Molly's Story

by W. Bruce Cameron

  Sheryl sighed softly. “No, I’m afraid he didn’t, CJ. He took my phone out of my desk. And some money that I’d left there, too.”

  Fear spiked inside CJ, and her eyes opened wide.

  “He did? But I didn’t know! I didn’t know he was going to do that! He just said he needed his phone. Sheryl, I really didn’t know!”

  “Is my daughter being accused of something?” Gloria demanded.

  Sheryl shook her head. Her voice sounded sad.

  “Miss Mahoney, I’m not accusing CJ of anything. But I’m afraid this doesn’t look good for her. I’m going to explain to the principal about Shane, but he’ll have to report the theft to the police. Hopefully we can get my phone back, and the money, too. That will help. And I’ll tell the principal you told me the truth, CJ.”

  “I’m not a thief,” CJ whispered.

  Her eyes filled up with tears. I licked urgently at her hands, wishing I could crawl up into her lap. I was sure that would make her feel better. But Gloria always said, “Bad dog!” if I got on the couch while she was in the room. I didn’t want to be a bad dog now.

  “I believe you, CJ. I do.” Sheryl’s voice was warm. “Try not to worry. I’m afraid Shane is likely to be expelled. This isn’t the first problem he’s had at the school. But hopefully that won’t happen to CJ.”

  “Expelled?” CJ gasped.

  “My daughter is certainly not going to be expelled!” Gloria said. “I’ll talk to the principal myself. Clarity June, how could you have behaved like this? Do you realize what people will think?”

  “I didn’t know he’d take something!” CJ said, rubbing her eyes. I licked the salty tears helpfully off her hand.

  Gloria’s voice rose. “First you skip school. Now this! Really, Clarity. You make things impossible. Maybe you don’t care about yourself, but do you realize how embarrassing this all is for me?”

  Sheryl looked from CJ to Gloria, a small, puzzled frown on her face. CJ bent down and hugged me tightly. A little too tightly, actually, but I could sense she needed me, so I didn’t try to wiggle away.

  “There’s no need to panic,” Sheryl said quietly, getting up. “I’ll tell the principal what CJ said to me and that she’s been a good student in my class. Not to mention quite a talented artist.” CJ looked up at that, and I felt her surprise. “The school will be in touch. Don’t worry too much, CJ. It will work out, I’m sure.”

  Sheryl left. Usually, it was one of my jobs to walk people to the door, but this time it felt more important to stay close to CJ.

  “Really, Clarity June,” Gloria said after Sheryl had shut the door behind her. “I can’t believe you’d get mixed up with a boy like that. Now everybody at that school will think I’m a terrible mother.”

  * * *

  CJ didn’t do school for a few days, which was nice. But she wasn’t as much fun to play with as she usually was. Sometimes she’d throw a ball for me, I’d bring it back, and she’d completely forget to throw it again. Or she’d stop in the middle of a belly rub to hug me tightly. I didn’t mind the hugs, but I wished the belly rubs could last longer.

  One of those days she took me over to Trent’s house to play with Rocky. “So what’s happening?” Trent asked as Rocky and I rolled and wrestled around the yard.

  “Well, Shane’s expelled. So there’s that,” CJ said gloomily.

  “Good,” Trent answered.

  “Trent!”

  “I mean it, CJ. That guy gives me the creeps.”

  “Yeah, okay, me, too.” CJ sighed. “And I’m not expelled, so that’s good, too. But the principal wasn’t too happy about the whole thing. He said I showed poor judgment, and I’ve got to do something to make up for it. So Sheryl said, how about some community service project? And Gloria agreed, as long as nothing about a theft goes on my permanent record. So now I’ve got to do twenty hours, and I can’t go back to art class until I’m done.”

  Trent shook his head. “Bummer. When you didn’t do anything wrong, really.”

  “No, actually, it’s not so bad. Sheryl showed me a list with all these choices. I could either pick up trash along the highway, or pick up trash in the park, or pick up trash at the library, or I can help train dogs. Service dogs!”

  I looked up at the word “dog” because often that word goes after “good” or before “treat.” Rocky took advantage of the moment to jump on my head.

  “So, where are you going to pick up trash?” Trent asked, grinning.

  CJ gave him a playful punch on the arm. “You goof.”

  No praise or treats seemed to be coming. I wiggled out from under Rocky and barked at him so loudly that he took off running, which of course meant I had to chase him.

  The next morning CJ got up early. She seemed to be getting ready to do school, which made me sad. But when she went out the front door, she called to me to go with her!

  I raced after her. She opened the car door for me, and I leaped into the backseat as quickly as possible, in case she changed her mind. She laughed and got into the front seat, beside Gloria.

  I stuck my nose into CJ’s ear from behind, and she laughed again.

  “You’re in a good mood. For a criminal,” Gloria said as she started to drive.

  CJ was quiet for a minute, looking out the window. Then she said softly, “Molly makes me happy.”

  Gloria snorted.

  They didn’t talk much after that.

  10

  Pretty soon we arrived at a big building, and CJ got out of the car. She let me out, too. I smelled dogs as soon as my paws touched the parking lot. I heard them, too. Inside the building, several big dogs were barking.

  A woman came outside to greet us. She was older than CJ but younger than Gloria, and she had long black hair held back by a bright headband. She smelled absolutely wonderful, of dog treats and lots and lots of different dogs.

  “Hi, I’m Andi,” she said, and then she dropped to her knees and reached for me. “Who’s this?”

  “This is Molly,” CJ said, shifting her weight nervously from foot to foot. “I’m CJ.”

  “Molly! I had a Molly once. She was a good dog.” I wagged enthusiastically. I loved being a good dog. I licked Andi, and she kissed me right back. Most people don’t like to kiss a dog’s lips, but CJ didn’t mind, and Andi didn’t, either. “Molly, Molly, Molly,” she crooned. “You are so beautiful; yes, you are. What a great dog.”

  I liked Andi very much.

  “What is she, a spaniel-poodle mix?” Andi asked, still petting me.

  “Maybe,” CJ answered. Her nervousness was melting away. “Her mother was a poodle, but nobody knows about her father. Are you a spoodle, Molly?”

  I wagged even harder at my name. Andi stood up, but she kept her hand within reach, and I licked it.

  “It’s a godsend you’re here. I really need the help,” Andi said. “Come on inside.” We all walked into the building. There was a hallway with kennels on either side, and lots of dogs were in the kennels. They all barked at me and at each other, but I ignored them. Obviously, I was more special than they were, because I got to be outside of the kennels and next to my girl.

  “I don’t really know anything about training dogs, but I can learn whatever you need,” CJ said.

  Andi laughed. “Well, okay, but what you’re really going to do is free me up so that I can do the training. The dogs need to be watered and fed, and their kennels need to be cleaned. And they need to be walked outside. Can you handle all that?”

  CJ nodded. “But what are you training them to do?” she asked. “I mean, I know they’re going to be service dogs. Like, guide dogs or something?”

  “Not quite like that,” Andi said. “I’m researching cancer detection. Dogs have a sense of smell that’s as much as a hundred thousand times better than ours. Some studies have shown that they can detect cancer on a person’s breath before any doctor can diagnose it. This could be really important. Early detection is the best way to get to a cure.”

  “You�
�re training dogs to smell cancer?” There was surprise in CJ’s voice.

  “Exactly. I’m not the only one doing this, of course, but most of the other experiments have been done in the lab. They let the dog sniff a test tube. I’m thinking, what if it could work on regular people? Like at a health fair, or a community center. So that’s what I’m working on. And you…”

  CJ looked at the kennels of barking dogs. “I’m cleaning up dog poop?”

  “You got it,” Andi said with a grin.

  It was a strange morning.

  First CJ took me into a big room and put me in a pen there. Then she brought me another dog to play with, a female with short legs and very long, floppy ears. She was not quite as much fun as Rocky to wrestle and chase with, but she didn’t mind when I gave one of her ears a nibble, just to see what it would taste like.

  CJ went off and left us both in this pen for a bit. Then she came back, clipped a leash on my collar and one on the other dog’s, and took us for a walk. My new friend sat and watched patiently as I chased a squirrel up a tree, put my paws as high on the bark as I could reach, and barked until it jumped to another tree.

  Squirrels always do that. So unfair.

  I liked playing with a new dog, and I liked going for a walk with CJ. But then she took me back to the pen, took my friend away, and brought me another dog to play with. And we did the same thing again, and again, and again.

  CJ’s shoes and pants were wetter and wetter each time she came back. She smelled fascinating. The urine of several different dogs was soaked into her clothes. I couldn’t stop sniffing her. It was so much fun!

  After we’d played like this for a while, CJ clipped the leash on my collar and took me out of the pen. Andi had come into the room while CJ was getting me ready to leave, and she was playing with a big, brown male dog. I dashed over to greet her. CJ stood rubbing her back with both hands and sighing.

  I edged up to the brown dog and sniffed under his tail. He sniffed under mine.

  “This is Luke,” Andi said. “Luke, you like Molly?”

  Luke was a serious dog. I could tell. He was focused on the game he was playing with Andi and didn’t seem interested in me at all.

  There were several metal buckets on the ground. CJ and I watched while Andi took Luke up to one bucket after another. “Smell that?” she said after Luke sniffed one particular bucket. “Now drop!”

  Luke lay down. Andi gave him a treat.

  I perked my ears up and whined just a little in case Andi had another treat in her pocket.

  “That’s two hours, right, CJ?” Andi asked.

  “Right,” CJ said. “Two very exciting hours.”

  Andi laughed. “I’ll sign the form at the end of the week, okay? Thanks. You did a good job.”

  After that day we often went to Andi’s to play with the other dogs, even more often than we went to Trent’s house. I liked it. When I walked with CJ and the other dogs, I’d show them what to do if we met a squirrel or a rabbit. When CJ put me in the pen, she’d bring me a friend to play with. Some of the other dogs were great at playing, nearly as good as Rocky. Others were serious, like Luke, and not much interested in chasing or wrestling.

  One day, CJ brought me a new friend who just didn’t know how to play.

  I tried to show him. I snatched up a rubber ball in my mouth and bowed down with my front legs low and my back legs high. Then I danced away so that he could see I wanted him to chase me.

  He didn’t seem to understand. He just put his head down low and growled.

  I could tell he was sad and frightened, and I knew he’d feel better if we ran around together, playing It’s My Ball and You Can’t Have It. So I bowed again, and he barked and lunged toward me with his teeth showing.

  I was so surprised, I dropped the ball! He grabbed it, which was completely unfair. CJ came right back and snapped a leash on that other dog’s collar, and took him to a different pen.

  So I didn’t have much to do while she was gone except watch Andi play with Luke.

  It was a different game from the one with the buckets. Some people sat in metal chairs in different spots in the room. Andi led Luke up to them, one at a time, and he sniffed them.

  This didn’t look like a very exciting game to me. The people didn’t play back! They just sat still. Sometimes humans are like that. They sit and don’t do much even when there’s a dog right there to play with.

  Andi took Luke up to a man with no hair. The big brown dog lay down and crossed his paws. Then he put his head down on them.

  “Good dog, Luke!” Andi said. I could hear excitement in her voice. And she gave Luke a treat, right there on the spot.

  Then Andi took Luke away, and the people all got up and changed their seats. It took them a while. When they were done, Andi led Luke back in.

  He sniffed all the people again. When he got to the man with no hair, he lay back down. And Andi was thrilled.

  “Good dog!” she praised, and she handed out another treat.

  I wanted a treat, too. A little saliva dripped out of my mouth as I watched. It didn’t seem like a very difficult game to me. I lay down and crossed my front paws and put my head down on them.

  Andi didn’t even notice.

  “Molly, cute girl, are you tired out?” CJ said as she passed my pen. She had the dog who didn’t know how to play on a leash.

  That’s how life is. Some dogs get treats for doing almost nothing, and some dogs are good dogs and get no treats at all.

  CJ took the unfriendly dog away, and in a little while she came back and brought me outside for a quick walk of my own. I loved being alone with CJ. The other dogs were fun to play with, but she was my girl, and the times we were together, just the two of us, were best.

  When we went back inside, the people were still sitting in chairs, and Andi was playing with a new yellow dog. I trotted over to the bald man’s chair.

  He bent down to smile at me. “Cute dog,” he said softly. His voice sounded like he didn’t have a lot of strength.

  His breath came out with a funny smell to it. For some reason, I didn’t like it much. Most smells are amazing. Other dogs’ urine, the trash in the trash can, something dead by the roadside—they are all so interesting that I always long to get my mouth on whatever smells so incredible.

  This smell, though, I didn’t care for. It made me think of a time I’d dug something shiny and crunchy out of the trash can at home. It had smelled salty and delicious, but when I’d tried chewing it, the taste in my mouth was horrible. And it had lingered even after I’d gulped down half a bowl of water.

  This man’s breath smelled like that. Still, if Luke got a treat, I wanted a treat. I lay down and crossed my paws, putting my head on them.

  “Look at that!” Andi said. She came up to me. “Hey, Molly, did you learn to do that from Luke?”

  I wagged happily, sure that a treat was coming. But it didn’t.

  I really liked Andi. She smelled wonderful, and she always hugged me when CJ brought me here to play. But I did think it was very unfair of her to give Luke a treat and not me, when we’d done the exact same thing.

  The next time we came back, though, I decided that Andi was not so bad after all. She talked to CJ for a little while and then decided to play with me.

  To be honest, it was not my favorite game. After all, there are ropes to tug on and balls to chase. Why just sniff people in chairs? But humans are like that. Their idea of play is usually not as much fun as a dog’s. You have to put up with it, though, if you want treats.

  Andi had CJ hold my leash, and we walked up to a woman sitting in a chair, a woman who had on fur boots that smelled like cats. “Hi, what’s your name?” she said, holding down her hand for me to lick.

  “This is Molly,” Andi said. I wagged.

  And that was all there was to this game. We went up to all the people in their chairs. Each one petted me and talked to me a little, but none gave me any treats, even though I could smell that one man had somet
hing with cheese on it in one of his pockets.

  Then we came to a woman whose hands smelled like fish. She leaned over to pet me, and I picked up the same scent I’d noticed on the bald man.

  “Hello, Molly,” the woman said.

  I licked at her hands, and then we started to move on to the next person. I felt the slightest hint of tension in Andi, and that’s when I got it.

  I wasn’t just supposed to lie down when I was next to the bald man. It was that smell. This game had something to do with that smell. I turned back to the woman and lay down, crossing my paws.

  “That’s it!” said Andi, clapping her hands. “Good dog, Molly. Good dog!”

  A treat at last!

  11

  I was a good dog when we played with Andi and I lay down at the right time. But I was a bad dog later on at home. And I didn’t even know what I had done!

  “Bath, Molly!” CJ called.

  I didn’t know what she meant, but I heard my name, so I wagged and ran to her. She took me by the collar and tugged me into the bathroom. Then she pushed me into a sort of long, low box with smooth sides.

  I knew this box. Lots of times CJ and Gloria stood inside it and let water run all over them. I don’t know why they liked to do this, but human beings are very strange sometimes.

  It didn’t smell very interesting, though. I squirmed under CJ’s hands so I could get out and we could go outside and play. Maybe go to the park or visit Trent and Rocky.

  “No, Molly, hold still!” CJ said. I knew she wanted me to do something, so I licked her face.

  She laughed. “Oh, Molly. Hold still now.” She had a sort of metal dog bowl in there with a long handle sticking out of it. I lapped at it, but the water was warm and not very tasty. Besides, I wasn’t thirsty.

  CJ scooped some of the water up and poured it on my head.

  I yipped in surprise and shook my head hard. My ears flapped.

  “No, Molly. You have to hold still!” CJ said more sternly.

  I still wasn’t sure what she wanted. But her hands were heavy on me, and I lowered my head and didn’t move, feeling like a bad dog as she poured water all over me from the dog dish.