The last week of August turned out to be the hottest of the summer, and even though Noah had promised they’d make a point of going to the beach, it was just too hot. On several occasions, they went down in the evening for a swim, but during the day it was miserable. Ben and Seth were constantly caught standing in front of the new refrigerator with the door open; Laney took to turning on the weather in the morning to find out if there was any end in sight to the heat; and on Saturday morning, as Asher—who’d come down late—ate warmed-up pancakes, he listened to the weatherman’s colorful descriptions and asked, “Why do they say, ‘It’s as hot as blue blazes’?”
Laney looked up from putting breakfast dishes in the dishwasher. “I’m not sure, but I think it’s because the hottest part of a flame is blue.”
Asher nodded and took another bite of his pancake. “And why do they call it ‘dog days’?”
Laney started to answer, but Noah—who’d just come in to refill his coffee cup—said, “I know! I know! When I was little, Grandpa told me it originated a long time ago when the Romans associated hot weather with the star Sirius. Sirius is the brightest star in the constellation, Canis Major, aka Great Dog. Sirius is also called the Dog Star, and it’s the brightest star in the sky.”
Asher’s eyes grew wide. “Sirius is also Harry Potter’s godfather . . . and his animagus is a black dog!”
“Well, there you go,” Noah said with a smile as he headed back down to his study.
Asher brought his plate over and handed it to Laney. “I’m not hungry,” he said glumly.
“How come?” she asked in surprise, looking down at the syrup-smothered pancakes.
He shrugged.
She frowned and put her hand on his forehead. “Do you want me to save them?”
“You can give them to Mennie and Halle,” he said, plodding gloomily out to the porch.
Laney scraped the soggy pancakes into the dogs’ bowls, and before she’d had time to put the plate in the dishwasher, they’d both hurried over and gulped down their portions. Laney poured the last of the coffee into her mug, dumped the grinds, washed the pot and filter, and wiped down the counters. When she finally finished, she looked out on the porch and saw Asher curled up on the floor with his arm around each dog and Lucky curled up in her favorite wicker chair next to them.
She went out and peered down at him. “What’s going on?” she asked softly.
“I don’t know,” he said.
She scooped him up and pulled him onto her lap. The dogs looked up in dismay and then got up to move closer. “You guys are silly,” Laney said.
“They just want to be near us.”
“They were near us.”
“They like to lean on us.”
Laney smiled, and they sat quietly, watching the birds flutter back and forth to the feeder. “Did you know there’s a bird’s nest under the shed?”
Asher nodded. “Dad showed me. I saw the babies too, but now they’ve all flown away.”
Laney rested her chin on his head, and Asher fiddled with the string on his shorts. “I miss everybody,” he said, his voice full of sadness.
“Oh, hon,” Laney whispered, “I miss everybody too.”
“I think I’m having a heart attack.”
“You do?” Laney asked in surprise. “Why?”
“Because my heart hurts,” he said.
“Sweetie, you’re not having a heart attack.... Your heart is aching because you’re sad, but it won’t always be like this. You won’t always feel sad.”
They were both quiet for a time, and Laney pulled him closer and began softly, “Once upon a time, there was a handsome prince who fell into a deep sadness, and no matter what he did, he couldn’t seem to overcome it. All of the sages and advisors in the court tried to discern the reason for the young prince’s somber mood, but no one could. Finally, on a crisp autumn morning, the gardener invited him to visit. The prince accepted, but when he arrived, he noticed that all the blossoms had gone by and most of the branches were bare. Seeing his dismay, the gardener quickly pointed out that the garden was still beautiful in its gold and rusty hues. The prince nodded, watching the chickadees, cardinals, titmice, and nuthatches fluttering busily among the vines and berries, and the gardener explained that it wasn’t his mind or body that suffered—it was his soul. She went on to say that all mankind endures the ebb and flow of life’s joys and sorrows—‘the rhythm of the tides’ she called it—much like the earthly change of seasons—and she assured him that his heart would once again know joy.
“The handsome, young prince considered her words and asked her how she’d come by such wisdom, and the gardener showed him an ancient sundial hidden among the roses. On it were engraved the words, ‘This too shall pass.’ ”
Asher sat up and looked at her. “Did someone tell you that story?”
Laney smiled and nodded. “My grandpa.”
He leaned back against her. “Did Grandma go back to New Hampshire?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“I can’t believe school starts next week,” he said gloomily.
“I can’t either. It seems like summer just started.”
“Can we go see the baby geese before we go back?” he asked brightly.
“Well, we can’t go today. Dad has to finish his sermon.”
“Can we go tomorrow?”
“Maybe. It would have to be after church.”
“Wait,” Asher said, turning to her. “Tomorrow’s your birthday.”
Laney’s eyes grew wide as she pretended to have forgotten. “You’re right—it is!”
“Well, we should definitely go then.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s Grandpa’s birthday too.”
She nodded thoughtfully. “That’s right . . . which means tomorrow would be the perfect day.”
Beaming, Asher hopped down and happily announced, “I’ll go tell Dad,” and with Halle at his heels, he raced down the hall.
Laney and Mennie watched them go, and then Mennie sat up and leaned against Laney’s legs. He rested his noble head on her lap, and she stroked his silky ears. “Do you want to go too, old pie?” she asked softly, and Mennie thumped his tail and gazed at her lovingly . . . and his solemn, brown eyes said it all.