[Critique Group 1] Leonard's comments on DeAnna's sub

[Leonard Tuchyner]

v
 

 

 

 

ATrip Downtown

ByDeAnna Quietwater Noriega

 I  love the way you have meticulously taken us 

step by step  through what a guide dog and her handler gothrough 

to accomplish their objectives. 

It is particularly interesting  to a person who does not have a guide dog. 

Comparing what the handler did inreturn was also  reveiling. 

This interdependence  did make for a ballet.  

               Sarah lifted the harness from the knob of the hall closet door.  Lamiaeagerly thrust her silky head through its yoke.  Sarah knelt to fasten thestraps to secure it in place.  She smiled as the small golden retrieverwhisked her tail vigorously against her skirt.  She scooped up her leatherbriefcase from the hall table and they were off out the door.  Lamiapaused at the top step of the porch and when Sarah murmured forward, theystepped lightly down the stairs together to the sidewalk.  They movedbriskly down the block swinging smoothly around the Johnson's garbage can, theWilliams's mailbox where it jutted into their path and Tommy Anderson'stricycle left in the middle of the sidewalk. A casual observer would havenoticed the beautifully groomed golden retriever and the fact that the slightgirl walking beside her had the same shade of red gold hair.  A trainedeye would have noted the synchronized ballet of their movements.  Sarahonly knew that with Lamia beside her, she could move freely without thefrustration of catching a cane on gratings and cracks in the sidewalk or therisk of the cane passing beneath that jutting mailbox and allowing it to hither shoulder or breast.   Lamia paused at the slight slope of thecurb cut at the corner.  Sarah reached to stroke a satiny ear, listenedfor the start up of parallel traffic and gestured forward.  The two beganto cross the intersection.  Three steps into the street, Lamia slid to astop, backed several steps and a car whizzed around the corner withoutstopping.  Sarah bent to hug Lamia before they continued across the street. Four blocks later, Lamia swerved to show Sarah that they had reached the busstop shelter.  Sarah, said "Good girl."

               After leaving the bus at the downtown terminal, Sarah needed to walk six blockswith a couple of changes in direction to find the Holly Office Complex. As she moved along the sidewalk Lamia stopped to allow a delivery van to backout of a driveway.  Sarah reacted to the movements of her dog withoutthinking, keeping her mind on the block count. She mentally confirmed her locationby noting when they crossed the railroad tracks, the bakery on the corner of anintersection and the sound of the large open area of a parking lot just beforethe solid presence of the office building she wasseeking.     

               Sarah remembered that there was a restroom off the lobby from her trips to seeher dentist.  His office was on the fifth floor at the end of the hall tothe right as you left the elevator.  Since the suite of offices she wantedto find was a lower number, she guessed it would be to the left if the layoutwas the same on each floor.  First though, she had better take care ofsome job interview preparation.  As she crossed the large open lobby, shesuggested "Left?  Left?"  Lamia bore to the left and theyentered the corridor that held the elevators.  Sarah moved past them andasked, "Door?"  Lamia stopped and lifted her head to point hermuzzle at the handle of a door.  Sarah reached up to read the Braillesign.  Yes, this was the ladies room.  She hurried inside after aquick word of praise for her clever companion.  It wouldn't do to allowher job interview nerves to stimulate her bladder once she went upstairs! Lamia moved quickly to the handicapped stall.  Sarah hung her briefcase byits shoulder strap on the hook inside the door.  Patted Lamia for hercleverness and closed the door of the stall.  She clipped Lamia's leash tothe grab bar instructing her to lie down and rest.  After leaving thestall, Lamia moved over guiding Sarah to the sink, when Sarah asked her to findit.  Sarah filled a folding bowl from the tap washed her hands. Sheremoved a sticky roller brush from her briefcase, ran it over her suit jacketand skirt while Lamia drank.  Sarah dried the folding bowl with the papertowel she had used to dry her hands.  She tucked the bowl into a pocket ofher briefcase, renewed her lipstick and ran a comb through her hair. "Trash," said Sarah.  Lamia moved over and placed her nose onthe waste basket.  Sarah deposited the used towel and the strip of gummedpaper she had used to brush off dog hair from her clothes.  Then the tworeturned to the hall.  Lamia showed Sarah the elevators and steppeddaintily to the button panel when Sarah asked her to find it.  As shewaited for her interview in the reception area, Sarah mused over the events ofher trip downtown.  If it weren't for Lamia, she would be a nervous wreckby now.  Clanking into things as she made her way down the block,anxiously straining to be sure it was safe to cross streets.  Then havingto search for doors, grope each space between elevator doors for the elusivecall button.  Trailing walls to find the restroom.  Having to fumblearound the restroom to locate the sink, stall and trash can, all would havetaken there toll.  If there had been anyone around observing thissearching for things, she would have had her confidence further diminished bythe over solicitude of strangers who would interpret her searching maneuvers ashelplessness.  Lamia's quiet presence calmed Sarah, made her smile. She could relax about the small stuff and focus on preparing herself for theinterview.  She could concentrate on her route and not have to be alert toevery sound scent and clue to her surroundings to feel safe.  Lamia andSarah made a pretty good team. Lamia had been trained to obey a small set ofbasic instructions and to use intelligent disobedience if the commands she wasgiven were likely to place her handler at risk.  Sarah had taught herother word cues to make her life simpler.  Of course she needed to takeLamia's needs into consideration when planning her day.  Taking her out torelieve four times a day, feeding and grooming her took time and effort. She needed to carry extra dog related things with her and be more aware ofkeeping dog hair off her clothes, but in Sarah's mind the trade offs were worthit.  If this company didn't hire Sarah, then she had confidence thatanother one would.   

 

 

DeAnna Quietwater Noriega

Cell: 573-544-3511

Email: dqnoriega at gmail.com

Author of Fifty Years of Walkingwith Friends

https://www.dldbooks.com/dqnoriega/

 

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Leonard I. Tuchyner, Author
 
https://www.dldbooks.com/tuchyner/

 
  
 
 

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