| |
New Dog
CASSIE STARED AT THE dogs, trying to keep both in her line of sight. They stared back at her, saliva dripping from their snarling mouths. What would her mom do when she didn’t come back? Would the dogs tire of her before she got tired of standing here staring at them? Would someone come looking for her?
Her only hope was to attract the attention of whoever was inside. She screamed again, so loud her throat ached. Her ears rang, but the dogs barked harder, and she doubted anyone heard her. She put her hands over her ears, too frightened even to cry.
The front door opened, and Mr. Maguire stepped out. He was an older gentleman with a bald spot on the top of his head. He wore suspenders over a striped shirt. “What’s all this ruckus, fellas?” he began, and then he spotted Cassie.
“Down, boys,” he yelled, clapping his hands. “Back away!”
Obediently the dogs stopped. The stubby little tails dropped, and the dogs skulked back to the garage.
“What are you doing here?” Mr. Maguire said. “Are you hurt?”
Cassie shook her head, though her whole body trembled. “I was screaming.”
He looked at her, his gray eyes apologetic. “I didn’t hear you, hon. I came out to see why the dogs wouldn’t stop barking. You shouldn’t wander over to people’s houses that you don’t know.”
Cassie couldn’t agree more. She held out a flier, waited for him to take it. Then she walked back up his long driveway, hoping her shaky legs wouldn’t give out on her.
*~*
“I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU were attacked by dogs,” Danelle said, taking the fliers Cassie handed her at recess.
“Not attacked,” Cassie corrected. “Just threatened.” She looked at Riley and hesitated. “Do you want some?”
Riley shrugged. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to come.”
“Well, take some anyway.” Cassie put a few in her hands. “Hand them out to your neighbors. Maybe they need babysitters too.”
“Yeah, okay.”
“This is great.” Danelle tucked her fliers into her back pocket. “I’m sure we’ll have more callers next time.”
“Why couldn’t you come last time, Riley?” Cassie ventured. She didn’t want to cause an argument, but she felt like they deserved to know.
“No one wanted to drive me.”
That made sense. Riley didn’t have any control over that. “Well, maybe someone can drive you next time.”
“Maybe.”
*~*
CASSIE SPOONED SOME rice onto her plate and waited for the grilled chicken to make its way to her. “I gave Riley and Danelle fliers. I’m pretty sure we’ll have plenty of people calling on Thursday.”
“That’s great, honey.” Her mom met her dad’s eyes across the table and smiled at him.
Cassie glanced at her dad, not sure if her parents were flirting with each other or laughing at her.
“Are you doing okay after those dogs attacked you?” Mr. Jones asked, accepting the bowl of rice from Emily.
Cassie scowled. “They didn’t attack me. I was frightened, yeah, but I wasn’t hurt.”
“I just mean, will you be okay around other dogs?”
“Of course,” she scoffed. “I’m not suddenly thinking every dog I see is going to hold me hostage in someone’s driveway.”
“I’d be scared,” Annette said. “I’d never go near a dog again.”
“You’re afraid of everything,” Scott said.
“No, just mean things,” Annette protested.
“She’s only four,” Cassie said, shooting a glare at Scott. “She’s allowed to be scared. Leave her alone.”
The doorbell rang, and Scott and Annette pushed away from the table, already racing for the door.
“Who would come over now?” Cassie said, glancing at her mom. To her surprise, her mom’s eyes were crinkled in a smile.
“Why don’t you go see?” she replied.
Curious now, Cassie got up from the table.
“Hi, kids,” a familiar voice was saying from the entryway. “Is your mom here?”
*~*
CASSIE ROUNDED THE corner and saw Margaret standing there. Riley stood behind her, holding Scaredy in her arms. Cassie cocked her head and frowned.
“Oh, hey,” Riley said, spotting her. She gave a smile, but it trembled around the edges. “Here.” She held out the dog.
“Hi, Karen,” Margaret said, her eyes looking over Cassie’s shoulder. “I hope we’re not late.”
“Right on time,” Mrs. Jones said, placing a hand on Cassie’s arm. “Cassie, aren’t you going to get your dog?”
Cassie whirled around, her eyes going wide. “My dog?” she gasped.
“Unless you’re afraid, of course,” her mom teased.
Cassie faced Riley, unable to believe it.
“Here,” Riley said again, shoving Scaredy into her arms.
Cassie let out a shriek of joy, and the dog cowered, his whole body trembling. His tail curled around his leg, and a pebble of poo hit the carpet. Cassie didn’t care. She held him against her. “Mine? He’s mine.” She pressed her face to his and rubbed his nose.
“Yours,” her mom confirmed.
Scott started up a chorus about how he wanted a dog, and Emily joined in, but Cassie paid them no mind. She thought of Riley and looked at her friend anxiously, worried she would be angry.
But she was smiling. “He’ll be happy here. And I can come see him.”
“Absolutely!” Cassie exclaimed. She reached over and hugged Riley, her throat suddenly thick. “Thank you, thank you, thank you. Thank you so much.”
*~*
CASSIE DIDN’T KNOW the first thing to do with a dog. It didn’t take more than an hour to figure out that it was potty training. She took the dog for a walk, but he didn’t poop. They came back in the house, and he found a cozy corner of the living room to relieve himself. The next hour she tried again, and still nothing. And the next hour.
“How often do I have to do this?” she asked her dad.
“Every hour,” he replied. “It’s the only way the dog will learn.”
She got ready for bed and brought Scaredy into her room, where he crawled under her bed and trembled.
“He can’t sleep with you,” Mrs. Jones said, coming into the room. “We need to bathe him first and get him house broken. Tonight he’ll sleep in the bathroom.”
“In the bathroom!” Cassie gasped out. “He’ll hate it there!”
“He’ll get over it,” her mom promised.
She and her mom laid down newspapers on the bathroom floor and gave him a bowl of water. Their other dog, Pioneer, kept poking his head inside to see what was going on. At least he was a friendly dog and didn’t seem threatened by Scaredy.
Cassie hated closing the door on him, leaving him there, but she did. She lay in bed thinking about him, so glad he was hers and wondering how he was.
And then the whimpering started. It was so quiet, Cassie wasn't sure she’d really heard it. She held very still and strained her ears. There it came again. A quiet, mournful sound. It didn’t get any louder, and she doubted anyone else could hear it. Cassie snuck out of bed and tiptoed to the bathroom. Pressing her ear against the door, she listened. Sure enough, the faint cry came from inside.
She opened the door and went in, turning on the light so she could see. Scaredy cowered by the toilet. The newspapers by the bathtub were peed on, but the rest of the bathroom was clean. Cassie got a towel from under the sink and put it on the floor. Then she turned off the light and lay down on top of it.
*~*
CASSIE WOKE UP SOMETIME during the night. She had no idea what time it was; the bathroom was pitch black. Her legs felt cold, but not her chest. Curled up beside her, little body lifting and lowering with each breath, was Scaredy. A happy feeling settled in her throat and filled her body. Cassie wrapped her arm around him and went back to sleep.
Or tried to. A moment later the bathroom door opened and shoved into her back
“Ow,” Cassie said.
The light turned on. Scaredy stood up and scurried behind the toilet. Emily stared down at her. “What are you doing in here?”
“Keeping the dog company.” As if that weren’t obvious. “He was crying.”
“Well, the alarm went off. Better get ready for school.”
“Did you wake Scott?”
“Not yet.” Emily pulled the door closed, and Cassie assumed she’d gone to wake their brother.
She went behind the toilet and clicked her tongue, brushing her thumb and forefinger together, beckoning to Scaredy. He took two tiny steps toward her, and Cassie petted his little head.
“You’ll be safe here,” she told him. “And as soon as I get home, I’ll come and see you.”
The day dragged on at school. Riley asked how Scaredy was, but she lost interest about two minutes into Cassie’s enthusiastic explanation about how last night had gone and what he was doing now. Cassie told Danelle instead, who thought it was cool that she had a new dog.
“What kind is he?” she asked.
“A beagle,” Cassie replied, though she had no idea if that was true. It didn’t matter to her. But she got the feeling it would matter to Danelle.
“Cool,” she said. “Can’t wait to see him on Thursday.”
In Girls’ Club after school, they started a cross-stitching project. It was fun, and Cassie enjoyed picking out the pattern and then choosing her thread. But her mind kept going back to the little dog waiting for her at home. When she saw her mom’s blue van, she pushed her project back in the box and shouted a goodbye as she ran out the door.
“How is he?” she asked, shutting the car door and turning to her mother.
“Ask Annette,” her mom replied. “She’s been playing with him all day.”
A stab of envy pierced Cassie’s heart. She knew she should feel grateful; she should thank Annette, and be glad that Scaredy wasn’t home alone and sad all day. But really, she was jealous. Would the dog like Annette more now? She gave her little sister a weak smile. “Thanks for doing that. How is he?”
“Great!” Annette said cheerfully, kicking her legs in her booster chair.
As soon as Mrs. Jones parked the blue van in the driveway, Cassie hopped out of the car. She ran into the house and made a bee-line for the hall bathroom. Scaredy lifted his head from his front paws and blinked at her when she came in. He didn’t run and hide, and Cassie’s heart warmed.
“Hello,” she cooed, setting her backpack on the sink. “How are you?” She got out her homework assignment and sat down on the toilet with it. Today she’d get her work done in here, with her dog.
