Adopting Jenny Page 2

  Mom surveyed the area. “Looks good, girls,” she said.

  A knock at the door echoed through the house like thunder. Penny and I froze. Excitement shot through me, and I could feel the blood throbbing in my ears. Mom seemed too calm for the moment. The puppies are here. Shouldn’t she be running around or jumping up and down? Instead she smiled at us. Just smiled. A small smile that looked happy and satisfied.

  We trailed after her like baby ducks. Dad was standing at the door with a large cardboard box in his arms. The man he was talking to had a scruffy beard and thick glasses. I couldn’t hear what he was saying, but he was gesturing with his hands and grinning like a madman. I gazed past him into the gathering twilight. Where were the puppies? Were they still in his van?

  Mom joined them and peered into the box.

  “That’s where the puppies are,” Penny said in a soft voice.

  “Duh, I know,” I replied, but I hadn’t and that made me feel stupid. How could I have missed that fact?

  Penny inched closer to the small group, trying to get a look into the box. Her efforts were thwarted, however, when a groan came from Kaye in the living room.

  “Gross, Lee,” she said. “There’s no way I am changing this one, Mom. It’s running up his back. Ew. Ew. Ew. I think it’s in his hair. How did he poop in his hair?”

  Mom gave the man an apologetic smile and headed toward the living room. Dad half-turned toward Penny and me.

  “Penny, can you go get Jenny and take her to the breakfast nook?” he asked. Penny nodded and hurried off to find her. I stood still, hoping that Dad would put me in charge of the puppies. Instead, he turned back to the man. “Thank you for bringing them by… Todd. We’ll take good care of them.”

  Todd nodded vigorously, the ends of his beard bobbing. “Sue thinks you guys are the best. If anyone can make these dogs a family, it’s you guys. If you have any trouble, you give us a call in the morning.”

  As Todd jogged down the sidewalk to his van, Dad motioned toward the door with his chin. “Joanie, can you lock up?”

  I stared after Dad, chewing my lip in frustration. Then I shut the door with a satisfying thump and click of the lock. I gave the bottom a small kick too, just for good measure. Why did Dad have to give Penny a job like getting Jenny when all I got to do was lock the stupid door? I paused, embarrassment washing over me. I sounded like a six year old baby. Mentally I gave myself a quick shake. No twelve-year-old acted this way. And if I could show Mom and Dad how mature I was being with the whole situation, they would surely let me help.

  I trailed Dad into the kitchen and sat down at the table. A moment later, Penny brought Jenny in on her leash. The dog glanced warily at the table where the box of puppies rested before wagging her tail and following Penny into the breakfast nook. I craned my neck to see Jenny turn around several times before dropping to the makeshift bed.

  Mom reached a hand into the box to stroke the puppies, who had started to whimper. She sighed. “These guys are young, but I’m not sure they’re young enough to take to Jenny,” she said.

  “Can I help?” I asked. My stomach churned as I waited for the answer. The silence stretched on for what seemed like years while Mom looked from me to the puppies to Jenny. She was going to say no. I could just feel it. The corners of her mouth were turned down, not quite in a frown but just bordering on it. When she sighed again I felt my heart drop and disappointment flood through me. I had to blink hard to keep the tears from slipping out.

  “I’ll let you and Penny help for a while, but you have to do exactly as I say,” Mom replied.

  I suppressed a squeal. “I’ll do everything just like you say.”

  Mom picked up the box with surprising delicacy for something so heavy. She headed into the breakfast nook where Penny sat beside Jenny stroking her yellow fur. The dog raised her head just an inch or two off the bed when Mom knelt beside her.

  “It’s okay, sweet girl,” Mom said in a soft voice, the cooing tone not unlike what she used for Lee. “We’ve got some little ones here who need a new mama. You’ll like them. You’ll see.”

  She carefully lifted one of the puppies out of the box. Holding it gently, Mom transferred the puppy right beside Jenny’s face. The dog sat up and snuffled the little puppy that could barely open his eyes. Jenny gave him a small lick before settling back down. Satisfied that Jenny had accepted the puppy, Mom nestled the puppy beside a swollen nipple.

  We watched as the puppy fumbled about. He flicked his little tongue out of his mouth like a snake, but after several attempts he failed to latch on. Mom sighed and scooped the puppy back up. She lifted another from the box and repeated the process.

  Finally, as the last puppy failed to latch on to Jenny, Mom pressed the heels of her hands against her eyes. “Well, this is going to be a long night,” she said.

  Confused, I looked from Jenny to the box, and then back at Mom. “But they didn’t nurse,” I said. “Isn’t that it?”

  Penny asked, “What else can we do?”

  “Did you really expect it to work after one time?” Mom stood up. “Jenny isn’t their mother. We crossed a huge hurdle when she accepted all of them. Now we’ll have to keep trying to help them latch. Right now, though, we all need to get some food into these little guys.”

  I stood obediently and followed Mom into the kitchen. From a bag that the rescue people left, she pulled five small bottles. She mixed the replacement formula while humming off-tune.

  “Here, you girls each take a puppy and start feeding them,” Mom said. “I need to get some other supplies.”

  Picking up a bottle, Penny strode confidently into the breakfast nook, selected a puppy, and settled on the floor beside Jenny. The puppy mewled a little before suckling the bottle. For some reason, my stomach knotted as I peered into the box. One of the puppies stood up on his wobbly little legs and stumbled a few steps, bumping his head against the cardboard wall. I giggled.

  I pulled him into my arms. His furry little body nestled against my chest made me relax. I offered him the bottle and after a tense moment where he nuzzled the nipple, he latched on and gulped the milk.

  Penny and I sat in silence while we fed the puppies. When we had finished with the first two we selected two more and fed them as well. As Penny reached for the last puppy, Mom returned with a small lamp and a few other supplies.

  “What’s all that stuff?” Penny asked, setting the last puppy back into the box.

  Mom adjusted the lamp. “This is a heat lamp. Puppies this young can’t regulate their own body heat so this will help them stay warm. And this is Karo syrup.”

  I watched, fascinated, as Mom poured a tiny bit of the thick syrup into a small dish. She sucked up a bit of the liquid in a medicine dropper. She placed a small bit on one puppy's tongue, and then set the puppy near Jenny again. The puppy sniffed around a bit, but didn’t latch on.

  “They probably aren’t hungry,” I said. I tried to sound confident, but my voice faltered.

  Mom picked the puppy back up. She cuddled it against her, nuzzling it with her nose. “I suppose we’ll have to stay up all night, trying to get them to nurse. It’s going to be a long night," she said again and sighed.

  “Can I stay up?” I asked.

  “Me too?” Penny added.

  Mom frowned at us. “I don’t know, girls,” she said. I could hear the doubt in her voice and my heart sank. Then she continued, “I suppose it would be alright if you stayed up for a bit. We could work in shifts. Maybe Kaye would like to help too.”

  “I’ll go ask her,” Penny said.

  I watched my sister sprint from the room. She seemed as excited as I was, but I knew better than to get my hopes up too high. I knew better because the moment I let myself get too hopeful Dad would come and crush them into a million pieces.

  ****

  Four years earlier…

  The rescue people had called Mom again, practically begging her to foster a new dog. They swore up and down that he was the sweetest dog ever. He was good with kids. He was house broken. They knew that they would be able to place him with an adoptive family within the week.

  Mom consented because fostering animals was still new to her. She had gotten involved with the rescue agency just three days before my eighth birthday. So far we had only taken care of a few cats. None of them had stayed very long.

  So when the woman from the rescue agency had dropped off the little ten pound dog later that night, I was beside myself with delight.

  Mom said, “Let’s call him Buckley.”

  “Buckley?” Kaye said with a snort. “What kind of name is Buckley?”

  “Okay, Miss Smarty-pants, what would you name him?” Mom asked.

  Kaye smirked at her. “How about Mr. Ice Cream?”

  I burst out laughing, nearly choking on my water. “That’s the perfect name.”

  Mom raised an eyebrow in my direction, but her mouth lifted up in a half smile. “Alright,” she said. “We’ll call him Mr. Ice Cream while he’s here.”

  I could feel my eyes widen as I looked from Mom to Kaye. My oldest sister’s mouth was hanging open as she stared at Mom in disbelief. Then I turned back to the poor little dog that would now be known as Mr. Ice Cream. He cocked his scruffy little head and gazed up at me with runny, soulful eyes.

  “Well, I don’t care what we call him,” I said. “I like him.”

  The moment the words left my mouth I wished that I could stuff them back in. Mom gave me a pitying stare. I shook my head at her. I just didn’t want to hear her say the words: “Dad won’t let us have another dog.”

  “Can I take him for a walk?” I asked, hoping to deter Mom from having the same old conversation with me.

  When Mom simply nodded, I grabbed the leash that the rescue people had left on the table. With a quick click I snapped the leash onto Mr. Ice Cream’s collar and bolted for the door. The little dog trotted after me, his little nails click-clicking on the tile floor.

  The cool fall air shook me out of my negativity. Sure I felt like it was unfair that Dad wouldn’t let us have another dog even though Mom had started this whole fostering thing. I didn’t like the cats as much as the dogs. And this dog was so sweet and small. He could totally sleep at the end of my bed and not even make a dent on the comforter.

  “What do you think, Mr. Ice Cream?” I cooed. “Would you like to sleep on my bed? You’re a good dog, aren’t you Mr. Ice Cream? I’m sorry Kaye gave you such a stupid name, but you’re still a cute dog.”

  Mr. Ice Cream responded to my questions by peeing on a nearby tree. We walked to the end of the block. Then he saw a bird. Within seconds, Mr. Ice Cream barked a yippy, high-pitched bark and pulled on the leash as he tried to chase the bird. I sighed as I held onto the leash and waited for him to stop.

  The bird flew away and the dog lost interest. We headed for home as a brisk wind started to blow. I could picture how cozy it would be to have the dog curled up at my feet tonight. When we entered the house, the first thing I saw was Dad sitting at the kitchen table taking off his work boots. Mr. Ice Cream saw him too and started to growl. I was so surprised by the sound that I laughed. The growl sounded like a little motor revving up.

  Dad looked up from unlacing his boot. I could tell from the expression on his face that he was less than pleased to meet Mr. Ice Cream. And when he turned his gaze on me, I knew he was less than less than pleased with my reaction. I couldn’t help it. I wanted to defend myself, but I knew that wouldn’t go over well with Dad, so I kept my mouth shut, gave the dog an affectionate scratch behind the ears, and let him off the leash.

  “Joanie.”

  “Yes, Dad?” I didn’t turn around, but I made sure to look busy so as not to be disrespectful. That leash took a long time to hang up.

  Dad let his boot fall with a heavy thump to the floor. I didn’t turn around then either. Instead, I started fixing the other leashes that hung on the wall. Anything to avoid looking at Dad. I had a tight, tense feeling in my stomach. Like something wasn’t going to be good when I did.

  “Joanie,” Dad said in his most serious tone.

  “Yes?”

  Dad kept the same level expression on his face the entire time. “Mom told me that you like this dog.”

  “We all do,” I said with a shrug. I dropped my gaze to my feet so Dad wouldn’t see the tears gathering in my eyes.

  Dad sighed. “Joanie girl, we can’t have another dog. It’s too expensive.”

  “But Mr. Ice Cream is so sweet, and he’s so little. He probably doesn’t eat much,” I said in a burst of frustration.

  “Mr. Ice Cream?” Dad asked. There was a smile lurking behind his eyes. I could see it. Maybe that dumb name would soften him up.

  “See? He’s so funny too. I think Duke and Pepper will love him. And he’s smaller than Sugar. How can you argue that, Dad?” The ghost of a smile fled and a hard-edged frown replaced it on Dad’s face. He said, “Joanie, I said no. Now go get the dog some food.”

  “But…” My stomach knotted. “Why?”

  “We’ve been over this, Joanie. Another dog is expensive and a lot of work.” Dad closed his eyes and sighed.

  “That’s so…that’s so dumb!”

  “To your room, Joanie,” he said in a voice that left no room for discussion.

  We didn’t talk about it anymore, but the next morning when I got up, Mr. Ice Cream was gone.

  ****

  After the fourth attempt at nursing, frustration began creeping onto Mom’s face. She centered herself and started the whole routine of a drop of Karo syrup on the tongue before offering the opportunity to nurse.

  Penny grunted as her head snapped up. She had nodded off to sleep again. She exhaled sharply. “I’m going to bed.”

  “That’s a good idea,” Mom said. “Joanie, why don’t you head up to bed too.”

  “No,” I said too quickly, too sharply. That earned a frown from Mom. I reminded myself not to get into trouble or that would automatically relegate me to the sidelines during this little adventure. “Please, Mom, just a little longer?”

  Mom opened her mouth to reply, but she was cut off by Lee. His wail strengthened with each second that Mom didn’t spring to his bedside. Normally I would have been cringing at the piercing sound, but at the moment, I was relieved to have Mom’s attention diverted. She wiped her hands on the towel spread across her lap and stood.

  “Don’t move the puppies,” she said. “Let these two stay with Jenny.”

  I watched the two puppies nip at each other’s ears. Heavy footsteps thudded down the stairs. Peering around the doorway, I saw Dad entering the kitchen. He hovered near the refrigerator as if he couldn’t decide whether or not to get some food out or whether he wanted to come into the breakfast nook with me. I chewed my lip while I waited for him to make his choice. If he decided I was in the way, I would be in bed faster than I could blink.

  This seemed to be my constant struggle with Dad. I would always be too little, too annoying, or too in the way.

  The quiet of the house settled around us, and for a moment the peace made me relax. I hadn’t realized how tense I had become, but since Dad had entered the room, I guess that made sense. Right now, though, it was nice to feel so calm around my father.

  Out of the calm Dad said, “Have I ever told you how I met Mom?”

  I glanced at him from the corner of my eye. “No,” I said. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard your version.”

  “I’m sure Mom’s told you a thousand times,” Dad said, leaning his head back against the wall. “But she has no idea what she did to me that day. Totally changed my life.”

  I cuddled an arm around Jenny and leaned against her soft, warm side. One of the puppies was still snuffling around her tummy, and occasionally Jenny would lean over and give it an encouraging lick. I waited for Dad to continue.

  Finally he said, “I don’t know if you knew this or not, but I left school at sixteen. Just dropped out. I tried to join the army, but I was too young. I got some construction jobs, but mainly I just drifted around. My folks hated that.” He paused and rubbed his chin. Then he said, “So when I was nineteen I decided to go back and finish high school.”

  “That’s good,” I said, mainly just to have something to say, but also because I did think it was a good decision on his part. I couldn’t imagine dropping out of school and then going back when I was practically ancient.

  “Yeah, but man, I was so much older, or at least I felt so much older,” Dad said. “Anyway, the day I got there my cousin told me that he had someone he wanted me to meet. We turned a corner and there she was; your mom. She was wearing her majorette uniform. Did you know she used to be a baton twirler? She led the band during every parade and performance, got to go on even before the drum majors. She was gorgeous. I don’t think I was able to say two words to her during that first meeting. My cousin kept whacking me on the arm to get me to speak.”

  I giggled a little. “Did Mom think you were a total goon?”

  Dad chuckled. “I suppose that’s possible, but I didn’t care. I was totally in love from that first moment. She was so beautiful, and I felt so lucky. I kid you not, Joanie girl, from that day on we were inseparable, and honestly, I never wanted it any other way.”

  I smiled up at Dad as he stroked Jenny behind the ears. The dog turned toward me, licking my forehead as I snuggled against her soft, warm side. Mom had once told me that sleeping with a dog as a pillow was the best sleep a person could get. As I drifted off to sleep I thought about how much I agreed with her.

  The next thing I knew, Jenny’s generous sides rolled as she let out a low growl. I sat up and blinked, trying to clear the crust out of my eyes. Jenny was glaring up at Kaye, who seemed to be moving her food. I scratched Jenny behind the ears and she quieted down.

  Kaye huffed out a big breath. “She’s sure a cranky dog.”

  Dad chuckled and leaned down to stroke Jenny’s food. “I don’t think she was growling at you,” he said nodding toward the doorway to the breakfast nook.