Grandma puts a lot of thought into new information she acquires. Several days passed since my superhero identity was revealed. We were traveling down the road when she asked, “Do you fly, Petey?”
“What are you talking about?” I needed some information to answer her question.
“That superhero thing. Most superheroes fly, so I want to know if you fly.”
“As a matter of fact, I do.”
“Hmmm. Well, I will admit when we’ve been hiking in strong winds, I’ve been afraid your ‘airplane’ ears would catch the wind and lift you off…”
“That’s not what I’m talking about,” I rolled my eyes. “You know I can fly. You were with me. Remember last year?”
Grandma started laughing. “Oh, yeah! On a jet.”
Grandma was recovering from a bad brain injury and was approved to take me as an Emotional Support Animal for a trip. Becoming easily agitated is a symptom of Post Concussive Syndrome, so having me along helped her stay calm.
What she found amusing is that the airline attendants would come by and tell me their dog stories. They thought I was particularly handsome. I did not disagree.
On the flight home, we were in the middle seat. The guy sitting on our right liked me right off. He told us about his two dogs and showed me their pictures. I could tell he was a dog man, the best kind.
Big Jon is a National Salesman for Allflex. They make identification tags for livestock, such as ear tags for cows. Grandma and I call Wallowa County home, where cattle is big business. They had a long conversation about the cattle industry, interrupted only by Grandma saying, “Petey, come back here.”
“Petey, stop!”
“PETEY! GET BACK HERE!” For I was creeping over to Jon’s lap from Grandma’s.
Each time she reached to pull me back, Jon would say, “It’s okay.” Then pull me back to him.
Grandma thought my behavior was bad manners, but he really liked me, so I flew most of the trip on his lap.
A few weeks after the trip, I received a package in the mail.
My new friend Big Jon had sent my own personal tag!
This brought a big smile to Grandma. “He is such a nice man, Petey!” We mailed him a thank you note.
Now that we’re on the farm, my tag is part of my work uniform.
So, yes, this superhero can fly. And meet other superheroes along the way.
THANKS, JON BECERRIL!
Way to go Petey. All you need now is a superhero cape….lol. S.P. For Super Petey.