That same evening at Meg’s house, a huge pot of steaming chili sat on the kitchen table next to a pan of fresh-baked cornbread.
They ate in silence for a solid five minutes.
Without looking up, Mr. Harris finally said, “What are we going to do with the dog? It’s been two days now.” He was casual, the way he’d ask someone to pass him the salt.
Meg glanced at her mom. She knew Mom thought they already had too many animals around their place.
“Hey, Dad,” Jeremy said. “Can I get a motorcycle?”
Jacob choked on a laugh.
“Nope,” Mom said without looking at Jeremy.
“What about Banjo?” Meg blurted.
“Well,” Mom said. “If he’s lost, somebody will be looking for him. If he was abandoned, they won’t. We’ll give it two weeks. See if anyone puts up a sign. The dog needs to heal, anyway. We should take him to the vet, too. Maybe tomorrow.”
Meg wondered what could happen in two weeks. And what if she had to give him up? That dog needed her.
“If I had a motorcycle,” Jeremy went on, “I could get myself to school and you wouldn’t have to drive me.”
“Jeremy,” Mr. Harris said. “You’re too young. You need a license, just like for a car.”
Jacob stared at the table. “I can’t believe somebody just went and dumped it. You don’t just throw your dog away.”
“We don’t know what happened,” Mom said.
Jacob reached across the table and touched Meg’s hand. “If anyone did, I say we peg him down over a red-ant hole.”
Meg smiled. “I’m in,” she said.
And Jeremy? She grinned at how he was pigging out across from her.
“What?” he said.
“Just watching you eat.”
“Well, don’t.”
Jacob winked at her.
“Maybe the vet will know something about a lost dog,” Mom said. “If not, we’ll tack up some posters. If you make one tonight, we can make copies in the morning.”
“Sure.”
Mom rubbed soothing circles on Meg’s back with her fingertips. “Don’t worry, honey. We’ll find his home.”
Meg nodded, barely. She felt the same as Jacob. If somebody dumped Banjo, then he should be thrown into a nest of rattlesnakes. She wasn’t so sure she wanted to find his home.