Spot and Smudge - Book One

by Robert Udulutch

  There were several full vials of blood on the counter and an assortment of pills and vaccination bottles lined up in a row on a folded sheet of paper towel. It looked like the dog was getting the full treatment, and if Dr. D was doing what she was supposed to half of those procedures were unnecessary bullshit.

  Doug supposed if the pudgy dog owner was the kind of moron who paid two grand for a pure bred grizzly bear like this one, and another sixty grand for that prissy truck outside, he was used to getting bent over everywhere he went.

  Before the dog leapt, Doug noticed Aaron reclining in a chair at the far end of the room. He was kicked back with his still-muddy boots sticking out and his nose buried in his cellphone. He wanted to ask Aaron why in the hell wasn’t he still helping Jerry clean out the fucking kennels, but he didn’t get the chance.

  The dog’s eyes narrowed as it fixed all of its rage on Doug. It crouched a little, let out one final deafening bark, and shot forward. It broke the man’s grip on its collar, and simultaneously twisted its head and opened its huge jaws. If the bald guy had not been ready and pulled hard on the leash when he did, and if the dog’s club-sized paws didn’t slip on the table, and if the table had not shot back in the opposite direction until it smacked into Dr. D’s ample chest, those jaws would have snapped shut on Doug’s neck instead of the air three inches to the left of his cheek.

  Doug did catch the edge of the plastic collar in the face, and a chest full of both huge paws. He and the large dog crashed into the hallway, hitting the worn linoleum floor with a surprised huff and a frustrated yelp. The dog spun and regained his footing, and then he crouched and widened his stance. He was judging distance for a second lunge at Doug’s jugular when the bald guy gave another great tug on the leash and yelled, “Maximus, NO!”

  To everyone’s surprise it actually worked. The man’s hard tug only moved Maximus’ huge head about an inch but it was enough to make him pause.

  He still stared at Doug and let out a very low growl that Doug felt as much as he heard.

  He looked at the bald man and Dr. D, and they just stared back at him. No one was exactly sure what to do next.

  Aaron rolled out of his chair and stepped into the hallway. In one fluid motion he clamped both of his hands around Maximus’ snout, brought his face right in front of him, and blew into the dog’s nose. Maximus blinked and tried to back pedal as Aaron said, “Shut the hell up, Max,” and pushed him back into the exam room.

  Doug and Dr. D got back to their feet and Aaron nodded at Doug before plunking back down into his chair and returning to his phone.

  Maximus circled the bald guy once and sat down, panting. His big face was blank, and he stared at a spot on the wall like nothing had happened. He then tried to lick his own balls, was denied by the plastic collar, and resigned himself to jamming his snout into the bald guy’s crotch.

  Dr. D lowered her head, creating a third chin, and shot Doug an annoyed look over her thick glasses as Ronnie poked her head around the doorway and asked if everything was alright.

  Dr. D answered, “Yes, we’re fine, thanks Ronnie. Mr. Dorschstein was looking for my office when he took a wrong turn.”

  Mimi leaned out of exam room two and reached out her hand to hold back Ben and Kelcy when she saw Doug coming.

  As he passed them on the way to the office he gave Mimi a harsh look, and when he saw Kelcy he gave her a full up and down checking out.

  Ben didn’t like the guy’s look and stepped in front of his sister.

  Doug smiled at the kid, and peered into the box he was holding. Doug’s brow bunched when he saw the two tiny black puppies. He paused for a moment at Dr. D’s office door. He looked like he was going to say something, but he just shot Mimi another frown and Ronnie a slimy glance before he stepped into the office and closed the door behind him.

  Ronnie had seen the way Doug looked at Jean, and she read the grandmother’s head tip. She nodded as she waved for the kids to follow her to the lobby. It was obvious they were keeping the puppies, and they could bring them back for their checkup some other time when that asshole and the big barking idiot weren’t there.

  Dr. D was just closing the door to exam room one as the kids were walking past. Ben caught a glimpse of Max and said, “Whoa. Kels look at him, he’s huge!”

  Max started another round of barks as Mimi nudged Ben forward.

  Ronnie stopped at the end of the hallway when she noticed the dog treats, pamphlets, and papers from the bulletin board scattered all over the lobby floor. She drew in a sharp breath, jammed her hands on her hips and shot Dr. D’s office door a sour look.

  “Ugh, what a tool,” Ronnie said not very quietly down the hallway.

  Ben laughed as he set the pups’ box down on the reception desk counter and helped his sister to gather up the mess on the floor. As Ronnie stepped behind the desk to clean up the dog treats they heard the exam room door open again. Max’s barking got louder, and then muffled as the door clicked closed again.

  The big teen from Maximus’ exam room walked into the lobby and went right up to Kelcy.

  “Hey, you alright?” the boy said, “Sorry if Maximus scared you. I’m Aaron.”

  Mimi and Ronnie looked away to stifle their collective smirks. Mimi adjusted an invisible wrinkle in her blouse and Ronnie picked up her large Chinese food takeout container from behind the counter. It had SPECIAL SPECIAL printed on the sides in large red letters.

  They exchanged another look as Aaron ham handed his way through his conversation with Kelcy.

  Gotta give him props for balls, Ronnie thought as she stabbed the container with her chopsticks and pulled out a tangle of noodles with pink and red bits stuck to it. As she shoveled it past her exotic colored lipstick she continued to enjoy the teen mating ritual.

  Between chews she said quietly to Mimi, “Sorry, I’m addicted to this stuff. Stop by later and I’ll scribble you out some notes for the pups’ care and diet.” The thin vet tech slurped a stray noodle and wiped her chin with the back of her hand.

  Mimi nodded, and then turned to interrupt Aaron’s raging hormones but Kelcy had already deftly shot the big lunk down.

  As they headed for the door she shared a smile with Mimi and put her arm around Ben, who was carefully carrying his cardboard box with the two tiny black puppies in it.

  Chapter 21

  Aila straightened the flowers bordering Papa’s headstone. The grass was starting to fill in over the grave but the outline was still clear. She stood, wiped her hands on her jeans, and joined Dan under a nearby tree where a small bench sat in its shade. He had moved the heavy iron bench to this spot from Mimi’s back patio at Aila’s request. She knew her mother liked to sit here and chat with her dad.

  Dan moved his shovel to make room for her and Aila picked up the small folded white sheet before sitting down next to her husband. She took his dirty hands in hers.

  “I might have a word with Todd about those kids who help him with the mowing,” she said as she frowned at the mowed-over edges of the flowers.

  “I doubt it would help,” Dan said, “From Ben’s description of the Cooper brothers it sounds like the mower they ride on is firing on more cylinders.”

  Aila laughed as she looked out over the small cemetery. It sat on a cleared hill inside fifty acres of town-owned wooded preservation land. The grounds included a small circular parking area with a wrought iron fence, a dozen ancient gravestones inside a small stone wall, and a larger area that sloped up the hill with the newer headstones.

  The cemetery was less than a mile south of Mimi’s farm on the opposite side of the road, and it was a peaceful and beautiful spot. In the winter months the view through the trees to the east stretched past Mimi’s farm and all the way to Cape Cod Bay. It was quiet, aside from the jays and the early spring cicadas, and the sounds of the small river just to the south. It flowed past the cemetery and ran east, under the road, and wound through the southern part of Mimi’s property. There were footpaths along the river.
Those trails also snaked through the woods and eventually led to Mimi’s farmhouse. Ben and Papa had built several log foot bridges that crossed the river in Mimi’s woods.

  Dan and Aila had brought the dead mother dog and pups here for burial after Mimi left to take the kids to the clinic. Behind the proper cemetery, and past a huge pile of deadfall trees, was a spot the locals used as the final resting place for their pets. Somewhere up here was Papa’s dog Wallace who had died when Ben was just a toddler.

  Aila put her head on Dan’s shoulder and turned her face up to the noon sun filtering through the new buds on the tree branches. He had dirt on his shirt and was sweaty from digging the hole. She felt the grit on her cheek and she could smell him, and she didn’t mind either.

  She said, “You know they’re going to come back with a box with two puppies in it, right?”

  “Well, we’d better go find Wallace’s old food and water bowls,” he said, and then started to count with his fingers, “and buy collars, leashes, bones, treats, dog beds, squeaky toys, ID tags, tick meds, nail clippers, coat brushes, little tooth brushes, cases of paper towels, and carpet cleaner. Lots of carpet cleaner, and stop by Rockland Trust to take out a loan.”

  Aila started to say something, paused, and said, “Tooth brushes?”

  “Of course,” Dan said, “Your mom’s not gonna stand for tartar build up on their wee little teeth.”

  Aila shook her head and said, “I don’t want to be the heavy here,” which was a private joke. Dan was much lighter in the discipline department than Aila. She was just like her mother, flexible on the stuff that didn’t matter and yet very strict when it came to the important basics. She was also typically the practical one, like pointing out why it wasn’t a great idea for Dan and Ben to get a dirt bike while living in a brownstone in downtown Boston.

  “Assuming we’re okay with letting the kids get a dog,” Aila said, “I’m not sure a pair of orphaned mutts with God knows what kinds of ailments is a good idea.”

  Dan looked at the dirt under his nails and the bedsheet rolled up on his wife’s lap.

  He put his arm around her and said, “They don’t have anyone, Aila. Those poor little pups are all alone and that tough damn mother of theirs literally fought tooth and nail to keep them alive and give them a fighting chance. She brought them to us. The farm’s out in the middle of nowhere, and she brought them to us. They deserve a chance and our overprotective, OCD kids and that crazy doting mother of yours are just the fools they might need right now. I’m not saying it’s a-”

  Aila turned and her kiss cut him off. It was a long, wet kiss. As the kiss continued she scooched him to the center of the bench and straddled him with the folded burial shroud between them, and wrapped her arms around his neck. She kissed him for a long while, using techniques with her lips and tongue that usually led to something more. As the kiss slowed to lip nibbling she said, “You, Mr. Hogan, are the most wonderful, infuriatingly compassionate man I know.”

  “Not in front of your dad,” Dan said.

  She bit his lip and rolled off him with her legs still draped over his lap and her arms around his neck. Touching foreheads she said, “I love you.”

  “And I’ll bet you’re gonna love two little black puppies pretty soon, too,” he said.

  “Let’s just say we keep them, how’s that gonna work?” she said, “They’re going to need constant care for a while and Mom’s awesome, but it’s not fair to sign her up for doing it all by herself.”

  “Yeah, well I’ve been thinking about that,” Dan said as he traced a circle on her leg with a dirty finger. “Mom was right about Ben when she said he was bored. He’s certainly not happy at school, and he’s only got two weeks left, and she loves having him around, especially now. So why don’t we let Ben stay with mom to help her with the pups? He’s got all A’s and he won’t miss a thing. I mean, shit, he almost got expelled anyway.”

  Dan could see his wife’s brow working, but not having met with any initial resistance he continued, “Kelcy comes home and finishes out the year, and helps us pack up the house. I know she loves her brother and all that but she may actually enjoy a few final weeks at school without worrying about who she has to pounce on to protect Ben. We’ll be coming down on the weekends, and with the move we’d even probably be here some weeknights.”

  “I am not going to win this one, am I?” Aila asked as she looked up at him.

  “I doubt it,” Dan said, “You’d be fine against just me but you throw those other wackos into the mix and you’re essentially doomed, and don’t discount those two little black faces, either. They pretty much put the final nails in your coffin…sorry Papa.”

  Chapter 22

  Dr. D walked into her office and dropped her clipboard on the desk next to Doug’s feet. He was in her chair playing with a model of a dog’s jaw. He had the jaw clamped around his neck. She gave him a look and dropped her large backside into one of the seats opposite the desk. The backside didn’t have far to drop, she was only four feet ten.

  “Fucking sorry about that,” he said, “how was I supposed to know you had Cujo in there?”

  “So the thunderous barking was of no clue to you?” she said softly in her strong accent.

  Doug ignored her and said, “That old bitch stole my dog.”

  Dr. D tilted her head with a confused look. “What the hell are you saying about?” she said.

  “I am saying about that Irish bitch had a pair of little black pups in a box,” he replied, “and those pups came out of a dog that escaped from my kennel. I want my dog back, and I want those fucking pups.”

  “Mrs. Walker is Scottish, not Irish, and the mother dog is dead,” she said, “Are you sure you want to make a big stinky about two pups who are premature, underweight, and likely not going to live out the week?”

  Doug ignored her again and said, “I need more stuff.” He pulled Jerry’s list from his pocket and held it up, waiting for her to stand and lean over the desk to take it.

  “This is a crazy amount,” she said as she read down the list, “I don’t think I have this much here.”

  “Order it, borrow it, steal it. I don’t give a flying fuck. How long will it take to get in?” he asked.

  “Three days, maybe four,” she replied.

  “Good,” he said as he got up and walked to the door, “And I need another script filled, the same stuff, but three hundred pills this time.”

  Dr. D looked up from the list and said, “You are joking with me. That amount will start to get us noticed.”

  Doug actually took note of the serious tone and look on her face. “Okay,” he said, “Let’s not be stupid, make it two hundred.”

  She rolled her eyes at him and threw up her hands. “Oh, so much better,” she said.

  He just smiled at her, and left the office.

  Doug walked down the hallway and into the lobby. As he passed the reception desk Ronnie looked up from scribbling her notes. He gave her a slow head to toe going over, pausing at her chest before winking and heading out the door.

  Ronnie shook her head, flipped his back the bird, and went back to writing out the formula for Jean’s pups.

  Dr. D quietly closed the office door and slid into her chair. She opened the top drawer of her desk and put the list in, closed it, and folded her arms over her chest. She started rocking back and forth and fought back tears as she looked at the blotter calendar on her desk. If she were still at home she would be celebrating Buddha’s birthday with her family. They would get up early to help decorate the temple and prepare a vegetarian feast. They would sing, and dance, and laugh, and nothing would be killed on this day. She closed her eyes and dreamt of home, and the party she was missing. She thought about friends and family that were about as far away as they could possibly be from the South Shore of Massachusetts.

  Chapter 23

  She had been called Dr. D since her first internship as a veterinary doctor. The residents she worked with had grown tired of her constantly
correcting their pronunciation of Dalaja D'Souza. Dalaja didn’t understand their surly attitude about it, and what she assumed to be simple laziness and lack of care in learning to say it properly. Even the department heads quickly adopted the abbreviation. The shortening of her name would have been a form of disrespect back home, and there were many other things about Dalaja’s adopted country she didn’t understand. She still struggled to grasp American’s strange attitudes and idiosyncrasies, even after almost a decade in the states.

  She grew up in eastern India. Her father was a highly respected professor at the theological college, and her mother an equally respected surgeon. They had provided a fine education for Dalaja and her three older sisters, and insisted they come to America to finish their graduate and doctoral studies. Her sisters had all gone to NYU and Dalaja followed suit, but unlike her sisters she struggled in school, and in New York. Her siblings seemed to easily balance their cultures and effectively mixed their conservative upbringing with the permissiveness of the states. Dalaja struggled with the clash, and her sisters called her an ABCD; American Born Confused Desi. Of course Dalaja had not been born in the states but she was having an acute case of the same struggle common among her sisters’ many Indian-American friends.

  She had been very shy and extremely sheltered as a child, much more so than her sisters. She had not been exposed to very much of the current culture and certainly not western culture. She made friends slowly and missed home greatly, where her sisters seemed to easily find pals and boyfriends, and careers. They moved to nice homes in different cities and started families, much to her parent’s delight.

  Dalaja had no delusions about some of her challenges. She was by far the least attractive of the D’Souza girls. Where her sisters were tall and slender and ate like hummingbirds, Dalaja had an obsession with sweets. She never missed a meal or passed up seconds, and she had always been a big girl. Where her sisters were frequently being chased, Dalaja had never had a boy court her and friends seemed equally hard to come by.