White Fur Flying by Patricia MacLachlan

Author:Patricia MacLachlan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Daddy came home with pizza for an early dinner. Pepperoni for me. Anchovies for Alice.

“Mama should be home soon,” said Daddy. “With your new siblings.”

“You really like anchovies?” I asked Alice.

“I do. I bet Kodi likes them too. Kodi will eat anything.”

“You can’t know,” said Lena all of a sudden.

“She’s talking more like us now,” said Alice.

“That happens,” said Daddy. “She is living here, so she sounds like us.”

It turned out that Kodi didn’t like his anchovy. He dropped it on the floor, stared at it, then rolled in it.

“You lost that bet,” Daddy said.

Kodi stopped rolling and sat up, listening. He ran to the window.

“Mama,” I said.

Kodi wagged his tail. He wagged at Mama getting out of the car with a big dog who looked like him, and a younger spotted dog. They were both on leashes.

We all went out, and Mama let the dogs loose in the yard.

“The big girl is Callie,” said Mama. “Jack is the smaller one.”

“Quite a big puppy,” said Daddy.

“Adolescent,” said Mama. “Probably a year old. One day he’ll be a big dog like Callie and Kodi.”

We knew, from all the dogs who had come and gone, to be quiet and let the dogs come to us. Kodi went over to Mama to be petted. Callie leaned close to Mama.

“It’s okay, Callie,” said Mama. Kodi and Callie sniffed each other. Kodi wagged his tail.

Jack rolled over on his back.

“Submissive,” said Daddy. “Jack’s way of saying ‘Yes, you’re big and I’m not.’”

Callie came over to Alice to be petted, then me. She looked up into my eyes and sniffed my face. Her nose was soft. I could feel her breath.

I bent down, trying to get Jack to come. It took him a while, but he came to me.

“Jack’s the nervous one,” said Mama. “He’ll need a little work.”

Mama looked tired. I knew that rescuing dogs was hard work. She had driven across the state and back to pick up the dogs from another driver, who had picked up the dogs from another state. The rescue association didn’t always have much money, so drivers from every state volunteered. Callie and Jack had come all the way from Georgia.

Jack, in a sudden burst of energy, jumped up and ran down the yard.

Phillip stood at the fence, watching. He opened the gate and came in, walking down the yard to sit in the grass under the big tree. Kodi went down the yard, Callie following. They ran along the fence together.

Jack walked up and sat in front of Phillip.

Phillip didn’t reach out and try to pet Jack. He just sat quietly. After a moment Jack went to sit next to Phillip. Still Phillip didn’t touch Jack.

“Look at that,” said Mama softly. “What a pair.”

Phillip and Jack sat quietly, watching the cows move in the green grass of the meadow, under a blue cloudless sky.

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