As Rose pedaled hard to keep up with Mavis, she once again had that feeling that there were two Roses.
One was the scared Rose.
Scared to be here riding her bicycle along the edge of the busy highway, with cars zooming by so fast the wildflowers danced in the breeze when they passed.
Scared that her mother was going to find out about this very un-Rose-like thing she was doing.
Scared that even if they found Henry, and even if Henry needed a home, Mr. Duffy wouldn’t want him and would be unhappy with her. Mr. Duffy had never been unhappy with her before.
But then there was another Rose.
A Rose who was thrilled with this wild adventure.
A Rose who was as brave as her best friend, Mavis.
A Rose who wished her sister could see her now.
But when she finally caught up with Mavis and found herself crossing the busy highway at the stoplight, that second Rose quickly disappeared.
Why had she let Mavis talk her into this?
But it was too late to turn back now. They were already across the highway, and Mavis was hollering, “Follow me!”
And so she did.
She followed Mavis up one street and down another.
Through neighborhoods with small brick houses and tidy yards where kids playing in the street stared at them when they pedaled by.
Past a car repair shop, a tattoo parlor, a florist, and a barber shop.
Past Brookhaven Baptist Church and Patton Road Car Wash and Miss Banner’s Daycare Center.
Then they turned a corner, and suddenly Mavis squealed, “There it is!”
Sure enough, looming ahead was a large sign reading WONDERLAND GREYHOUND PARK.
Mavis let out a whoop and motioned for Rose to follow her through the empty parking lot and right up to the entrance gate beside the ticket booth.
Mavis jumped off her bike and jiggled the gate.
Locked.
Rose felt a wave of relief wash over her.
“It’s closed,” she said to Mavis. “We should leave.”
“No way. There’re people in there.”
Rose peered through the fence. Inside the park were folks wearing red caps or T-shirts with WONDERLAND on them. Some were walking dogs that looked a lot like Henry.
“Hey!” Mavis called through the gate.
No one seemed to notice.
“We should leave,” Rose said again, glancing back in the direction of the highway.
She reached into her pocket and rubbed Grace’s silver dollar.
Mavis waved and hollered at folks inside Wonderland until finally some woman with a bushy gray ponytail under her Wonderland cap came to the gate and asked Mavis what she wanted.
“We’re looking for a dog,” Mavis said.
“A rescue dog?” the woman asked.
Mavis’s face lit up. “Yes! A rescue dog. Right, Rose?”
Rose nodded.
“Do you have an appointment?” the woman asked.
Rose couldn’t believe her ears when Mavis said, “Yes.”
Mavis sure was a good fibber. She didn’t even look one bit guilty. Rose felt a wave of admiration.
The woman unlocked the gate, and, just like that, Rose and Mavis were inside Wonderland.