by Brenda Novak
Old Bailey lay in the corner by the couch. Apparently, he didn’t even feel good enough to come over and snuggle with her anymore. She was going to have to face reality one of these days….
The lift she’d felt earlier when she’d spoken to Liz and praised Mica slowly disappeared. Bailey was dying. She needed to talk to someone. She thought of her parents and Gabe. Lucky. Beth. Any one of them would be supportive. But she wanted Isaac.
With a sigh, she typed him an instant message. Where are you?
There was a long pause. Either he’d walked away from his computer, or he was thinking about rejecting her offer to chat. Finally she got a response.
Right here.
Bailey’s not doing so well.
Is it that time?
I think it might be. I need you…She stared at the words on her screen. She meant them just the way they stood, but she knew she couldn’t send Isaac something that revealing. So she added a bit more. I need you to tell me some more about Africa.
You think that’ll help?
I like hearing about it.
There was another long pause, then, Have I mentioned the Pygmy tribes?
No.
Well, there are quite a few different ones—the Bambuti, the Batwa, the Bayaka, the Bagyeli.
They all start with b?
Ba means people.
I see.
Pygmies live in some of the most inhospitable forests of Eastern Congo.
What are they like?
Textbooks will tell you they’re hunter/gatherers, that they have dark skin and stand about fifty-nine inches high.
What would you tell me?
They’re a struggling people who are fighting hard to protect their culture and their homes. They’re playful, spiritual. They like to sing.
What’s their music like?
Vocal and rich…sort of like harmonic yodeling with a hypnotic rhythm.
Again, she felt his love of Africa and his work. Do you miss the Pygmy tribes when you’re in the States?
Sometimes.
It’s hard to imagine they’re really so small.
Anthropologists have automatically assumed that they’re the most primitive members of the human race. But…
The ellipses meant he was e-mailing more. She waited.
I’m not sure, he went on. Races of true Pygmy size in prehistory are unknown to archeologists. Where they come from is a bit of a mystery.
She shot another glance at Bailey, wishing Isaac would come over. Tell me about how they live, she typed.
Pygmy women look after the tribe’s general welfare. They search for food in the forest. They gather a lot of vegetables and a mixture of yam, fruit, mushrooms and tubers that they call manioc. In some seasons they collect termites, caterpillars and snails.
To eat?
Yum, huh?:)
That helps take my mind off my own troubles.
LOL Are you okay?
I don’t want Bailey to die.
I know. I’m sorry.
She felt a lump rising in her throat and didn’t know how to respond.
What you did tonight…complimenting Mica to Liz…that was nice, he wrote.
She smiled through her tears. I have my better moments.
Has Keith been bothering you about last Friday?
Here and there. Tonight he accused me of staring at you.
You were staring at me.:)
Only because I want your body.:)
You love to flirt with danger.
I’ve always played it pretty safe in the past. Are you dangerous?
In ways. Did you know that the food the Pygmy women gather is shared equally by the community?
LOL—We’re back to Pygmies?
And that Pygmies practice alloparenting? he asked.
No. What’s alloparenting?
Group parenting, more or less.
The whole tribe raises the young? Something like that?
Pretty much.
You were staring at me, too, Isaac, she wrote.
No kidding. I couldn’t take my eyes off you.
Reenie felt quite a bit warmer when she read that. So why hadn’t he responded to her e-mail? You know my number….
Nothing.
Never mind, she wrote.
I’m leaving town at some point, Reenie. There’s nowhere for us to go.
I know. It’s getting late, she said. I have to get to bed.
But we haven’t talked about the role of Pygmy men.
Maybe some other time. Night.
Reenie…he wrote, but she signed off and went over to hug her dog.
“You have lousy timing, you know that, Bailey?” she said.
He licked her face, and she decided that, as much as it hurt to do it, she’d take him to the vet after school. It was time to put her beloved dog out of his misery.
ISAAC SIGHED as he stared at the screen. He’d known that answering Reenie’s instant message would be going against his agreement with Liz. But her dog was dying.
“Hear anything from Reg?” Liz asked, surprising him at the door.
“You’re still up?” He swiveled toward her. “Evidently we’re all a bunch of night owls.”
“Who else is up?”
“No one.”
“I’m sure I can guess.”
He didn’t answer.
“Any word on your grants?”
“Not yet. You anxious for me to go?”
“If it’ll save you from falling in love with Reenie.”
“You hate her that much?”
“Not hate.”
“What, then?”
“Where she’s concerned, I feel too many emotions to untangle them.” She leaned against the doorjamb. “Mica really admires her. She was thrilled to hear that Reenie liked her performance.”
“How does Mica feel about Angela?”
“I think she’s as jealous of her as I am of Reenie.”
“Mica’s a very bright girl. What’s there to be jealous of?”
“Angela’s as popular as Reenie is. See the parallel?”
“Mica and Angela each have their own unique talents.”
“Had we all met under different circumstances, I’m sure we wouldn’t have had any trouble.”
Isaac wrote Reenie’s number on a pad of paper, stood and handed it to his sister.
“What’s this?” she asked.
“Call Reenie. Invite her out to lunch.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“I’m not.”
“Why would I do that?”
“Because her dog is dying. And because she’s worth getting to know.”
Liz’s hair fell in front of her face as she stared down at the number he’d written. “She makes me feel…inadequate, Isaac.”
“She made the first move, Liz. Give it a shot. It could be good for Mica and Christopher.” When his sister looked up at him, he grinned. “You’re worth getting to know, too.”
“Her dog is dying?”
“It’s breaking her heart.”
She studied the slip of paper a minute longer. “I’ll think about it,” she said.
* * *
THE NEXT MORNING Isaac drove Mica and Christopher to school. Liz had to work earlier than usual because Marge Finley was having knee surgery and wasn’t able to come in.
Christopher climbed out of the truck first. “Thanks,” he said.
“Yeah, thanks.” Mica gave him a peck on the cheek before sliding toward her brother and the open door.
“No problem, guys,” Isaac said.
“Will you be picking us up?” Christopher asked eagerly, craning his head to see around his sister.
Isaac knew the kid wanted to go out for ice cream. A trip to the Arctic Flyer had become standard operating procedure when Isaac picked them up from school. “Sorry, bud, I’ll be at the feed store until dinnertime.”
“I thought you were quitting that job,” Mica said.
“Today’s my last day, although I
’ve agreed to help now and then.”
“Maybe Mom will take us out for a treat,” Christopher said to Mica.
“She thinks we eat too much sugar already,” Mica grumbled.
They slammed the door and Isaac nearly pulled away. He would have, except something caught his attention. Angela and Isabella were standing under the big oak tree near the front entrance to the school, and they appeared to be waiting for Mica. At least they were watching her pretty intently.
Halfway to the tree and her two half sisters, Mica’s footsteps slowed and she glanced back at him. Isaac got the distinct impression she didn’t want him to see her meet up with Reenie’s girls. So he quickly looked down, as though he was fiddling with the radio. When he checked again, Mica and Angela had their heads bent close together and were talking and smiling. Eventually, they walked off together, leaving Isabella to tag along behind.
The person in the car behind Isaac tapped her horn. He was holding up traffic. Pulling out of line, he rolled down his window.
“Isabella!”
She turned, then smiled broadly when she recognized him. He waved her over to the truck. Letting Mica and Angela, who seemed to be in their own little world anyway, go on without her, she skipped toward him.
“Hi!” she said, trying to see him by hanging on to the window opening and standing on tiptoe.
He reached across the seat to open the door.
“You drove Mica and Christopher to school today?” she asked, slipping inside.
“Yep.”
“Where’s their mom?”
“Working at the grocery store.”
“Oh.”
He looked around the playground but could no longer spot Mica and Angela. “What are Mica and Angela doing?” he asked.
She shrugged. “I don’t know. Probably playing on the monkey bars. They always do that.”
“Every morning?”
“And at recess.”
Interesting, Isaac thought. Mica never mentioned Reenie’s girls. Certainly she hadn’t told him or Liz that they played together at school. “How’s your mom doing today?” he asked.
“Okay, I guess. She’s a little sad.”
“Why?”
“Because Bailey’s not feeling good. He’s too old. Mom told us the vet’s going to put him to sleep today. And he won’t wake up,” she added.
“Did you say goodbye to him?” he asked.
She nodded.
“I’m sorry you had to do that.”
Big tears filled her blue eyes, eyes that reminded Isaac so much of Reenie’s. “I’m going to miss him.”
“So is your mother, sweetie.”
She sniffed and nodded, and he reached out to squeeze her little hand. “It’ll be okay. I know it hurts, but sometimes we have to say goodbye to animals and even people we love. It’s part of life.”
“I know,” she said. “We’re going to have a funeral for him tonight and bury him by the barn so he’ll still be close to us.”
“That’s a good idea.”
The bell rang. Wiping her eyes, she offered him a final watery smile. “I gotta go.”
“Bye,” he said, and watched her run safely to class. He started off toward the feed store, but when he was only halfway there, he stopped at the Arctic Flyer so he could use the payphone to call Earl. Then he headed to Boise.
* * *
REENIE PULLED into her driveway, put the transmission in Park and turned off the engine. She hadn’t wanted to go to the vet alone, but she hadn’t wanted any of her children to have to suffer through the experience, either. So she’d picked up her mother and her half sister earlier.
“Want me to get the shovel?” Lucky asked from the back seat.
“No, Keith can do it.”
“When’s he coming over?”
“In a few minutes.” Reenie had told her ex-husband she wouldn’t be home until four-thirty because she’d wanted to have plenty of time to collect herself before facing the rest of the family.
“Will he be bringing the girls?” Celeste asked.
“Yeah, he picked them up from school so I could…you know, do this.”
“I’m glad he’ll be here,” Celeste said. “He gave you that dog before you had any kids. He loved Bailey, too.”
Reenie nodded and opened her door. “Let’s carry him into the back, okay?”
Lucky helped her lift the crate containing Bailey’s body, and together they headed around the side of the house. Reenie hated the fact that her dog wouldn’t be around to greet her when she came home each day. If he hadn’t been so miserable, she would’ve let his life run its course. But the cancer was getting too painful for him.
“This has been such a tough year for you,” Celeste said, following behind. “I was telling Garth just last night that I’m very proud of the way you’ve handled—”
The jingle of a collar and a yap, yap, yap interrupted.
“What’s that?” Lucky asked.
“I don’t know,” Reenie answered honestly.
Celeste skirted around them. “Sounds like a dog.”
When they reached the gate, they saw that it was a dog. A puppy. He had a big red bow around his neck and was straining against a rope tied to a stake in the ground. The moment he saw he had company, he wiggled and barked and whined for attention.
Celeste crossed over to him, walking gingerly because her high heels kept sinking into the wet lawn. “Who’s this little guy?”
Reenie’s jaw had fallen open. Quickly clamping her mouth shut, she realized it was the dog from the shelter in Boise. Isaac must’ve brought him. But she didn’t want her mother and Lucky to know that Liz’s brother had given her anything. She didn’t see any need to put herself in the awkward position of trying to explain why he might do so. As far as anyone else knew, family included, she and Isaac barely spoke to each other. “I—I thought it would be a good idea to get a new puppy for the girls, to distract them from the sadness of losing Bailey,” she said.
Celeste bent to pat the puppy’s head. “Why didn’t you tell us he was here?”
“I thought you wanted to wait a few weeks,” Lucky said. “But I can see why you changed your mind. Boy, is he cute.”
Reenie didn’t answer either one of them. “Let’s put Bailey over here,” she said.
Once they’d set the crate on the ground, she turned to find Celeste wearing a puzzled expression.
“There’s a gift card tied to his collar,” she said. “And it has your name on it.”
Damn. The card had been hidden by the bow. “I’ll get that.” Reenie started forward, but it was too late. Her mother read the brief message aloud. “‘Think of me now and then, okay? Isaac.’”
“Russell?” Lucky said.
Reenie cringed at Lucky’s loud voice. “I—I don’t think so,” she said.
Her half sister gaped at her. “We only know one Isaac, Reenie. If this dog didn’t come from him, where did it come from?”
What could she say? She’d met an Isaac on the Internet who’d shipped her a dog? No way would that work. “Okay, Isaac and I have become…friends.”
“Friends,” Lucky repeated skeptically.
It hardly helped to convince them to take her relationship with Isaac as lightly as she was presenting it when, a moment earlier, she’d lied about even having a relationship. But she tried anyway. “Yes, friends.”
“Buying you this puppy was a very nice thing to do,” Celeste said. “And this card…”
“He didn’t mean anything by the card.”
“Of course he did,” Celeste insisted. “But Reenie, Isaac is Liz’s brother.”
“Don’t jump to conclusions,” she said. “It’s nothing. Nothing at all.” The way they kept staring at her prompted a little more. “We…we danced one night.”
“And?” Lucky said.
“And then he gave me a ride home. End of story.”
Lucky began to smile.
“Quit it,” Reenie said, her voice rising. “So
what if Isaac gave me a dog!”
Lucky’s eyes suddenly moved to something behind her, and a sick feeling settled in the pit of her stomach. Keith was there. She could tell by her sister’s expression.
“Mommy, did you say Isaac bought us a puppy?” Isabella came running toward them, along with the other girls. But Keith didn’t move. He stood at the open gate, wearing a dark glower.
Reenie quickly ripped the card off the puppy’s collar and stuffed it in her pocket. “I’ll get the shovel out of the barn,” she said, and hurried away.
By the time she returned, Angela had untied the puppy. The girls were kneeling down, laughing and petting him as he jumped and tried to lick their faces. Keith had joined Lucky and Celeste, but he didn’t look happy, and both Lucky and Celeste seemed uncomfortable.
“You’re really broken up about Old Bailey, huh?” he said, his words dripping with sarcasm as she handed him the shovel.
“I loved Old Bailey. I’m going to miss him a lot.”
“Yeah, right. Like you miss me?”
Celeste and Lucky exchanged glances and Reenie cleared her throat. “Let’s not make this any harder than it has to be, Keith,” she murmured. “Dig the grave, okay? The girls will say their goodbyes and I’ll offer a final prayer.”
“Isaac gets to buy a new puppy and be a hero. I get to dig the grave.”
“I didn’t ask him to buy me a puppy.”
“You don’t have to accept it,” he said earnestly.
Reenie waved at the girls to remind him that they weren’t alone. Jennifer had clued in to the fact that an argument was brewing and was watching them closely, but Angela and Isabella were completely enthralled with the puppy. “He got it from a shelter. We can’t take it back even if I wanted to. Which I don’t.”
