The Art of Wag

by Susan C. Daffron

  Tracy put down her suitcase and started making an effort to pick up the items on the floor and put them away. As she unearthed a path through the room, she sniffed repeatedly, trying to isolate where the noxious odors were emanating from. The smell of decomposing food seemed to be stronger as she approached the kitchen. Tracy got a garbage bag out of a cabinet and dealt with the detritus of past meals. That helped tone down some of the olfactory ills, but there was still an underlying aroma of something dead.

  She walked over to the laundry pile in the corner and noticed a few of her t-shirts had been scattered, like someone had been digging. Tracy hadn’t had a chance to do her laundry at her parents’ house or the laundromat lately. The laundromat was no fun and it was easy to think up excuses not to go. But like most dachshunds, Roxy loved to dig. Maybe Tracy had put off laundry day a little too long this time. She grabbed another garbage bag and started throwing the dirty clothes into it, one by one. And there at the bottom of the pile, she found the body. Thanks Roxy.

  After disposing of the expired rodent in the dumpster behind the store and washing her hands three or four times, Tracy called Kat, who said it was fine to pick up Roxy any time. Now that the floor was visible again, Tracy had certainly done enough cleaning for one day, anyway.

  The Turd was less than enthusiastic about starting again, but Tracy finally got it going and wound her way out to the sticks. As the car clunked down Kat’s driveway, she hoped everything had gone okay. Kat had made it sound like all was well on the phone, but Tracy wasn’t looking forward to seeing Kat’s mother again, since mother and daughter obviously didn’t get along.

  Tracy parked the car under a tree, where it belched out some smoke and convulsed a few times before finally settling into silence. Maybe it was time for a tune-up.

  Joel emerged from an outbuilding and waved at her. “Hi, Tracy. I’m sure you know this, but your car seems to have a problem.”

  Tracy’s eyes widened as she appraised his appearance. Joel had gotten a haircut and shaved. Holy moly, he was good-looking again. Given that she hadn’t had a date in a while, it was difficult not to stare. Or swoon. When he smiled, he was incredibly cute. His forest-green eyes made her want to start down some R-rated mental pathways. Oops. Kat’s boyfriend. Don’t go there.

  He raised his eyebrows. “Are you okay?”

  Tracy nodded. “I’m fine.” Working all the time was really putting a crimp in her social life.

  Joel motioned toward the house. “Roxy is inside with Kat. I’m sure she’ll be glad to see you.”

  “Thanks.” Tracy turned toward the steps and looked back over her shoulder. Joel was bending down to pick up some lumber. Nice. She tripped over a root and caught herself before she crash-landed on the ground. Wow, she really needed to get out more.

  She knocked on the door. Kat opened it and Roxy was standing next to her, barking furiously. Tracy bent down to collect her little dog in her arms. “How’s my brave defender? I found the gift you left for me in my laundry. That really wasn’t necessary.” Roxy wagged, squirmed, and tried to lick her face.

  Kat waved toward the house. “Come on in. Do you want something to drink or anything?”

  “No, I’m fine. Was Roxy good?”

  “Yes. No problems.”

  Tracy looked down the stairwell. Kat’s mother was coming up the stairs. “Hi, Mrs. Stevens. It’s nice to see you again.”

  Mary grimaced. Maybe it was her version of a smile. “Hello. It appears Roxy is pleased you have returned.”

  Tracy put Roxy on the ground. The dog circled her happily, obviously ready to head back home. “Yes. Thank you for taking care of her.”

  “I think you should be more careful about her diet.” Mary frowned. “Small dogs like Roxy are prone to gaining weight.”

  “Actually, I work at the vet clinic here in town, so I know all about that.” Tracy looked at Kat, who was standing with her hands clasped in front of her, a resigned expression on her face. “The fat dog chat is one of Dr. C’s favorite speeches. She talks to owners about the risks of obesity a lot.”

  “Hmmph.” Mary scowled. “I’m just worried about the dog’s health.”

  Kat said, “I’m going to go ask Joel to get the crate for us.”

  Tracy turned and picked up her dog again. “I’ll put Roxy in the car.”

  The two women and Roxy hurriedly went outside. Tracy busied herself ensconcing Roxy in the back seat of the car while Kat walked over to the outbuilding to talk to Joel. Tracy slammed the car door, stood up, and saw Joel say something to Kat, stroke her cheek, and kiss her tenderly. So much for R-rated fantasies. Sure, she knew he was taken, but he was really taken. They were like teenagers in an after-school special or something. Ugh. Why was it that when she was utterly dateless, everyone else in the world was in love?

  Kat and Joel walked hand in hand, back toward Tracy. Kat stopped next to Tracy as Joel continued on up the steps to the house. Kat shook her head. “I’m really sorry about my mother. She can be sort of opinionated.”

  Tracy waved toward the backseat of the car. “So can Roxy.”

  “I think they’re best friends now; it’s sort of cute. I had to go out...somewhere...and my mother made Roxy a pillow fort.”

  “Really?”

  “She was worried Roxy might fall off the bed and hurt herself.”

  “Aww, that’s adorable.” Tracy smiled. “She really did take good care of her.”

  The door opened and Joel came outside with the crate. He stowed it in the back of the car and stood next to Kat. He pointed at The Turd and said to Tracy, “You really should get your car looked at. I’m guessing that at a minimum, it needs new spark plugs.”

  Tracy paused as she opened the driver’s side door. “Oh, it needs way more than that. And it’s cloudy today. This car is old and sensitive to weather like an old guy with rheumatism in his knees. Unless I get a new car, you won’t have to worry about seeing me this winter because I’ll be walking everywhere.”

  Kat sat on the front steps of the house next to Joel and watched as Tracy’s car sputtered down the driveway. “What is wrong with that thing? I didn’t think she was going to get it started again.”

  “The possibilities are numerous and probably expensive. I’m impressed she got it going. For a minute, I thought we were going to end up with another house guest.”

  “She and the car seem to have an understanding, particularly about meteorological conditions.”

  He tilted his head back and looked up at the dreary gray sky. “Talk about a fair-weather friend.”

  Kat poked him in the ribs. “Very funny. So are you coming inside? It’s almost dark. I know I asked about the door, but you really don’t have to work on the Tessa Hut all day. Aren’t you cold? It’s so damp out here.”

  “I’ve got gloves. And there are advantages to being outside. For one thing, your mother is inside. Have you found out when she’s leaving yet?”

  “No. Maybe we can delicately inquire at dinner. She seems pretty settled in, though.” Mary had a way of moving into a space and taking it over. Like a virus.

  “Yeah, I noticed. That’s what I’m worried about. Her big suitcase weighs about four-hundred pounds. Have you heard anything from your family at home?”

  “Not a peep. Would you say anything if she went on an extended vacation?” Kat’s sisters had probably been partying hard since Mary left.

  “Good point.”

  Kat stood up and turned to go inside. “Coming?”

  “I’ll be there in a minute. I need to go put stuff away before it gets dark and I can’t find it anymore.”

  “Don’t leave me in there alone for too long.”

  “She’s your mother.”

  “Don’t remind me.”

  Joel strolled off toward the Tessa Hut. Kat sighed and continued up the stairs. She went inside and dealt with the pet-feeding program, much to the joy and delight of all the canine and feline residents.

  Mary stood in the doorway of Kat�
��s office and watched as Kat herded all the dogs back downstairs for their post-dinner nap. “You seem to have quite a system for that.”

  “Yes. Usually the dogs spend more time upstairs, but I know how you feel about fur in your food.”

  “I think I made that quite clear last night.”

  “Yes. So they’ll be down here.” Kat turned to go back up the stairs and held the gate at the bottom open for her mother. “I need to figure out what we’re having for dinner.”

  Mary walked through the gate and marched up the steps. Kat closed it and followed her. The same question kept repeating in her mind like a loop: when was her mother leaving?

  Joel came in the front door and almost ran into Mary at the top of the stairs. “Oops. Sorry.”

  “You’re so tall and gangly. Men are always in the way.”

  Joel arched a single eyebrow at Kat. She shook her head minutely and said to Mary, “It looks like you’re almost done with the quilts.”

  “Yes. I need you to get some dowels for me so I can hang them up. You have nothing on the walls here. Tomorrow I am going to look through more of the boxes in that little room.”

  Joel said, “I can pick up some dowels at the hardware store tomorrow. I have to go there anyway to get some supplies for the door.”

  Mary turned to glare up at his face, but didn’t reply.

  Kat said. “Looking through the boxes might be interesting. By the way, there’s a box of photographs in the bedroom closet. You might enjoy looking through those too.”

  Mary turned and gave Kat a sharp look. “I certainly don’t think so.”

  After Mary turned away from her, Kat crossed her eyes, contorted her face, and stuck out her tongue at Joel, who smirked in response. What the heck? “Oh-kaaay. So what do you have planned for tomorrow, Mother? I actually need to use my computer in my office because I have an article deadline coming up. I’m sorry to infringe on your space, but I really need to work on the article.”

  Mary sat down at the table. “Weren’t you listening? I told you. I am going to clean out that bedroom. You can move that machine.”

  Kat and Joel busied themselves chopping vegetables for dinner while Mary leafed through an old magazine that was sitting on the table. She put it down and the slick paper hit the table with a loud slap. “Do you really read about computers? How tedious. Isn’t there anything else to read here?”

  Kat turned from the cutting board and leaned back on the counter. “I have some novels, but they aren’t the kind of stuff you read.”

  “I certainly do not read that trash you do.”

  “You could go to the library. For a small town, it’s got a great selection.”

  “I don’t think so.” Mary folded her hands in her lap. “I want to talk to you. Alone. Perhaps tomorrow you could stay here instead of disappearing.”

  Joel whacked the cutting board with the knife extra loudly and Kat looked at him to make sure he still had all of his digits. She said to her mother, “I’m not going anywhere, but I do have to write that article.”

  After they sat down to dinner, Mary looked at the plate. “Is this Chinese food? She poked at something with her fork. “What is that loathsome-looking white thing?”

  Kat paused and put down her chopsticks. “It’s just rice and veggies with tofu. I’m a vegetarian, remember?”

  “Tofu? How revolting.”

  “Feel free to eat around it. Tofu rarely contaminates the other parts of the meal with evil cooties.”

  Mary frowned, poked at an offending block, and shoved it to the side of the plate. “Perhaps you can feed it to the dogs.”

  Joel smiled. “I’m sure they’d like that. They think bean curd is great stuff.”

  Mary shifted her gaze toward him. “I want to talk to you too.”

  Kat picked up her chopsticks and pushed some veggies around. She knew that tone. This was going to go downhill fast. “I have ice cream for dessert if anyone wants it.”

  Mary ignored Kat’s comment and turned to Joel. “How did you meet my daughter?”

  Joel looked momentarily taken aback then replied evenly, “My sister Cindy was hired to walk the dogs here after Abigail died. The first time I met Kat, I was with my sister who was having trouble with her car.”

  “And then you figured you could just move in here and freeload?”

  Kat covered her mouth with her hand and watched as Joel’s expression shifted to what his sister termed, “Spock face.” When he was extremely annoyed he tended to take on an eerie calm instead of flying off the handle as Kat was likely to do. More than once she had been in awe of his level of control.

  Joel put down his chopsticks and leaned forward slightly toward Mary and said quietly, “There was quite a bit more to it than that.”

  Mary scowled. “I can only imagine.”

  “I doubt you can.”

  Kat stood up quickly. “Wow. This sure has been fun. Mother, maybe we could talk about this later?”

  Joel grabbed his plate and left the table. “If you’ll excuse me, I have some work to do.”

  After Joel went downstairs to his office, Kat turned to her mother. “You really know how to clear a room. No wonder we stopped eating together when I was growing up.”

  Later, Kat had fallen asleep reading in bed when she was awakened by Joel crawling in next to her. He pushed her hair aside and nuzzled the back of her neck. She rolled over, put her arms around his neck, and kissed him. “Welcome. I guess you’re not mad anymore?”

  He whispered in her ear, “I wasn’t mad at you.”

  “You didn’t miss much. I did dishes and my mother gave me the evil eye for a while, which seemed to make her feel better.”

  “Did you explain how we got together?”

  “Yes. But she was not impressed with the story. She is convinced you are a scuzzy freeloader after my vast fortune.”

  Joel tickled her waist with both hands. “Yup. That’s me. I’m a gold digger.”

  Kat squeaked and tried to stifle her laughter as she squirmed away from him. “Cut that out! I already have cramps.”

  He stopped tickling, flattened his palms against her ribs, and looked into her eyes. “Really?”

  “Yes.” She hugged him. “As Maria would say, Aunt Flo has arrived at the station.”

  “Maria has a way with words. I think I’ll pick up a calendar when I go to town tomorrow.”

  Kat giggled and kissed him. “Good idea.”

  Tracy spent the rest of her weekend doing laundry. Time with the other citizens of Alpine Grove who did not have their own laundry facilities tended to make her cranky as she reacquainted herself with the nuances of laundromat etiquette. On the other hand, Roxy had fewer places to bury her little lifeless gifts now. And having a big stack of clean underwear in her dresser drawer gave Tracy a sense of security. All was right with the world. Plus, she could stop hand-washing panties in the sink for a while.

  Monday morning, Tracy arrived at the vet clinic a little early. The morning routine went more quickly when all her clothes were clean and either in the dresser or the closet. Tracy stood at the front desk and looked over the schedule to see what she’d missed. It was looking like an easy day. A few pets getting dropped off for neutering and some basic appointments for annual exams and shots. Easy-peasy. Relieved that there didn’t appear to be anything unusual ahead of her today, Tracy busied herself cleaning kennels and getting everything set up for Dr. Cassidy.

  The vet arrived a few minutes later and unlocked the front door of the clinic. People started dropping off animals and the day revved up to full steam. The phone rang and Tracy ran to the front desk to answer it. “Alpine Grove Veterinary Clinic.”

  A rich, deep voice on the other end of the line said, “Is this the vet?”

  Why did people always ask that? “Yes, this is the Alpine Grove Veterinary Clinic. May I help you?”

  “My buddy and I were out in the woods and his dog hurt himself. The dog—Max—he’s bleeding and we need to bring him
in. It’s bad. Where are you?”

  “We’re in downtown Alpine Grove.” Tracy gave the man directions and got Dr. C on the line, so she could give him advice about caring for the dog on the way to the clinic. After the vet hung up the phone, Tracy said, “So much for your easy morning.”

  Dr. Cassidy put her hands in her lab coat pockets and sighed. “I know. ‘Tis the season for hunting-dog accidents.”

  Later, two men outfitted in camouflage gear came in with a blue-tick coonhound. A huskily built man with light-brown hair was carrying the large dappled black-and-white dog, which had floppy black ears and a big bandage wrapped around a rear leg. Both the dog and the man were filthy and looked extremely distressed. The second man was taller with black hair and brilliant blue eyes that looked almost electric, set off by the dirt smudges on his face. Tracy wrinkled her nose at the stench that followed them in through the door. It was a grotesque olfactory cocktail made up of campfire smoke, male sweat, and the nasty animal urine hunters doused themselves with to confuse whatever they were hunting.

  Tracy directed the group to the exam room and restrained the dog on the table while Dr. Cassidy took a look at the injury. The invisible stink cloud the men had carried into the small room with them reminded Tracy of Pig Pen in the Peanuts comic strip. Sure, Pig Pen was always surrounded by a dirt cloud, but neither Charlie Brown nor anyone else ever seemed to mention how Pig Pen must have smelled. Tracy had a pretty good idea now.

  The dog whimpered as the vet carefully removed the bandage. She gave the dog a shot and looked up at the men. “So can you tell me what happened to Max here?”

  At the sight of the wound, the shorter man gulped audibly. His face was pale and he looked queasy. Tracy nodded at the taller man. “Um. You might want to have Mr. Collins sit down outside.”

  The tall man looked over at his friend. “C’mon, Fred. Maybe it would be good if you waited in the lobby. I’ll tell them what happened.”

  “The bathroom is around the corner,” Tracy volunteered as they left the room.

  Dr. C gave Tracy a knowing smile. “Good call.”

  “I’m getting better at recognizing the barfers.”