Lucky Charm

by Annie Bryant

  It was almost seven by the time they arrived home, and Katani was starving. She smelled something delicious. Her heart gave a thump. Her mother had made her favorite dinner—pork tenderloin with apricot sauce, wild rice, and apple-and-walnut salad. Katani knew that was her mother’s way of saying thank you for going with Kelley.

  Katani was so hungry she just wanted to eat right away. She forgot all about the half-hour shower she had promised to take the moment she stepped in the door—washing her hands at the kitchen sink was good enough. Plus, it felt kind of sweet to still have Penelope and the smell of the barn on her clothes.

  “My horse’s name is Wilbur,” Kelley said as she sat down. “Wilbur, Wilbur.”

  Then she recited the entire lesson, word by word, while the rest of the family ate.

  Katani was impressed. Kelley managed to repeat every word Claudia had said, exactly the way she said it. Katani tried to add in her two cents, but Kelley corrected her. No one could get a word in edgewise. Finally, Mr. Summers took Kelley into the other room and settled her down with her favorite movie of the week, Pocahontas.

  “It sounds like you girls had a wonderful time,” Mrs. Summers said after father and daughter left the room.

  “Yes,” Grandma Ruby agreed. “It seems we have a budding equestrian in the family.”

  “Kelley?” Patrice cocked her head in surprise.

  “Actually, I was talking about Katani,” she said proudly.

  “What exactly is an equestrian?” Patrice asked.

  “An accomplished horseback rider,” answered Grandma Ruby. “Ms. McClelland said that Katani is a natural. She wants Katani to take lessons with a group at the stables.”

  “She said that?” Katani asked.

  Grandma Ruby nodded.

  Katani looked over at Patrice, who to Katani’s surprise, gave her a thumbs-up.

  Katani remembered hearing Claudia say that she was a natural, but she thought maybe the instructor was just exaggerating to make her feel good. Hippotherapy is great, a jubilant Katani thought as she stood up and began clearing the table, but her mother said, “No, honey, you’ve done enough for today. Come give me a hug and go start on your homework. Patrice, you take over for your sister tonight.” Mrs. Summers smiled proudly at her youngest daughter. Katani straightened her shoulders and headed out of the kitchen. Mmm, Penelope. You and I are going to rock, she hummed to herself.

  Patrice huffed, but one look from her mother and she was at the sink shoving the dishes into the dishwasher.

  On her way out Katani overheard her grandmother say, “Nadine, you should have seen your daughter, she looked magnificent on that horse, and so in control. I was very proud of her.”

  Katani danced her way to her room, then suddenly remembered that she needed to ask her mom if she could buy some riding pants. Claudia told her she would be much more comfortable in them. Plus, she’d look really stylish. Even a used pair would be okay. Katani headed back, but she paused at the kitchen door because she could hear Grandma Ruby talking to her mother in hushed tones.

  “Yes, Claudia McClelland told me that High Hopes’ existence depends on state funding and that it may be cut. She is urging everyone who cares about the stable to write their representative and state senator. Here’s a sample letter. But there is also a more urgent matter.”

  The worried tone in her grandmother’s voice made Katani hesitate. She ducked back into the shadows near the living room.

  From what Katani could hear, some government agency department was insisting that High Hopes upgrade their stable or else close down and move the horses to another facility. The nearest Claudia had found was two hours away.

  “That’s out of our driving range, I’m afraid,” Mrs. Summers noted.

  “I’m afraid you are right,” Mrs. Fields sadly admitted.

  “Her petition to the Variance Committee was denied. Bottom line—if she doesn’t come up with the ten thousand dollars to pay for the stable improvements, High Hopes will have no hope of staying open at its present location. She’s sent an urgent plea to all the families to look for funding.”

  Katani couldn’t believe her ears. Finally, something that she was interested in and would love to do…and it might be taken away from her.

  She burst into the room. “That’s not fair, Mom. The stable is really clean and the teachers take really good care of the horses. I want to take riding there and so does Kelley. She was so happy today. You should have seen her. She kept hugging Wilbur.”

  “Honey,” Mrs. Fields interrupted. “It’s the barn. The horses are well-cared for. Claudia makes sure of that, but the barn needs to be replaced. It’s old and rickety.”

  “Great, I finally find some sport I could be good at and now there is no place for me to go to do it.” She stormed out of the room.

  Accept No Substitutes

  Mr. Ramsey pulled up in front of the Beacon Street Movie House.

  “Thanks, Maeve. You were a great help!” he said. They had put fliers up in all the animal hospitals and shelters they could find.

  “Yeah, thanks for coming with us, Maeve,” Charlotte added, giving her friend’s hand a squeeze before she got out of the car.

  “See you tomorrow, Charlotte. And don’t worry. We’ll find the little guy…. We’ll visit every house and park in Brookline if we have to,” Maeve pronounced. She waved good-bye to Charlotte and Mr. Ramsey as she got out of the car. She went in the side door of the theater and pounded up the stairs.

  “Maeve? Is that you?” her mother called.

  Maeve cringed. She could tell by her mother’s tone that she wasn’t happy.

  “Okay, young lady, you have some explaining to do,” Ms. Kaplan said.

  On I Love Lucy, that usually meant something funny was about to happen. But Maeve had a feeling that there was nothing funny about this at all.

  Maeve summoned up the most confused look she could possibly muster. What had her drama coach said about looking confused? Eyes wide, mouth slightly open. Bring hand up to your chest? Say “Moi?”

  “What?” Maeve asked, trying to keep her voice steady.

  “It’s Monday.” Her mother crossed her arms.

  “And…” Maeve shook her head.

  “Tutoring, young lady.”

  Maeve slapped her right hand over her mouth. “Oh my gosh. I can’t believe I entirely forgot about tutoring today.” She hated to think about how many times she forgot about her sessions with Matt. Maeve sat down at the kitchen table. “Mom, here’s the deal. Charlotte looked so sad all day. She asked if anyone could help her look for Marty after school. I was the only one who could help her and her dad look. We went to all the shelters. I just completely forgot.”

  “Maeve, forgetting is one thing, but not calling and telling me where you are going is another. You know the rules. It’s just too nerve-wracking for me if I don’t know where you are. If you aren’t where you’re supposed to be, there’s every reason that I might think you’ve been hurt—and that’s my worst fear.”

  “I know, Mom. I’m so, so sorry, but I just couldn’t imagine what it would be like for Charlotte coming home to the house and being all alone—no mother, no cat, and now, no Marty. The words ‘I’ll go with you, Charlotte’ just popped out of my mouth.”

  It had seemed like the right thing to do then. However, now under her mother’s disapproving glare, she knew she had made a huge mistake.

  “You ARE telling me the truth, right? You weren’t off with Dillon, were you?” Ms. Kaplan demanded.

  “No, Mom. You can call Mr. Ramsey yourself. Marty is lost and we have to find him. Charlotte has like lost her mind over this. She’s barely speaking to Avery because she thinks it’s Avery’s fault. I just had to help.”

  “No word on Marty?” Her mother’s voice softened. She knew how crazy all the BSG were over that little mutt.

  “We put signs all over the neighborhood, and Mr. Ramsey even helped us put up a website. But nobody has called.” Maeve leaned in to her mother
and in a knowing tone said, “Personally, I’m very worried. Of course, I wouldn’t tell Charlotte and Avery that, but it’s not looking good.”

  Maeve’s mom bit her lip. Her daughter’s dramatic delivery sounded like a forty-year-old soap opera actress delivering bad news.

  Maeve sensed her mother softening.

  “Besides, Mom. I do know that every Monday I have tutoring. I just got distracted, is all. When one of the BSG is in trouble, I can’t focus. I have to stay loyal. It’s our motto.”

  “Maeve,” her mother said in a stern schoolteacher voice. “I respect your loyalty to your friends, but going somewhere without calling me or your father is completely and totally unacceptable. And besides worrying about your safety, tutoring is expensive. I have to pay for it whether you show up or not. I am going to have to talk to your father about this.”

  Maeve nodded. She knew her mom was right. She wouldn’t like it if her mom went somewhere and didn’t tell her. “Mom, I promise you I will do everything I can to remember to call you.” Suddenly Maeve’s eyes widened. “Maybe I should wear a pink bracelet or something to help me remember to call the next time.”

  Maeve’s mother looked at her daughter. She knew that her daughter’s learning issues made it difficult for her to remember all the details of her schedule. She knew that she had to encourage any attempt of her daughter’s to stay organized. “Maeve, I think the bracelet is a really good idea. Maybe we can go over to Razzberry Pink’s store later on in the week and find something.”

  Maeve jumped up and gave her mother a big hug. She would try to do better. She really, really, totally would!

  Suddenly, the phone rang.

  “I’ll get it,” Maeve said, lunging for the phone. “Hello!”

  “Hello, Maeve?”

  “Charlotte?” She’d just dropped her off minutes ago. There must have been an important development.

  “What is it?” Maeve asked.

  “A shelter called and they found a dog matching Marty’s description.”

  Maeve’s heart began beating faster. “Is it one of the shelters we went to today?”

  “No. It’s on Freemont Street. I left a message on their answering machine on Sunday because it was too far to walk to. I don’t have any way to get there, and I was wondering if your mom could possibly drive us. They’re closing in about twenty minutes.”

  “Where’s your dad?”

  “He dropped me off at the house and went back to school to finish his last hour of office hours. I tried to call him, but he’s not picking up his cell phone. He must be with a student.”

  “Hold on a second,” Maeve said. This wasn’t going to be easy. How was she going to convince her mom, who two seconds ago was grounding her, to drive her to this animal shelter? She covered the receiver of the phone. There was nothing to do but press on.

  “Mom, it’s Charlotte.”

  Her mother crossed her arms and raised one eyebrow.

  Maeve took a deep breath and continued on. “Her father went back to work and she’s there all alone. A shelter called. They think they found Marty. They close in twenty minutes. Mom, please. It’s for Charlotte. Her father is with a student or something. She has no other family. Please, Mom. For Charlotte…and for Marty.”

  “I’ll drive you girls there. But don’t be confused…I’m doing this for Charlotte, not for you, young lady. Let me get my purse. Tell her we’ll be right there.”

  Rescue Mission

  Maeve could see Charlotte standing in front of her house waiting for them as they turned onto Corey Hill.

  “Thanks, Mom. This means so much to Charlotte, you have no idea.”

  Charlotte waved to them as soon as she saw Ms. Kaplan’s station wagon.

  “Thank you so much, Ms. Kaplan—I really appreciate it. I printed the directions off the Internet so we wouldn’t get lost.” Charlotte handed the map and directions to Ms. Kaplan.

  Ms. Kaplan looked at the directions. “Oh, I know just where this is,” she said.

  “I really appreciate this,” Charlotte said again.

  “It’s quite all right, dear,” Maeve’s mother answered as she pulled away from the curb.

  Charlotte buckled herself in. “Can you believe this! It’s a good thing I got home when I did. I heard the phone ringing and ran upstairs. If your mom couldn’t have taken us, we’d have had to wait a whole day. Oh, I miss that little guy so much. I can’t wait to get my hands on his chubby little self for worrying me like this.”

  “Did you bring his collar?”

  “Yup,” Charlotte said, pulling it out of her bag with his leash and a Baggie full of his favorite treats.

  “I think we should plan a welcome home party for him tomorrow after school,” Maeve said.

  Ms. Kaplan cleared her throat. “Girls, I don’t think you should get your hopes up. We don’t know for sure that this dog is Marty.” Maeve and Charlotte looked at each other and crossed their fingers. They hoped—no, they believed—that in a few minutes Marty would be their arms.

  “Maybe we could make the party later in the week…” Maeve enthused. “We could have special dog treats for Marty and cool treats for us, too! And pictures. We definitely don’t have enough pictures of Marty. It’ll be a Celebrate Marty day, and we could go to the park and…”

  “And whatever we do,” Charlotte interrupted, “we’ll make sure this collar is on tight. Or maybe I’ll buy him one of the halter things so he can’t possibly wiggle out.”

  “He is a wiggler.”

  “We should have named him Houdini. He is the ultimate escape artist.”

  “Maybe that’s how he got away from his first owner,” Maeve said.

  Charlotte looked stung.

  “I mean, well, I guess not. He had his collar on when we found him.”

  Charlotte stared out the window.

  “I’ve been thinking about that,” Charlotte said. “For a while, I thought maybe Marty might have found his way home. His first home, I mean.”

  “Marty would never leave us….”

  “But he did.”

  “I mean he would never leave us on purpose.”

  “Here we are girls,” Ms. Kaplan said as she pulled to the curb in front of the Sawgrass Animal Shelter.

  The girls tumbled out of the car and raced to the door with Ms. Kaplan following them up the steps.

  Inside, Charlotte stepped up to the receptionist desk.

  “I received a phone call from you,” Charlotte started out a little timidly.

  The girl at the counter stared at her, snapping her gum.

  Charlotte continued. “You found a dog matching the description of my dog?”

  “Oh, yeah. The little energetic mutt. Follow me.”

  The girls walked through the back door into a room with a concrete floor and rows of dogs behind chain link kennels. A large dog lunged at the fence, barking ferociously. Maeve jumped. She fell back against the chain link fence on the other side. The moment she touched it, another large dog jumped up behind her.

  “Watch out for that one,” the shelter worker warned, strangely unfazed.

  Maeve pulled her arms in to the center of her chest and carefully walked down the middle of the aisle, away from either side of the fences. It seemed every dog in the kennel was barking now. It was a cacophony of soulful baying and shrill yipping. The girl from the front desk walked on as if she didn’t hear a thing. Maeve wanted to cry. She never realized how many lost dogs there were. She tried to get Charlotte’s attention, but Charlotte was anxiously scanning the cages.

  In the back of the room, kennels were stacked for the smaller dogs.

  Maeve listened for the little familiar snuffling bark that was distinctively Marty’s, but she couldn’t hear anything above the din.

  “Here he is,” the girl said, opening the middle cage and bringing out a small, shaking dog.

  The little dog was gray like Marty. It had bent ears like Marty. It had big black eyes like Marty. But it was definitely NOT Mart
y.

  Charlotte’s heart sank.

  “That’s not him,” she said dejectedly.

  “Are you sure?” Ms. Kaplan asked. “He looks…”

  Maeve gave her mother a weird look.

  “I’ve only seen Marty a few times,” Ms. Kaplan continued, “but I’d swear this is Marty. Perhaps he’s just a little dirty. Maybe after you bathe him you’ll see that it’s him.”

  “Mom, believe me. This dog is NOT Marty. If this dog were Marty, it wouldn’t be cowering and shaking. He’d be dancing up a storm, wiggling right out of her hands, and covering both of us with kisses,” Maeve explained.

  “Maybe he’s just a little shy, traumatized from being lost,” Ms. Kaplan suggested.

  “You want to hold him?” the girl asked and shoved the dog into Charlotte’s arms before she could answer.

  The dog cuddled and nestled into the crook of Charlotte’s arm, hiding his face from the rest of them. Just looking at the back of the dog, Maeve had to admit that the dog did look a lot like Marty.

  “Oh, Charlotte! Are you sure? He seems to be comfortable with you,” Ms. Kaplan said.

  “Well, what’s the verdict?” the girl asked.

  “It’s not Marty,” Charlotte said sadly as she pet the shaking, quivering bundle of fur in her arms.

  “Well, perhaps it’s not Marty, but it’s still a very nice little dog,” Ms. Kaplan replied. She reached out and stroked the little puppy.

  “He’s the only quiet one of the bunch,” the girl said as the other dogs in the kennel yapped and barked.

  “How long has this dog been here?”

  “He arrived this afternoon,” the girl said, snapping her gum.

  “Well…how long has Marty been gone?”

  “Since Saturday afternoon,” Charlotte replied, the words catching in her throat.

  Maeve had seen that look on Charlotte’s face before and thought perhaps she might burst into tears at any moment.

  “It’s not Marty,” Maeve told her mother again.

  No one moved, so Maeve took the Marty lookalike from Charlotte’s arms and gave it back to the girl.