“I think he’s “sleeping,” Mavis said to Rose when they got to the gatehouse.
Sure enough, Mr. Duffy was sitting in his chair with his feet on the desk and his cap pulled down over his eyes. His mouth was open, and he breathed in with a rumbly snore and exhaled with a whoosh.
Mavis slowly opened the screen door and stepped inside, with Rose following close behind. “Should we wake him up?” she whispered.
Rose nodded.
Mavis went, “Ahem,” and let the screen door slam shut with a bang.
Mr. Duffy bolted straight up and looked wildly around him. When he saw Rose and Mavis, he clutched his heart and said, “Jeekers! Y’all trying to scare me to kingdom come and back?”
“Sorry,” Rose said.
“We have some great news,” Mavis said. “Right, Rose?”
Rose nodded. “Great news.”
Mr. Duffy put his feet on the floor and straightened his cap. “Lay it on me,” he said. “I could use some great news.”
“Tell him, Rose,” Mavis said, giving Rose a little nudge.
“Well, um, Henry, you know, that dog? Well, Mavis and I went to Wonderland and, he, um, we found out—”
“Henry is up for adoption!” Mavis blurted out. “Can you believe that?”
Mr. Duffy squinted at them. “Now, what in tarnation are y’all talking about? Please tell me y’all did not go over there to that racetrack.” He shook his head. “No sirree bob, that is not the truth.”
He ducked his head and lifted his bushy gray eyebrows. “Miss Rose Tully?”
Rose blushed and looked down at the floor.
“I know what your mama would think about that,” he said. “That is not like you one bit to go and do such a dern fool crazy thing.”
“But it turned out great, right, Rose?” Mavis said, grinning.
Mr. Duffy snorted. “Two little ole girls like y’all going over there to that track?” He poked a finger at Rose and said, “You can’t keep trouble from coming, but you don’t have to give it a chair to sit on.”
Rose looked like she was about to cry, staring down at the floor with her chin quivering.
Mavis put her arm around Rose. “But she didn’t get in trouble ’cause her mama doesn’t know. And here’s the best part.” She pushed a tangle of hair out of her eyes. “You can adopt Henry!” She gave Rose’s shoulder a little jiggle and grinned at Mr. Duffy.
Then the room got so quiet that Mavis could hear some kids hollering “Not it!” somewhere up the street.
Think fast, Mavis told herself. Her plan was almost working. Now was her chance. So Mavis did what she knew how to do best. She jumped right in and tried to make things right. She told Mr. Duffy about Wonderland.
How some lady had showed them the way to the cinder-block building.
How that man named Roger had told them about Henry. That he was only four years old but that was too old to race, so he was ready to be adopted.
“And,” Mavis added, “he even told us what those ear tattoos mean.”
Mr. Duffy sat there at his desk, not saying a word while Mavis explained the tattoos. “The one on his left ear is his identification number with the National Greyhound Association,” she said. “And the one on his right ear identifies exactly which puppy he is in his litter. So every dog has different numbers. How about that?”
Mr. Duffy took his cap off and scratched his head. “Guess you’re never too old to learn something new,” he said.
“And,” Mavis went on, “Henry would be perfect for you. He’s smart and sweet and—”
Mr. Duffy held up a hand and said, “Whoa, now, missy. That dog don’t need an old geezer like me. I know I sound like my heart’s a thumping gizzard, but—”
“A what?” Mavis said.
Mr. Duffy chuckled. “Thumping gizzard. Means y’all must think I’m coldhearted and—”
“I don’t,” Rose chimed in.
“Me, neither,” Mavis said.
“Well, anyway,” Mr. Duffy continued, “I’m not looking for another dog, so you two schemers can stop right here and now, and that’s final.”
Mavis looked at Rose and Rose looked at Mavis and they both looked at Mr. Duffy, who repeated, “Final.”
And then an appliance repair truck pulled up to the gatehouse, and Mr. Duffy said, “Now y’all let me get back to work before one of those old biddies starts flinging complaints my way.”
So Rose and Mavis headed back up the street toward the Tullys’ house. When they reached the driveway, Mavis slapped a hand on Rose’s shoulder and said, “Don’t worry. I will not give up. I’ll come up with plan B. I’m really good at that.”