I can’t believe it. When I got home from work, unbelieving of Raven’s post about finding a Peligros, I found one curled up with our puppy Ayashe. This explains the trouble we’ve been having!
What are Peligros? That is a tough one to explain. They are the best and the worst of your day, travel, life. They are what draws us out from safe and comfy homes, the little itches that make such abodes feel too confining, too much the same. They are the essence of that moment when everything has gone horribly wrong and you are left thankful to be alive with parts that still add up to a functional whole. They are that moment when someone you don’t know lends you an unexpected warm hand. They are when your luck goes from nonexistent to good, because you wouldn’t need good luck if things hadn’t looked scary for a time, now would you?
If you are reading this blog, then you know what a Peligro is.
So, I wasn’t thrilled to find one of these critters curled up with my little Cairn terrier. Hmm . . . no wonder I suddenly have a comic strip featuring Ayashe. I think they are in cahoots!
Peligros bring joy. Peligros bring trouble.
But Raven is right. The weather has taken a wicked turn toward winter. Here this little creature is curled up around my puppy in front of the wood stove and I just didn’t have the heart to toss it out. It and I sat down and talked.
“Remember they trip to Saba?” It said. “That last day when you hiked the backside of the island when everyone thought you were crazy to circumnavigate the whole thing? And nearly to the end of hike you walked out of the damp jungle full of wet, dark smells into a sunshine field of grass with one lone orange tree heavy with fruit in the center? The world smelled of warm grass and oranges, flowers and the faint smell of the Caribbean. I was there. I had tagged along.”
It is hard to argue with something that brings THAT memory back to life. I finally acquiesced and said they could stay. It turns out there are going to be three and they are moving in with us in a week. Next Monday they come home to roost. And Duke, the Peligro I was talking with tonight, said one more thing. They are brining along a special present.
What would a Peligro give as a gift . . . ? This is going to be something to see!