THAT'S A GOAT?! PT. 4    

 

 

     As Sage grew, so did her world. I began to take her outside with me while I put in a vegetable garden and she explored these new surroundings with a combination of interest and suspicion. She never

wanted to be far from me and would follow closely at my heels just like a dog while I went about my work. When I would finish, I would take her back inside and feed her a bottle. Her lunch finished, she would lay in her crib and nap while I ate mine. It was a routine that worked well for both of us.

     All too soon, Sage grew big enough to be able to climb out of her crib. Once this happened, she began to spend her evenings exploring the living room and attempting to stir things up with Casey who was never in any sort of mood to contend with her shenanigans.  Finally, blessedly, she would settle down, curling up on my chest to sleep. I would run my fingers through her silky fur while I watched TV and we both experienced a contentedness that transcended anything I could have expected from this little girl who depended on me for everything. I was mommy and she was my baby. We loved each other implicitly.

     Of course, when bedtime would roll around and Sage would have her final bottle of the day, it wasn’t always easy to put her down for the night as she would pop right out of her crib and start to follow me down the hall. I would gently admonish her and carry her back to the living room while wondering how long a night might be ahead. Sage would jump out again, and again, I would put her back. Tiptoeing, I would start down the hall a second, or even third time. When I had managed to make it to my room and it was clear that Sage was asleep, I would heave a sigh of relief. I could rest until tomorrow.

     Eventually, Sage outgrew her crib altogether and she began to spend her nights in my room on a pair of throw blankets that she had arranged under my bed. When I would get up in the night to relieve myself, Sage would get up too, and accompany me to the bathroom. When I would go back to my room, she would follow me and settle down on her own bed once again as I settled into mine. Where I went, night or day, so went Sage. I was her mommy and she loved me. She was my baby, and I loved her.  

Though I didn’t go many places during those days due to the lockdown, I did have to go to the feed store and to buy groceries. When I did, I would put Casey in her crate on the backseat of my truck, and Sage would ride on the front passenger floorboard. She traveled well and even seemed to enjoy it. I would hurry while I shopped as I feared becoming infected with the virus despite wearing a mask and taking other precautions. I also worried about Sage being left alone. When I would return to my truck after having made my purchases, more often than not, I would find her laying on my seat contentedly chewing her cud as if she didn’t have a care in the world. I would have to laugh at the cuteness of it. “You’re funny,” became a common refrain.

     Sage also had a bent for mischief. Anything and everything she could get into her mouth went there. It was as if the knick knacks were meant to be her playthings and paper of any sort was irresistible. Once, while ostensibly wanting to redecorate, Sage even grabbed the end of the roll of toilet paper on the spindle in my bathroom and ran down the hall with it trailing behind her. In spite of our having to laugh, her creativity however, had to be stifled in it’s infancy.

     Other times, Sage would attempt to climb into the refrigerator and would use every opportunity to try and rearrange the various items on the shelves in the pantry. Nothing was sacred, not even the kitchen table and the countertop, both of which she attempted to surf once she was able. Another great pastime was climbing onto the back of the sofa and launching herself onto the floor. Sometimes, after repeatedly removing her from where she wasn't supposed to be and correcting her for the umpteenth time, I thought I would lose my mind.