As Mattie pulled off the interstate at the rest stop, it was all I could do to try to keep him in the back seat.
"No, no buddy. Stay back. Wait one moment! Hold on!! We're almost there!!!"
My attempts proved to be futile, and it wasn't long at all before I had an over-eager crazy-excited puppy on my lap.
I did what anyone would do in that situation. I covered my crotch with my hands to avoid a stray hit to my privates. And I prayed that Mattie would hurry up and get to the parking spot already.
He finally did, and it was all I could do to get the leash attached to Gator's collar. If he had been able to open the door, I'm sure he would have done it ... but I was the one with thumbs and so I had to do it for him. He took off and I barely kept up with him as he expended all his pent up energy from having spent a few hours in the car so far during our great escape from southern Florida.
I was having flashbacks to the night Laura's daughter gave him to me at the closing dinner of the service trip, and how he had gotten loose and was running excitedly all around the back room of Ruthie's Roadhouse until we finally caught him.
It was true that I had lost some time with Gator during my captivity ... but it was good to be getting back to the basics when it came to our relationship.
I looked over toward the car and saw that Mattie was watching me get tugged around the lot by Gator.
"He's a handful," he yelled in my direction -- followed by another exclamation.
"You guys are MADE for each other!"
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