* * * *
Adam managed to detour past the old Dollar Store almost every day after that. He wasn’t quite sure why the stranger intrigued him. He’d read tension and perhaps even fear in the man’s posture, yet he’d stood there, steady and controlled. He didn’t back down, explained himself in a direct way, and exuded dogged determination.
He sure wasn’t lazy, anyway. Every day Adam could see changes to the dilapidated building—paint, a couple of new windows, and repairs of the damage done over several months of vacancy. Trucks came and went, bringing in more supplies, which the guy dutifully lugged inside. Then finally a sign went up out front: Rez Dogs Rescue Shelter. Beneath the large red letters in smaller black ones, it said “Another project of the International Foundation for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.” The sign also provided a couple of numbers to call to report injured or abandoned animals.