The mayor leaned over and handed her the microphone. “Well, nobody told me about this stunt, but it sounds like fun. Go ahead, Sunny.”
Sunny took the mic and backed up with large dramatic steps, all the while keeping her eyes on the crowd and talking. “Ladies and gentlemen! The King has found a secret scent. It must be in that van. Shall we open it and see?”
Aneta stood, keeping an eye on Wink. She heard her friend’s voice boom over the microphone. What was she up to? Those had to be the poor dogs from the Leonards’ garage. But how to get the van open? The day had become so hot, Aneta wished she’d worn a hat. How long could they survive in the heat of a closed van?
The crowd, appearing to embrace another Waddle event to coordinate with the Hound Dawg chase, the city band, the Blessing of the Hounds, and the crowning of costumed royalty, began to chant. “Open, open, open!”
From across the park, Aneta saw Sunny wave at the animal control officer who had checked the Leonards’ garage that morning. He looked puzzled at her wild gesturing but joined her. Holding the mic away from her, she whispered to him. He straightened and ran toward his truck. Sunny began to bounce up and down. “Well, folks, we have a brave volunteer to open the door.”
By now, other bassets were joining Wink in the howling. Once ten did, fifteen more began to howl. Shivers shot up Aneta’s spine. The chorus grew louder and more eerie. Several dogs broke loose from owners too caught up in the show to hold tight to leashes and began to run around the park. The noise level streaked upward until Sunny had to shout above the crowd and the hounds. “Hang on, folks!”
The officer returned with a thin piece of metal. He crossed the park and went up to the van.
“What’s that?” Aneta asked, pointing to the metal.
“Called a ‘slim jim,’ ” he replied, sliding the thin strip of metal down into the driver’s-side window. The lock popped open.
“It is open!” roared Sunny into the mic.
“Hooray!” the crowd yelled and clapped.
Once the officer had unlocked the front door, he disappeared into the van. The crowd quieted expectantly until the back doors burst open. Aneta scooped up Wink to get him out of the way. A wave of heat gushed from the van.
The crowd roared, “Opened! Opened—” then fell abruptly silent.
Inside the van, stacked in crates two high and four across, were basset hound puppies and several adult dogs. Not all of them were howling. Some were not moving.
Chapter 27
Things Change
A while later, Mr. Martin reached for another chip on his plate. “Good thing Wink had that basset nose.” He and his wife sat together in the park pavilion along with the Squadder parents and the girls. Brothers and sisters played nearby on the playground, loudly disputing who had rights to the top of the slide. “Those dogs in the van would have never made it.”
“Nadine was able to resuscitate the two who were unconscious. I think the vet will keep them all overnight for observation. One of the techs is going to stay with them.” Frank put an affectionate arm around his wife. “She’s handy to have around.” He turned to the S.A.V.E. Squad who were sitting together, finishing up grilled chicken, fresh fruit, and Gram’s baba ghanoush and pita chips. “Remember your first meeting? I thought for sure Esther and Vee would kill each other, Aneta would quit, and Sunny would never settle down. Boy, was I wrong!” He dipped his head. “Good job, girls. You taught me not to judge by first appearances.”
The girls giggled.
“We were brats,” Sunny admitted. “But now we’re the S.A.V.E. Squad.” She linked arms with Aneta on one side, Esther on the other. Esther linked with Vee. Vee smiled her smile. Aneta wondered if the other girls were thinking the same thing she was—the longer the adults talked, the longer the girls would get to be together before they were banished.
“How did you girls put it all together?” Mrs. Nguyen leaned against her husband as he dug into his second piece of apple pie.
Aneta looked between the two couples who were Vee’s parents. One set sat at the far end of the table. The other across from her and the girls. What would it be like to have four parents? Did everybody like each other? Other than twice—today and when she admitted she feared being sent away—Vee did not talk about her family. Ever. Like she also never said where she went with the backpack.
“It was Aneta.” Esther leaned forward, pointing at her friend with a fork full of macaroni salad. “Aneta remembered Mrs. Leonard—the Crocs Killer—wore a Puppy Pellet hat. And we found out at the Pets Emporium that you can only get a Puppy Pellet hat if you buy lots of Puppy Pellets.”
“Was the owner of the Pets Emporium buying Mr. Leonard’s puppies?” Esther’s father asked, spearing a pickle off his wife’s plate. She glared at him then laughed.
“Yes,” Vee replied. “Some of those puppies were sick, too. Animal control is talking to him.”
“I don’t think he’ll be buying puppies again.” Sunny scooped up the last glob of baba ghanoush from her paper plate with a pita chip.
“Nadine is going to talk with him about working with Paws ‘N’ Claws to showcase dogs who need homes instead,” Frank said.
“I’ll help convince him.” Gram smiled.
The girls laughed.
“And all because of Aneta,” Mom said, her brilliant smile flashing.
“Aneta is brilliant,” Sunny added.
A silence fell as people returned to their food. Esther’s voice broke the crunching and chewing.
“If I hadn’t won that contest, I would never have gotten in the S.A.V.E. Squad,” Esther remarked, staring at her plate. Her voice was so low, the entire table quieted to listen. “These girls are nice. Not all girls are.”
A pause.
“Yeah, and we’re stupid. Together.” Sunny made everyone laugh.
Her parents stood up. “And that brings us to the banishment.”
Esther elbowed Sunny and hissed in her ear, “You weren’t supposed to bring that up. Now we all have to go home and never see each other again.”
Aneta was thinking the same thing.
Sunny reddened. She set her spoon down.
“I have a suggestion,” Mr. Quinlan said, glancing around at the other parents. “Perhaps we could suspend the banishment. Think of something else to help them remember wisdom?”
Mom’s face brightened. “Perhaps our families could get together now and then until school starts.” Glancing up and down the long tables, she raised her brows. “What do you think? The girls can be together under supervision. We could do Pool Plashes at our house.” She flushed. “If you want to, that is.”
Aneta remembered the embarrassment she’d dumped on her mom. Never again.
Vee’s sets of parents turned to themselves and murmured. So did the Martins. After a few moments, all turned back to Mr. Quinlan.
“Agreed.” Vee’s two sets nodded.
“Agreed.” Sunny’s parents smiled.
“Agreed.” Esther’s parents looked pleased.
Sunny leaped off the bench and began to twirl. “Oh, yayness!” she yelled.
The other three jumped up, grabbed Sunny, and began to hop up and down.
“The S.A.V.E. Squad is still together!” Vee said with a grin.
Aneta thought her heart would burst. No banishment. Five weeks remained of summer vacation. Now it would be filled with the S.A.V.E. Squad, scooters, and fun. Only one thing would make her happier. She glanced at her mother, who tipped her head toward the dessert booth kitty-corner from their pavilion. “Dessert?” she mouthed.
Aneta gave her a thumbs-up and excused herself from the girls. “Dessert and my mom,” she explained.
Walking arm in arm, after a silence that wrapped Aneta like a soft blanket, Mom spoke.
“I’ve been thinking, Aneta.” Mom matched her slightly longer stride to Aneta’s. “Maybe you and I are ready for a basset in our family.”
“Maybe means yes! Oh! Oh!” was all Aneta could say. She st
raightened herself and hugged her mom sideways. She turned her mom toward her. She made her face very serious and said with careful English, “Okay, Mom, have you considered the responsibilities of pet ownership?”
Mom smothered a chuckle then put on an equally serious face. They resumed their walk. “I have. Like pets need fresh water at all times. But I work all day.” She slanted a glance at Aneta.
Aneta jumped in. “I will be the water checker. I know where to get a dog waterer that holds two gallons. As Wink drinks, the water comes out.”
Mom was smiling. “Now, bassets are hounds and—”
“Hounds bark,” Aneta supplied. She looked worried. “Nadine won’t let someone adopt one of their dogs if they’re going to leave it outside.” She stopped walking. “What about the pool?”
Mom nodded, gently pulling her along. “I’ve talked to Nadine a lot about this. Our dog will be an inside dog. I’ll get the pool fenced.”
“What about the cleanup?” Aneta wanted to know. She thought about how the owner of the Pets Emporium said people didn’t want to see dog doo-doo. She hoped Mom knew that dogs did that. They were nearly at the dessert tent.
“I was hoping a certain girl I know would be the master of that.”
“I know that girl!” Aneta gave a hop of happiness. Was she dreaming? This was better than having Mom just say yes. They were having a Jasper discussion!
“And are we talking about a certain basset that needs to join our forever home?” Mom asked as they waited their turn for the sweet treats.
“Yes, oh yes! Little Wink!” Aneta drew in a deep breath. Mother and daughter suspended their Jasper discussion and turned their attention to homemade cheesecakes, brownies, and a chilly root-beer float, finally selecting a wedge of cherry cheesecake to share.
Instead of meandering back to the pavilion to join the others, however, Mom steered Aneta toward a booth four booths down. They passed the face-painting booth, cotton-candy booth, and the food-drive booth with an unhappy Melissa sitting behind a table with bags of canned goods in front of her. She pretended not to see them. That was okay with Aneta.
Then she saw where she hoped, hoped, hoped Mom would stop. The closer they got, the faster Aneta’s heart beat. Stepping under the awning, they approached a man sitting at the table.
Mom nudged her. “Tell the man what you’d like.”
“We would like to apply to adopt Wink,” Aneta said, cherishing each word. Her forever pet in her forever life. While the man shuffled through a list labeled ADOPTABLES, she lifted a forkful of cherry cheesecake into her mouth. The sweet, rich flavor rushed over her tongue. Today was truly a perfect day.
“Is that the petite basset with the squint? The King of the Waddle?”
“Yes, Wink.”
“That sure was a clever costume.”
“That’s my daughter,” Mom said with a nudge into Aneta’s ribs. “She’s very creative.”
“Wink, you say?” He was looking down at a paper. “Oh.”
“I kind of named him when I rescued him.” A shiver of happiness spiraled up Aneta’s spine.
“Oh, you’re the one.” He looked like he might cry, she thought. Why did the man look sad? This was a happy day. If she were Sunny, she would be twirling.
“I’m sorry,” the man said. “He’s off the adoptable list.”
The cheesecake tasted like dirt. Mom’s arm encircled her waist.
“Could—could—” Mom’s voice faltered. “Could we be a backup application? Sometimes things fall through.”
The man shook his head. “I’m sorry.” He gestured to the paper. “There are five backup applications on Wink.” This sweet day had turned terribly sour.
Chapter 28
Forever Homes
It was a cool evening for late August. The sun had long gone down; the flaming tiki torches surrounding the patio reflected in the occasional rippling of the pool. White twinkle lights hung from the fence top. Walking through the doorway with the fourth basket of Gram’s homemade tortilla chips to go with the bowls of Jasper guacamole and sour cream mixed with salsa, Aneta watched the Nguyens chatting with the Martins. Mom, Gram, and the Quinlans were having a lively discussion on immigration issues. Just what a Jasper loved—discussion! Vee’s other set were listening in, adding bits here and there. No younger siblings tonight, just the older kids, Aneta thought with satisfaction. And, of course, C.P.
As she set down the basket, C.P. rose up from sitting with his feet in the pool. He closed the gate to the pool and inspected the tray.
“No more peanut-butter cookies?” he asked, turning his mouth down.
Aneta snorted. “Sorry. We are now out of peanut-butter cookies.”
“Oh well, I’ll suffer,” he said, grabbing a chip and dipping into the green dip.
Turning away, she walked over to the three girls threading beads onto leather cords at the patio table. The S.A.V.E. Squad. Tonight the parents had surprised them by telling them sleepovers could start again.
“Although,” Sunny’s mother said, looking at Mom, “let’s keep getting together. I’ve really been enjoying our gatherings.”
Mom nodded vigorously.
“Here—here’s your leather cord. Esther’s got a different color for each Squadder. My bead is red-and-white spirals for my hair and twirling,” Sunny instructed, using one finger to push the bead toward Aneta. “This multicolored one is for Esther and all the colors she paints her nails.” That bead rolled next to the spiral-striped one.
Esther beamed, displaying two hands with a different color on each nail. Aneta sat down and threaded them on a leather string. “What’s Vee’s color?” Aneta asked, tying a knot after each bead to keep them from sliding. She liked the idea of Squad bracelets. It made them, well, more Squad-y.
“A long, skinny bead.” Vee laughed. She stuck out her legs. “For all that running I did!”
Everyone laughed. Aneta scanned the table. “I don’t see my bead.”
“That’s because your mom had a special one made.” Sunny motioned to Aneta’s mother.
Mom stood up and took a jewelry box from her pocket. Aneta looked questioningly at her mother when she handed her the box. Opening it quickly, Aneta saw a bead the color of pool water lying on the cotton. Two words in cursive were engraved in the flat, oval bead. Aneta Jasper. She turned it over. S.A.V.E. Squad.
“Mom!” she said and took out the bead.
“Yes,” her mother said. “It’s official. Your first name has been legally changed back to Aneta. But you’re still a Jasper.”
The girls looked very pleased. “We were in on it,” Sunny said. “We all have one with our names and S.A.V.E. Squad.”
Aneta gazed at the bead with Aneta Jasper on it. She sighed and then threw her arms around her mother’s waist.
“I did not think the summer would turn out this way,” she said, rejoining the girls a few moments later.
“Saving dogs wasn’t even on my list of things to do during the summer!” Vee said, a corner of her mouth turned up. She slanted a look at Esther, who made a face.
“Your lists! I guess they saved us for the Waddle, though.” Esther lifted one of her fingers to inspect a chip in the polish.
“But Wink—” Aneta stopped. So much had happened. Her mom had said she had learned a lot. Some of it hurt. How could people treat animals that way? A deep sigh welled up within her at the same time as a long pink tongue slurped her ankle. She grinned and bent down.
The not-so-small-anymore, tricolored puppy wriggled and tried to do the same to her face. She nuzzled his neck. She’d washed him today; he smelled like lavender. Her Wink. As she set him down, he hop-stomped over to a larger dog with the same markings, leaning against Gram’s leg. The older female nudged him with her nose, licking under his ears. Wink closed his eyes in doggy delight.
“It is so funny that all the people on the waiting list for Wink were your relatives!” Esther said.
Mom answered. “Aneta’s grandmother started it
. Then the rest of The Fam added their names in case she didn’t clear adoption. They were going to make sure Wink got his forever home with a Jasper if I didn’t change my mind.”
“And then your grandmother adopts Wink’s mother. At least we think Baba is his mother,” Vee said, sliding a striped bead onto her cord. “She looks more like him than your Uncle Luke’s Ethel.” She set down her bracelet to face Aneta. “Is Ethel better now?”
Gram answered her from nearby. “Oh yes. Luke has her out walking every day. She’s getting better food than Puppy Pellets, and her coat is shiny. You’ll see her one of these days. Luke’s got a basket for her on his scooter.”
“Nadine is working on adopting the other puppies out,” Mom said, stretching her legs out in front of her. “Paws ‘N’ Claws Animal Buddies does good work finding forever homes.”
“Good,” Sunny said with a bounce of her head.
“Well,” Zeff said, standing and stretching from his spot by C.P. “I gotta head. Early courier route tomorrow.” He helped a medium-sized, tricolored basset up to a standing position. The dog staggered a moment then shook himself. “Me and the Fred gotta get.”
“How are his back legs coming?” Mrs. Martin asked, dipping a pita chip into the guacamole.
“I massage his legs.” Zeff looked down at the dog who gazed up at him, long snout quivering, eyes drooping. “He might always limp, but he’s definitely better.” He slowly led the older dog toward the french doors.
“Sunny, did you tell the girls about your new dog?” Mrs. Quinlan asked with a grin.
Vee, Esther, and Aneta whipped their heads around to glare at Sunny, who was giving her mother the “shh” look with a finger to her lips.
“Mom! I wanted to surprise them by inviting them to the house to see her.”
“Her?”
“What is she?”
“How could you not tell us?”
“I thought your brothers had asthma?” The questions came fast and furious.
Sunny pulled a picture from her pocket. “You can see her right here.” She passed it around. Aneta saw a gigantic dog sitting in a desert scene.
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