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I put Wizard on his leash and closed my room door behind me, resisting the urge to bring my stick. It was important for me to start trusting him, but that wasn’t easy. He was a dog, after all.
I made my way along the corridor. Wizard plodded along to my left as I used the back of my right hand to guide me along the walls. I let out some clicks to get the shape of the corridor.
Wizard stopped and turned, twisting the leash.
“Hey. Settle down.”
He licked my hand. Was it because of the clicks?
Taking in a breath, I carried on past the Windermere Room and took a right into the dining room.
“Brian, we’re just over here.”
It took me a moment to place his voice. “Paul, right?”
“Would you like to take my arm?”
I hesitated for a moment then relented. “Sure.” I held onto his elbow as Wizard pulled in the opposite direction.
Paul guided my hand to the back of a chair.
“Who’s that?” Helena asked.
“It’s just me.”
“Oh, hello, Brian. I hope you’re bonding well with your new partner.”
“Where’s Sophie?” I asked.
“The trainers have gone home,” Paul said. “I’m on duty tonight.”
“Fair enough.”
“I do hope that it isn’t another one of those set menus,” Helena said. “I did say when I applied that I no longer eat gluten. It plays havoc with my irritable bowels.”
Nothing was better than hearing the intimate details of someone’s guts at the dinner table. “Irritable bowels? That must be...erm...irritating.”
“It is. If even the tiniest speck of gluten passes my lips...” She cleared her throat. “Well, I’m sure you can imagine.”
“I’d prefer not to,” I muttered.
Paul rose to help as the others arrived.
I tried to get Wizard to settle down, but every time I got him to lie down, he immediately shot back to his feet, his tail wagging as he pulled towards the other dogs. “Wizard, please. Lie down, boy.”
I unclipped his gentle leader, hoping it would help him to relax.
“What’s your dog called?” I asked Helena.
“This is Ruby.”
“Is it an Alsatian?”
“Yes. I only go for Alsatians now.”
“I hear they’re the Rolls-Royce of guide dogs.” I’m glad she couldn’t see me smirking.
“Exactly. I’ve always said that Alsatians are the Rolls-Royce of guide dogs. I think Ruby and I are going to be firm friends, aren’t we Ruby? Yes we are. We are going to be great friends.”
I pushed gently down on Wizard’s rear end. “Sit.”
“We’ve got Eric and Nidra with us,” Paul said. “Eric, if you want to sit next to Helena here.” He patted the back of the chair. “And, Nidra, if you want to sit here.” He tapped the chair next to me.
Nidra shuffled into her seat. “Hey.”
“Hey.”
Wizard shot around my back, pulling my arm at an awkward angle as he bolted towards Nidra’s dog. “No, stop it. Come back.”
Wizard bounced excitedly on his front paws. He lowered his jaw to the ground, tail in the air. I got out of my chair and pulled him away. “What’s he doing?”
“He wants to play,” Paul said. “That’s a play bow. Wizard and Jester know each other.”
“Jester? What kind of dog is he?”
“He’s a Golden Retriever,” Nidra said. “He’s so cuddly.”
“Cool. Mine’s a Lab.”
“So, we’ve got a Wizard and a Jester? All we need now is a king.” Eric let out an uproarious laugh.
“What’s your dog called?” I asked him.
“Kirby. And he’s wonderful. You’re a lovely boy, aren’t you? Aren’t you a good boy?”
“I met Kirby. I did a practice walk with him. It didn’t go very well.”
That’s because he knows I’m his dad. Don’t you, boy? You know that I’m your dad.”
I started when a waiter spoke. “Are you ready to give your orders?”
“What’s on the menu?” I hadn’t realised how hungry I was until that moment.
“We’ve got fish and chips, sausage and mash, and steak and kidney pie.”
“Fish and chips, please.”
Helena clicked her fingers. “Now, I hope the chef knows that I’m gluten-free. I did say when I applied that I need a gluten-free menu because of my irritable bowels.”
The waiter cleared his throat. “Don’t worry, madam. We can do the fish without batter.”
“I’ll have that then. But make sure it doesn’t go anywhere near any batter. If I have one speck of gluten, well—”
“Is there a vegetarian option?” Nidra asked.
“The fish.”
“You know a fish isn’t a vegetable, right?”
“I think there’s a vegetarian shepherd’s pie. It’s got lentils and stuff in.”
“Fine, I’ll have that.”
Everyone else gave their orders and Paul poured us all a glass of water.
Wizard bounced around, not settling.
After several minutes, I finally got him to lie down next to me. He began crawling beneath my chair towards Jester.
The food arrived after ten minutes, fat chips and fluffy battered haddock.
It wasn’t until I nearly finished eating that I realised there was a ramekin of mushy peas and tartare sauce on the side.
“How was the food? I asked Nidra, trying to ignore Helena’s wittering.
“It’s fine. It doesn’t exactly taste of much.”
“So, you’re vegetarian?”
“Not really. I was hoping for something with a bit more flavour.”
“The fish is good. I’d say the chips are more like wedges, though.”
My arm yanked to the side as Wizard bolted from under the table. I cried out as pain tore through my shoulder.
“You okay?” Paul asked.
“I’m fine.” I got up and rubbed my throbbing armpit. “I think I’m going to head back to my room.”
“What about your pudding?”
I made a dismissive wave. “I’m full. I just want to take Wizard back and get him settled.”
“Are you sure you’re okay? I can get someone to look at your shoulder if you’d like? The hotel has a first-aider.”
I rolled my shoulder and shook my head. “I’ll be fine.” I patted my thigh. “Come on, Wizard.”
I slammed my door behind me when I returned to my room and let Wizard off his leash. I sat on the end of the bed, holding my head in my hands as the pain in my shoulder increased.
Had I made a mistake?
I thought having a dog would be fun...I rubbed my shoulder and winced.
How much fun could it really be? How many injuries would I have to put up with? How many meals would I spend trying to settle him down instead of enjoying my food? He needed feeding twice a day, taking to the toilet several times a day—I wasn’t ready for this kind of commitment, this level of responsibility.
It didn’t seem worth the effort.
A wet nose pressed against my hand.
“What?” I snapped.
Wizard sat, his tail brushing across the carpet. He dropped a rubber toy into my hand, the joined concentric spheres bringing to mind the shape of a Russian doll. “Is this for me?”
He let out a thin whine in response.
I tossed the toy towards the door and Wizard dived towards it, bringing it back to me, slick with drool.
“That’s disgusting.” I wiped the toy along the edge of the bed, wondering how much of my life would be spent wiping drool.
I threw the toy again.
It bounced with a thud on the carpet.
We repeated the game several times until he dropped the toy to the ground and rested his head on my lap.
I stroked behind his ears as he rested his chin on my leg.
I sighed. “Will you please behave tomorrow?”