Twice Lucky

by Mardi Alexander

  The vet looked over all the dogs on the run, leaving some anti-inflammatories for the old cattle dog with the stiff joints, giving the hunting dog a clean bill of health, prescribing some light relaxants for the terrier, and confirmed Mac’s worst fears by pronouncing Nell a bit undernourished and deaf. He felt a small healed dent to the side of her skull and thought perhaps her deafness might not be congenital, but rather as a result of either an accident or a blow to the head. The girls mentioned how they came about the puppy and that they had suspected it had been abused. The vet, having thoroughly assessed the puppy, agreed with the girls’ conclusions.

  They were talking over the puppy’s prospects when the sound of a car pulling into the car park could be heard. Mac had heard all that she needed to. “I’ll get that if you like.”

  Maree patted her shoulder. “Thanks, I’ll be there in a bit.”

  Mac waved and headed off to see who had pulled up. Just as she was approaching the office, she froze. It was the doctor from the hospital with another woman and a young boy. Shit. She looked down at herself. She had dirt on her clothes and no doubt her hair looked wild and all over the place. Oh well, can’t be helped. She took a deep breath, straightened her shoulders, and walked to greet the small group.

  “Hello, Sarah. Nice to see you again.”

  For a moment, Sarah looked like a rabbit caught in the headlights, as if Mac was the last person she thought she would meet. The woman with her jabbed her in the ribs. “Are you going to introduce me?”

  Blinking, Sarah quickly recovered. “Sorry. Mac, this is my sister Jean and her son Thomas.”

  Mac held out her hand to Jean. “Hello, it’s nice to meet you.”

  “Jean, Mac is the firefighter I was telling you about.”

  Jean’s eyes went wide briefly, quickly replaced with a huge smile. “Hello, Mac, it’s a pleasure to meet you too.”

  Jean lightly touched Thomas on the shoulder and the boy glanced up. Jean used sign language to talk to Thomas. “Thomas, this is your Aunt Sarah’s friend, Mac. Mac is a firefighter. Say hello to Mac.”

  Thomas was deaf.

  For a brief moment, Mac was lost in a time warp, back to when she was little. Her younger brother was deaf from birth. All the family had learned sign language. She hadn’t signed in a long time. Watching Jean brought back some dusty memories.

  Mac knelt down next to Thomas and hesitantly signed back. “Hello, Thomas. Nice to meet you.” She held out her hand to Thomas, who took it and shook back with a smile on his face.

  Mac stood to see Sarah and Jean staring at her. Jean was the first to come to her senses. “You know how to sign?”

  Mac shrugged. “I learned a long time ago, but I haven’t used it in a very long while. I’m afraid I’ve probably forgotten more than I remember. My friends, the owners, are just with the vet who’s doing some check-ups on some of the new animals. They’ll be along in a few minutes. Is there something I can help you with in the meantime?

  Sarah was still rattled. Here was fireman Mouse looking far too good in a singlet, and she knew sign language? Really? Was this too good to be true or was it just plain spooky and weird?

  Jean dug Sarah subtly in the ribs again. Sarah swallowed and regained her composure. “I promised Thomas that we could come out and see the animals. Is that okay?”

  “Sure. Is there anything in particular that you’re interested in?”

  Sarah stood behind Thomas so he couldn’t lip read what she was saying. “We thought Thomas might like a kitten for his birthday next week, but it’s a surprise. He thinks we’re just out here to look at the animals in general. Would that be okay?”

  Mac nodded. “I think we can manage that. What say we look at some dogs and then we can finish up with the cat and kitten house?”

  Jean gave Mac the okay sign.

  Mac knelt down again next to Thomas. “Your mum and aunt said you would like to see some of the animals today.”

  Thomas nodded.

  “Okay, follow me.”

  Mac took them over to the old dogs’ run, then to the small dogs’ run. He diligently stopped and looked at all of them, signing a few questions as he went. “Why don’t these dogs have homes? Why is that dog’s eyes different colours?”

  The group crossed the grassy verge on their way back over to where the cats were kept and Maree met them on the walkway. Mac introduced them, using sign language so Thomas could understand.

  “Maree, I’d like to introduce you to Thomas who has come to see the animals. Thomas has brought his mum Jean and his Aunt Sarah along with him.”

  Maree shook Thomas’s hand first, then Jean’s and Sarah’s. “It’s lovely to meet you all. Thank you for coming out today to have a look at all of our furry friends.” Jean was signing to Thomas what Maree was saying. “If you’d like to follow me, I’ll show you through the cat house.” Maree pointed to the path which led to the building.

  Mac whispered something to Maree, and Maree nodded in understanding and gave her the thumbs up. “Gotcha!” she mouthed before ushering them inside.

  Mac walked slowly back to the formwork she’d been working on earlier. She stood there looking, but not really seeing. She didn’t notice Terri saying goodbye to the vet and heading over her way. Terri came up beside her quietly and laid a hand on her arm. “Hey, Mac, you okay?”

  Mac jumped a little and came back to reality, shaking her head lightly. “Um, sorry? Did you say something?”

  “Yeah, I asked if you were okay. You looked a bit lost and out of it there for a minute. Did the news of the puppy upset you?”

  “No, I mean, yes, it did, it made me sad, but I had sort of guessed that would be the case.”

  “Okay. Is something else worrying you? The people you were just with…is everything okay?”

  Mac closed her eyes and gathered herself. Stop being so stupid, get it together woman. “No, yes, they’re fine. Maree’s taken them over to the cat house.”

  Terri looked at Mac with a frown, as if not quite getting what was going on.

  “It’s Sarah.”

  Terri, apparently, still didn’t get it.

  “The doctor.”

  The penny dropped. “Oh, you mean Dr. Hot with chocolate eyes?”

  Mac nodded.

  “And this is a bad thing?”

  “No, not bad. The little boy, Thomas, he’s deaf. Seeing him and using sign language again, after all these years, and seeing Sarah out of the blue with them, it’s just got my head in a spin, you know? Not bad, but it’s just thrown me a bit.”

  “Ah, I see now.” Terri gave her a hug and kissed her on the cheek.

  “Thanks Ter. I’m okay. I better get back to this formwork so we’ll be ready for tomorrow’s pour.”

  “Okay, I’ll just go and put these tablets away and check on Maree, then I’ll come back out and give you a hand.”

  “No worries.”

  Mac picked up the stakes and the hammer. The physical work would clear her head and give her something else to concentrate on for the minute. Later on she would take out her thoughts and feelings and work through them, but not right now. Right now she needed a bit of distance, and the physical work and concentration needed to get the formwork just right would do the job nicely.

  *

  Sarah walked through the pens behind Jean, Thomas, and Maree. She was only half listening to the conversation going on around her. Her mind was racing. Mac knew sign language. Go figure. She was obviously rusty, as she was a bit hesitant between signs, but she knew how to do it. What was the chance of that? And what was Mac doing here? She’d said the owners were her friends, so maybe she works here on her days off. She certainly looked like she’d been working. She had a cute smudge of mud on her left cheekbone where she’d obviously wiped her face.

  Jean tapped Sarah on the head. “Earth to Sarah, come in Sarah.”

  “Wha? Sorry.” Sarah recovered and looked over at Thomas and couldn’t help but smile. Thomas was in front of the tiny kitten c
age with Maree, pointing out a small grey tabby kitten. Maree opened the cage, pulled out the kitten, and handed it to Thomas to hold. Thomas looked up with an enormous smile on his face at Jean and Sarah. Jean nodded and smiled back at Thomas. He looked down at the kitten and snuggled it into his jumper. “Looks like Thomas has fallen in love. I think we just found his birthday present.”

  Chapter Eight

  “So the little grey kitten is the winner?”

  Jean was washing while Sarah was drying the dishes from dinner. Thomas had long since gone to bed after his big day.

  Jean was beaming. “It was funny—it was like as soon as he saw that little guy, he had this connection thing. Did you see how he and the kitten just looked at each other? Oh, that’s right, you were off in la-la land mooning over fireman Mouse.”

  Sarah flicked her with the towel. “I was not!”

  Jean retaliated with a flick of washing-up water. “You so were.”

  Sarah went to protest more but Jean turned, looking her right in the eye with her hands on her hips. “Okay, well, maybe a little. I wasn’t expecting her to be there.”

  Jean played along. “Uh-huh.”

  “And she knew how to sign! I mean, really, what are the chances of that?” Sarah was shaking her head.

  “Uh-huh.”

  “And she works with animals.”

  “And you forgot, cute.” Jean was smirking.

  “Yeah, cute, and…What? Hey! That’s not fair.”

  Jean had stopped doing the dishes and was watching Sarah prattle on. Sarah chuckled as she realized Jean had played her perfectly.

  “I can see why she grabbed your attention. Apart from her eyes of course, and great body. What’s not to like? Hard-working, loves animals, good with kids—and deaf kids, at that—and oh, so hard to look at. Sarah Jane Macarthur, if you don’t invite her out for coffee on Monday, then I sure as hell will.”

  Sarah held her hands up in mock surrender. “Okay, okay enough already. If the opportunity arises on Monday, I will ask her for coffee.”

  “Promise?”

  “I’ll do my best.”

  “Come on, Sare, what have you got to lose, huh?”

  “Oh, I don’t know, my dignity maybe?”

  “Oh, don’t be so precious. Promise me you’ll ask her out.”

  Sarah had butterflies in her stomach. What’s that all about? She felt like a schoolgirl looking for a first date. Then again, it had been such a long time, it might as well have been the first date. What was she thinking? She hardly knew Mac. She’d met her now, what? Three times? And each for only a handful of minutes. She could be a serial killer for all she knew. A damn cute serial killer, with killer eyes.

  “C’mon, Sare, I’ve got a good feeling about this fireman Mouse.”

  “Mac, her name’s Mac.”

  “Okay, I stand corrected. Mac Mouse.”

  Sarah rolled her eyes.

  Jean persisted. “Be brave, Sare. Reach out and take a chance.”

  Sarah sighed.

  “Please? For me?”

  Sarah closed her eyes tight and shook her head. “Yes, yes, all right already. I’ll do it on Monday for you because I know you’ll drive me crazy until I give in.”

  Jean hugged her. “Thatta girl. And when it all works out, you know where I am for you to come and thank me.” Jean bumped her with her hip. “Oh, one more thing, when you ask her out—can you ask her if she has a brother?”

  Sarah put her head in the tea towel and just groaned.

  They finished the washing with light banter, retiring to the couch with a glass of wine each. “So, how do we go about doing the kitten thing?” Jean asked.

  Sarah scratched her head. “Good question. We’ll need to get a few supplies in, but we don’t want to give the game away doing it.”

  They both mused in silence for a few minutes. Sarah had a thought. “Why don’t you take Thomas back to the refuge again, to see the animals, and I’ll slip into town and get a bed, kitty-litter tray, and a little bit of food, so that we have the first night covered. I can hide them in the garage until we bring the kitten home. The next day, we can take him into town and he can have fun choosing toys and food and all the other stuff.”

  Jean sipped her wine thoughtfully. “How about you take Thomas to the refuge, and I go into town for the bits and pieces?” Sarah opened her mouth to protest, but Jean cut her off. “It would be a nice treat for me too. Just to have some time to relax and look in the shops on my own for a while.”

  Jean was playing dirty. Sarah couldn’t say no to her. She wondered if Mac would be at the refuge again. Maybe it was just a one-off day thing, so it would probably be safe for her to take Thomas. They could spend a couple of hours looking around, stop on the way home and have a milkshake somewhere, and text ahead to let Jean know they were heading home. “Okay, how about we head off, say about nine tomorrow, and be back a bit before lunch. Will that give you enough time?”

  They clinked their glasses together in agreement. Jean nodded. “That sounds perfect.”

  *

  It was a bit later than Mac had planned to finish off the formwork. In fact, the last hour had seen her adding the final finishing touches to the last little bit in the dark, with only the illumination of the shed lights, but at last she stood, stretched her back, and looked over her handywork. She was tired, but feeling pretty satisfied that everything that could be done today had been achieved, and all was ready for when the concrete truck arrived in the morning.

  Terri had helped her, in between feeding the animals and putting them to bed for the night. She looked at the path framework. “You all done then?”

  “Yep, just finished up now. I just need to pop the gear away and then I’m all done.”

  “I’ll give you a hand.”

  “Thanks.” They worked in companionable silence for a few minutes before heading into the house to wash up for dinner.

  As they walked into the kitchen Maree greeted them. “Beer or wine, ladies?”

  “A beer for me please,” said Terri

  “Same for me too, please, Mare.”

  “Two beers coming up. Go and sit down and relax for a bit. Dinner’s about half an hour away yet.”

  The girls had not long sat down when Maree came in with the two promised beers and a G and T for herself. “Did you manage to get the path frame finished?”

  Mac sipped her beer. “Yep. All done. All we need now is the concrete and some good weather and it’ll be done and dusted in no time.”

  “Thanks for all you’ve done, Mac. Terri and I are gobsmacked at how much you got through today. I can’t tell you how much it means to us to have you here, helping.”

  “Well, you are both very, very welcome. If truth be told, I’ve had a great day. The weather was beautiful, great company, lots of fixing stuff, which I love, and now I have a gorgeous woman cooking for me. What more could a girl want?”

  Terri shook her finger at Mac. “Hey, that’s my wife you’re buttering up, missy.”

  Mac chuckled. “Ah, my apologies. No offence intended for the hostesses with the mostesses.”

  Terri raised her beer. “Here’s to a good day’s work all round, I say.”

  Maree and Mac raised their drinks and all called cheers in unison.

  Maree looked at Mac over the top of her glass. “So, Terri tells me this afternoon’s Aunt Sarah is the fabulous doctor that you’ll be doing inspections with next week.”

  Mac played it cool. “Mm.”

  “I see what you mean about her eyes. They really are quite captivating.”

  Terri snickered. “The whole damn package was pretty captivating, if you ask me.”

  Maree playfully slapped her on her thigh. “No one is asking you.”

  “Oh, come on, you both have to admit, that’s a hot package. She can take my temperature anytime, I don’t mind telling you.”

  Mac and Maree looked at each other, grinned, grabbed a cushion each and threw them at Terri. “Hey! Watch th
e beer, you guys!”

  Maree kept going. “Her sister Jean seemed nice. Did you know about the boy being deaf?”

  Mac shook her head. “No. I’ve never met them before today. It blew me away for a bit, to be honest.”

  Maree sipped her drink. “How so?”

  Mac’s fingers worried the label on the bottle. Her voice grew husky. “I was trying to think the last time I signed. The last time was in the accident. I was signing to David, telling him it would be all right, and to stay awake, help was coming…” Mac closed her eyes at the memory.

  Maree leaned over, put her hand on Mac’s forearm, and spoke quietly. “No wonder it was a bit of a shock for you. I must say, I was impressed.”

  Mac looked up at Maree.

  “Well, actually, now I’m doubly impressed. I thought when I saw you signing that was pretty cool, but now that I know you haven’t done it in such a long time, I am really impressed. I mean, I barely remember what I did last week and you looked like you’d been doing it for forever.”

  Mac shook her head and chuckled. “Actually, I was really nervous and very rusty. It was kind of nice though when I realized I still remembered some stuff, but I sort of stuttered my way through for most of it.”

  “Well, if it’s any consolation, I think you blew the good doctor away.”

  Mac looked at Maree, confused.

  “When I took them into the cat house, she looked positively distracted, and I don’t think it had anything to do with the kittens they were looking at.”

  Chapter Nine

  Mac was up early, having turned the alarm off before it had a chance to sound, and eagerly consumed breakfast, before packing a few more tools into her truck and heading off to the refuge. She wanted to spend a bit of extra time with Nell this morning before the concrete truck arrived.

  When Mac got home from dinner at the girls’ house, she’d sat up Googling training tips for deaf dogs. She had a pocket full of treats all ready and wanted to try to put into practice some basic steps she found online. If Nell was to find a forever home, she would need all the appeal she could get. A well-trained dog might be one of those selling points to help people look past her disability long enough to see the special little dog that she was.