by R. T. Wolfe
Rose looked around, noticing she must have cleaned it for her. "It's very nice. Thank you." Eight hundred dollars, Rose thought. She spent eight hundred dollars on birthday presents?
Dinner was ready and the table set when Dave and Jessica returned. Rose considered him one of her best friends. His towering presence wasn't only physical. He was the stability of their home. Her mom was clearly the love of his life. He stayed faithfully by her through her... issues. Jessica was their only biological daughter. Nothing like her mom or Rose, she was girly girl to the core.
Together they ate, sang and told embarrassing remember-when-you stories. Rose thought about how much she would miss her family, yet she was ready to move on to the next stage of her life. It felt natural.
Her gifts seemed to carry a prom-theme: earrings with a necklace to match, and gift certificates for a hair salon and one for one of those nail places. She tried to imagine feeding the snakes at the zoo with long, red nails and smiled.
"Best for last," Dave said as he headed for the garage. When he came back, he carried a lidded cardboard box. Inside, the contents scraped and whined.
"No. You. Didn't." Rose took off and quickly, but gingerly, grabbed the package. "Holy cow!" She set it down on the floor, muttering, "Please, please, please." As soon as she let go of the lid, a charcoal Labrador puppy jumped over the edge and fell on its face. Rose squealed, rolled over on her back on the Berber carpet and let the puppy drown her with kisses.
Amanda could hardly believe the night was a success. Weariness enveloped her and was mixed with an intense desire to walk upstairs and go right to bed. "Brie is expecting you whenever you're ready," she said to Rose. "And since he's going to end up my responsibility when you're away, she says we do puppy school together. The box of supplies she told me to have ready is in the car. Happy birthday, sweetie." She let out a breath as she leaned back against her chair.
The sight of her family playing on the floor with the puppy made her feel almost normal, like a regular family. She couldn't help it and let her lids drop, if only for a moment. Her arm throbbed, but it was nothing compared to her nerves... and her head and... her heart. The afternoon was a close call. She had no idea how to make it stop and still keep Rose safe... hidden. The dog would help. Brie would help her train it as a guard dog. She clasped her hands under the table to keep from trembling. It seemed only Dave had suspicions as to why she finally gave in to the idea of a pet four months before Rose left for college. So far, he kept his questions to himself.
Chapter 5
Andy sighed as he listened to Candi go on about her dislike of his music, the latest high school girl she hated and that she would be going with him when he ordered his tux to make sure the tie matched her dress... exactly. He forced a smile and followed her out his front door, fingers clasped and setting on top of his head. A thin, gray cloud cover promised rain, mimicking his mood.
As Candi made her way to her bright orange bug, he spotted Rose walking up his long drive with a bouncing, black fur ball tangling a leash around her ankles. He felt the first gut-laugh he'd had in a long time erupt from low in his belly as he sat back on his haunches like a catcher behind the plate.
The puppy spotted him—a new person who was down near his level. Taking a running leap, he broke free of Rose's grasp. She threw her arms up, and Andy hoped the little guy didn't get distracted before he reached him.
"Come on, boy. You're a beaut!" He held his arms out in front of him and kept bellowing as the pup seemed to run faster than his legs. He stumbled, rolled and caught his footing, rushing toward Andy without missing a beat.
Andy looked up in time to catch a glimpse of Rose's large, round eyes as they warmed to the sight of him. He would never get tired of it. The dog ran into Andy head on, twisting back and forth and rubbing his snout all over him. His ears felt like rose petals. Andy wondered how all puppies had the same scent. Like, well, puppy.
Rose walked up the drive toward them, passing Candi, who looked like she'd seen a mouse.
"Nice, doggie. Stay away, now." Candi edged closer to her car.
"Oh, honestly, Candi. It's a six-week-old puppy. Are you even female?"
Candi seemed to have no problem tethering her fears enough for a catchy comeback. "Look who's talking?"
Surprised that Rose would so randomly take a stab at Candi, Andy defended her. "She was here first."
"I didn't come here to see you anyway," Rose said.
Her comment hurt deeper than he would have liked. He watched as Rose blushed and, in a rare moment, dropped her chin.
"Your mom inside?"
He jutted his thumb over his shoulder toward the front door.
Rose and her new Lab walked into Brie's kitchen.
Andy's aunt brought her folded hands to her lips. "So, this is him. Happy birthday. You'll be such a great puppy mom." Brie ooh'ed and ah'ed as she rubbed his ears and head. "Let me call in Goldie and Macey from the back. They need some young blood to liven them up. Have you named him, yet?" Brie asked as she opened her kitchen window and let out two short whistles.
"I'm thinking maybe Charcoal."
The golden retriever and the yellow lab-mix came casually through the animal flap in the mudroom door and into the kitchen. Hackles rose when the seasoned dogs noticed the furry intruder. The puppy squirmed mercilessly in Rose's arms at the sight of the new four-legged friends.
"Release," Brie told her dogs and they walked to Rose, sniffing at the scratching, nipping bundle of caffeine.
"Can I let him down?" Rose pleaded.
"Yes. Yes. The old folks will keep him corralled. He's got good color. Wet nose, healthy shine to his coat. You must have passed the drama in the drive."
Rose bit her nails at the sudden subject change. "Um, yes. Drama's a good word for it."
"I don't know why any woman would name their child Candi."
"I know! I said the same thing. I have to tell you, though, that her name is really Candice. Mature, intelligent name. She prefers Candi." Rose watched Macey nudge the puppy when he tried to edge away from the group. "She had a sort of reaction to the pup." She closed her eyes. "I said something snippy and..." Confessional.
Brie turned wide eyes on Rose.
Rose tilted her head from side to side, nodding, and said, "Yeah, Andy's not too happy about it. I don't know what got into me."
"Ugh. He has such terrible taste in girlfriends. I'd hoped college would change that. And if you tell him I said any of this, I'll have to kill you."
At that, Rose let out a hoot of laughter and dropped to play with the dogs. Without warning, the puppy lifted his leg to Mr. Reed's custom cherry cabinets. Andy's uncle had made them, along with just about every other wooden piece in their house. Rose threw her hands on the sides of her head.
Brie clapped three times loudly. Startled, the pup lowered his leg and looked up as Brie hastily, yet gently, hauled him out back.
Rose followed. She forgot all about the doggie door and pushed open the people door for the older dogs.
Brie praised the pup when his paws touched the grass. "You'll want to focus on positive reinforcement. Occasionally, dogs need to be told no but for these first few days, he's learning to trust and love you. Some call it the honeymoon period." The puppy rolled in the grass, chewing on his leash. "Make sure he sleeps in his crate. He might not like it at first. You can sleep next to him for the first few nights if you prefer."
Goldie and Macey wandered out and picked up their sniffing where they'd left off before the evening interruption.
"I've called in a favor to a friend and the little guy can start puppy kindergarten as soon as this Tuesday. The further you go with classes, the better. Until then, you'll want to work with him at least three times a day on three things."
It always amazed Rose how Brie could plop down and cross her legs like a kid. Charcoal sat next to her in the cold grass and cocked his head. "Carefully, but firmly, flip him over and cradle him on your lap like this." Andy's aunt turned
the black beach ball with legs around onto his back. His legs kicked madly and his head jerked in circles. "Be gentle and give him lots of praise, especially when he stills." Brie scratched his ears. "Good, boy. You're just a good boy, aren't you?"
"Dogs want to be the alpha. That's natural, but the sooner you help him learn he's not, the better. Lying on his back is a sign of submission and it doesn't hurt, although he's faking it well." She turned to rub noses with the calming puppy. "You're a smart guy."
Andy watched as he leaned on the jamb of the back door. Rose looked happy. His aunt wasn't just a first-grade teacher, she and Rose's mom co-owned their own landscaping and design business, and Brie was a pro at working with dogs.
He felt a mix of frustration with his girlfriend, rejection from his best friend, interest in what Brie was explaining, and entertainment from the bundle of C4. He turned his head, watching from the corner of his eyes while Brie instructed Rose in front of a backdrop of winter brown grasses and plants.
"When he quiets, rotate each of his toenails just a bit like this," Brie started, and the pup went back to thrashing. After he calmed, she praised and continued, "This will help him become accustomed to being handled and for when you need to clip his nails and such." Brie released him. The puppy spotted Andy and took off, struggling when the leash became tight.
His aunt walked over and handed the leash to him. "Finally, potty training. He's not too young. At puppy kindergarten, he will even start to learn basic skills such as sit and stay. Until then, try not to over-train. He's juvenile and he can burn out. Take him out at least every hour, when he eats, and before and after bed. Bring him to the place you'll want him to go or else you'll have land mines all over your mom's yard." Brie took a deep breath. "He's perfect. Congratulations. I'll leave you two alone." She wasn't referring to Rose and her puppy.
He cut right the chase. "Why did you do that?" Andy frowned, but it was hard to be mad when being licked frantically.
"I'm... sorry about that. I just don't know what you see in her. Okay, dumb comment, but how can you stand it? She's horrible. She's not your first Candi, either." Rose crossed her arms, lifting her hand to place her chin on her palm and her knuckles over her mouth.
He was just as surprised at her bluntness. And hated that she was right. So, he decided to just say it. "You're right."
"Of course I'm... what?"
"Don't rub it in."
"I hate to see you unhappy. You know, I haven't seen you really smile for a very long time. Well, until this little guy." The dog looked like a boneless, black balloon with fur. He was limber and on his back in puppy heaven as they both rubbed his belly.
"I can't dump her two weeks before prom."
"I could. But you're too nice."
Her hand felt warm as she laid it on his.
* * *
"Mom, are you sure about this?" Just days before the dance, Rose stood in front of tri-mirrors with her toes and bony knees locked together. "You were right. I shouldn't have put this off."
The dress was skin colored, except not her skin color. Hers was alabaster. The dress was more of a nude. It wasn't one of those flared, Cinderella-type dresses. Sequined fabric hugged from the halter strap around her neck to just above her knees.
"I'm too skinny. I have no boobs." She turned and looked at the back of the dress that was open to low on her hips. "There's so much skin."
"You have long, muscular arms and legs, and our next stop is the boutique to buy you a padded bra. Dave's not going to let you go low-cut anyway."
Rose sighed and turned to her. "Why do you always call him Dave when you speak to me? He doesn't do that."
Her mother's shoulders dropped. "You're right. He's never thought of you as anything except his daughter. Your father was a bad man, Rosemarie. I don't like to remember him. I'll work on it. This is your day. Let's have fun."
Rose put up with her mom's brush-offs one too many times. She spun on her. "Yet, you slept with him. He was a bad man and you slept with him anyway."
Her mom ran a hand through the top of her hair, then tucked one side behind her ear. "Yes. I was young. And now I have you." She stepped to her and kissed Rose on the cheek.
"I've never kissed a boy," Rose blurted out. "I'm eighteen years old and I've never been kissed."
Her mom nodded as if she'd known that. How did they know these things?
"Teenage boys don't want to just kiss. I guess you'll need to know that."
Rose turned back to the mirror with hands firmly on her hips. "Okay. This is the one."
The shoes were outrageously expensive. Her mom said she wasn't going to be one of those girls who had to carry her painful shoes before they even arrived at the dance. She had rubber pads nailed to the bottoms to keep her from sliding, which added another quarter inch to the already three-inch heels. But they were comfortable, and Rose thought she was actually getting the hang of walking in them.
The birthday earrings were simple lines of beaded silver. The necklace wrapped loosely around her neck with a line matching the earrings dropping between her nonexistent breasts. She grabbed hold of her chest with both hands and sighed. Life wasn't fair.
* * *
Walking in the dark, Andy readjusted his tackle box, fishing poles and the plastic grocery sack that carried two tubs of earthworms and a bottle of sunscreen. Moonlight shone on the dark ripples creeping down Black Creek. He spotted a raccoon as he crossed the bridge. Startled, the animal hissed at him. Andy stomped his foot and glared; he was in no mood for it.
He wondered what the hell he was thinking when he'd first decided to date Candi. Okay, he conceded to what he'd been thinking, but almost two years? He told himself he would get through her dance, and then go over to her house first thing the next day to end it and all of the maintenance that came with her. Never again, he vowed. He would be more like his brother, Duncan. Casual relationships. No strings.
But first, he needed Rose.
She would calm him down and lighten his mood, help him feel normal again. He looked at his watch and winced. What were friends for if you couldn't count on them to be there? Even at this time of night. Or morning.
* * *
Rose slept soundly in her twin bed dreaming of her favorite spot at the zoo. In the small rain forest building, she allowed a newly emerged monarch butterfly to dry its wings on her apron while sharing facts about the insect to one of two visiting young boys. The other threw pebbles into the nearby wishing pond. The sound of the small rocks plunked as they hit the stone wall before dropping into the water.
Oh, crap. She woke and sat up straight. The noise came from outside, not in her head. Through grinning teeth, she bit the nails on one hand and ripped her blankets off with the other. As she hustled to her window, she realized it was still pitch black out.
Grabbing the flashlight she always kept on her windowsill for just this occasion, she lifted the window and found Andy with the beam. "I thought you didn't get home until tomorrow," she whispered loudly.
"It is tomorrow." He held up fishing poles and tackle box.
"It's not tomorrow until the sun comes up." She smiled wildly as she pulled on her jeans. This reaction she had to him had to stop eventually, she convinced herself. It was not healthy.
"I've got the worms. Get down here."
Quickly, she tied her hair in a bandana, cleaned herself up and slipped on some sneakers. Scribbling out a note for her parents, she left it on the kitchen table, then tiptoed out without waking the puppy.
Mom and Dad,
I'm across the street, fishing the lake with Andy. I promised Mrs. Melbourne a game of canasta but will be home in time for the hair thing. Can you handle Charcoal for the morning? His treats (bribery) are in the box on the shelf over his leash.
Love you,
Rose
Chapter 6
A sense of familiar relief crept through Andy as Rose bounced out her front door drowned in a thick, hooded and lined denim jacket.
"It's
not even four o'clock. What are you doing here?" she asked.
"I've got fishing gear and night crawlers. What do you think I'm doing here?" He ground his teeth at his curt tone but stopped short of apologizing. Looking to her, he knew she understood, knew she wouldn't question him and that he was incredibly lucky to have her.
She looked at him through the corners of her eyes. "I grabbed a couple of chairs," is all she said.
He was right. Lucky.
The morning was crisp and as still as his mood. He appreciated that she sensed it as they fell into stride, meandering in silence. Birds were just beginning to roust in anticipation of the sunrise. There were no streetlights along Rose's cul-de-sac, but the moon was bright enough to light their way.
Together, they strolled around the end of the circle, past Lucy Melbourne's house. White paint gleamed in the light from the moon, emitting the look of a well-kept, feminine home. A pang spurred in his gut at the memory of Rose's lost great-grandfather. He wondered how Lucy was getting along without him and thought it was best that Lucy's faithful housemaid agreed to move in with her. The two of them somehow got along and filled some of the empty space death left in its wake.
Next door to Lucy was the house his aunt and Duncan narrowly escaped the night of the fire. When she married Nathan, Brie gave it and the insurance money to her sister, keeping it in the family and the neighborhood a busy place. As usual, they cut between their yards to get to the lake. He never tired of the look of it, no matter the season. Small but pristine, the lake sustained the animal life he knew Rose adored.
Outlines of homes and floating docks shimmered in the water like a mirror in a dimly lit room. They could hear the rhythmic trickle of the water as it ran over the spillway and flowed into Black Creek. Wildflowers lined the water, waiting for the sun to illuminate them.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Rose broke the silence.
"Not really." He stopped and watched the water. "I'm glad you're here."
"Sure thing. Is this okay?" She gestured to a spot near the spillway where the fish liked to gather.