"Pam, hey Pam, what's happening?"
"Sal, what are you doing here?" It was ten in the morning and I hadn't seen anybody yet, not that that was unusual or anything. I had been in the kennel for about three months now and Jeff had been gettting later and later everyday.
"Well, I got news, big news! You're not going to freakin' believe it when I tell youse." Sal was smiling from ear to ear and Terri's grin was just as big as his.
Terri cut Sal off, "C'mon Sal, let me tell her, awright. I wanna break the news to her." Terri and I had become pretty good friends over the past couple of months. She had been a model before she met Sal but she wasn't snooty or anything. In fact, she really impressed me with how hard she was willing to work - when Sal wasn't around that is. She did afterall have a role to play as his girlfriend and she was expected to look and act a certain way around he and his friends were around and I understood that. When it was just us we had a really good time iin the kennel.
"Okay, guys, somebody tell me something. Don't leave me in suspense."
"Well, " Sal said to me while completely ignoring Terri, "I'm your new boss."
"What do you mean you're my new boss, you've always been my boss."
"I mean I'm running the show now. I'm the owner. I'm the trainer. Hell, I'll be the king of the track before it's all over."
"What do you mean, you're the trainer? Where's Jeff?"
"Jeff is no longer with S & T Kennels. He does however still reside in our guest bedroom." I was speechless. Jeff and I had become pretty close. We made a pretty good team. I looked out for him when he had too much to drink and he gave me time off to make up for it. It was a marriage made in heaven so to speak. The dogs hadn't been running too good lately but I didn't think it had come to this.
"What happened? What about the stakes race?" I asked. I was afraid to ask directly about Jeff or let Sal know how upset I was because that just wouldn't be a good idea. Sal was big on loyalty. He had to come first and I knew that. It was one of the things that drove Jeff crazy. They were like brothers, they had grown up together, but Sal was always trying to put a wedge between us and play us against each other. We were on to him though and knew how to work things to our advantage.
"Let's go to Shoney's, " he said, "I'll tell youse all about it on the way." He and Terri were already walking out the door. I closed the door the the kitchen so a dog couldn't get in and eat to it's heart's content if it accidentally got out of a crate. I followed them to the
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