The Three of Us

Every morning when my mom, Tanya, wakes up, she crawls out of bed and goes to the kitchen.  Sambuca and I jump off the bed and follow her.

Sambuca stops at the living room, jumps up on the leather sectional and heads to her favorite spot, tucked into a corner.

I hop up and sit on my pillow.  How do I know it’s my pillow?  Tanya told me.  Well, she didn’t exactly tell me.  It was more kind of, “Schnauzers, mommy has an old pillow that she no longer uses so we are going to call this the dog pillow.  Either of you can sleep on it.”

Like I said, it’s mine.

As part of her regular morning ritual, she makes herself an espresso. 

When I first arrived, I learned to follow Sambuca’s lead.  We don’t go outside until Tanya has her morning caffeine fix.  Sometimes she turns on the television or she might pull out her phone to catch up on social media.

Sambuca and I wait.  We wait patiently to take our morning walk around the block.

If it’s a Saturday or Sunday, or a day off work, we usually go on a special outing.  Most often, it will be a trip to the beach.

Not this morning.  At least not right away.

Tanya is walking into the kitchen as Sambuca and I settle into our usual comfy spots.

“EEEEEEEEEK!” There is a scream from the kitchen.

“SPIDER!!!! HUGE SPIDER by the coffee machine!!!!!!  Help.  HELP!!”

I jump down off the couch.  What is it, momma?

She points to the counter with wide eyes. “Spider!!!!”

My ears stand up. This could be serious. What’s a spider?

She picks me up as she continues to stare.  “There it is!!!  What are we going to do?”

You’re asking me what we are going to do? What do I know about spiders?  Maybe ask The Google. Can I eat it?

Mom reads my mind and puts me back on the floor.  She gets her phone out and snaps a picture of it.  “How am I going to make my espresso, Appy?  Let’s ask Google how to kill a big spider.”

Sambuca strolls into the kitchen.  “Stay away Sweet Pea.  It’s okay.  Appy & I will figure this out.”  Sambuca nods complacently and goes back to the living room.

I look at Tanya.  Who is this ‘we’ you refer to? 

“OMG, Appy, I’ve never seen such a huge frigging spider in my entire life!”  She’s on her phone scrolling. “It says here that some spiders are even poisonous!”

Good to know. Time to go!

But the crazy lady needs her java.

“Okay, Appy, momma is going to be brave and make her espresso.”  

Guess I’ll stay close in case she needs me.

“It’s not moving.” I hear the usual sounds of the coffee pouring into the mug.  “Appy, it’s not moving!”

Maybe your scream killed it?

Tanya takes her coffee to the living room and sits down to ponder her next move.  She pats Sambuca’s head and then mine.

“I think we should stick to the plan and go to the beach.” Maybe it will be gone by the time we get back.”

Sounds logical to me!

“Okay my girls, let’s go to the ocean!”

We need this. Too much drama this early in the morning. We go to the beach and have a nice walk. After quick stops at Costco and our favorite fruit stand, we head for home.

We walk cautiously into the house.

Tanya’s eyes go to the counter. “He’s gone” she tells Sambuca and me, a sense of relief in her voice.

Sambuca strolls off to the living room.  As the protector, I am bound to stick close to my mom.

“Appy, where did it go?” She asks me.

I do love that she thinks I would know.

“How am I going to sleep tonight knowing that thing is crawling around the apartment?” 

I’m going to sleep just fine momma.  I’m exhausted after a run on the beach.

Tanya looks around the kitchen.  The spider is no where to be seen.

I join Sambuca on the sectional.  YAWN.  Me tired.

Tanya is putting groceries away.  She comes into the living room and grabs the watering can. 

I hear the water running in the kitchen.

Then it happens. “EEEEEEEK!” She finds the spider in the sink.

I jump down and run to my mom.  “What do I do? What do I do?” she is in panic mode. This is one bad-ass spider.

It’s okay momma.  You can do this! I send her all my positive vibes.

She gains her composure and uses a knife to persuade the spider into the plastic microwave cover.  “Let’s go mister, get in there please.” 

I am on stand-by.

She heads for the door, container in hand. She has found her courage as she releases her new friend.

She comes back inside.  I can tell she’s relieved.  “It’s gone.”

Great job mom! I am so proud.

She kneels down in front of me. I lick her face to show my admiration for her unprecedented bravery.  You did it, momma! You got rid of the huge spider!

She kisses my head to show her gratitude for her protector.

We share a pride of knowing we are spider hunters. And, yes, we practice catch and release.

That was a lot of excitement for one day. We will both sleep well tonight.

I just hope he didn’t have a family or any friends with him.