The Christmas Dog

by Melody Carlson

  Betty knew that Avery was outraged by Jack’s attitude toward his dog. Perhaps it had to do with Avery’s feelings about how her mother was treating her. Or maybe it was just empathy. Whatever the case, Betty knew this was something she should handle on her own. So she gathered up the dog things and put them in an oversized trash bag, then leashed up the dog and proceeded down the street and around the corner toward Jack’s house.

  As usual, his pickup was parked diagonally across the front yard, and the place still looked like a wreck. And just like yesterday, no one answered when she rang the doorbell. Then it occurred to her that the doorbell, like the rest of the house, could be out of order. And so she knocked loudly. But as she knocked, she noticed that the door was ajar. She pushed it open slightly and was tempted to peek inside, but she worried that she might be caught and accused of trespassing, so she controlled herself. Instead, she simply unlatched the leash from the little dog’s collar and shoved the unsuspecting pooch through the open door, then closed it firmly. She left the leash and the bag of doggy things on the front porch. Resisting the urge to brush off her hands or shake the dust off her feet, Betty turned and marched away. Mission accomplished.

  Betty went home and cleaned up the laundry room, trying to eradicate the damp doggy odor that seemed to permeate the tight area. She put in a load of laundry, including Avery’s soiled clothes and the smelly dog towels, and then she straightened the house and gave the kitchen a good scrub down.

  Eventually she went to check on Avery again. It was nearly eleven, and the girl was still fast asleep. But Betty remembered the dark circles she’d noticed beneath Avery’s eyes last night. She probably needed a good rest. And Betty needed to put her feet up. But first she called Susan. When she got Susan’s answering service, she left a message, explaining that Avery was safe and with her, and that she’d make sure Avery called Gary and Stephanie as soon as possible.

  It was almost one by the time Avery made an appearance. By then Betty had enjoyed a short nap and come up with a plan for their day. She explained her idea to Avery as she set a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and glass of milk in front of her. That used to be Avery’s favorite lunch, but that had been quite some time ago. She hoped it didn’t look too childish now.

  “I’ve got errands to run for my friends’ anniversary party,” Betty said as she refilled Avery’s milk glass. “And then I thought we’d take you shopping for some clothes.”

  “Cool.” Avery’s eyes lit up like she’d just won the lottery or an all-expense-paid shopping trip.

  Betty cleared her throat. “But since I live on a pretty tight budget, I’m taking you to a thrift store to shop. In fact, Goodwill is located in the same strip mall as the party store where I need to shop. We’ll save on gas money as well. I hope you don’t mind secondhand clothing.”

  “That’s okay,” Avery said with her mouth full. “I like retro clothes.”

  “Retro?” Betty thought about this. “Well, that’s a good thing.”

  “You’re probably wondering where my other clothes are.” Avery took a long swig of milk.

  “Yes, I suppose I was.”

  As Avery devoured the second half of her sandwich, she told Betty a crazy story about traveling with a friend named Kendra. They ran out of money and panhandled until they could afford bus tickets to L.A., where they planned to stay with a friend for a while, but there was some kind of disturbance on the bus during the night.

  “It was all this old dude’s fault.” Avery shook her head as she set her milk glass in the sink. “He was like forty, and he’d been coming on to both of us, so Kendra got fed up and smacked him in the nose.” Avery made a face. “So this jerk made a big fuss, telling the driver that we were propositioning him, which was so not true, and the driver put Kendra and me off the bus, right out in the middle of nowhere. So we hitchhiked, and the guy who picked us up offered to buy us breakfast in this little town. We left our backpacks in his car, and while we were using the bathroom, he took off with our stuff.”

  “Oh my.” Betty just shook her head. “You should be thankful he didn’t hurt you girls. Hitchhiking sounds very dangerous.”

  “I guess. After that, Kendra and I got in a huge fight and went our separate ways. Since I wasn’t too far from your place, I caught a ride into town . . . and now here I am.” She smiled. “I was so glad to see they still hang those candy cane decorations on the streetlights here. So old-fashioned and sweet.”

  Betty nodded. “Yes, that’s one way to look at it. Some people just think it’s because the city is cheap.” She pointed to Avery’s dirty dishes in the clean sink. “I’d appreciate it if you picked up after yourself while you’re here, Avery. The dishes in the dishwasher are dirty.”

  “Uh, sure, okay.”

  “Thank you.” Betty watched as Avery rinsed the dishes and put them in the dishwasher. She didn’t want to sound like an old curmudgeon. But she didn’t want to encourage laziness in the girl either.

  “No problem.” Avery closed the dishwasher and turned to look at her. “Now what?”

  “Your clothes should be clean and ready for you,” Betty said. “I heard the dryer buzzer a few minutes ago.”

  “Thanks.”

  Betty glanced up at the clock. “And if you don’t mind, I’d like to leave by two. I want to get back home before it starts to get dark. That’s around four thirty these days.”

  “No problem.”

  As Avery got dressed, Betty went to fetch her coat and purse but was interrupted by a banging on the front door.

  And there on the porch was that dog again!

  “What on earth are you doing back here?” she said. Naturally, the dog didn’t answer, but his tail waved back and forth with canine enthusiasm. And there on a corner of her porch was the same garbage bag Betty had left at Jack’s house. That’s when Betty noticed a piece of paper taped on the dog’s red collar. Stooping to examine it more closely, Betty saw some words scribbled in pencil: “Thanks, but NO thanks!”

  She blinked and stood up. Well, it just figured. She must’ve insulted Jack Jones with her generosity. Fine, if he didn’t want the doggy things, she didn’t care. Why had she expected a normal reaction from the foolish young man in the first place? Still, it seemed irresponsible to send his dog like this to inform her. And it did seem a waste of money since she certainly couldn’t return these used items to the store. Besides, it appeared obvious that Jack needed some help in the doggy department.

  “Your owner doesn’t have a lick of sense!” Betty frowned at the dog. His tail stopped wagging, and he looked somewhat confused by the tone of Betty’s voice. “Oh, I’m not scolding you. It’s just that your master is very stubborn.” Betty thought for a moment. “But then, so am I.”

  Betty went into the house and dug out a small white index card, then wrote “Merry Christmas” in bold letters with a red felt pen. She stuck a hole in one corner and threaded a piece of yarn, then tied it securely around the dog’s collar. “We’ll see who wins this little battle of the wills.”

  She gathered up the bag containing the dog paraphernalia and threw it over one shoulder like a grumpy Santa. Taking the leash in her other hand, Betty marched back to Jack’s house. His pickup was still there, but this time the door was firmly closed, and she could hear his power tools running inside. Just the same, she tried knocking on the door, then banging loudly, but to no avail. So she retrieved the plaid dog bed from the bag, shook it out, and set it on a protected corner of the porch. She tied the leash to the nearby post, leaving enough slack so the dog could move around a bit.

  Betty did feel a bit sorry for leaving the dog like that, but it was better than him running loose in the neighborhood or being hit by a car. And she and Avery could check on his welfare when they returned from their shopping and errands in a couple of hours. Hopefully the dog would bark and make some kind of fuss to get his owner’s attention before long. Betty just hoped that Jack would take the hint that the doggy goodies were intended to be a
gift and simply keep them.

  6

  “What happened to the dog?” Avery asked as they got into the car.

  “He went home.”

  “To Jack?” Avery’s voice was laced with disgust.

  “Yes.” Betty slowly pulled out of the garage.

  “Did you talk to him first?”

  “The dog?”

  Avery laughed. “No, Grandma. I mean Jack. Did you talk to the beast? Did you tell him that he needs to take better care of his dog?”

  “Not exactly.” Betty sighed. “Would you mind hopping out and closing the garage door, dear?”

  “Where’s your remote?”

  “What?”

  “For the door.”

  “This is a very old-fashioned door.”

  Betty frowned as she waited for Avery to close the door. She felt like she was in over her head. Not just with Avery, but with Jack and the dog and just everything.

  “Thank you,” Betty said as Avery hopped back in the car.

  “So, was Jack happy to see his dog?” Avery persisted.

  “I . . . I don’t know.”

  “What do you mean you don’t know?”

  “I mean I didn’t actually see him.”

  “But you took the dog back?”

  “Yes. He didn’t answer the door.” Betty considered explaining how she’d taken the dog back twice but figured that would only muddy the already murky waters.

  “How could you possibly give the dog back without seeing his lame owner, Grandma?”

  Betty grimaced. Why was this so complicated? “Avery . . .” Betty suddenly remembered a good distraction technique. “Did you remember to call your parents?”

  “No . . .”

  “Well, you promised me you’d do that.”

  “Can I use your phone?”

  “Of course you can use my phone. I already told you that.”

  “Okay.” Avery held out her hand.

  “What?”

  “Your phone.”

  “But it’s not here, Avery. We’re in the car.” Betty wondered if the girl had lost her senses.

  “You mean you don’t have a cell phone?”

  “Oh.” Betty shook her head as she stopped for a red light. “No, of course not. Why would I need one of those foolish things?”

  Avery looked astonished. “Are you serious?”

  “Of course I’m serious. I do not understand what all the fuss is about. We’ve all gotten along fine without those little phones for a long time. In fact, I think people who use their phones in public—in restaurants or movie theaters or even church—well, they are very inconsiderate.”

  “You really are old-fashioned, Grandma.”

  Betty peered at Avery. “Shall I assume you have a cell phone?”

  “The light’s green.”

  Betty pulled forward.

  “I had one. But I lost it.”

  “Oh yes, the great hitchhiking heist.”

  Avery laughed.

  “Well, you must promise me that you’ll call your parents as soon as we get home, Avery.” They shook on it.

  Avery shadowed Betty as they perused the party store for golden anniversary items. Betty had offered in early November to do this for Marsha and Jim. And she’d meant to take care of it long before now, but she’d been hit with a nasty cold that had hung on much longer than usual. She just hoped that she hadn’t waited too late. Fortunately, she’d had the foresight to order the napkins earlier. She just hoped there would be no shortage on paper plates and cups now.

  “How about helium balloons?” Avery asked.

  “Balloons?” Betty looked up at the gaudily decorated Mylar confections displayed along the wall and frowned. There were rainbows, kitty cats, dinosaurs, and cartoon characters, but nothing very appropriate for a golden anniversary. “I don’t think so, dear.”

  “Why not?” Avery reached into a basket of regular balloons. The old-fashioned kind. “You could do the plain metallic-gold ones mixed with some pearly whites. Put a bunch of them together in balloon bouquets. It would be pretty.”

  Betty considered this, trying not to look shocked as Avery raised the balloon to her lips and proceeded to inflate it.

  “And cheap,” Avery said as she proudly held up the filled balloon. It was actually rather attractive, and it did look like gold.

  Betty nodded. “Yes, I suppose balloons might be nice after all.”

  “Where are you having this little shindig anyway?” Avery let go of the balloon and it went flying through the store, making a long series of sputtering sounds.

  Betty looked over her shoulder nervously. “The church.”

  “Down in the basement?”

  “Yes, of course. That’s where we have social functions.”

  “Then you’ll need lots of balloons and all kinds of things to brighten it up.”

  “I’ve only budgeted fifty dollars for this,” Betty said.

  “Fifty bucks?” Avery frowned. “For how many people?”

  “We’ve estimated around eighty to a hundred. Fortunately, I’ve already paid for the napkins.”

  They headed to the paper plate section.

  “So what all do you need to get with your fifty bucks?”

  Betty pulled out her list. “Paper plates, coffee cups, plastic punch glasses, and forks. Oh yes, and a few decorations.”

  Avery picked up a package of gold paper plates and shook her head. “I’m not a math whiz, Grandma, but these plates alone are going to eat up a big chunk of your budget.”

  Betty felt a headache coming on. Avery was probably right. Oh, why hadn’t she considered this earlier? “I suppose I’ll just have to increase my budget.”

  “Or . . .”

  “Or what?”

  “Let me help you, Grandma.”

  Betty blinked. “That’s very sweet, Avery. But how do you intend to help me?”

  Avery got a sly look. “Back in high school, I loved doing set design in drama. I was always able to take a tiny budget and make it go a long way. Everyone was impressed. One year we did a pirate musical, and you should’ve seen how realistic it was.”

  Betty didn’t know what drama or pirates had to do with golden anniversaries, but her head was beginning to throb more now. “I think I need an aspirin,” she muttered as she opened her purse to peer inside.

  “Are you sick?”

  “Just a headache.”

  “I know,” Avery said suddenly. “I saw a coffee shop next door. Why don’t you go and sit down, take your aspirin, have a cup of coffee, and just relax. I’ll do your shopping for you.”

  Betty knew this was a bad idea, but she didn’t want to offend Avery. “Oh, I don’t think that’s necessary. I just—”

  “No, Grandma.” Avery snatched the list from Betty. “Let me do this for you. Just trust me, okay?”

  Betty reached up and rubbed her temples.

  “I promise you won’t be disappointed.”

  “I just don’t think it’s a good idea, dear.”

  “You liked the balloon idea, didn’t you?”

  “Well, yes, but—”

  “No buts.”

  Betty felt too flustered to think clearly. On one hand, it would be an enormous relief to hand this off to Avery, go and sit down, have a cup of tea, and take it easy. On the other hand, what if the whole thing turned into a complete mess?

  “Really, Grandma, I know I can do this.” Avery’s eyes were so bright and hopeful that Betty decided she wanted to give the girl this chance. Really, what could it hurt? So she opened her purse, extracted the money she had put into an envelope marked “Deerwoods’ Fiftieth,” and handed the bills to Avery.

  “And I can go to Goodwill too,” Avery said. “You know, to pick up some clothes.”

  “Oh, yes.” Betty had nearly forgotten that part of the plan. She reached into her purse again and took out her old, worn billfold. She pulled out two twenty-dollar bills. She knew that wasn’t much for clothes shopping, but it was the remainde
r of her December grocery money. Still, she thought that perhaps this month’s budget would need to be increased a bit. After all, she hadn’t planned on having a houseguest. She could make adjustments for it later. It was always such a challenge living on a fixed and very limited income. But she had made it this far in life, and always the good Lord provided.

  “Here you go, dear. I hope you can stretch this.”

  “Now you just go next door and relax, Grandma. Let me take care of everything.”

  Betty closed her purse and nodded. But the movement only made her head throb more. All she wanted was to sit down, take an aspirin, and sip a nice, hot cup of tea.

  Before long, that was exactly what she was doing. And after about thirty minutes, she began to feel more like herself again.

  “More hot water for your tea?” the middle-aged waitress asked.

  Betty glanced at her watch. “Yes, I suppose that would be nice.”

  “Doing some Christmas shopping today?” The waitress refilled the metal teapot, snapping the lid shut.

  “Not exactly.” Betty smiled at her. She explained about her friends’ fiftieth wedding anniversary and how her granddaughter had offered to help with the shopping.

  “Your granddaughter must be delightful,” the woman said.

  “What a relief when so many young people are so messed up. Did you hear the news today?”

  “What’s that?”

  “Big drug bust over on 17th Street. Cocaine, meth, marijuana . . . there were even a bunch of firearms.”

  “In our town?” Betty clutched her coffee mug.

  “Oh yeah.” The waitress lowered her voice. “I actually recognized one of the young men. He’d been in here a number of times. I never would’ve guessed he was involved in something like that.” She shook her head. “You just never know.”

  “No, I suppose not.” Of course, this only made Betty think about Jack Jones again. Suspicions such as these had gone through her head more than once in regard to him. For all she knew, he could’ve ripped the house apart in order to grow marijuana inside. She’d heard of things like that before. And what if he had guns? Oh, it was too horrible to think about.