Ray's Good Deed

Sunday afternoon Ray and I took a walk. It was really hot and he'd already been for a walk a couple of times but I figured once more around the block before dinner would be it. We stopped by Todd's house to see if Sasha could come out and play but she was sick with a cough. Todd thought maybe Ray had gotten one at daycare and passed it on but either he's a Typhoid Mary and just a carrier, or Sash got it somewhere else (Get Well Soon, Sasha!). 

We walked on up the block and Ray was very insistent that we go farther afield than just 'round the block. I noticed that he wanted to go up the street where Jilly, the Border Collie, lives. He's only met her twice but is just totally infatuated. So we started up the street toward Jilly's house which is a couple blocks off of our usual 'round the block route. We walked up past her house, saw that she wasn't outside and turned around to go home.

We were getting ready to cross the street where a cul-de-sac intersects the road that we were walking down, when I noticed a set of Toyota car keys in the gutter. They obviously hadn't been there long. I picked them up and pushed the panic button (or whatever it was labeled) to get the horn beeping. Nothing. Great. Now what? I looked around to see if there were any Toyotas within view and saw one, a couple of houses down the cul-de-sac. Ray and I headed towards the car, me pushing the panic button, Ray looking interested. Nothing. Great. I turned around and went back to the corner. I put the car keys down in the middle of the sidewalk, thinking maybe someone would notice them and started to cross the street, dragging Ray behind me. 

Ray stopped. Dead. Wouldn't Move. At all. I tried sweet talking, cajoling. Then I tried being stern, in charge. Ray would not move. At all. 

I knew what he wanted, so I turned back to the corner, picked up the keys and started down the cul-de-sac again, hitting the panic button at every house (maybe the car was in a garage). We hit paydirt at almost the last house down. I heard a beep beep and went up and knocked on the door. Two VERY large dogs and one small one were going crazy on the other side of the glass door. Ray was on the front stoop wagging his tail like he was seeing his long lost college roommates. A woman came up, gave us a quizzical look, and dragged the dogs far enough away from the door so that she could squeeeeze herself out the crack between the door and the jamb. 
I held the keys out and asked "Are these your car keys?" 
She looked mystified and said "Yes. Where did you get them? I haven't been out and haven't noticed them gone." 
I told her where we had found them and she looked even more puzzled.
"Maybe my husband..." she said, "Thanks a lot." 
"It was Ray," I said, "He was really determined to come up here. I was going to leave them on the sidewalk." 

Ray was a little put out at having to leave his buddies behind but I could tell that, secretly, he was very pleased with his good deed.