The Foreign Service Journal, September 2007

excess water had dripped off in the cab, so it had stopped shivering. Alice slowly pulled off her coat, gloves and boots, all the while eyeing her guest. She was still not com- pletely confident that it would not attempt to devour her for a well- needed meal. If she didn’t show up for work on Monday, would co- workers come to her apartment and find her half-eaten body, with a tri- umphant and much more energetic dog hovering over it? Quietly, Alice pulled around a chair and sat, so that she was eye- level with the dog, who patiently stared back. Alice reached out a hand and gently ran it down the dog’s head. The dog softly sighed and closed its eyes momentarily, surren- dering blissfully to this small, unex- pected and unusual feeling of affec- tion. And Alice felt her heart thaw. “Okay, dog,” Alice said softly. “First things first.” She went into the kitchen. “Come on.” She heard the slow patter of feet behind her. Putting down a bowl of water, she took a can of tuna fish — the only thing she had in the house that she thought a dog might like — opened it and dumped it into a bowl. The dog quickly lapped at the water but, sur- prisingly, tackled the tuna fish more daintily, as if savoring this delicacy. While the dog was intensely focused on what was obviously its first full meal in days, Alice went to the guest bedroom to pull a blan- ket off the bed and made it into a makeshift bed on the living room floor in a corner. She watched her guest polish off its food, and then led it, unresisting, to its new bed; with a deep growl, the animal col- lapsed on the soft wool blanket, put its head down and, almost immedi- ately, fell asleep, snoring lightly. Quietly, Alice lowered herself into a nearby chair and watched the deeply contented dog. The quiet of her home now had another feel to it — a feeling of S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 7 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 51 Quietly, Alice pulled around a chair and sat on it, so that she was eye-level with the dog, who patiently stared back at her. Interim Accommodations for Corporate and Government Markets Apartments, Townhouses & Single Family Homes “FOR THE EXECUTIVE ON THE MOVE” finder5@IX.netcom.com Locations throughout Northern Virginia and D.C. Units fully furnished, equipped and accessorized Many “Walk to Metro” locations Pet Friendly 5105-L Backlick Road, Annandale, Virginia Tel: (703) 354-4070 Fax: (703) 642-3619 Executive Lodging Alternatives