“Rosita!” Happy tears spilled down Luisa’s cheeks. She grabbed Rosita under her front legs and held her out so she could look her in the eye. Rosita’s short back legs dangled in the air. “I knew you’d be all right. You’re one tough pup.”
“Are we happy to see you,” Matt said, poking the dog gently in the belly. “You scared us!”
Rosita let out a long yawping sigh in reply. Scout barked to get her attention, and Rosita wriggled out of Luisa’s hands so she could focus entirely on him. She lay down at his feet and rolled onto her back. Scout nuzzled her belly and sniffed at her, trying to piece together, by scent, everything that had happened to her in the last few hours.
Seeing the two dogs together filled Matt’s heart with happiness. For the first time since Rosita had run off the day before, he felt like he could really exhale. Luisa wiped her tears on the back of her hand and grinned from ear to ear. Satisfied that Rosita was safe and sound, Scout lay down on the ground next to the smaller dog. Rosita climbed halfway up his side, her front paws on his chest. She yipped at Scout and ducked her head, trying to get him to play.
“Hola,” a soft voice said from behind them. Matt and Luisa turned to see a young girl, probably about nine years old. Matt could tell from her red eyes that she’d just been crying. She smiled shyly at them and gave them a little wave. “Yo soy Isabel.”
“Hola, Isabel,” Matt said. “Yo soy Matt.”
“Yo soy Luisa.” Luisa gestured toward Rosita. She spoke to Isabel in Spanish and translated the girl’s replies for Matt. “Is this your dog?”
Isabel nodded. “Yes. That’s Paleta.” Tears filled her eyes again. “That’s my dog.” At the sound of Isabel’s voice, Rosita—Paleta—scrambled off Scout and ran over to her, wagging her tail so hard it practically lifted her back end off the ground. “She’s been missing since the storm. I thought—” At this, Isabel burst into tears. “I thought she was gone forever!”
Isabel picked up Paleta and squeezed her so tightly that the dog let out a little squeak. In turn, Paleta licked the tears from Isabel’s cheeks, which made the girl giggle and squeeze her even tighter.
Luisa flashed a bittersweet smile. “She’s back now, right where she belongs. And she’s not going anywhere this time.”
Isabel closed her eyes and pressed her cheek to the dog’s. “It’s better than my birthday.” She sighed.
Matt thought about how he’d feel if Scout disappeared into thin air. Just the thought of it was like a punch to the gut, and he wouldn’t wish that fear and sadness on anyone. He also knew how amazing it would be if Scout just suddenly reappeared as quickly as he’d gone. That’s what Isabel was feeling right at that moment—the roller coaster of emotions that ended in overwhelming relief and joy.
Matt felt two equally strong and clear—and contradictory—emotions at the same moment. He was ecstatic to play a small part in bringing Isabel and Paleta back together . . . but he was crushed that Luisa would have to say good-bye to the pup she had hoped would be with her forever.
Rosita wasn’t going to be Luisa’s dog after all—something Luisa had worried about all along.
There was a lump in Matt’s throat. His heart was breaking for his friend, but he tried to focus on what he knew was right.
Rosita and Isabel belonged together. There was no other way.
He thought about Luisa’s face when she looked at Rosita—the love and affection written there. He thought about how Luisa had described Rosita’s injuries and how bravely the little dog had faced her time at the shelter, healing. He pictured Rosita’s proud, sweet face the day he met her. He thought about how upset Luisa had looked every time Rosita had taken off and run away.
Now, at least, they knew where she had been going.
Luisa smiled at Isabel.
“All this time, she was trying so hard to get back home to you,” she said.
24
ISABEL, LUISA, AND MATT walked side by side toward Isabel’s house as Scout and Paleta ran ahead of them.
“The day of the storm, we were all hiding at my grandmother’s house,” Isabel said. “It was so scary—” She shook her head, as if to clear the memories.
“I know,” Luisa said, putting her arm around the girl’s shoulders. “It was terrible.”
“There were no lights and it was so loud . . . everything was really confusing. Paleta was there and then all of a sudden she was just gone. The next day, when the storm was over, I couldn’t go look for her. My mami wouldn’t let me leave the house because it was too dangerous. I kept thinking that I would try to find her, but our town has been so bad . . . I couldn’t leave.”
Matt looked around. For the first time he noticed that there wasn’t a single light on in any of the homes, and there was no sound other than people talking. There was no music playing, no talk radio or TV shows, no ding of a microwave.
“You still don’t have electricity?” he asked in English. Luisa posed the question to Isabel in Spanish.
Isabel shook her head. “We almost ran out of water and food too, but a truck came and delivered some.”
Matt couldn’t wrap his head around everything this little girl had gone through. He didn’t think he could handle half of what she’d experienced—especially if, the entire time, Scout was missing.
And what if Scout were missing but Matt was trapped—unable to go out and look for him because the whole world around him had been turned upside down?
“I cried every day,” Isabel said. “I didn’t know if she was okay—I was so scared that something bad had happened to her. I thought maybe . . . you know . . .”
She didn’t need to finish the sentence.
“Did you take care of her?” Isabel asked Luisa, taking her hand.
Luisa squeezed Isabel’s hand and nodded. “Someone found her after the storm. She was hurt pretty badly.”
Isabel winced.
“They brought her to the shelter where I work,” Luisa went on, skipping over the details of Paleta’s injuries. “She had a broken leg, but we fixed her right up and she was never alone there, I promise. She had lots of other dogs to play with, and the doctor took really good care of her, and I played with her almost every day. We really loved—love—her.”
Isabel stopped and turned to Luisa. “Thank you,” she said. “Everything was bad. But now it’s better because of you. Maybe things will feel more normal now, for my mami and papi, too.”
“You have a very special dog—do you know that, Isabel? Because that’s how I felt when I met Ros—I mean, Paleta. It was the first time I thought everything might be okay again.” She took both of Isabel’s hands and crouched down so she could look the girl in the eye. “Everything will be normal again, I promise. We will get our home back.”
Isabel nodded solemnly, then wrapped her arms around Luisa’s neck. The girls held on tightly to each other, and Luisa stroked Isabel’s hair. Scout and Paleta wandered back over to them. Paleta wedged her way between Luisa and Isabel.
“Awwwww!” the girls said in unison.
Scout sat down next to Matt, and Matt put his hand on Scout’s head. He scratched the soft spot in front of each ear. Scout closed his eyes and let out a contented little wheeze.
Isabel stood up and pointed to a house across the street. “That’s my house,” she said. “My parents are going to be so happy to see Paleta—I want to surprise them. Can you stay here with her?”
Luisa and Matt nodded.
“I’ll go get them, and they can drive you home.” Isabel turned to her dog. “Paleta,” she said, “siéntate. Quieta.” Paleta sat, but whimpered as she watched Isabel walk away.
They stood in silence for a second. Matt didn’t want to acknowledge what he and Luisa both knew.
This was good-bye.
He took a deep breath and got down on the ground. “Hey,” he said. Paleta tore her eyes away from Isabel’s back and looked up at him. She instantly broke into a happy dance, her mouth open in a smile and her tongue out. Scout walked
over, and he and Paleta pressed their foreheads together. Luisa sat down cross-legged, and the four of them huddled up.
Matt didn’t know what to say. He’d only known Paleta for a short time, but he already felt so attached to her—like she’d been with him for years.
“Hey, sweet girl,” he said, holding Paleta in one arm and cupping her chin with his free hand. “Thanks for hanging out with me. You’re an amazing pup, you know that?” Paleta responded by nipping playfully at Matt’s hand and looking up at him while she gently gnawed on his thumb. “I’m going to miss you.”
Scout snuffled at Paleta and licked her face a few times. He whimpered and whined, as if he knew that this was the last time he would ever see her. Paleta placed a paw on his head and left it there.
It was Luisa’s turn. Matt got up and he and Scout walked a few feet away, giving them some space. Matt couldn’t hear her words, but Luisa spoke to Paleta for a long while and rocked her like a baby. Paleta’s lids got heavy and her whole body relaxed.
Something in Matt’s chest clicked back into place as he watched them, and the heavy sadness he felt got lighter. Isabel wouldn’t have to worry anymore. That was worth leaving Paleta behind.
Luisa came over, Paleta curled up in her arms. A thought occurred to Matt. “Hey,” he asked Luisa, “what does Paleta mean, anyway?”
A huge grin crossed Luisa’s face.
“What is it?” Matt couldn’t help but smile back.
Luisa tried to say it out loud, but she couldn’t speak while fighting her laughter. Finally, with a loud guffaw, she blurted it out: “Lollipop.”
Their loud cackles bounced off the torn-up houses and splintered trees and caved-in rooftops, carrying all the worry and sadness in the world right up into the bright blue sky.
25
THE RIDE HOME WAS BUMPY AND LONG. Isabel’s mom, Nayeli, had to steer them around busted couches and teetering piles of plywood and scrap metal. She had to drive their truck through puddles that rose up the sides of the tires. Even when they drove on a two-lane paved road, there were patches of missing asphalt that she had to avoid.
Matt got a cell signal as soon as they dropped down into the valley. He reached his mom and held the phone away from his ear as she let him know how worried she had been—and exactly how she felt about his extended absence.
When they pulled onto base, it was already lunchtime. Matt’s mom and Luisa’s parents and brother were waiting for them outside Luisa’s house. Isabel’s mom held out her hand to shake Ric’s, but instead of taking it he pulled her into a hug and thanked her for bringing the kids home.
“Your daughter saved our dog,” Nayeli said. “We thought she was gone forever . . .” She trailed off. “Your kids,” she said to Matt’s mom and Luisa’s parents, “traveled so far to bring her home. You have no idea how much joy they have brought back to my family.”
Matt’s mom and Sonia both had tears running down their cheeks, and Matt thought he saw something dewy in Ric’s eyes too.
“Whatever you need,” Ric said to Nayeli, “I am always here to help you.” He ran to his truck and came back with a canister of gasoline. Nayeli held out her hands to say no, but Ric walked to the side of her car, opened the gas cap, and began refilling her tank.
Sonia held out a stuffed bag of groceries. Nayeli tried to say no to that too, but Sonia wasn’t having it. She opened the passenger-side door and dropped the bag onto the seat, then came around the truck and gave Nayeli another hug.
“We’re going to come to your town next to help you, I promise,” Matt’s mom said, joining the women in their embrace.
“Gracias,” the women said over and over to each other until they all laughed.
When Isabel’s mom had driven away, the two families stood together silently.
“It’s okay, Mom,” Matt finally said. “I know you’re angry. And you should be.”
“I am,” she said, her lips pressed firmly together and her hands on her hips. “But—and I don’t know if Ric and Sonia will agree with me on this—I also understand why you did what you did. I don’t like it, but I get it.”
Matt nodded. His stomach churned, but somehow he gathered up the courage to raise his head and look Sonia and Ric in the eye. “Please don’t be mad at Luisa,” he pleaded with them. “I’m so sorry about this—I really am. But it’s my fault, not hers. It was my idea to foster Rosita, because I thought maybe if you got to know her, you’d let Luisa keep her.”
Ric and Sonia looked at their daughter, then at each other.
Once he had started, Matt couldn’t stop. “Luisa didn’t think it was a good idea, but I insisted. And then when we realized the dog had a family somewhere, I was the one who wanted to go after Rosita—I mean, Paleta.”
Ric glared at him. Sonia looked away. Luisa stared at the ground.
A tiny giggle broke the uncomfortable silence. Emanuel, Luisa’s little brother, pushed his way out from behind Ric’s and Sonia’s legs. “Wait.” He giggled again. “The dog you found was named Paleta?”
It took every ounce of willpower Matt and Luisa had to hold back their laughter. Matt didn’t dare look over at her. He knew if they made eye contact, they would both lose it.
“What does that mean?” Matt’s mom asked. “Why’s it so funny?”
No one answered for a second, until finally Ric opened his mouth to speak. But instead of a word, out came a snort so loud it took them all by surprise. Matt couldn’t believe his eyes: Ric was laughing. And not just snickering. Tears ran down his cheeks, his whole body shook, and he couldn’t speak or take a breath. Sonia couldn’t fight it. Cracking up, she put a hand on Matt’s mom’s shoulder and managed to squeak out one word: “Lollipop.”
Matt’s mom doubled over, and soon they all stood there cackling their heads off while Scout stared at them like they had lost their minds.
Matt’s sides were sore from laughing.
“I’m sorry about Paleta,” Matt’s mom said, managing to keep a straight face. “I’m sorry you had to give her back. Luisa, I know how much you loved her.”
“It’s okay, Colonel Tackett,” Luisa said. “She’s where she belongs. She’s supposed to be with Isabel, not with me.” Ric and Sonia stepped over to Luisa, enveloping her in a family embrace. She cried softly into their arms.
Matt’s mom reached over and hugged him tightly. “You’re a sweet boy,” she said into the top of his head. “Even if you make me completely insane.”
26
THE DOGS INSIDE THE SHELTER WERE barking like crazy. They jumped up on their hind legs, their tails wagging wildly, and jammed their noses through the bars. Scout and Matt’s mom went over to say hi to each and every one of them as Matt wondered what was going through the dogs’ minds. He imagined it was some version of Please please please can you take me home with you—I’ll be a good dog! or Are your pockets full of kibble?
He was less sure about what Ric and Sonia were thinking. He couldn’t read the expressions on their faces as they stepped into the shelter and took in the stacks of empty food bags, tied-up bags of trash, piles of wadded-up newspapers . . . and dogs. More and more dogs.
“Puppies!” Emanuel shouted. He ran to the indoor cages and squatted down next to the lowest one. A fluffy white nugget of a dog hopped up and did a happy dance at the sight of him, and Emanuel squealed with delight.
“Here it is,” Luisa said nervously, holding her arms out wide.
Ric pressed his lips together. Sonia crossed her arms and spun in a slow circle, running her eyes over every inch of the place.
“Hola.” Dr. Correa came over and greeted the Dávilas warmly. They chatted in Spanish, and the vet led them on a tour of the facility.
“Emanuel,” Sonia said over her shoulder, “vámonos.” He scurried to her side, and the little white dog whimpered sadly as she watched him go.
“It’s going to be okay,” Matt said softly to Luisa.
“What if they never let me come back here again?” Luisa’s eyes filled w
ith tears. “That would be the worst.”
Scout sidled up and leaned against Luisa’s leg, looking up at her sweetly.
“See—even Scout says it’s going to be fine,” Matt said.
“I hope you guys are right.”
Matt’s mom came inside. “Those dogs out there are a great bunch,” she said. “There are a couple I’d even consider for my training program.”
“Really, Colonel Tackett?” Luisa’s eyes lit up. “That’s amazing.”
Dr. Correa and Luisa’s family circled back toward them.
“And we couldn’t have done any of that without her help,” Dr. Correa was saying in English. “She showed up rain or shine and did the dirty work like it was nothing.” She turned and winked at Luisa. “Your daughter is very special,” she said to Ric and Sonia. “She has a special gift with animals—not everyone has that. But every great vet does.”
Ric and Sonia were quiet. Ric had his hands on his hips and was staring at the floor, deep in thought. Sonia walked over to the cages and held up her hand to a sleepy cocoa-colored puppy. The dog raised its head and sniffed at her knuckles, then gave them a lick through the bars. Sonia smiled and whispered an endearment under her breath.
Luisa and Matt stood shoulder to shoulder and waited.
“I’ll leave you guys to it,” Dr. Correa said. She headed back to a terrier-size brown dog with big bat ears and a swoop of black down her forehead, who sat waiting patiently for her on an exam table.
“That dog looks a lot like Rosita,” Luisa said sadly.
Rosita. Just the thought of her sent a pang through Matt’s chest. He couldn’t imagine how it felt for Luisa to picture her sweet, goofy face.
“You nursed that dog back to health?” Ric asked Luisa. “What did you call her—Rosita?”
Storm Dog Page 10