Charley, after getting slaughtered by what we think was a branch, had her surgery to stitch up the flap of skin that was dangling grossly on her side.
The surgery was clear across town, in White Center. Not having a car and taking the bus is not a problem as long as it is the E line that is a straight shot to the park of horrors Charley is familiar with. Plus she has so open wound. And wasn’t feeling hot.
Luckily this security guard that worked at QFC had offered us a ride the day it happened. The same security guard I got snippy with a month earlier. I had noticed that she was following us around. She wasn’t very sneaky or inconspicuous. Big boned, thick blond hair that hit the middle of her back, and stood a good 5’11 1/2 dressed in all black with a badge.
After making several turns down different aisles, getting annoyed by having this huge shadow behind me, I hurried to the self checkout line, went to leave and HELLO! She was standing at the exit door. Just kept staring at us.
Me, and my snotty came out. I indignantly pulled out my receipt and held it up to her and said, “HERE! My RECEIPT!” I then hucked my backpack over my shoulder and unzipped it, continually being an asshole, said “YOU WANNA CHECK IN HERE TOO?”
She looked up from her phone and blinked a couple times and said “Uh?”
I walked outside, a bit confused and with a bit embarrassment, muttered under my breath about something or other to Charley.
But, get this…. she’d followed us out and was standing right behind me. I turned around, kinda curious, kinda want to go off all at the same time.
“I LIKE YOUR DOG.” Quietly she said. “I CANT STOP STARING AT HER. “SHE’S BEAUTIFUL“. She continued, “I didn’t mean to keep following you but I love dogs. I have 4 of them “Do you mind if I pet her?”
AW MAN! How gross I felt for my earlier thoughts. But that opened up the floodgates and we talked and talked. I told her what I thought and apologized for being snippy with her. I even made special trips to that QFC to see her because she would absolutely fawn over Charley.
I thought about it. She lived far away and she didn’t get off till midnight. She said she didn’t mind. She just loves Charley. She has nothing to do that day. The surgery was at 8. That was ok. She gets up at 5 to work out. So I decided to take the help. I really needed Charley to be safe and feel at ease.
She picked me up at…. the QFC… and Charley kept trying to sit in her lap. Charley loves her. Charley loves love. Everybody loves Charley.
Well, Tali was definitely schooling me on stuff that kids go on nowadays. First, Tali is only 20.
I’m 50 years old and a 20 year old is driving me around. Wow.
We were talking about pot. I was telling her I didn’t have my ID so i couldn’t buy any from the dispensaries ATM. She kinda laughed and said, “oh I have pot everywhere at home. I have a “grip” of hookups that I can go to at any moment. It’s Washington. Everybody in WA smokes pot.”
God. I felt so unhip .
She met her current boyfriendthrough Snapchat. Because her boyfriend at the time left her stranded. So she Snapchats this other guy, who happened to be her now ex boyfriend s friend. Now they live together. He recently got into a horrible car accident. He suffered a TBI. Ok, another one if the club I’m in. The TBI thing. Not SNAPCHAT hookup thing.
She is incredibly wise at her age. She knew high school was such a short experience that she didn’t trip on much of the drama that went on. Her parents left her and her brother in Utah for jobs. Dad went to North Carolina. Mom to Washington state. She thought it amusing that people were terrified of her.
People always asked her if she was Mormon I was one of those. She said she never realized Utah was the Mormon state. She wasn’t religious so,……
I thought everybody from Utah was Mormon.
She told me a story about some gal in the store that was shoving frozen dinners into her shirt. The manager had taken her open bottle of vodka she was drinking as she was walking around the store. When the lady went to leave hurriedly, there stood Tali. One by one each TV dinner fell from her shirt. In perfect succession. She looked up at Tali and threw her arms in the air. “I’m sorry! I’ll never do it again!”
Her last day was the day she took Charley and I to the vets . She told me she was sick of the sexual harassment. One guy stood in the store looking at her. She then realized his hands were down his pants. JACKING OFF.
People are so weird sometimes. Gross.
During our ride to the vet’s office, George Floyd was brought up. I was trying to think if I’d heard the name of the 17 year old who had filmed his death. ( God I really hate saying that). I then brought up RODNEY KING. I said that was the catapult of everything being CAUGHT ON CAMERA.
Tali, “WHO IS THAT?” I was incredulous You don’t know who Rodney King is? I was in college at the time. We were let out early. I saw the live footage of the riots. I lived in the Bay Area so I feel it was pretty close to home. Right down the street He’s the reason that the video taping sensation took off.
I looked up the two individuals that caught those two defining moments that changed America into realizing one never knows who may be watching.
Danella Frazier for George Floyd. 17 years old.
George Holliday for Rodney King. He currently is or is going to auction the video tape.
Rodney King was filmed 20+ years ago and nothing really has changed. Maybe a teeny bit. TWO different situations yet kinda the same. Actually pretty parallel but Rodney King did not die from police. He died later by drowning in a pool, I think.
I HOPE ANOTHER 20+ YEARS DON’T GO BY AND THE YOUTH THEN WILL SAY, “GEORGE FLOYD? Uh?”
I THOUGHT EVERYBODY KNEW ABOUT RODNEY KING
Ok. So Charley gets out of surgery. I was told 3 times, 3 times, don’t take the cone off. If I do, EXTREME supervision at all times. EXTREME.
Guess what? She was all excited about being home and wiggly and loving and I wanted to hug her back so off went the cone and into my arms she leapt. Doggy kissed and runs and laughter and hugs hugs hugs and let’s lie down because you seem very sedated Charley and I feel like holding you….. Charley! Where’d you go Charley!
CHARLEY WAFFLE 
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