Time to Fly by Laurie Halse Anderson

Author:Laurie Halse Anderson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin USA, Inc.

Apparently people have been spotting the parrots all over town, and the clinic waiting room is abuzz.

“I saw them in the park behind the bank just yesterday!”

“Aren’t they colorful? And there’s so many of them. I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes!”

“A flock of parrots, right here in Ambler. Imagine!”

Our clients seem almost as excited about the parrots as I am. If I printed up some flyers about what kinds of food the parrots like to eat, I’ll bet our clients would be glad to help out in my parrot-protection program.

In the Dolittle Room, I find Mom sitting on a high stool, talking to a teenage girl holding an adorable puppy with huge brown eyes and long, curly reddish fur. “I got Shirley at the Humane Society,” the girl is saying. “We think she’s a terrier-spaniel mix.”

Gran strokes the puppy’s curly coat. “Could be some poodle in there, too. She’s a cute little thing, whatever she is.” Gran checks her clipboard. “Looks like she had her shots before she left the Humane Society. What can we do for her today?”

“Could you just check her over, and then show me how to clip her nails?” the girl asks. “My dad says I can’t keep her unless she’s healthy and I can groom her myself.”

Gran smiles and nods. “Rose, why don’t you show Lauren how to clip Shirley’s nails. I’ll be back to do the physical in ten minutes,” Gran says.

I come to Mom’s rescue. “It’s all right, Gran. I’ll show her how to—”

Mom holds up her hand. “I’ll be glad to give your pup a pedicure, Lauren.” Mom takes the clippers from the drawer of the exam table and reaches for a paw. I bite my lip, hoping Mom knows what the heck she’s doing. She seems awfully confident—but then she’s a skilled actress, trained to play whatever part she finds herself in as if born to the role.

“Zoe, why don’t you hold Shirley while I show Lauren the technique,” Mom suggests.

The puppy gives my cheek a quick lick—sweet puppy breath!—as I settle her in the crook of my left arm. I rest my other hand on her fat, fuzzy tummy to hold her steady. Shirley looks up at me with her trusting brown eyes, and I can’t help but smile down at her. I think I’m in love. Lucky Lauren.

Mom selects a paw and brings the clippers to the nail. “Just be careful not to clip off too much,” she instructs Lauren, who watches closely. “This pink part down here is called the quick. You don’t want to clip it, or it will bleed and hurt her. Right now her nails aren’t very long, so it’s a little tricky. But each time you clip them, the quick will recede and be easier to avoid. Here, you try it.”

To my knowledge, they don’t teach you how to trim a dog’s toenails in acting school. It’s obvious my mother knows what she’s doing.

Lauren carefully follows Mom’s example.

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