accusations.<\/p>\n I fished around in my purse and found a twenty. \u201cCould I give you this?\u201d I asked hesitantly, not certain how to go about it.<\/p>\n He didn\u2019t reach for the bill, just kept looking at me with that contented expression. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to. We\u2019re doing pretty good.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d like to. Very much.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen I thank you, Marion. God bless you.\u201d<\/p>\n I got back in my car and turned on the air conditioner. At the red light, I leaned forward and gazed up into the blue cloudless sky. \u201cLord, I belong to you. I trust you. Take care of me today. Thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n The light changed. I pulled out onto the highway, feeling refreshed, not so much by the cool air but by an unmistakable peace, the same peace I had seen in Johnny\u2019s eyes.<\/p>\n