He turned and moved down the alley. Lady followed, her head low.
Entering the park at the center of the town with Lady close behind, Tramp made his way to a large bronze statue of a man holding an ax and wearing a big hat. Lady looked at Tramp. “This is your friend?” she said, nodding at the bronze frontiersman.
Tramp shook his head. “Don’t be ridiculous,” he said. “This is my friend.” He pointed to a smaller bronze statue at the frontiersman’s feet. It was a beaver. Its two large front teeth gleamed in the sun.
“Do you know what ‘friend’ means?” Lady asked. She was seriously beginning to question her decision to follow Tramp anywhere.
Ignoring her comment, he pulled her to the statue and tried to hook the muzzle strap around the beaver. “You’ll have to get a little closer,” he said. Lady reluctantly moved a few steps. “There!” Tramp pulled back. Then he continued to fiddle with the strap. His nose pressed against Lady’s neck, and she felt his breath on her fur.
For a moment it was quiet. The only sounds were Tramp’s breathing and the scratching of the beaver’s bronze teeth against the strap. After all the excitement of the morning, Lady found herself enjoying the peace.
And then Tramp went and broke it.
“So…not trying to be a ‘told you so,’ or anything,” he began, “but…baby moves in, dog moves out?”
Lady hated that she had already had the same thought. There was no way she was going to admit that to Tramp, though. “It’s not what it looks like,” she said.
“Got it, got it,” he said. “Kinda looks worse to me.” His words were teasing, but his tone was kind. His eyes rested on her, and Lady grew uncomfortable. This nice Tramp was unsettling.
Lady changed the subject. “I’m so glad we’re doing this after you decided to eat garbage.”
Tramp didn’t bite. Instead, he carefully got his teeth between the strap and Lady’s neck. Then he began to pull. He pushed back against the statue, using it for leverage. “Let me just…” he said, his voice muffled by the leather. He gave it several more tugs, loosening the leather with each pull. “Okay, time for the final step.” Moving around, he was face to face with Lady. Their eyes locked. Behind his shaggy brows, Tramp’s brown eyes grew soft.
“Uh, final step,” Lady said, breaking the moment.
Startled, Tramp shook his head. “Oh, yeah, the final step,” he said, snapping back to attention. “That’s what I was about to do.…” Giving the muzzle one last tug and then a quick snip, he pulled back. The muzzle came loose, and Lady stepped out of the horrible contraption. “Wow! That actually worked!”
Laughter bubbled up inside Lady. Until then, she hadn’t realized how scared she was that Tramp wouldn’t be able to free her. Now that she was out of the muzzle, she couldn’t stop laughing. Tramp’s eyes were twinkling. He seemed as relieved as Lady felt.
The mission complete, an awkward silence fell over Lady and Tramp. She wasn’t sure what to do next. She looked around the park. She had no idea where she was or how much daylight was left. But she didn’t feel like she could ask Tramp for another favor. “Well, um, thanks for your help.” Even as the words left her mouth, she knew they sounded weak. He had rescued her. He probably deserved more than just a thanks.
Tramp looked surprised. “Bye?”
Lady turned on her heel and set off. Every few feet she had the urge to turn around. She was about to stop and go back when she heard footfalls behind her. Then Tramp dropped into step beside her.
“You know where you’re going, right?” he asked.
Lady gave Tramp a look. “I think I’m capable of finding my own way home,” she said.
“Okay, nice knowing you, then,” Tramp said. With a wag of his tail, he turned and headed in the opposite direction.
Fine, go, Lady thought. I don’t need you to find my way home. It’s my home, after all. How hard can it be to sniff out? But as she continued on, she realized that it was actually hard—very hard. There were dozens of smells and many people. She couldn’t find any familiar landmarks. Her head began to hang lower, and her stride became less confident. She took a few steps to the right. Then to the left. She went back right. Then it hit her.
She was completely lost. Sighing, she stopped. She was really beginning to dislike that Tramp always seemed to be right.
“Wrong way.”
Turning, Lady saw Tramp standing a few feet away. He had a pleased expression on his scruffy face, like he knew what she had been thinking. “I mean,” he went on, “if you’re going home, that would be the wrong way.”
“I know,” Lady said, rolling her eyes. “I just…wanted to see what was over there.” She nodded toward a clump of bushes to her right. She began to move in the opposite direction.
“That’s also the completely wrong way,” Tramp pointed out.
Whipping around, Lady stomped her foot. “Fine,” she huffed. “If you care so much, then why don’t you just help me get home?” Tramp laughed, which only made Lady more annoyed. He was enjoying this!
Nodding toward another park exit, Tramp started to walk off. “Follow me, kid,” he said.
Lady narrowed her eyes. True, she was going to have to rely on Tramp to get home. But that didn’t mean she had to follow him. Taking off, she raced past him. She let out a laugh of her own as he barked in surprise.
She had had a terrible morning. It was time to have some fun.
Lady and Tramp ran through the streets, dodging and weaving between people’s legs. The wind whipped at Lady’s ears. Fresh air filled her nose, and the sun warmed her back. It felt wonderful.
But finally, she slowed to a walk.
As her breathing also slowed, she and Tramp fell into step side by side. They walked in comfortable silence. Feeling Tramp’s eyes on her, she looked at him. He was watching her curiously. “I don’t want to pry or anything,” he said softly, “but are you sure you want to go home?”
“Where else would I want to go?” she asked defensively.
Tramp shook his head. “I’m not trying to make you feel bad,” he went on. “You can tell me. I’m not going to judge.”
“I told you already,” Lady said, picking up her pace. “This is just a big misunderstanding. I’m sure Jim Dear and Darling are worried sick about me right now.”
“Sure…” Tramp said, clearly not buying it. He looked around at the various storefronts and nodded at a telephone pole. “I’m not seeing a lot of lost dog posters,” he pointed out.
Lady frowned. Tramp could stand there and make judgments, but he didn’t know anything. He said he knew people. But he didn’t know her people. He had never even met Darling, and he had seen Jim Dear only once. He didn’t know how wonderful and amazing they were. “They love me,” she said. “They would never let me wind up on the streets on purpose.…” Her voice faded. She knew her humans wouldn’t abandon her on purpose, but they had left her. A little bit of doubt crept in.
Shaking her head, Lady tried to push the thoughts away. She spoke again, as much to convince herself as to convince Tramp. “Home isn’t just a place where I live,” she said. “It’s where my family is. So of course that’s where I want to go.”
Once more, silence fell over the pair. Lady slowly lifted her head. She met Tramp’s eyes. To her surprise, he wasn’t looking at her with amusement like he usually did. His eyes were serious and sad. “Well, all right,” he finally said with a determined nod. “In that case, we’re taking a shortcut.”
Lady’s words echoed in Tramp’s head as he led her away from the center of town. She had sounded so confident even though he knew she had to be scared. All Lady had ever known was the love and safety of her home. Now she was on the streets. And for some reason, Tramp wanted to make her feel better.
Moving down an unmarked path, he sniffed. The air was beginning to smell different. They were getting closer. Good. He had a hunch that Lady had never been to that part of town before.
A moment later, as the wide river came into view,
sparkling in the sunlight, Lady gasped. Tramp smiled to himself. He had been right. She had definitely never been to the river before. He had to admit it was pretty impressive. It seemed to stretch on forever. The water rippled in the light breeze and reflected the clouds above.
Along the shore, several boats, including a large riverboat, were tied to a long dock. Passengers were boarding, talking and laughing as they prepared for the sunset cruise ahead. Tramp nodded toward the boat.
Lady followed his gaze. Then her eyes widened. “That’s our shortcut?” she asked.
Tramp nodded. “Yep, it’s easy,” he said. “Just don’t get caught.” Taking a few steps back, he breathed in. Then he began to run toward the dock. Pushing off with his back legs, he flew through the air and landed on the boat. Looking over the water at Lady, he smiled.
“I’m not going to do that,” Lady said. Then, as Tramp watched, she calmly walked up to the passenger ramp and fell into step beside a woman wearing a fancy gown and twirling a parasol. The ticket agent, spotting Lady, said a warm hello, mistaking her for the woman’s dog. With a wag of her tail, Lady was on the ship.
As the huge paddle wheel began to spin, Lady made her way to the upper deck, where Tramp was standing. Below him the water was a swirl of white as the boat moved away from the shore. He lifted an eyebrow. Lady kept surprising him. For a sheltered house pet, she was quite good at making her way through unusual situations.
“Maybe next time you should ask me if I have any ideas before you risk your life unnecessarily,” she said, joining him.
“Ohhh, is that your way of saying you don’t want me to die?” Tramp teased.
Lady couldn’t help smiling. “I didn’t say that,” she replied.
Tramp pretended to look offended. “So now you want me to die?”
Shaking her head, Lady looked over the water. It was peaceful on top of the riverboat. It felt nice to stop running. Suddenly, something occurred to her. “I never asked,” she said. “What’s your name?”
The question startled the dog. Then he shrugged. “Tramp, I guess. Truth is I don’t really have a name,” he answered. “People call me Buddy, or Spot, or Butch, or Hey Get Out of the Trash.” He chuckled at the last one. “But who needs a name? I’m my own best friend. The sky’s my roof. I walk where I want to walk.…”
Lady giggled. The sky was his roof? “You’re funny,” she said.
Tramp grinned at her. From below came the sounds of a band warming up. The entertainment for the human passengers was being readied. Gesturing for her to follow, Tramp led her closer to the edge. On the lower deck, a jazz band was taking its place. As they played their notes, Tramp barked along, wildly off-key.
“Self-taught,” Tramp said when he finished. “I’m not the best technical singer. But sometimes it’s not really about having soul, or depth. Sometimes it’s just about—”
“Volume?” Lady finished for him. “Enthusiasm?”
Tramp looked at her, impressed. Her smile grew broader. Tilting her head back, she joined in.
As the sun began to sink below the horizon, the riverboat made its way slowly back to the dock. On the upper deck, Tramp watched the shore get closer. He realized he didn’t want the cruise to end.
Turning to look at Lady, Tramp saw something new in her eyes. It looked like…affection. She nodded toward the dock and asked where they were going next.
Tramp couldn’t believe it. He was having one of the best nights of his life. First he and Lady had danced and sung on the riverboat. Then she had followed along happily when he suggested a carriage ride through the streets. Of course, they hadn’t actually been in the carriage. They had hitched a ride on the low back step. But they had gotten the same beautiful view of the huge live oaks, their branches heavy with moss, and had watched as the lamplighters came out to light the lamps one by one, giving the streets a golden glow.
They had sat shoulder to shoulder, enjoying the moment—and each other’s company. Seeing the wonder in Lady’s eyes, Tramp bumped her. “Plenty to do out in this big ol’ world,” he said.
Lady nodded, a flash of sadness crossing her face. “I bet there is,” she said softly.
Tramp hadn’t meant to make Lady sad. All he wanted to do was make her happy. He saw that they were passing by a familiar alley. He quickly hopped off the back of the carriage. Behind him, he heard Lady shout as she scrambled after him. “How about a little warning?” she asked when she reached him. Her tone was teasing.
Raising a paw, Tramp gestured to a catwalk that ran up and over a brightly lit street. “After you,” he said, pretending, for once, to play the part of a gentleman.
With a nod, Lady walked ahead. Tramp watched for a minute. There was something different about Lady. He had never liked spending much time with any other dogs. But he realized he wanted to spend all his time with her. Shaking off the thought, he caught up to her on the catwalk.
“What is all this?” she asked, nodding down at the groups of people dining at tables below.
“This?” Tramp said excitedly. “This is my favorite part of town. It’s Restaurant Row!”
Lady looked confused. “Restaurant Row?” she repeated.
Tramp nodded, beaming. “They’ve got French, they’ve got Chinese. Good ol’ steak and potatoes. They’ve got it all.”
“And they just give it to you?” Lady asked. Then she shrugged. “Let’s give it a try.”
His smile broadened. Lady was in for a treat. But then he hesitated. “Don’t we have to get you home?” he asked softly.
“Oh, yeah,” Lady said, as if only just remembering. “Home.” She looked down at the diners and then at the catwalk. She sighed and stopped walking.
Tramp cocked his head. “You okay?” he asked. “What’s wrong?”
Lady’s mouth opened and closed as she struggled to find the words. Tramp waited. He was getting worried. He had learned that Lady was adventurous, brave, and a bit guarded, but she was also opinionated. She had never held back. But now she was silent, lost in her thoughts. As he watched, Tramp could tell she was getting emotional.
“I’m not sure I have a home to go back to still…” she finally said, the admission heartbreaking for her.
Tramp stepped closer. He wasn’t sure what to do. He wanted to make her feel better. But how? “Oh, hey,” he said. “It’s okay.…”
“You were right,” she said, her voice shaking. “The baby moves in, and the dog moves out. It happened…just the way that you said it would.”
Tramp bit back a groan. He wished he had never said that. It was mean, and clearly, it had stuck with Lady. Stepping even closer, he shook his head. “I know you probably think that’s what I wanted to hear, but it wasn’t,” he said. His voice grew thicker with emotion as he added, “Especially this time.”
The faintest flicker of a smile flashed over Lady’s face. But then it was gone.
Tramp couldn’t let Lady stay sad. He had put that terrible thought into her head. Now he needed to find a way to get it out of there. He glanced down at the restaurants below and smiled. Yes, he thought. He had the perfect way to get Lady back in good spirits.
Lady followed Tramp down into the alley. Dozens of different smells hit her nose, making her stomach rumble. She realized she had not eaten in a while.
Tramp stopped in front of an open door. Through it, Lady could see men and women rushing back and forth, their hands full of plates. Steam hissed, and grease sizzled on giant stoves. Suddenly, a man appeared in the doorway. He was holding a box of vegetables. Spotting Tramp, he smiled hello. But then his smile faded.
“Bad timing, Butch,” he said. “We’ve got a full house tonight.”
Lady shot Tramp a look. Butch? That was one of the names he had mentioned. Clearly, he came to this place often.
Turning to go inside, the man stopped, noticing Lady for the first time. He lifted an eyebrow as he looked back and forth between the dogs. Leaning down, the man gave Lady a warm pat on the head.
An angry
voice called out from the kitchen. “Joe! We’ve got a full house!” A moment later, an older man poked his head out into the alley. Tony was the owner of the restaurant. As he spotted Joe patting Lady, his face instantly softened.
“Sorry, boss,” Joe said. “It’s Butch. I think he’s got himself a girlfriend.”
“You’ve gotta be kiddin’ me!” Tony cried, his deep accented voice echoing in the brick alley.
Lady tensed, ready to run if she needed to. Tony looked upset, and after her experience with Aunt Sarah, she didn’t want to take a chance. But then, to her surprise, Tony let out a huge laugh and crouched down on his knees. He made kissy noises as he reached out to scratch both Lady and Tramp, yelling to Joe to get the dogs some food.
Hearing footsteps, Lady saw Joe coming back out, two large bones in his hands. Her mouth watered.
“Bones?” Tony shouted, apparently not at all pleased. He shook his head. “What’s the matter with you? Tonight Butch gets the best in the house.” Tony got to his feet, and he and Joe jumped into action. Joe brought out a large wooden barrel. He placed it in the center of the alley, then whipped a red-and-white-checkered cloth, just like the ones on the tables in the restaurant, out of his apron and spread it over the barrel. A menu and a candle, dripping wax, followed. He gestured to Lady and Tramp to sit.
Slowly, Lady approached the makeshift table. She had never had a dinner out before. Her stomach rumbled, this time with nerves, not hunger. Sitting down, she looked across at Tramp. As usual, he looked completely at ease as Tony walked over to take their order.
From the doorway, the older man called out to Joe. “Butch says he wants two spaghetti specials. Heavy on the meatballs!”
Tramp let out a bark of approval. Tony walked back into the kitchen to prepare the meals. Joe followed, shaking his head.
When they were gone, Lady looked at Tramp. He gave her a lopsided grin, which she returned. She had heard Darling and Jim Dear talk about their dinner dates before Lulu was born. They talked about the food, the waiters, the mood. This was just like that—sort of. Spending time with Tramp was nothing like Lady could ever have imagined. Suddenly, Tony reappeared, breaking the silence. He held a huge bowl full of spaghetti and meatballs.
Lady and the Tramp Live Action Junior Novel Page 4
