Total pages in book: 25
Estimated words: 23762 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 119(@200wpm)___ 95(@250wpm)___ 79(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 23762 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 119(@200wpm)___ 95(@250wpm)___ 79(@300wpm)
“HE’S NOT DEAD!” I shout, but when I do, it’s the exact moment Mrs. Gentry was taking a deep breath so now I’m the only one screaming in the quiet room. “Sorry,” I say and clear my throat. “Earl is not dead. He’s just playing, well, possum.”
“What?” She blinks at me and then at the possum in my hands.
“That’s where the phrase comes from. You’ve heard of playing possum, right?” She shakes her head, and Wyatt ducks his head to hide his smile. “It’s when someone, or in this case, an animal plays dead but isn’t really dead.”
“Are you sure? Because he looks really, really dead,” Mrs. Gentry says as she gets up from the chair and walks closer.
“Yep, I can feel his heartbeat and see him breathing.” Looking down at Earl, he does appear to be dead, but possums are good at faking it. His eyes are wide open, and he’s not blinking, and his mouth is open with his tongue hanging out. “There’s also another way to check.”
I reach under the table, and as soon as Earl sees the treat bag, he comes to life.
“My baby!” Mrs. Gentry wails, this time with relief instead of doom.
Earl immediately plays dead again, and I realize that his owner is stressing him into this behavior. I nod to Wyatt, and he goes to grab the pamphlet I want without me having to say which one.
“Mrs. Gentry, I know that you have a license to own a possum, but it might be helpful if you took our exotic pet class to maybe familiarize yourself with how to care for Earl. That way, you don’t scare him into playing possum so often.”
“Oh,” she says and immediately stops crying. “Maybe that would be a good idea.”
“Thank you, Wyatt,” I say when he comes back and hands her the pamphlet. “Wyatt is going to get you all checked out and let you know when the next class is.”
“Thank you, Dr. Rudolph. You’re an angel for saving my sweet Earl.”
I give the possum a treat before passing him back to Mrs. Gentry. “Again, he wasn’t dead.”
“Well, you saved him. That’s all that matters.”
“Okay,” I tell her, because what else could I possibly say?
Once Wyatt has her out of the room, I wash my hands and go back to my office to grab my stuff. I want to make sure I’m home in time to get my delivery.
“Mrs. Gentry is signed up for the next class,” Wyatt says when he pokes his head in my office. “Do you need anything else before I take off?”
“No, I’m good. You were a huge help today, and thanks again for not quitting.”
He laughs as he shakes his head. “It’s all good. I can’t wait to tell my friends tomorrow.”
Wyatt is in high school and works here in the afternoons a couple of days a week for extra money. He knows everyone, so he’s been a big help in me meeting the locals, but I honestly think he loves this job because of the drama.
“No names,” I tell him, and he nods.
“Got it,” he calls over his shoulder before heading out.
It takes me a few minutes to chart Earl’s visit and close up the office, but as soon as I’m done, I hop in my car and head home.
I moved to Cheerful not too long ago, and since then I’ve been getting my vet clinic established along with renovating a house on the water. It’s still pretty close to town, but it’s got a lot of land, which is what I was looking for. I’ve got several animals that need space, but I want to be close if there’s an emergency with one of my patients.
When I get home, I’m greeted by Dominick first. He’s the miniature donkey I rescued and the reason I wanted to move out of the city. He brays his loud hello as I get out of the car and go over to pet him. His little ears twitch, and I scratch behind them, loving how he leans into it.
As soon as he hears tires on the driveway, he takes off running into the barn. He’s skittish after being kept in an indoor warehouse zoo with lots of loud sounds and people for most of his life. He’s gotten a lot better just in the few months I’ve been working with him. I think with enough time, he’s going to be really happy here. Right now, though, if he hears something that scares him, he takes off like a bullet. Sometimes I think he might actually run through the barn door if I didn’t keep it open.
In the distance I see Tilly pulling in the driveway, and I walk back over to my car.
“Good timing,” I tell her as she hops out, and I don’t miss the way she scowls at me.