Comet's Tale by Steven Wolf

Author:Steven Wolf
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Algonquin Books
Published: 2013-07-22T16:00:00+00:00

11

MID-SEPTEMBER 2001—ARIZONA

Freddie smiled briefly and waved from the window of the airport shuttle, and as it pulled away I lifted my hand in a salute. This time there had been no tears or urgent pleas for me to take better care of myself. “And that’s a good thing,” I said aloud as Comet and I turned and walked back inside the Sedona house. But a nagging worry lay just beneath the surface. The damping down of Freddie’s emotions had me concerned, especially because once she admitted what was causing it, I might become a permanent resident of Arizona. We were farther apart than ever, yet I didn’t know what I could do about it.

Unlike me, Comet was blooming with health and eager to explore the savory Sedona autumn. Emily was growing up and less likely to be around to walk Comet on a moment’s notice, so Comet worked out her own solution. After one early afternoon nap I grudgingly peeled the sheets away, intending to let her out back for her break. She refused to exit. “Fine. Don’t go to the bathroom. I don’t care.” I left her by the slider and closed my bedroom door. Comet opened it. I slammed it shut. Comet opened it. I glared at her shameless expression. “What?” I demanded.

I settled on the end of the bed and peevishly watched Comet trot out of the room. I was just about to slam the door again when she returned, lowering her chest and thumping the floor with her front paws in a drum roll, repeating the sequence several more times with a couple of spinning twists thrown in for dramatic effect. I rolled my eyes in frustration, recalling Mark Twain’s astute observation: “Comet, I want you to know that few things are harder to put up with than the annoyance of a good example.”

I felt like Victor Frankenstein. Comet was my monster. She now had a job to do, and she was going to do it—period, exclamation mark. Her duty didn’t end at getting me out of bed; it included getting me out of the house. She was through with allowing me to skimp on her daily walks. Within a few days, I found that the time outside cleared my head. After a week, I had mentally assembled a to-do list for Comet and me to tackle together. The first item on the list was something I knew would take a burden off Freddie: I wanted to be able to travel without her help. Now that I was using a fentanyl patch, I had to get recertified at my Omaha doctor’s office every few months, but the drive was too grueling for me to tackle alone. I was going to have to fly back and forth either by myself or with Comet. Luckily, most of my trips began and ended in Phoenix, where my mother lived, or in Omaha, where I had family to pick me up. I could always check my bags at the curb. That left just one hurdle: getting from the curb to the gate on time.

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