Natalie Wants a Puppy

by Dandi Daley Mackall

  Daddy! I scream. I run very hard to him.

  Daddy picks me up and swings me over his head. Then he just hugs me. Boy, did I miss you, Nat!

  I love hearing those words. I missed you too! I shout. Only it doesnt come out. On account my mouth is smooshed into my dads shoulder. Wheres Mommy? For a teeny second, I have a scary thought. What if she didnt come back? What if shes still in China? What if

  Nat! Mommy steps out on the other side of Charley. Honey, Im over here!

  Daddy sets me down. I run to the other side of the car. Mommy! I scream.

  She steps out of the backseat. I run to hug her. To be hugged up by her.

  But her hands are full.

  And they are full with a real, live baby.

  Chapter 16

  Runaways

  I stare at the boy my mom is holding. He is wrapped in a green blanket. His eyes are black and look like Annas. He has a lot of black hair. And I can see a scar on his lip, like the one Jason has on his arm.

  Are you sure its a baby? I ask. Jasons baby was bald.

  Mommy laughs. Hes almost six months old. But hes small for his age because he didnt get a very good start in life.

  Part of me feels sad about that babys bad start and the scar. Only the rest of me feels aggravated. On account of I want to hug my mommy, but her hands are full of baby.

  Want to hold your brother? Mommy asks.

  No thank you, I answer. What I want to hold is Mommy.

  Granny drives us home. I sit in front. They sit in back. We are two plus three.

  Granny does all the talking. Nat, I called your dad in China and told him about your graduation. I knew theyd find a way. And here they are. Now, isnt that something!

  Yeah, I answer.

  I signed them up on that graduation sheet, Granny goes on. So were all set for tomorrow. Tell Nat what it was like the first time you saw Samuel.

  Samuel? I ask.

  One of the nurses started calling him Samuel, Mommy explains. The name stuck. I like it. Dont you, Nat?

  Its okay, I answer. But it isnt okay. Well, it is. Only not all the way. There is no fanciness in that name.

  Im still not sure about the name, Daddy admits. Samuel. Samuel, go to your room. Samuel, stop coloring the wall. I dont know. Its like somethings missing.

  Tell us about your puppy, Nat, Mom says, just when Granny pulls us into the driveway.

  Puppy 24 is a great puppy, I say. Plus, she already loves me.

  How could she not? Mom asks.

  Granny and I get to our front door first. It takes Granny forever to unlock it.

  Hurry, Granny! I cant wait for Mom and Dad to meet Puppy.

  The door opens, and Puppy 24 comes running outside.

  How did you get out of your kennel? I ask Puppy. She lets me pick her up.

  I bet I forgot to put her in, Granny says. We walk inside. I was in such a tizzy when your dad called me from the airport.

  Daddy comes in and pets my puppy. Pleased to meet you, Puppy 24. Then he takes the baby so

  Mommy can hold Puppy.

  Shes adorable, Mommy says. Puppy 24 wags her tail like crazy. I can tell she loves Mom already. Will she grow any bigger? Mom asks.

  Granny laughs and disappears toward the kitchen. In a minute, shes back. Wheres Percy, Nat?

  I look around, but I dont see my cat. I hadnt even thought about him. Hes probably hiding.

  Why would he do that? Daddy asks.

  He doesnt like Puppy, I explain. I check under the couch and in the big chair. I look out at the backyard. Then the front yard. My heart gets thumpy. Percy! I call.

  I hope I didnt let him out when I was in such a rush before, Granny says.

  I run through the house, calling, Percy! Percy! Only hes not anywhere. What if he thought I didnt love him anymore? That I only loved Puppy?

  When I get back to the living room, the baby is crying his head off. Granny, Mommy, and Daddy are in a circle around him. Making faces. Making goo-goo noises.

  Hey! I cry. Percys gone!

  Hell come back, honey, Daddy says. He jiggles the baby. But that baby keeps crying.

  No! I can feel this bad twitchy in my heart. Percys gone, and its my fault. Percy wont come back!

  Nat, sweetheart, Granny says. Well all look for that cat together. Give us just a minute here. Okay?

  But I dont have just a minute. Percy ran away from home. And Im the only one who cares. Never mind! I yell. I run up the hall.

  Nat? Mom calls.

  But I keep running. All the way to my room. On account of I am running away too.

  Chapter 17

  Adding It All Up

  I can still hear Samuel crying all the way through my bedroom door. I am crying too. Only nobody cares about that.

  Except for Puppy 24. She hops on my bed and licks up my face.

  Percy ran away, Puppy. He thinks I love you and not him. Only thats a lying thing. I love both of you! I know this is for true. I know that adding Puppy made me love both of them more. Adding means more! I tell Puppy. Not less!

  I put my face on Puppys back and cry. Only inside Im asking God, Please bring my kitty back.

  Puppy squirms away. She hops off my bed and runs across my room. Her toenails click, click. She slips and bumps into my closet.

  Puppy! Come back! I need her to be with me.

  She doesnt come back. She keeps scratch, scratch, scratching at my closet.

  My bedroom door opens. In come Mommy and Daddy and Granny.

  Nat, were sorry, Mommy says. Lets go look for Percy. Okay?

  I am crying very hard now. Mom sits next to me and puts her arm around me. Daddy sits on the other side and puts his arm around me.

  Percy will be okay, Nat, Daddy says.

  IlovePercy! I say between cryings.

  Percy knows that, Daddy says.

  No he doesnt! He thinks I love him less cause of Puppy. But I love him more! I feel arms tighten around me.

  Do you know we love you more than ever, Nat? Mommy asks.

  I dont answer. But I am doing very hard thinking.

  Now we get to love Nat the Daughter and Nat the Big Sister, Daddy says.

  It feels good to be hugged on both sides of me. And I know Im feeling that thing inside me that goes by the name of love.

  Sorry to interrupt, Granny says. But why is that dog scratching up your closet?

  I slide off my bed and go to Puppy 24. Come here, Puppy.

  Puppy gives me a smiley face. Then she goes back to scratching.

  Granny walks over to the closet. I wonder She opens it just a crack. And out comes Percy.

  Percy! Youre here! I pull Percy onto my lap. You didnt run away!

  Puppys tail is wagging very fast. She tiptoes up to Percy. I wait for my cat to run out of the room like he did a gazillion times.

  Only he doesnt. He stands up in my lap. But he doesnt spit. Puppy moves in closer. Percy holds very still. Then they touch noses.

  Well, Ill be, Granny says.

  They love each other! I shout.

  Percy prances off my lap. Then he strolls to my bed, jumps up, and curls into a curly ball.

  I love that Percy.

  Saturday, there is more hurrying in my house than on going-to-church days.

  Granny drives us to school in Charley the Chevy. Mom and Dad and Samuel ride in the backseat together. Only it feels okay now.

  We walk into the gym, and it is filled with noisiness. I help Mom and Dad and Granny get seats in the way back, in case Samuel turns into a crying baby. Then I go sit with my kindergarten class on our stage.

  Laurie has a saved seat for me. Is that your new baby brother? she asks, full of excitement.

  Yep. I am a little full of excitement too. You want to meet him after this?

  Yeah! Whats his name? Laurie asks.

  I start to answer. But Miss Hines walks to the middle of stage, and everybody gets quiet.

  Welcome to our kindergarten graduation! she shouts. People clap like crazy.
Jason whoops. Miss Hines goes on to say a bunch of nice things about us. Then she asks her big question. Class, whats the most important thing you learned this year?

  Katelyn has to go to the mike first. Reading, she says. Then she sits down.

  The next four kids copycat and say reading too.

  When its Jasons turn, he shouts, I learned not to eat hot lunch on Fridays!

  Laurie goes after Jason. I learned that its okay to read at your own speed.

  I think this is a great answer.

  Farah smiles at Laurie and me before she goes to the mike. I learned about friendship, she says.

  Laurie and I cheer.

  Peter says he learned he was Peter-the-Even-Greater-Than-I-Thought-I-Was.

  Sashas answer is the longest: I knew most of the things the other kids had to learn in kindergarten. So the best thing I learned was that Im really good in math. And reading.

  Im still thinking up my answer when I hear Miss Hines call my name.

  Your turn! Laurie says, pushing me to get up.

  It feels like a long way to the mike. I peek into the crowd and see Granny. And Mommy and Daddy. And Samuel.

  When I get to the middle of the stage, Miss Hines asks what shes asked every kid up here. What did you learn this year?

  I dont answer. On account of I dont know what to say still. Chairs squeak behind me. Chairs squeak on the gym floor.

  I know I should say something. Inside, Im asking God what to say. Then the asking turns into thanking. Thanks for kindergarten, God. And I mean this. I liked kindergarten.

  Natalie? Miss Hines says. Can you tell us what youve learned?

  I learned about adding, I begin.

  Thats fine, Miss Hines says.

  Only Im not done yet. I learned that I dont like subtracting much. Everybody in the gym is a little laughing. But adding can be a very good thing in life. And I know this for true, on account of at my house, we just added my brother. Thats what!

  Everybody claps. And claps even more. So I take a bow.

  Miss Hines is laughing and clapping at the same time. Thats wonderful, Natalie. Want to tell us your brothers name?

  Samuel, I answer. Only that name isnt fancy enough for my brother. I know that now. Samuel 24.

  We finish being graduated. I go back and sit next to Granny.

  I thought that name needed a little something, Granny says.

  Samuel 24 told me he wants his big sister to hold him, Mommy says.

  Id like to, I say.

  Mommy puts Samuel 24 in my lap. He fits. I give him a smiley face, and he gives me a smiley face back.

  And guess what. I think Im going to like being Not-Only-Natalie.

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