by Daphne Maple
“The thing is, what else are we going to be able to sell at the booth?” Sasha asked, getting back to the problem at hand while she gently stroked Jinx’s ears. “The calendars are great, but we need more than that and I don’t know how much we want to spend.”
“That’s a good point,” Kim said. “We can’t afford to buy candy or anything else really cool ourselves—we’d barely make a profit.”
For a moment we sat in gloomy silence. But then Caley came over. Her cheeks were pink from running and she brushed back a lock of hair that had fallen out of her bun. “I have an idea for you guys,” she said, sitting down on the floor across from us. “When we’re doing plays at the high school, we earn the money for the programs by selling advertising space. And I think you guys should do the same thing. What if you asked businesses to make products for you to sell and they could put their logos on the product too?”
“So we’d ask the Lopez sisters to make candy that advertised their business and ours?” Kim clarified, a smile starting to spread across her face.
“Exactly,” Caley said. “That way they aren’t just donating to you guys but they’re also investing in advertising for Sugar and Spice.”
“That is such a good idea,” Sasha said admiringly.
“Unlike, say, a doggy basketball video, right?” Caley asked, looking up at Tim, who was running by.
“I heard that and I’m deeply wounded,” he called, sounding slightly out of breath.
Caley got up to join back in the game.
“I’m going to call Carmen and tell her our new proposition right now,” Sasha said, standing up and heading back to Alice’s office.
Kim, Taylor, and I stood up too, just as Popsicle bounded up to me, a green ball in her mouth, which she dropped at my feet. I gave it a toss and watched as a group of dogs, including Lily, my Lily, raced after it.
This time when Sasha came out of the office she looked cheerful. “Carmen said she’d talk to Marisol but that it sounded like a smart business plan.”
“So she’ll call us back?” Taylor asked as Boxer zipped by.
“Yeah, in a couple of days, after they crunch numbers again,” Sasha said. “And since that’s all we can do for now, I say we play some doggy tag!”
I was more than ready to have some quality dog time. “Watch out,” I called, scooping up the ball and charging across the room. “Because this game just got serious!”
An hour and a half later the last dog had been picked up from Dog Club. That is, the last dogs except for Mr. S and Lily. I’d spent the last twenty minutes brushing Lily so that my mom would see how pretty she was. Now all I had to do was get her home!
“This is so great,” Taylor said, squeezing my arm.
“It’s very exciting,” Alice agreed.
“Look at her,” Caley said with a smile. We all gazed at Lily, who was on the floor biting the blue rubber bone. “She has no idea something fabulous is about to happen.”
“You ready, Bri?” Tim asked.
I loved that they were all staying to see Lily and me off.
“I’m ready,” I said, pulling out Lily’s new green leash with the matching green collar. The red ball and a plastic chew toy in the shape of a hamburger, another of Lily’s favorites, were already in my bag.
I called Lily over and she bounded up at once. She stood still as I put on her new collar and leash and then looked up at me, slightly confused but clearly trusting, as I led her toward the door.
“You’re coming home with me,” I told her.
Lily seemed to accept this as the club gathered around to say good-bye.
“See you at the next club meeting,” Tim said, patting Lily on the back while Caley rubbed her ears.
“And we’ll see you on the walk to the club,” Sasha said, with Mr. S beside her.
“Have fun in your new home,” Taylor said. Then she grinned at me. “And have fun with your Lily.”
“I will,” I said, feeling so full of joy I thought I might explode.
Taylor pulled out her camera and began snapping photos.
“Be your sweet, good self,” Alice told Lily. I saw a flicker of sadness in her eyes and knew that she would miss Lily, even though finding dogs homes was what she worked for.
I just hoped more than anything that this would be Lily’s home, her real home, forever.
We headed out into the cloudy twilight. The rain had stopped but the air was chilly and damp.
“Let’s go, Lily,” I said.
Lily glanced back at the shelter, unsure of what was happening. But then she looked up at me, gave a short bark, and we were on our way.
And a few minutes later we were walking up the front path of my house. “This is where you’ll be staying, hopefully from now on,” I told Lily as I fumbled for my keys. “We have yummy food and a snug place for you to sleep,” I told her. “And lots of toys.”
When I opened the door Lily hesitated, as though wondering if she was really supposed to come in.
“Yes, this is just where you should be,” I reassured her. My stomach was full of happy, fizzy bubbles as Lily came in behind me, then began the serious business of sniffing everything in sight.
It was even more awesome than I’d hoped to have her here!
“This is the living room,” I told Lily, starting a tour so she could get to know everything. “Here’s the sofa where you will not be allowed to sit. But we have a dog bed for you right here, so you can watch TV with us and hang out in here too,” I went on.
Lily was very interested in her new bed. She stepped into it, circled a few times, and then bit it.
“That’s for sleeping, not eating,” I said, laughing. “You’ll get dinner in a minute, but first let’s go to my room.”
Lily agreeably got off her bed and followed me up the stairs.
“This is my mom and dad’s room,” I said as we passed the first door. “You’ll meet my mom tonight and my dad in a few weeks. He’ll see you tonight when we video chat, though, and I know he’s going to love you.”
Lily stopped to inspect the doorway.
“Let’s stay out of there for now,” I said. “I want to show you where you’ll sleep at night with me.”
I walked past the bathroom and opened the door to my room. Lily marched in and began sniffing my desk, bookcase, and closet. I gave her the shelter toys and she chewed them both for a moment, then kept the ball in her mouth as she explored. While she checked things out I put my stuff away and took a minute to savor the fabulousness of having Lily in my very own room. Then I tucked the shelter toys inside my nightstand. I knew those would be best used here, away from my mom, who was not going to be a fan of slightly gnawed playthings.
“Okay, let’s go downstairs, get you fed, and get dinner started,” I told Lily, who cheerfully bounded down the stairs after me.
In the kitchen I filled up her water dish, but Lily trailed after me until I got to the main event: a can of (organic) beef dog food that I ladled into her bowl. She wolfed it down and then dug into the scoop of kibble I served up next. Once she’d eaten she flopped down in front of the dishwasher looking content.
“I’m glad you liked it,” I told her as I diced up potatoes just the way my mom had showed me. It was so nice having company as I started dinner!
A few minutes later the front door opened. Lily stood up and gave a short bark.
“That’s my mom,” I told her, wiping my hands quickly on a dish towel. “Come and meet her.”
Lily and I walked into the living room where my mom was putting on her slippers. Lily barked again and my mom winced slightly.
“Here she is,” I said proudly, petting Lily as I led her to my mom so that Lily would know my mom was a safe person. Not that Lily had ever been on guard with anyone, but animals had their own set of instincts and I knew Lily might behave slightly differently here, especially as she adjusted to the newness of it all.
But Lily had clearly already decided that she liked my mom because she padded r
ight up to her, tail wagging, and leaned against my mom, opening her mouth in a doggy smile.
Unfortunately she caught my mom a bit off balance and nearly toppled her over. My mom righted herself before falling, but she was frowning as she looked down at her pants. “Well, these will need a wash, won’t they,” she said. “They’re covered with dog hair.”
“Mom, it’s just a few pieces of hair,” I said. “I’ll get you the lint brush.”
Lily, unaware of my mom’s crabbiness, butted her head forward to be petted. She had really taken to my mom.
“No, they need to be cleaned,” my mom said, patting Lily. Which was nice, though Lily hadn’t given her much of a choice in the matter.
“Lily already ate,” I said, starting back toward the kitchen. “And I started our dinner.”
“Good,” my mom said. Lily stayed right next to her as we walked back to the kitchen.
“Sit,” I told Lily, pointing to the spot near the dishwasher where Lily would be out of the way.
Lily sat, but not in her spot. Instead she sat right on my mom’s feet, nearly tripping her. “I thought you said she was trained,” my mom snapped.
“She is. She’s just confused,” I said.
I knew it was a mistake as soon as the words were out, but it was too late and my mom pounced on it. “Yes, older dogs like this confuse easily,” she said.
“No, she was confused because my command wasn’t clear,” I said. I walked over to the spot and called Lily, who came right away. “See?” I asked.
My mom sniffed a bit, but couldn’t deny that Lily was doing exactly what she had been told.
I was concerned that Lily might try to steal scraps under the table as we ate, but when she followed us into the dining room, I told her to sit and she did, right behind my chair. Every time I glanced back I could see her caramel-colored fur and sweet face looking at me. It was awesome, even if my mom did complain again about having to clean up dog fur.
After we washed up I headed into my mom’s home office for the video chat with my dad. I couldn’t wait for him to meet Lily! Well, really just see her, but that was a start.
“So where’s our new foster dog?” my dad asked as soon as the screen flickered to life. I loved how exited he sounded.
I’d had Lily sit next to me while I waited and now I pushed my chair back and patted my lap. Lily jumped up and I wrapped my arms around her so she wouldn’t slide off and peeked around her shaggy belly. “Meet Lily!” I nearly sang.
“Hi, Lily,” my dad said with a huge smile.
Lily, hearing her name, barked back, as though she was greeting him, which made both of us laugh.
“She likes you already,” I told my dad as I helped Lily off my lap so we’d be more comfortable. She sat close and rested her head on my leg as I continued to talk to my dad.
“I like her too,” he said. He had dark circles under his eyes, but they sparkled as he smiled again. “How does it feel to have her home?”
“It’s so great,” I said, and then proceeded to tell him everything. With Lily snuggling next to me and my dad nodding and asking all the right questions—and not saying anything about dog fur—it was the best.
The only thing better was getting into bed that night with Lily curling up right next to me, her soft head right at the crook of my arm.
“Good night, sweet girl,” I said, turning off the light, my heart full as I nestled in closer to her and fell asleep.
9
Lily was gone in the morning. For a moment I worried the whole thing had been some kind of dream, but then I saw the nesting spot where she’d slept next to me all night. She was definitely here, but where? And what if she was doing something that might upset my mom? I leaped out of bed and rushed out of the room to find her.
She wasn’t in the hall or the bathroom, and luckily she wasn’t in my mom’s empty bedroom either. I flew down the stairs and finally found Lily in the dining room with my mom, who was drinking her morning cup of coffee from her favorite butterfly mug.
“I’m already covered with dog hair,” my mom announced, no “good morning” or anything as I came over and rubbed Lily’s side.
My mom was petting Lily’s head with the hand that wasn’t gripping her coffee, which was great. But the way she was scowling was less great. A lot less great.
“How can one dog shed so much fur?” she groused, picking a piece off her pants.
“She has long hair,” I said defensively. “And dogs shed when they’re nervous. Lily’s had a big change in her life and I think she’s handling it great so far.”
My mom shook her head dismissively. “The point is that she’s barely groomed at all. I’m not sure anyone has ever taken the time to truly get her coat clean and shaped. She looks like a yeti.”
A burst of anger crackled through me and I pressed my lips together to keep from saying something I’d regret. I wasn’t even sure what a yeti was, but clearly it was bad and I hated hearing my mom criticize the club, not to mention the job I’d done brushing Lily the day before.
“I’m taking her to the Pampered Puppy,” my mom announced. “If she’s going to stay here for a few weeks she needs to look decent, and I can’t spend the whole time cleaning up after her.”
With that she headed upstairs to get ready for work, which was probably good because I was having trouble keeping my temper in check.
“You look perfect,” I told Lily, hugging her close.
Lily licked my cheek, clearly unfazed by the fact that she had been insulted. Sometimes it was a good thing dogs couldn’t always understand what people said.
I walked to the kitchen to see about feeding Lily, but when I got there I saw that my mom had already taken care of it. Which was probably why Lily was so calm, but it surprised me. We’d agreed that Lily’s care would be my responsibility. For a moment I felt a flash of gratitude toward my mom, but then I realized Lily had probably been bouncing around in a way that was cute but that annoyed my mom. So my mom had probably fed her to calm her down. Which made it less nice.
“Let’s go upstairs,” I told Lily. “I’m going to get ready for school.”
But just then my mom reappeared. “Lily, come,” she called as she strode toward the front door.
I expected Lily to linger or at least look up at me, but she flew after my mom the second she heard her name. I couldn’t believe how quickly she’d taken to my mom, even if the feeling wasn’t completely mutual.
“She came right when you called,” I pointed out as I followed them both to the front hall where my mom was putting on her shoes.
“I’d hope so,” she sniffed, though I noticed her petting Lily between shoes.
I felt sad as I watched my mom leash Lily up. I was going to miss her as I got ready for school. But then I remembered she would be here when I got home and I got the happy fizzy bubbles in my stomach again.
“Have fun,” I called to Lily as she and my mom headed out.
Lily gave a happy bark in response and pranced off after my mom.
I watched them for a moment and then headed back inside to get ready for the day.
“So how was your first night as a dog owner?” Taylor asked eagerly. She’d caught up to me just outside the cafeteria.
“Wait, I want to hear too,” Kim said, coming up behind us. “And so will Sasha. Let’s go sit and you can fill us in on everything.”
“Okay,” I agreed. It was exciting to be at the center of things as the three of them got food and we made our way over to our table. The main course today was beef stroganoff and the scent was overpowering. I was glad I’d brought lunch from home.
“Tell us,” Taylor said, peeling off the foil lid of her yogurt after we’d all sat down.
“Yeah, how was it?” Emily asked as she, Naomi, Dana, and Rachel crowded around.
“It was awesome,” I said, my face suddenly warming. I wasn’t used to this much attention from everyone. But they were all beaming, clearly thrilled for me, and that felt amazing. �
��Lily was so cute exploring everywhere and sniffing everything.”
“Did she seem scared at all?” Emily asked. “When we brought my dog home from the shelter he hid behind the sofa for hours. We had to coax him out with food.”
“No, she was pretty comfortable actually,” I said, hoping that didn’t hurt Emily’s feelings. I wanted to be honest, but I also wanted to keep up with my promise to myself to be careful about what I said to people, and the way I said it.
“I think that’s because you’re familiar to her,” Kim said knowledgably. “Em, your dog was facing new people and a new place, but Lily had her favorite person right there with her.”
Kim always said the right thing.
“That makes sense,” Emily said. “And he adapted pretty fast after he figured out we gave food and treats on a regular basis.”
We laughed at that as the four of them headed back to their table.
“I remember when Mr. S first came home,” Sasha said, smiling at the memory. “For the first few weeks he had this ritual where he’d walk all over the house first thing in the morning, like he was making sure nothing had changed while he was sleeping.”
“Remember how he carried that little pillow from your bedroom all over the place?” Taylor asked.
I had the fourth-wheel feeling as the three of them cracked up. I twisted the ponytail I’d curled that morning so hard it pulled my scalp.
“It was like his security blanket,” Kim said. “Bri, does Lily have anything like that?”
“Not so far,” I said, opening up my container of shredded potato and rice. “But she really liked the toys I brought home from the shelter.” I’d let her play with them again before bed and she’d fallen asleep with the rubber hamburger in her mouth. I’d been careful to put it away before leaving for school.
“I’m glad,” Kim said, taking a bite of her sandwich. “So what else did she do yesterday?”
We chowed down on our food as I told them about Lily’s adventures.
“Did your mom totally fall in love with Lily?” Sasha asked after I described Lily “meeting” my dad.