it would have been better

We found a dog today, driving home from school ( us, not the dog ) .
She was lost, alone, coldd ... three streets down .
Stopped . Asked around . No one knew .
A part of me wished she would be Chewy's ..
Took her to neighbors' for a leash .
Ben came along, we asked around .
A cell phone, a kind heart, and determination .
What more do you need ?
The thought struck me, not suddenly,
but came over me gradually .
I felt myself counting the houses
as we traced our path back down the street,
secretly anticipating that home of unfinished memories .
We came . We saw . We left .
Her brother answered the door .. no clue .
Seemed like a really nice guy, though .
No relief, no delight, no moment of pretended surprise .
No meeting, realization, shaking of hands .
He wished us luck .
A few minutes later, the owner came rushing up to us .
We turned around .
She looked exasperated .
She thanked us, apologized, returned to her car .
I called and reported the good news .
And yet deep inside, I was hoping it would have been better .