Escaped Dog Sparks Ballantyne Romance
It was 1999. Prince’s once futuristic sounding invitation to party was getting its second wind. Reporters contemplated a world where a small computer oversight would soon plunge the world in darkness. Clunky cellular phones finally got the upper hand on the humble pager.
Way too busy to notice Prince songs or a Mad Maxx inspired post apocalypse, Holly put in long hours at a job that had her flying more than a trapeze artist. “I travelled a LOT”, she explains. “But I also worked from home, so those daily jaunts luckily brought me back each time instead of having to put in extra time away at an office.”
Holly had just moved to Charlotte, and selected the brand new development of Ballantyne to establish her bearings.
“I found a new apartment in Ballantyne,” Holly remembers, “It had easy access to the airport, and was right across the street from a convenient shopping center that was just nearing completion.”
Perhaps it was the kind of fate Shakespeare built a career on, or the dog’s leash simply wasn’t fitted properly, but what might have been another routine glide past the Rea Rd exit, took an interesting turn one hot June afternoon when Holly spied a happy dog on the lam along I-485.
“There was no way I could reach him from where I was, but I could see that he was really close to my apartment complex,” Holly continues.
When she got home, the missing piece of the puzzle was combing the parking lot, looking vexed and holding an empty leash in one hand.
“He was a little frustrated” she says, smiling at Ken. “But I was able to show him exactly where to find the dog.”
Satisfied with the happy ending, the two parted ways, and Holly settled into her new life in the burbs. She decided to expand her adult responsibilities with the natural progression of raising a puppy. It was a lovable mixed breed, and the brand new veterinary practice at Stonecrest Shopping Center right around the corner seemed like a convenient place to catch up on vaccinations and purchase pet meds for the new puppy.
But while the building’s façade said a modern, welcoming veterinary practice, inside, the smell of fresh paint, and the staff busy unpacking boxes, suggested an office that was still a few days away from opening its doors. Holly’s new puppy explored the sparkling new waiting room to the range of her leash.
“Hi there!”
The man that walked into the reception area seemed vaguely familiar. But this guy was friendlier, with a smile like a warm slice of apple pie with vanilla ice cream.
“Welcome to Mixed Pet”, Ken beamed, leaning over to give the puppy a rub between the ears. “You’re our first client.”
“Hi!”, Holly laughed, finally connecting this charmer with the red faced man and the empty leash from two weeks before. This guy was much nicer.
“This is Daphne”, she said, smiling.