by S. E. Smith
“She didn’t act like it,” she pointed out, dipping one of the fries into the ketchup and eating it.
“I said she was smart. I didn’t say she made good decisions. Being smart and having common sense are two different things,” Henry said in a clipped tone. “You’ve got common sense. Your mother could have used some of that.”
Makayla raised an eyebrow at Henry’s statement. “What makes you think I have common sense, old man?” She asked.
Henry paused again and a hint of a smile curved his lips. Makayla knew he found her reference to him as an old man both irritating and amusing. She didn’t know why she called him that. It just seemed – right.
“You also have a bit of your mother’s hardheadedness,” he muttered.
The smile on Makayla’s lips faded. She looked down at the table with a frown. A part of her wondered just how much like her mom she really was. Would she make the same mistakes? Get involved with the wrong kind of guys? Get hooked on pain pills to escape the world, too?
Makayla remembered overhearing one of her teachers talking to another about a student who had been suspended for fighting. The kid’s mom had come into the office while Makayla had been dropping off a note for being late. The SRO had to be called because Mr. Wallace had been worried she would become violent. The teacher had made an off-hand comment that the apple didn’t fall far from the tree. Makayla wondered if she was destined to be like her mom.
She started when she realized that Henry had stopped eating and was studying her. Bowing her head to hide her face, she picked at the hamburger in front of her. She didn’t want to know what he meant when he said she was hardheaded like her mom.
“I’m not like her,” she whispered in a low voice. “I won’t be like her.”
“No, I don’t think you will,” Henry said in a quiet voice. “Eat up. I need to get back. Breaker will be wondering where his dinner is.”
Makayla nodded and picked up the hamburger she had ordered. She ate it even though she wasn’t hungry any longer. Her eyes turned to the darkness outside. The rain had finally stopped, but it hadn’t changed her mood. The world was still just as messed up now as it was this morning as far as she was concerned.
*.*.*
The rest of the drive passed in silence. Makayla stared out the window. She rested her chin on her hand, watching as the lights grew brighter as they entered town. The streets were pretty much deserted. They stopped at a series of traffic lights before continuing through to the end of the road. At the end, her grandfather took a left and continued through town.
“Do you still live in the same house?” She asked in curiosity.
“For the last sixty-two years,” Henry replied as he slowed for another light.
“Haven’t you ever wanted to move?” She asked, turning to look at him.
Henry shook his head. “Why? When you live in paradise, it would be pretty stupid to move away from it,” he said.
“Mom must not have thought it was paradise,” Makayla retorted, turning to look back at the colorful lights.
“She couldn’t see the beauty here. She wanted to live in a big city. Look where that got her,” Henry responded in a quiet voice.
“Yeah, living here wasn’t so good for her either,” Makayla muttered. “Look what happened. She had me.”
“Like I said before, your mom was hard headed. She could have made it work if she had given it a chance. Having you might not have been planned, Makayla, but never think of yourself as being a mistake,” Henry insisted, turning to the right when the road forked.
Makayla raised an eyebrow at her grandfather. “If what we just went through was the extent of the town, I can see why she wanted to leave,” she pointed out. “There isn’t much here.”
“There’s enough,” Henry grunted.
“Yeah, sure,” Makayla muttered under her breath when he slowed and turned right onto a road so narrow, only one car could drive down it at a time.
A few minutes later, Henry pulled into a gravel area near a short wooden dock. He turned off the engine and the headlights and sat for a moment. The clouds had cleared and the moon shone down over the river, making the water sparkle as if someone had scattered a handful of diamonds over it.
“I’ll grab your bags,” he said when she opened the door and slid out.
“Thanks, I’ve got my backpack,” she said with a shrug.
Makayla swatted at a mosquito that flew by her ear as she waited for Henry to unlock the tailgate and grab the plastic garbage bag with the rest of her clothes. She followed him across the narrow road to the front steps of the old house. Climbing the stairs, she shifted her backpack to her other shoulder while he unlocked the door and pushed it open.
She paused when she heard him mutter under his breath. She blinked when he turned the lights on as he stepped inside the house. A large, hairy dog greeted him at the door then it turned to look at her with curiosity.
“Come on in before all the mosquitoes decide to set up residence inside,” Henry ordered as he nudged past the large dog.
Makayla nodded and stepped inside before she turned and closed the door behind her. She warily looked back at the dog. She hadn’t been around too many animals during her life. The few dogs she encountered hadn’t been all that nice.
“Does he stay inside?” She asked, skirting around Henry when the tan and white creature took a step toward her. “Does he bite?”
Henry chuckled. “All dogs bite,” he said with a nod of his head to the staircase. “You can have your mom’s old room.”
Makayla scowled up at her grandfather’s back as he started up the stairs, the dog following him with a wagging tail. She waited at the edge of the stairs for a moment before she realized that he wasn’t going to stop. With a sigh of resignation, she followed him.
Chapter 6
Makayla groaned the next morning as she felt something wet and warm against her cheek. Her hand automatically reached up to push whatever it was away. Her fingers froze and her eyes popped open when she encountered thick fur.
A small scream escaped her and she rolled. For a moment, she felt weightless before she landed on the thin rug next to the bed. The impact knocked the breath out of her, but she quickly recovered when she heard the excited bark coming from the bed she had just fallen out of.
Pushing up, she scrambled to her feet and backed up, staring in horror at the huge dog standing where she had been lying just seconds before. She backed up several feet until she was next to the now open door. A frown of confusion swept through her because she could have sworn she had closed it last night. There wasn’t a lock on it, at least not without one of those old fashion skeleton keys.
Stumbling backwards, she gripped the door frame as the dog wagged its tail and gazed at her with a look of expectation on its face. What the heck it expected her to do, she had no idea. Another low cry escaped her when it jumped down off her bed.
Makayla turned and fled down the hallway toward the staircase. She half-ran, half-fell down the narrow stairs. At the bottom, she turned to stare back up at the top. The furry mutt stood at the top of the stairs, staring back down at her, its tongue hanging out of its mouth and its ears pitched forward as if it was waiting for her to say something. She had something to say, alright, and it wasn’t going to be good!
“Stay! Just… stay away from me,” she ordered, glaring back at the dog. “Stay!”
A soft cry of frustration and fear escaped her when it took a step forward. Turning, Makayla flew through the small dining room into the kitchen. She could hear the sound of the dog’s feet as it raced down the stairs after her. She turned just as the dog came to a stop in the doorway to the kitchen.
“Old Man!” Makayla yelled, eyeing the dog that was eyeing her. “Henry… Old man, your dog is looking at me!”
Makayla released a groan when she didn’t hear a response. She couldn’t believe he had just left without taking the dog with him. She slid a little to the left when the dog tilted his head and t
ook a step into the room. Glaring at it, her mind flew through ways to scare it away.
“Go on! Get out of here,” Makayla yelled, waving her hand at it. “Go on! I don’t believe this,” she muttered when it whined and took another step into the room. “Don’t you know how to listen? I said go, not come here!”
A startled squeak escaped her when the dog barked again and started to pad around the table. Makayla circled around it and took off through the doorway she had just come through. Sliding along the smooth, glossy surface of the wood floors, she grabbed the doorknob to the front door and twisted it.
She grinned in triumph when it opened. Sticking her tongue out at the large dog that had followed her back into the foyer, she stepped outside and shut the door behind her. Turning, the grin turned to a scowl when she realized that her grandfather and a young guy, not much older than her, were standing outside on the driveway talking. They both turned to look at her when they heard the door slam behind her.
Makayla smoothed one hand down over her sleep tousled hair and the other over the oversized NFL jersey that she wore. She was thankful she had at least worn a pair of pajama pants to bed. Looking down, she grimaced when she saw it was her SpongeBob pants.
She glared back at her grandfather’s amused expression. Clenching her fists, she stomped down the steps. She had just stepped off the last one when the dog came around the side of the house. It stopped when it saw her and tilted its head as it wagged its tail. Makayla bit back an undignified scream and pointed at the huge creature.
“That… That thing is possessed!” She gritted out between clenched teeth. “It was on my bed! It followed me down the stairs and chased me around the kitchen table! It… It’s….”
“Brian, this here is my granddaughter, Makayla. She’ll be staying for a bit,” Henry said, resting his forearms against the back of the pickup.
“Hi, Makayla,” Brian replied with a grin. “I’d better be going, Henry. I promised Jason I’d help him today.”
“See you later,” Henry said with a grin. “Tell Jason that Makayla and I’ll be down a little later.”
“Sure thing,” Brian said, smiling at Makayla’s mutinous face. “Pleasure to meet you, Makayla.”
“Yeah. Sure. Whatever,” Makayla said, pushing away her self-consciousness when she saw Brian glance at her bruised cheek and black eye. Instead, she turned to stare back at the dog that was sitting a few feet away, eyeing her still. “It’s still looking at me,” she muttered.
She watched as Henry lifted his hand to Brian. Her right hand rose instinctively when Brian smiled and waved to her before he turned his motorcycle around in a tight circle. Her eyes followed him until she turned back around to glare at her grandfather again.
“Who let that… that thing into my room?” She demanded, pointing to where the dog now laid on the grass.
“Who? Breaker?” Henry asked, turning to look at the Akita. “He’s a smart dog, not much can keep him out. Why do you think I call him Breaker? He was always breaking out of the pens I built until I finally just gave up.”
“I don’t like dogs,” Makayla said stubbornly, folding her arms across her chest.
“You better start,” Henry said with a grin as he straightened and started to walk back toward the house.
Makayla’s arms dropped to her side when she saw the huge hound get up to follow her grandfather back inside. Looking up at the clear blue sky, she bit back another scream of frustration. It was hard to argue with someone when they kept walking away.
“Argh!” Makayla growled before following the two back into the house. She hurried up the steps and pulled open the screen door. Pushing the front door open further, she stepped inside and slammed it behind her. “I don’t like dogs!” She yelled before a startled gasp escaped her when she found herself staring eye to eye with Breaker.
Henry continued to ignore her as he walked through the small dining room area toward the kitchen. Makayla kept her eyes glued to the dog. She grunted when it suddenly jumped up, pressing its paws against her chest. The weight of the dog’s body pushed her back against the front door. She cautiously moved her hands up until they sank into the soft fur.
“Good boy,” she whispered, staring into the bright eyes. “Good boy. Don’t eat me. I really don’t taste that good. In fact, I need a shower. Yeah, I need a shower and you don’t want to eat anything that needs a shower, do you? Oh wait,” she muttered with a frown. “Dogs eat out of the trash can, don’t they? Guess you wouldn’t care if I had a shower or not, huh?”
Makayla’s lips snapped shut when Breaker leaned forward and ran his tongue across her chin. A wave of surprise and distaste swept through her and she scowled at him. She also remembered that dogs have a tendency to put their noses up other dogs’ butts.
She pushed against him and breathed a sigh of relief when he dropped back down on all four paws. Using the sleeve of her jersey, she wiped her mouth and chin. She rolled her eyes at Breaker when he tilted his head and gave her a look that said ‘Why’d you do that?’
“I sure hope you weren’t licking or eating anything nasty,” she mumbled.
Sliding around the Akita, she glanced over her shoulder as she hurried through the room to the kitchen. A smothered curse escaped her when she stopped in the doorway and Breaker, who had obviously followed her, ran into the back of her leg before he squeezed past her into the kitchen.
Henry glanced at her and gave her one of those half grins she recognized was his way of saying he found the entire situation humorous. She was glad someone did, because she wasn’t finding anything funny about everything that had happened.
“It’s not funny!” She retorted as she walked over to the table. “He could have eaten me.”
Henry glanced at Breaker as he settled down on his large doggie bed. “Naw, he’s already had breakfast,” he said. “Brian told me that school gets out here in a week. Don’t see much sense in your starting unless you want to go.”
Makayla slid onto one of the tall chairs and rested her chin on her left palm. Her nose wrinkled in distaste. The last thing she wanted to do was try to make it through the final week of classes in a strange school where she didn’t know anyone. It was difficult doing it in one where she did.
“No, thanks,” she muttered as she watched him pour a cup of coffee and place a couple of pieces of buttered toast on a plate. Her eyebrow rose when he set it down in front of her. “I don’t drink coffee or eat breakfast.”
“You do now,” Henry grunted. “We’ve got a long day ahead of us. Enjoy it, tomorrow you’ll be on your own for breakfast.”
Makayla glanced down at the slightly burnt toast and black coffee and wrinkled her nose in distaste. “What do you mean ‘We’ve got a long day ahead of us’? I was thinking of unpacking and chilling out in the lounge chair down on the dock.”
Henry chuckled. “You can lounge on the Defiance… while you’re polishing the stainless steel,” he said with a nod of his head. “Jason and Brian should be done scraping the outer hull. We need to prep it for painting. I’ve got to get some stuff out of the shed. I’ll meet you out front in thirty minutes. Make sure you have a long sleeve shirt. The sun can be pretty intense.”
Makayla watched in disbelief as Henry gave her another brief nod before he pulled open the door and stepped out onto the back deck. Her eyes followed him until he disappeared around the side of the house. Only then did her eyes lower to the doggy door built into the thick wooden door.
“That’s how you got out,” she accused, looking at Breaker who had walked over to rest his chin on her knee.
A short woof was her answer. Makayla picked up a piece of the burnt toast and took a bite, grimacing at the taste. She slowly chewed, wondering what she had gotten herself into. Picking off a piece of the toast, she dropped it. Breaker snapped it up in midair. Taking turns between taking a bite for herself and feeding a piece to the dog, she quickly finished the toast on the plate.
She picked up the coffee, twisting her lips
in disgust at the acidic taste. Sliding off the chair, she walked over to the sink and poured the foul tasting brew down the drain before washing the cup and plate and setting them in the dish rack.
Twisting around, she walked over to the refrigerator and opened it, hoping to find something better to drink. Spying a plastic bottle of water, she pulled it out and uncapped it. She took a long swig of the cold, refreshing liquid and sighed, thankful that it helped wash the taste of the toast and coffee from her mouth.
“I guess I’ll find out what other things he has planned for me,” she muttered, glaring down at the tan and white face of the Akita. “If he cooks everything as well as he did the toast, I have a feeling I’ll be doing the cooking.”
Woof!
“Great, now I’m talking to a dog,” Makayla muttered as she turned toward the other room leading back to the staircase. “I don’t know what’s worse! Me talking to you, or you answering me,” she called over her shoulder as she headed back up the stairs.
*.*.*
Twenty minutes later, Makayla was staring in fascination at the ghostly figures of boats of all shapes and sizes sitting in dry dock at the marina. Henry, being his usual cheerful and talkative self, hadn’t said a word since she came out of the house and opened the door to his truck.
Breaker quickly pushed past her and jumped onto the seat before she had a chance to get in. Grunting, she had pushed the Akita’s hindquarters in an effort to make enough room for her to climb onto the seat. She was rewarded with another wet tongue across her cheek.
“Does this… thing have to go with us?” Makayla remembered grumbling.
“If you don’t like sharing the seat, you can sit in the back,” Henry had suggested.
“It’s too hot,” Makayla complained, trying to glance around Breaker.
“That’s why he rides up front,” Henry had retorted, twisting the key in the ignition.
“Great!” Makayla muttered, sitting back when Breaker immediately put his nose in front of her so he could breathe in the cold air coming out of the vent. “Stay on your side,” she growled, pushing the paw off her lap.