normal squirrel. He was just one of the many victims of that storm. The kind the media didn’t bother to tell you about. We got a ton of injured and orphaned wildlife in after Katrina. But there was no extra funding for us, no government grants, no FEMA money, and no help to take care of all of the wildlife we were given.” She rubbed the squirrel’s head once more. Louis tilted his head slightly to the side as he ate his nut so Pamela’s fingers could scratch just the right spot. “As wildlife rehabbers we are supposed to put all animals that can’t be rehabilitated to sleep, but I just couldn’t do that to him. So he lives in here with me.”
Daniel watched the way the woman’s gray eyes shined when she handled the squirrel. She seemed so different when she spoke of her animals. Every ounce of coldness he had seen in her earlier that day instantly vanished.
“You really love animals, don’t you?” he quietly said.
Pamela snickered. “I wouldn’t go to all of this trouble if I didn’t. Animals are the victims of our society. We raise them in cages to feed on them, chase them out of their habitats, abuse them for their coats, and treat them as furniture in our homes. If you ask me they are the meek, and one day — ”
“The meek shall inherit the earth,” Daniel said, finishing her words for her.
Pamela nodded. “Yes. They are living beings with emotions and souls, just like us. If the human race can’t be kind to animals, then how in the hell are we going to be kind to each other?”
Daniel felt his usually impenetrable resolve weakening as he looked at the quirky woman standing in her cluttered living room. He took a step closer to her. “I should apologize to you for the things I said earlier. I was out of line.”
Pamela waved a weary hand in his direction. “Forget about it.” She moved across the room toward him. “Let’s just say we had a misunderstanding and leave it at that.”
“I would like to make it up to you.”
Pamela eyed him suspiciously.
Daniel just smiled. “This house could use some work. Why don’t you let me do some repairs for you? I could patch up the broken shingles on the roof and repaint the exterior for starters.”
Pamela stood for a moment trying to gauge the depth of his sincerity.
“That is work I cannot apply to your community service,” she finally said.
“I don’t care about that.” Daniel shrugged off her concern. “I just want to help out a little. You look like you could use it. Anyone dedicated to a good cause deserves a little help, don’t you think?”
Pamela shook her head and took the white piece of paper out of his hand. “Thanks, but no thanks, Daniel. We can get along just fine without your charity.”
Pamela took the paper over to a nearby end table and hastily scribbled her name on it.
“Look, I know you think I’m some kind of thug,” Daniel began behind her. “But I would like to help out here. I saw you with those Girl Scouts today; the way you lit up when you showed them the animals you are helping here. And I have to admit I was wrong about you. You come across as a real snob but — ”
“I do not come across as a snob!” she refuted as she spun around to face him.
“Yes, Pamela, you do. You try and hide the real you from everyone because you think — ”
“Don’t do that,” she angrily cut in.
“Do what?” he questioned, taken aback by her hostility.
“Pretend that you know me. We just met this morning. You know nothing about me.”
He ran his hand through his dark hair, trying to control his growing sense of frustration with the woman. “I know a lot more than you think,” he mumbled .
Pamela stubbornly folded her arms over her chest. “Okay. Let’s hear it. What do you think you know about me?”
Daniel folded his arms over his chest and stared her down. “You’re stubborn for starters. You’re tougher than you look, or at least you try to be. You prefer to do everything yourself. You think
Daniel watched the way the woman’s gray eyes shined when she handled the squirrel. She seemed so different when she spoke of her animals. Every ounce of coldness he had seen in her earlier that day instantly vanished.
“You really love animals, don’t you?” he quietly said.
Pamela snickered. “I wouldn’t go to all of this trouble if I didn’t. Animals are the victims of our society. We raise them in cages to feed on them, chase them out of their habitats, abuse them for their coats, and treat them as furniture in our homes. If you ask me they are the meek, and one day — ”
“The meek shall inherit the earth,” Daniel said, finishing her words for her.
Pamela nodded. “Yes. They are living beings with emotions and souls, just like us. If the human race can’t be kind to animals, then how in the hell are we going to be kind to each other?”
Daniel felt his usually impenetrable resolve weakening as he looked at the quirky woman standing in her cluttered living room. He took a step closer to her. “I should apologize to you for the things I said earlier. I was out of line.”
Pamela waved a weary hand in his direction. “Forget about it.” She moved across the room toward him. “Let’s just say we had a misunderstanding and leave it at that.”
“I would like to make it up to you.”
Pamela eyed him suspiciously.
Daniel just smiled. “This house could use some work. Why don’t you let me do some repairs for you? I could patch up the broken shingles on the roof and repaint the exterior for starters.”
Pamela stood for a moment trying to gauge the depth of his sincerity.
“That is work I cannot apply to your community service,” she finally said.
“I don’t care about that.” Daniel shrugged off her concern. “I just want to help out a little. You look like you could use it. Anyone dedicated to a good cause deserves a little help, don’t you think?”
Pamela shook her head and took the white piece of paper out of his hand. “Thanks, but no thanks, Daniel. We can get along just fine without your charity.”
Pamela took the paper over to a nearby end table and hastily scribbled her name on it.
“Look, I know you think I’m some kind of thug,” Daniel began behind her. “But I would like to help out here. I saw you with those Girl Scouts today; the way you lit up when you showed them the animals you are helping here. And I have to admit I was wrong about you. You come across as a real snob but — ”
“I do not come across as a snob!” she refuted as she spun around to face him.
“Yes, Pamela, you do. You try and hide the real you from everyone because you think — ”
“Don’t do that,” she angrily cut in.
“Do what?” he questioned, taken aback by her hostility.
“Pretend that you know me. We just met this morning. You know nothing about me.”
He ran his hand through his dark hair, trying to control his growing sense of frustration with the woman. “I know a lot more than you think,” he mumbled .
Pamela stubbornly folded her arms over her chest. “Okay. Let’s hear it. What do you think you know about me?”
Daniel folded his arms over his chest and stared her down. “You’re stubborn for starters. You’re tougher than you look, or at least you try to be. You prefer to do everything yourself. You think
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