Ruby slept in Jax’s bed all night. By morning she was worse, her breathing laboured. Jax was lying on the bed stroking her when Mai entered the room.
‘Is she better? She didn’t eat dinner last night so I brought her a biscuit.’
‘She’s very sick, Mai,’ said Jax, quietly. ‘I don’t think she can eat anything.’
‘We have to take her to the vet, then.’ Mai put the biscuit close to Ruby’s nose.
‘I wish we could but we don’t have any money.’
‘I’ve got ten dollars. It’s my birthday present from Uncle Len. Oh, Jax, she’s not going to die, is she?’
‘It’ll cost much more than ten dollars, Mai.’ Jax’s eyes suddenly filled with tears. He felt so helpless. He stared down at his little dog. There must be some way I can get the money, he thought. Maybe I could ask Buzzy. No, Buzzy has his own problems.
Just at that moment, the sun came out from behind a cloud making golden sparks dance across the leaves of the foxtail palm. An idea ignited inside Jax’s head and he could see it all very clearly. He crossed the room and closed the bedroom door gently. Then he turned to Mai.
‘I know where I can get the money, but you can’t tell anyone.’
Mai leant forward, her brown eyes fixed intently on his, waiting for him to continue.
‘You know Ma’s…’ Jax paused a moment wondering if he should tell her, then said, ‘You know Ma’s gold necklace?’
‘You mean the one Mama told us about? The one she brought from China?’
‘Yes. Well I was thinking I could take it and pawn it.’
‘What does pawn mean?’ Mai took a bite of the biscuit she had brought in for Ruby.
‘It’s like we lend the necklace to the shop and they give us money for it. Then, when we want the necklace back, we go and buy it. Buzzy does it all the time to raise money for his triathlons.’
Mai bit her lip. ‘But that’s… like stealing… isn’t it? And how do we buy it back? We don’t have any money.’
‘Look, you want to save Ruby, don’t you?’ Jax said, impatiently.
Mai burst into tears.
‘Please don’t cry, Mai. I’m sorry. I wish I could think of another way but I can’t, okay?’
Mai nodded and sniffed.
‘I want you to go to school like normal.’
‘But that’s not fair…’ Mai exploded, wiping her tears.
‘Shhhh… keep your voice down.’
Then in a whisper, Mai said, ‘Ruby’s my dog, too.’
‘I know she is. But think, if we both don’t show up at school, the principal will ring Ba then we’ll be in big trouble. I need you to cover for me. Do you understand?’
Mai sighed, still teary. ‘Then you have to promise to meet me at lunchtime, okay?’ she said.
‘I promise. Now you better go, otherwise you’ll be late.’
Mai bent down and hugged Ruby. ‘I love you, little girl,’ she whispered then ran out of the room.
Jax lay down on the pillow beside Ruby. ‘The vet will get you better,’ he said, stroking her gently. ‘Everything will be all right, I promise.’
When Jax heard Mai leave the house, he tiptoed across the hall to his parents’ room.
Snnnaaaa… snnaaaaa. As long as Ba is snoring, I’m safe, he thought, listening at the door. He turned the knob and inched the door open. He knew how it could squeal like a frightened guinea pig if he was too impatient. A slab of light fell across Ba’s face. Jax quickly slipped into the room and closed the door. He waited a few seconds before switching on his mini-torch. Ma’s chest of drawers stood in the corner.
As he eased the top drawer open, he held his breath. First one side, then the other. Lift and pull, lift and pull. It was old, and coaxing it out quietly was like pulling teeth without an anaesthetic. It grunted and groaned. At last he had it open.
Jax reached down through the tangle of stockings, T-shirts and pyjamas until his hand touched a silk purse. He drew it out and, with the same gentle coaxing, pushed the drawer closed then quietly left the room.
Jax opened the top of the purse and turned it upside down. The gold necklace fell onto his bed. Ten gold squares, each a centimetre and a half in diameter, were linked together with the finest chains. And in the middle of each square was engraved a mythical bird with a tiny emerald eye. It was the most beautiful thing Jax had ever seen. He stared down at it feeling sick with guilt. It was Ma’s most precious possession, how could he take it?
Jax lay beside Ruby and let the necklace dangle between his fingers. As it swung from side to side, he could see the foxtail palm through the window above his head, waving its fronds as if it was saying… ‘Yes, yes, take it, Jax, take the gold, go on. It’s just an object. As beautiful and as precious as it might be, it’s not alive like you or I – or Ruby.’
‘You’re right,’ Jax said, getting up from the bed. ‘Ruby is worth more than all the gold in the world.’
He placed the necklace in his backpack, tucked Ruby inside his jumper and left the house.