Friday, December 5, 2014

LILLY'S STORY....Part 3

After a while, Lilly was out of harms way health wise, although I am convinced that the toxic baths affected her health in the long term.  There is no other treatment when the mange is that bad, so we had no options.

She was very comfortable in HER new home with her two dads.  My ex loved her, and spoiled her like I have never seen before.   He never had a dog, and told me he didn't realize how much he could actually love one.   He would leave for the office int the morning, and I'd write all day at home , with Lilly on my lap.  I played with her or touched her constantly, to reassure her that she was loved.

  When my ex came home he kissed her hello first all of the time, because she demanded it, which made me laugh.  She literally learned how to say hello, in a very guttural voice and did it probably 25 times a day.  People would always be in shock the first time they heard it.

She became a little bit of a celebrity in my area, and most  knew her, and loved her.  She even made the inside cover of the Chamber of Commerce's Yearly Book.  So many of my neighbors would ask me if they could keep her, or kidnap her when I wasn't around.  One day the Mayor was giving a speech at the park.  Every time he spoke into the mic Lilly barked at him.  The audience began to laugh, and he finally  responded with, "Well, seemingly, Jimmy  is not the only princess in the Palmieri
home."  With so many people knowing her and where we lived I always felt safe, in that if by some accident she ran out a door she would be brought back to me immediately.  Oh, she also had 2 name tags, a chip, a city tag, a county tag and a collar with our number on it.  I'm Italian.  We are overprotective by nature.

What many people don't know, is that I have a chronic disorder that I was born with that requires me to have a transfusion every 4 weeks.  I am not telling this for sympathy, believe me I played that card to death as a kid.  I am telling you this because of Lilly's reactions.  The treatment  arrives in a Styrofoam cooler wrapped in ice blocks.  She would start  to sniff as soon as the courier would  leave.  I noticed she would pace whenever this was delivered and get very clingy to me.  The next day a nurse comes to my home and for 7 hours I receive this treatment.  Lilly has never snapped, snarled or growled a single  time in her life.  When the nurses would arrive, she would block them from getting to me, in a sort of playful, but focused way.  When they would prep my arms, she would jump on my lap, and never bite them, but push their hands away from me with her snout.  They would laugh and call her "Miss Lilly, the biggest little guard dog ever."  She then would lay next to me and not move for the entire 7 hours, except to prevent the nurses from taking my blood pressure or temperature.  This week was very very hard for me, as it was the first time in 12 years that  I didn't have my little guard with me, and my nurse was so sad herself, that she started cleaning.  This is a chemo certified nurse, and she was cleaning my apartment, to occupy her and my mind.  Love her.  We got through it.  We sometimes have no choices in this life.

Lilly's two  dads really loved each other.  It was a very happy home.  As things go though, we grew apart.  Sometimes there are just unpreventable things that happen that cannot be reversed.  There are things in this life, that we wish we could un-see.  That of course is not reality.  No, there was no cheating.  Sometimes, other factors are involved.

We divorced, which by the way, sending my check to the Attorney General to dissolve our partnership, was not a party for me at all.  I told my now ex,  that I had more time to spend with Lilly than he did, and he agreed.  He moved out, but came to visit her quite a bit.  She, however, would lay by the door when he left crying for him to come back.  When this kept going on, I asked him to please not visit her, as she stares at the door waiting and crying, and it couldn't be healthy for her.  He respected my wishes, and I am grateful for that forever.  We were together for 8 years, and a family with Lilly for 4 years I think.  I have nothing but amazing thoughts of him, and wherever he is, I always pray that he is well.

Lilly and I got used to the fact, that her other dad was gone.  I had to develop some type of life after that.

Lilly's story,.....Part 4 tomorrow.  Lilly is not fond of gentleman callers......


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