Just Gus by McCall Hoyle

Author:McCall Hoyle
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Shadow Mountain Publishing
Published: 2023-04-04T16:33:55+00:00

Chapter Sixteen

Morning at this kitchen table is much quieter than at the kitchen table at the farm. Dad and Diego don’t smile like they did with Cloe and Esperanza. Dad has dark shadows under his eyes as he leans over a plate of bread. There is no bacon here either, but that’s okay because I’ve got something better than bacon. I’ve got Diego.

“I’m exhausted,” Dad says, picking at the dry bread in front of him with his fingers. “But at least nobody complained about the barking.”

“He’ll do better tonight.” Diego passes me a bit of bread under the table.

I thump my tail on the floor as Dad stands and walks toward the trash can.

“Let’s hope so,” he says then dumps the rest of his bread in the trash.

I tilt my head. No matter how many times I see it happen, I will never understand why humans throw away perfectly good food.

“And let’s hope he’ll do okay when we leave him today,” Dad says, leaning on the cabinets like he’s too tired to stand up.

“Why do we have to leave him?” Diego’s voice has more air in it than it did yesterday. His shoulders look a little lower too.

“We need groceries, and you need stuff for school.”

I nuzzle Diego’s leg, telling him not to grow smaller.

“I’m going to take a shower before we go.” Dad walks toward the room that smells like it belongs to him. “Don’t forget you have a virtual session with Dr. Barrett today too.”

“How could I forget?” Diego whispers under his breath then lowers his plate and lets me lick the crumbs.

I wag for him, thankful he’s a smart boy who knows not to throw away even the tiniest bit of food.

He rubs my neck and calls out to Dad, “Can I take Gus down to the beach before we go?”

“Yes, but don’t be gone long.” Dad’s door closes with a thump.

I follow Diego to the sink where he leaves his plate. He grabs my rope and clips it to my collar then leads me down the stairs to the sandy driveway.

“Let’s go exercise like Esperanza said.” He pats my side and smiles.

My ears prick at the sound of Esperanza’s name, but my nose is distracted by all the wonderful salty, fishy smells of this new place.

“Dad doesn’t mean to be grumpy, Gus. He likes you. He just has a lot of work and stuff.”

I wag my tail to show Diego that I’m listening as I sniff a clump of wiry grass on the side of the road. He tilts his head up to the sun, his shoulders lifting as we pass other brightly colored houses sitting on top of fence posts. I’m so focused on the wonderful watery smell of the wind, I don’t notice the older man until he steps in front of us.

“Aha! I knew it.” He smells sharp like metal tools and glares directly into my eyes.

I stand very still. My tail stiffens.

“This is the dog I heard last night.” He lifts his

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.