Checked by Cynthia Kadohata

Author:Cynthia Kadohata
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books

CHAPTER 24

* * *

WHEN SINBAD IS sick or getting IV treatments, it makes me question whether this whole chemo thing is fair to him. I mean, he doesn’t know why he has to go through all this. Is it just for me? But he’s so happy sometimes. Isn’t it worth it to be sick when the result is you end up being really happy? Supposedly, most dogs don’t get sick when they get chemo, so maybe their owners don’t have so many doubts. I wish that was me.

About a week after his previous chemo, I take him for a long walk, up and down our usual hill, and then up another hill. He hears a noise and whines, so I unleash him and he runs off. When he disappears from view, I sit down and wait, and it dawns on me—there are already plants regrowing everywhere! Some of the weeds are several inches high. Green’s my favorite color, so it’s cool to sit in the middle of all that new growth. It’s only eighty out, which is pretty good for summer in Canyon Country. I check my phone but know there’s no signal up here, so I just reread the e-mail I finally sent Aunt Mo this morning. I told her that I don’t want to see my mom’s parents. It wasn’t a hard decision. There were times early on after Dad married Jenny when I really wanted to see them. I’d just be there in my room with nothing to do ’cause Jenny wanted to have some “parent time” alone with Dad. Even when we all went somewhere together, I felt like Dad was more with her than with me. I’d even asked Dad about Grandma Toshi and Grandpa Takao. He said they were going through issues and couldn’t see anyone at the moment ’cause they were still upset about my mother’s death.

I roll my head and neck in a slow circle, then close my eyes and let the breeze hit my face. Sinbad doesn’t show up for twenty minutes. He’s done that before, but with him being on chemo, I start to feel pretty worried. “Sinbad!” I call out, but he doesn’t come.

Then I hear a commotion, and it’s him, bounding through the brush with a rabbit in his mouth and a wild look in his eyes. He shakes his head back and forth, the rabbit’s body whipping around. He looks like a complete madman. I know some people might think this is mean of me, but I feel so proud of him! In fact, I think it’s my proudest moment as a dog owner. Even when he caught that squirrel, he didn’t look this wild.

“What a good boy!” I exclaim. “You’re the best good boy in the world!” I rub his head. He might be the best dog the world has ever seen! Then I wonder what to do with the rabbit, since wild rabbits can have worms. “Drop it!” I command. He shakes it vigorously. I wonder if it’s too late, whether he’s already got the worms.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.