Wonderland

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Wonderland Page 9

by Barbara O'Connor


  The rain stopped.

  The sun came out, drying up the puddles and making the raindrops on the dogwood tree beneath Rose’s bedroom window sparkle like diamonds. Steam drifted up off the Tullys’ winding driveway, and Monroe Tucker showed up to mow the lawn.

  Rose knew Mavis would be waiting for her at the back door. That had been their plan. To meet at the back door as soon as it stopped raining.

  Rose tiptoed into the hallway and listened. Was her mother home? She hoped not. If her mother saw her taking her bike out of the garage, she would be suspicious. Rose never rode her bike.

  Suddenly Miss Jeeter came into the foyer with a feather duster, singing. That was a good sign. Miss Jeeter would never sing if Rose’s mother had been home.

  So Rose hurried down the stairs, gave a quick wave to Miss Jeeter, and went out the back door.

  Sure enough, there was Mavis.

  Rose hadn’t even made it to the bottom of the steps when Mavis dashed toward the garage hollering, “Get your bike. We’re going to Wonderland!”

  MAVIS

  Mavis couldn’t remember the last time she’d had such an adventure.

  Once, back in Georgia, when Jonelle Bolt was sleeping over, they had sneaked out of the house after her mother went to bed and gone up to the 7-Eleven to buy candy. But on the way back home, the cops had stopped them and told them that two little girls shouldn’t be out alone so late at night. They had taken Jonelle and her home in their patrol car and then woken her mother up. Hoo boy, that had been a scene. No wonder Jonelle never wanted to come over to her house again.

  But that had been nothing compared to this adventure.

  Amanda had agreed to leave her bike for them beside her garage, so now Rose and Mavis were walking the bikes through the woods on their way to the highway. Rose had a million questions, and Mavis had an answer for every one of them.

  How were they going to get across the highway?

  Easy. They’d walk along the edge until they got to a stoplight.

  How were they going to find Palmetto Road?

  No problem. There weren’t that many roads in Landry. It shouldn’t be hard.

  What were they going to do when they got to Wonderland?

  They’d find somebody in charge and tell them they wanted to see Henry.

  On and on and on.

  A million questions.

  Mavis led the way, pushing Amanda’s bike through the woods, weaving in and out of prickery brush and occasionally lifting the bike over fallen trees, until they reached a clearing. There, below a grassy ravine, was the highway.

  Her insides swirled with excitement.

  But one look at Rose told her that Rose’s insides were not swirling with excitement. Rose looked like she was ready to turn her bike around and head for home any minute.

  Mavis knew she had to act fast.

  “Come on,” she said. “Let’s ride down to where the stoplight is.”

  Then she jumped on the bike and pedaled as fast as she could down the ravine and along the edge of the highway. Every now and then she glanced behind her to make sure Rose was following.

  “Hurry up!” she called to Rose, who was falling farther and farther behind.

  When she got to the stoplight, she waited for Rose to catch up.

  If everything went according to her plan, they would find Wonderland over there on the other side of the highway. Then they would find out where Henry was.

  She was sure that everything about her plan was perfect.

  ROSE

  As Rose pedaled hard to keep up with Mavis, she once again had that feeling that there were two Roses.

  One was the scared Rose.

  Scared to be here riding her bicycle along the edge of the busy highway, with cars zooming by so fast the wildflowers danced in the breeze when they passed.

  Scared that her mother was going to find out about this very un-Rose-like thing she was doing.

  Scared that even if they found Henry, and even if Henry needed a home, Mr. Duffy wouldn’t want him and would be unhappy with her. Mr. Duffy had never been unhappy with her before.

  But then there was another Rose.

  A Rose who was thrilled with this wild adventure.

  A Rose who was as brave as her best friend, Mavis.

  A Rose who wished her sister could see her now.

  But when she finally caught up with Mavis and found herself crossing the busy highway at the stoplight, that second Rose quickly disappeared.

  Why had she let Mavis talk her into this?

  But it was too late to turn back now. They were already across the highway, and Mavis was hollering, “Follow me!”

  And so she did.

  She followed Mavis up one street and down another.

  Through neighborhoods with small brick houses and tidy yards where kids playing in the street stared at them when they pedaled by.

  Past a car repair shop, a tattoo parlor, a florist, and a barber shop.

  Past Brookhaven Baptist Church and Patton Road Car Wash and Miss Banner’s Daycare Center.

  Then they turned a corner, and suddenly Mavis squealed, “There it is!”

  Sure enough, looming ahead was a large sign reading WONDERLAND GREYHOUND PARK.

  Mavis let out a whoop and motioned for Rose to follow her through the empty parking lot and right up to the entrance gate beside the ticket booth.

  Mavis jumped off her bike and jiggled the gate.

  Locked.

  Rose felt a wave of relief wash over her.

  “It’s closed,” she said to Mavis. “We should leave.”

  “No way. There’re people in there.”

  Rose peered through the fence. Inside the park were folks wearing red caps or T-shirts with WONDERLAND on them. Some were walking dogs that looked a lot like Henry.

  “Hey!” Mavis called through the gate.

  No one seemed to notice.

  “We should leave,” Rose said again, glancing back in the direction of the highway.

  She reached into her pocket and rubbed Grace’s silver dollar.

  Mavis waved and hollered at folks inside Wonderland until finally some woman with a bushy gray ponytail under her Wonderland cap came to the gate and asked Mavis what she wanted.

  “We’re looking for a dog,” Mavis said.

  “A rescue dog?” the woman asked.

  Mavis’s face lit up. “Yes! A rescue dog. Right, Rose?”

  Rose nodded.

  “Do you have an appointment?” the woman asked.

  Rose couldn’t believe her ears when Mavis said, “Yes.”

  Mavis sure was a good fibber. She didn’t even look one bit guilty. Rose felt a wave of admiration.

  The woman unlocked the gate, and, just like that, Rose and Mavis were inside Wonderland.

  MAVIS

  Mavis could hardly believe how great this adventure was turning out.

  She had actually found Wonderland.

  And now she had convinced someone to let them in.

  Wonderland was a hustle-bustle of activity. Everywhere Mavis looked were dogs.

  Dogs on leashes.

  Dogs in kennels.

  Dogs playing in grassy fenced areas.

  And all the dogs looked a lot like Henry, with long skinny legs and long pointy noses.

  Mavis kept saying to Rose, “Isn’t this cool?” and “Did you see that?”

  Rose would nod or shrug.

  Mavis wished that Rose were having as much fun as she was, but it didn’t seem like she was.

  The woman with the bushy gray ponytail led them to a cinder-block building.

  “Here ya go,” she said.

  Mavis leaned her bike against the building and went inside, motioning for Rose to do the same.

  Inside, the air was damp and smelled like dogs. Along each side were rows of kennels. Inside most of the kennels was a barking dog. A greyhound, like Henry. At the end of each kennel was a small door that led to an outside kennel.

  Roger, the
man who had picked Henry up in the van, was washing metal bowls.

  “Can I help y’all?” he said. “I don’t have any appointments until tomorrow.”

  “We’re looking for a dog,” Mavis told him.

  “Got an appointment?” Roger asked.

  “Um…” Mavis couldn’t think of a good fib, so she said, “We’re looking for that white dog with a brown spot on his side.”

  “Ah, y’all are the ones who found that rascal who ran off.” The man dried his hands on his jeans.

  Mavis nodded. “His name is Henry and we found him and he really loves us, but Mr. Duffy called to have him picked up. Right, Rose?”

  Rose nodded.

  Roger chuckled. “His name is Alabama Rocket Boy, and he’s a naughty one.”

  Alabama Rocket Boy?

  What kind of name was that for a dog?

  “Can we see him?” Mavis asked.

  Roger led them down the row of kennels. When they got to the last one, which was empty, Roger whistled.

  Sure enough, Henry came leaping through the little door from outside and darted over to the front of the kennel, wagging his tail and whining with excitement at the sight of Rose and Mavis.

  “Hey, Henry!” Mavis said, stooping and putting her hand through the chain link for him to sniff.

  Henry wagged his tail so hard his whole body wagged.

  “He remembers us!” Mavis said.

  Rose ran her hand along Henry’s nose.

  Mavis told Roger how she and Rose had found Henry in the woods and taken him to Mr. Duffy.

  “We wanted Mr. Duffy to keep him, but he said Henry belonged here.”

  “Well, if one of y’all wants a dog, you’ve come to the right place,” Roger said. “Ole Rocket Boy here is ready for adoption.”

  “He is?” Mavis turned to Rose. “See? I told you. I knew it.”

  Then she turned back to Roger and said. “We’ll take him.”

  Rose gave her a wide-eyed look and said, “But—”

  “You can’t just take him,” Roger said.

  Mavis stood up. “Why not?”

  Roger told Rose and Mavis about the Wonderland Adoption Center.

  The dogs were greyhounds who had lived their whole lives right here at the racetrack. They had been trained to run since they were puppies. When they were ready to race, they lived in the race kennels.

  But by the time the dogs were three or four years old, they were too old to race anymore.

  “Too old?” Mavis said.

  “Yep. They slow down, like Rocket Boy.” He nodded toward Henry. “He’s got a bum hip, too. A few years of hard racing will do that sometimes.”

  “What happens to them when they get too old?”

  “They’re ready for adoption,” Roger said. “I try my best to find ’em a good home.”

  “Really?” Mavis looked at Rose. “Then we’ll adopt him, right, Rose?”

  “Whoa now,” Roger said. “It don’t happen like that. For one thing, y’all have to have a grown-up with you. And then there’s paperwork and interviews and home inspections and stuff.”

  Mavis felt her shoulders droop. All her careful planning hadn’t included this.

  Now what?

  How could she and Rose get Henry and Mr. Duffy together?

  ROSE

  Rose sat at the breakfast table thinking about Wonderland. She tried to keep her mouth from smiling, but she could feel the corners twitching, just dying to grin at the very thought of it.

  She could hardly believe she had actually done it.

  Ridden her bike across the highway.

  Gone to Wonderland.

  Gone inside Wonderland.

  And found Henry.

  Rose’s insides were dancing with the giddiness of this amazing thing she had done.

  Maybe she was starting to become like Mavis.

  Or at least a little bit like Mavis.

  Sure of herself and brave.

  Well, sort of sure of herself and kind of brave.

  Rose couldn’t wait to call Grace and tell her all about it.

  “What’s so funny, Rose?” her mother asked, jolting Rose out of her happy Wonderland thoughts.

  “Nothing.” Rose forced her starting-to-smile mouth to straighten out and concentrate on the French toast on her plate.

  “Brenda Putnam is organizing a mother-daughter book club for Magnolia Estates,” her mother said.

  Rose swirled her fork around in the puddle of maple syrup on her plate and thunked her heels against the legs of her chair. She stared at her plate, knowing her mother would have that familiar look of disapproval on her face.

  “Are Mavis and Miss Jeeter going to join?” she asked.

  Her mother took a sip of grapefruit juice and said, “Um, well, of course not.”

  Rose looked up. “Why not?”

  “The club is for Magnolia Estates, Rose.”

  “But they live in Magnolia Estates.”

  Her mother glared at the newspaper Mr. Tully held in front of his face, sending lasers of disapproval at his silence.

  Mr. Tully cleared his throat and turned to a new page of the paper.

  Mrs. Tully set her fork carefully on the edge of her plate, leaned forward, and whispered, “Please, Rose, Miss Jeeter is in the kitchen and might hear you.”

  Rose was surprised to feel that tiny seed of bravery she had been feeling earlier begin to grow. She sat up straight and said, “If it’s a club for mothers and daughters who live in Magnolia Estates, then that means every mother and daughter.”

  She glanced over at her father, who lowered the newspaper and winked at her.

  Rose winked back, then turned to her mother and said, “Right?”

  Rose felt herself smiling.

  She felt herself being confident and brave.

  She felt herself being like Mavis.

  But then this scene of amazing bravery was interrupted when Mr. Tully excused himself to grab his briefcase and head to work.

  Miss Jeeter burst through the swinging door from the kitchen to gather the breakfast dishes.

  Mrs. Tully sat red-faced and silent.

  And Rose swiped her finger through the maple syrup on her plate, licked it off with a loud slurp, and headed outside to meet Mavis.

  Today they were going to tell Mr. Duffy that he could adopt Henry.

  HENRY

  Henry had been glad to see those two girls again.

  The wild-haired one and the quiet one.

  It was true that they had tricked him with that food and taken him to the gray-haired man.

  It was true that he had ended up back here in Wonderland.

  But when those girls showed up, soothing him and petting him, Henry thought maybe they had come to take him away.

  But no.

  They had left without him.

  Henry lay down in the corner of his kennel and put his nose on his paws, feeling very sad.

  Some of the dogs around him barked and howled. And some of them sat quietly, looking bored.

  Before long, Roger came to take them outside to play in one of the grassy fenced areas beside the kennels. The one with the fence that was bent and loose.

  Now was Henry’s chance. He would look for that loose place in the fence. Then he would crawl under it until he was free on the other side.

  Henry’s heart raced. Would that place in the fence still be there? Maybe someone had seen it and fixed it. Maybe he wouldn’t be able to get out again.

  When Henry and the other dogs got into the grassy area, some of them began to run excitedly from one end to the other. Some of them began to play with one another. But Henry walked along the fence, looking for the spot where he had escaped. He had to hurry. Their time in the play yard was never very long.

  And then he found it. That place in the fence that was bent and loose, exactly the way it had been before.

  He nudged the fencing with his nose and lifted it enough to squeeze under and out the other side.

 
Then he ran and ran and ran, not looking back.

  MAVIS

  “I think he’s “sleeping,” Mavis said to Rose when they got to the gatehouse.

  Sure enough, Mr. Duffy was sitting in his chair with his feet on the desk and his cap pulled down over his eyes. His mouth was open, and he breathed in with a rumbly snore and exhaled with a whoosh.

  Mavis slowly opened the screen door and stepped inside, with Rose following close behind. “Should we wake him up?” she whispered.

  Rose nodded.

  Mavis went, “Ahem,” and let the screen door slam shut with a bang.

  Mr. Duffy bolted straight up and looked wildly around him. When he saw Rose and Mavis, he clutched his heart and said, “Jeekers! Y’all trying to scare me to kingdom come and back?”

  “Sorry,” Rose said.

  “We have some great news,” Mavis said. “Right, Rose?”

  Rose nodded. “Great news.”

  Mr. Duffy put his feet on the floor and straightened his cap. “Lay it on me,” he said. “I could use some great news.”

  “Tell him, Rose,” Mavis said, giving Rose a little nudge.

  “Well, um, Henry, you know, that dog? Well, Mavis and I went to Wonderland and, he, um, we found out—”

  “Henry is up for adoption!” Mavis blurted out. “Can you believe that?”

  Mr. Duffy squinted at them. “Now, what in tarnation are y’all talking about? Please tell me y’all did not go over there to that racetrack.” He shook his head. “No sirree bob, that is not the truth.”

  He ducked his head and lifted his bushy gray eyebrows. “Miss Rose Tully?”

  Rose blushed and looked down at the floor.

  “I know what your mama would think about that,” he said. “That is not like you one bit to go and do such a dern fool crazy thing.”

  “But it turned out great, right, Rose?” Mavis said, grinning.

  Mr. Duffy snorted. “Two little ole girls like y’all going over there to that track?” He poked a finger at Rose and said, “You can’t keep trouble from coming, but you don’t have to give it a chair to sit on.”

  Rose looked like she was about to cry, staring down at the floor with her chin quivering.

  Mavis put her arm around Rose. “But she didn’t get in trouble ’cause her mama doesn’t know. And here’s the best part.” She pushed a tangle of hair out of her eyes. “You can adopt Henry!” She gave Rose’s shoulder a little jiggle and grinned at Mr. Duffy.

 

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