oh, halloween

oh this beats all (of mine, not yours). really though – all my past halloweens have been fine. dressed up, gone out, hung out with friends. last year, went down to austin. i just spent the last 5 minutes trying to remember what i did in 2007, but i can’t. doesn’t matter though, because i know this takes the cake of my worst halloween ever.

while driving home after volunteering – i’m going down macarthur (literally 3-5 minutes away from the house) at 40 mph towards a green light. light turns yellow at the point where you’re like ‘should i stop… or just run it’ – because it’ll turn red halfway through. i decide to brake. the dogs are in my car of course, and the windows are down so they can enjoy some wind in their face like always. they’re on the right side of my car, so i can’t say for sure what exactly happened since i didn’t see it myself… but one second both dogs are there, and the next… oink is gone. i’m confused, then i start to panic. i stretch my neck to look out my right window and i see oink trying to skid himself to a halt outside in the middle of the street. seriously. he either jumped out when i braked, or he flew out of the window. i have never been so terrified for oink’s life before then. i slam my car into park and throw my door open. oink’s big eyes are on me as he trots around to the left side of my car and i see blood dripping from his mouth. it’s like he’s saying ‘mommy, why did you do that to me?” i’m shaking. i put him back in the car while a woman two lanes down from me keeps trying to talk to me (which i understand she was attempting to be the ‘calm factor’ and give me directions on what to do if i was in shock – so thanks) when all i want to do is haul ass home and take a better look at oink. the longest 3 minutes ever. i can’t really focus. oink seems fine other than the dripping blood and nikon is clueless. i wonder why i’m not crying, but my hands are shaking as i pull into the neighborhood and into our driveway. open the garage door and get oink out. i look at his teeth – they’re all still there, the skid mark on his chin that’s dripping blood, one of his nails is dangling off, his front paws are bloody and torn up. i call g who was on his way home from playing football. he doesn’t pick up. i hug oink. i’m not sure what to do. i get an incoming call and i hear g’s voice. and then the sobs come.

a minute later, g is there. he’s the strong, reassuring one. we begin to clean off oink and wrap his wounds in gauze and bandages. but i’m glad to say there is no limping, no deep cuts. he’s ok. he’s ok.

he’s ok.

we all sleep on the second floor that night to avoid blood all over the house. while everyone else is just getting to their costume parties, friendly get-togethers, dinner night out… g and i huddle with the dogs and fall asleep at 11pm, thankful that we are all together still. i don’t want to think about what might have happened if there had been a car driving right next to me.

and now i have a super dog who jumped out of my moving car going 40 mph with nothing more than some scrapes and tares. i love oink.