Saving JoJo

On my balcony, under an umbrella, my toes were getting a touch of sun as I finished the chapter in the novel I was reading. Swapping the book for iced tea, I wiped the bottom of the glass on the beach towel I was sitting on so the cold droplets would not sweat icy drips on my bare legs. It was almost time for Danny to pick me up for dinner.

In the back alley, I heard a man shouting obscenities. I listened to the deep bark of a familiar dog followed by a loud yip of pain and the man bellowing.

"You goddamed dog, I'll kill ya!" I heard him shout. The neighbor's Rottweiler burst out beneath me, a shirtless man with a bat chasing it.

"Hey, what the hell! Leave that dog alone!" I shouted to Seth.

"Shut the fuck up, bitch, he's my dog."

Really? I will kick his ass; he can't abuse that dog.

My Fitbit read five fifteen when I clicked the stopwatch on.

I leaped down the stairs three at a time, and as I rounded the corner, the timer showed that ten seconds had elapsed.

Seth gripped the wooden bat, ready to bash the dog's spine and head. I watched as the one hundred thirty-pound male Rottweiler backed up against the building, growling, slobbering, eyeing his owner, and moving his head side to side.

I had fed him many times when my neighbor Seth left for days without any thought for his dog, which wasn't licensed or microchipped. I liked the Rottweiler, and he liked me; I hated that he lived with an irresponsible jerk. 

"JoJo, come!" I yelled. JoJo's head turned toward me, and his growling paused. Seth then took a step. As he swung his bat toward the dog's enormous head, I flew through the air, landing on his back. He tried to shake me off, but I hung on, sinking my teeth into his trapezius muscle. My bite didn't faze him. Damn, is he on meth or coke? Nothing is fazing him!

Mind blazing, adrenalin flowing, it was crazy to still see the Fitbit counting down as this bully shook to bounce me off. I had one arm under his armpit and behind his neck; the other was around the front of his neck. All I could see were the seconds counting down on my wrist as I tried to reach my front hand up to clamp onto my arm positioned his neck. The timer passed fifteen seconds. Time seemed to stand still. I jackknifed my legs up and wrapped them around him. He was moving toward the dog with my one hundred-forty pounds on his back. Eighteen seconds. I released my dominant hand, lifted my arm, and smashed down onto his collarbone with my elbow. He yowled and stopped. Jumping off him, I blocked his path to JoJo.

Standing in a fighting stance, I glanced at the timer. Thirty-five seconds had elapsed. My hands were tightly fisted, my feet were planted, and my torso was sideways. I growled, "Put the bat down." I pointed to the ground.

He moved in, and I sidestepped and snapped my foot into his knee, breaking it. Seth fell like a tree and howled like a baby. JoJo charged to my side, growling, but I calmed him with my hand.

"Stay down if you don't want something else broken, you piece of shit!"

I heard Danny's voice telling 9-1-1 to come quick. As Danny picked up the bat, the timer stopped.

Time had moved slowly during that one-minute confrontation.

JoJo loves his new one-half-acre playing field at Danny's.

Copyright © 4/26/2024 by Andrea O. Corwin

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