I am ready...

...to tell everyone a horrible thing I did about three weeks ago.

I was driving to work, feeling a little sleepy on the road, as the sun was glaring right at me. Two minutes upon reaching the chemist, my car jolted. I felt my right tyre at the back ran over a log or something.

Funny, I thought. I didn't see anything on the road, although I wasn't completely concentrating, which of course, wasn't a wise thing to do. I looked at my rear view mirror, and I went 'S**t! Omigod, omigod, omigod!' There were two dogs. One, obviously, lying down on the road, and the other, staring straight at the back of my car, as if to say 'You b****y driver!'

I immediately swerved to the left and parked into an empty spot. I hesitated for a minute. Should I go down and take a look? Should I hit and run? What should I do?! In Australia, almost every dog is someone's pet. Hardly a stray. And I know the owner would be devastated. That brought me back to my repping days with a pharmaceutical company in Malaysia. I was travelling along the estate road from Teluk Intan, when something resembling a small white puppy dashed out. I was driving at about 100 to 110kph. There was no way I could stop in time. I did my best to not hit or run over it, and remembered trying to position as such, that the puppy could be right under the car.

Plonk, plonk, plonk, plonk, plonk!

I slowed down, and looked at my rear view mirror. There it was. Lying on the road. The same thought crossed my mind, but I didn't stop. Coward. I was scared, kampung road. I was shaking and driving, and cried all the way back to Ipoh. Till this day, I kept wondering what happened to the little dog.

Therefore, for this reason, I had to stop, and do the responsible thing. I looked at my side mirror. The dogs were gone. I climbed to my passenger seat and opened the door, there it was. And a few people around it. I ran to the little crowd, but couldn't see the other dog that was fine. I do not know the breed of this dog, but it looked like a Dalmatian, but maybe a cross, as the hair was darker. I could see a bit of blood from its jaw and nose, and hoped it wasn't internal. The few people there said there was a broken leg. I fessed up, and all were very sympathetic, telling me it wasn't my fault, as the dogs ran out to the road without leashes.

Cut the long story short, after about five minutes, the dog decided she had enough of us humans, and limped back into the porch. So, just a broken leg, I guessed. Good, at least she'll be okay. She's got a tag, and her name is Dash. The owner, a young lady, gothic like, came back after receiving a call from her housemate, looking very glum. Naturally so. She spoke to no one, and I told her friend that I work down the road, if there is anything, let me know. Everyone still said Dash looked fine. So I turned to go, but before I heard her cough. A raspy kinda cough. Not a good sound. I walked into my workplace crying and was worried all night.

Two days later, I stopped by to check how Dash was, and the owner told me her lungs was badly bruised, to the point that she couldn't breathe on her own, and had to be on oxygen. The pins would have to be taken out later to fix the broken leg. Omigosh, what can I say? I can just pray she will get better, and the owner said Dash will be okay, and will bring her to see me when she's better. To date, never a day goes by without me thinking about Dash, and especially when I see dogs of her kind. As for Jack, the other dog, I guess he is missing her heaps. He is totally fine, thank goodness. I could only come up to the conclusion of them playing and running together, not watching where they were going.

You must be thinking, why the owner hasn't asked me for compensation. I didn't know it myself, until my friend told me, that she is liable to pay me instead, if there was any damage to my car. As Dash wasn't on a leash, and on the roads, it will not be the driver's fault. I didn't offer to pay anyway, because I know I couldn't afford to, more so after knowing it was such an extensive surgery. Just as well I didn't, because I was told I would be opening up to trouble.

As for Dash, I got a little prezzie for her and left it on the porch. I didn't want to intrude anymore. I hope one fine day the owner will take her to see me, just as she said, and that Dash is all better.