Chapter 81 - The Dog Who Followed Us
The little brown dog followed Isabel through the front gate as though he had been invited.
He had not.
Five minutes earlier, he had appeared beside us on the pavement, walking with the determined concentration of someone who believed he knew the way.
I had stopped.
He had stopped.
Isabel had whispered, “Daddy.”
“I see him.”
He wore a faded blue collar without a tag. One ear stood higher than the other. His coat was damp beneath his chest, and he looked at every passing car.
I checked the nearby houses while Isabel stayed beside me.
Nobody recognized him.
At home, Lena came onto the porch carrying an old lead we had never found the heart to give away.
The dog approached her cautiously.
Then he sat on her foot.
“Oh,” she said.
Isabel covered her mouth to contain her delight.
The boys appeared behind Lena.
Nico came down the steps immediately.
Noah stayed in the doorway.
“Whose is he?”
“We’re finding out,” I said.
“Are we keeping him?”
“No one has decided that.”
“That isn’t what I asked.”
I looked at him.
For the first time, I noticed how tightly he was holding the door.
“We’re going to help him get home.”
Noah nodded.
Then went inside.
We arranged for a veterinary practice to check for identification and contacted the local services that handled found animals.
There was a microchip.
The telephone number attached to it was no longer working.
An older address gave us another place to begin.
While the details were being checked, we were told how to register that we had found him and arrange temporary care.
We brought him home for the night.
Lena placed a washable blanket in the kitchen.
The dog turned around twice and lay down facing the door.
Isabel crouched several feet away.
“He’s waiting.”
“Probably.”
“For his people?”
“Yes.”
She watched him for a while.
Then she whispered, “They might be waiting too.”
At dinner, Nico asked whether we could call him something.
“We should wait until we know his name,” Lena said.
“What do we say if we need him?”
I looked toward the blanket.
“Excuse me?”
Nico laughed.
Even Noah smiled.
Later, I found Noah standing beside Charlie’s box.
He had opened the lid.
The green ball rested in his hand.
“Do you want to talk?”
He shook his head.
I stayed nearby.
After a minute, he put the ball back.
“I don’t want him using Charlie’s things.”
“All right.”
“Even if he stays longer.”
“We can find other things.”
He closed the lid carefully.
May you like
In the kitchen, the brown dog lifted his head at the sound of a car.
Then he lowered it again.
