From a distance, it looked like a bird but it didn't move like a bird and it wasn't a bird. It was a gaunt kitten with matted-up fur and trembling with sickness.
Immediately, I moved to pick it up, but the dog growled and the kitten hissed and it was Sunday and no veterinarian's office would be open. Even if they were, I couldn't afford them.
Besides, I had already rescued the 12-year-old dog bristling, straining toward the kitten. I had been in a better place back then. I was not in that good place now. The hot sun pressed down.
I pulled away, the kitten stayed, the dog kept pulling me toward places that I didn't want to go. The kitten stayed. Maybe someone else will find it.
Sometimes, the only life that can be saved is your own.