Nakita Alexius of Wilhelm

CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

Eventually, planes were permitted back into the sky and Melissa and I said our goodbyes to my family and headed back to the US.

     Our trip home was one of the longest, most tense and depressing experiences of my life. Everybody in the airport and on the plane was looking around suspiciously at everyone else the entire time. I think every man on the plane was ready to take down anyone who demonstrated ill intentions. I know I was.

     The world had suddenly become a very scary place to live in. I don’t think time heals everything, but it can ease the pain in certain cases. But with an event like the terror attacks of 9/11, no amount of time can relieve the trauma of the surviving victims and all the families involved.

     Back in Kansas, I worked at the medical clinic during the days and attended college classes in the evenings after work. Melissa was working long hours at a local hospital, and her job was much more stressful than mine. At times, she might have eight or nine patients to care for, each one demanding her full attention.

     In the fall of 2001, many auto dealers near me were offering loans with a 0 percent interest rate for three years. The American economy had taken a big hit, and many businesses were feeling the collateral damage of the terror attacks. At the age of thirty, I was finally able to buy my first brand-new vehicle. I chose a 2002 black Chevy Silverado pickup with four-wheel drive and an extended cab. It was a joy to drive that truck down the flat Kansas roads, looking out at the vast Midwest landscape.

     Melissa and I had been thinking about getting a dog for some time. We knew one of the workers at a local animal shelter, and she told us that she knew a family with a German shepherd that needed a new home. We called the people and drove to their house, which was near our apartment, to meet Nakita Alexius, who was then ten months old.

     The family had another dog, a toddler, and a new baby, so they were looking for a new home for Nakita. When we arrived, she was in the backyard, playing with the other dog.

     I remember her trying to act tough and protective of her family, but I could tell from her constantly wagging tail that she had a friendly and open nature. We made our decision within five minutes — she was coming home with us.

     On our way out of the family’s house, Kita (as we had decided to call her) gave the new baby one last lick where the child sat in a high chair, as if saying her goodbyes. Then she jumped into the back seat of our truck and we were off.

     Melissa and I were thrilled to have a four-legged friend living with us, and we hardly did anything without her from then on. We showered her with love and affection as she became more and more strongly attached to and protective of us.