Jake by Audrey Couloumbis

Author:Audrey Couloumbis [Couloumbis, Audrey]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-375-89321-6
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: 2010-09-28T04:00:00+00:00

By the time we’d cleaned up the kitchen and were ready to go, the dog had been all over the apartment, sniffing everything. Everything.

For an old dog, he was pretty athletic. He could hop up practically everywhere my cat could get before she died, like the tabletops, although he hopped up on a chair first. He’d even taken a drink of water from the fish tank, the way my cat used to do.

The fish didn’t seem to mind too much, so I decided not to care. Even though he had a perfectly good bowl of water in the pantry. We left the door open for him so he could get to it.

This was a new place for him to get used to and all, so I could sort of understand it when he tried to leave with us. Granddad let me get out in the hallway with Mrs. Buttermark, then called the dog back.

He went, head down, a dog in trouble. It was halfway cute, if you like that sort of thing. If you didn’t know he could turn into a nightmare dog. Granddad came out into the hallway. As he tried to shut the door, the dog tried to get out.

Granddad opened the door, walked inside, the dog followed. “Stay.”

This time Granddad stepped out more quickly, shutting the door.

The dog threw himself against the door, barking. Nightmare dog. It was different this time, though. It was a whiny bark. Probably no saliva dripping down the door.

“No,” Granddad said in that gruff voice, without opening the door.

The dog stopped throwing himself. He stopped barking. I could hear him whine, though. He sounded really pitiful. I’d never thought of a dog having feelings quite like mine. This one was sad.

Mrs. Buttermark looked like she was about to offer to stay behind. She looked at me first, and I let her see I needed her to come with us. I didn’t even mean to. I felt bad for the dog.

Granddad could stay behind, that’s how I felt. He wouldn’t, though. He was coming to the hospital with me and Mrs. Buttermark. The dog had to be able to take it, that’s all there was to it.

“I won’t be gone long,” Granddad said, looking at the door. Something in his voice had changed. I could see he felt awful about leaving the dog there alone.

He also looked embarrassed to be talking to his dog like that. I couldn’t love the dog the way Granddad did. Even if it was sad and halfway cute. I used to talk to our cat. Apparently, I used to pull this dog’s tail.

“You won’t be cold here,” I said to the door. “You have the fish to keep you company. If you get yourself a drink, try not to lap any of them up. Especially the little brown one that can puff itself up. I think it’s poisonous.”

Nothing from behind the door.

The dog stayed quiet as we practically tiptoed toward the elevator. Mrs. Buttermark ruffled my hair.

I felt like a complete idiot.

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