Momma says most people are okay, but some not so much.

“How can I tell the good ones from the bad one?”

“They smell different. The good ones smell like home and biscuits.”

“I like biscuits!”

Momma just smiled at me. It was just us now that all my brothers and sisters were taken away to live in their new homes.

“Why couldn’t we all live together, momma?”

“Well, people have really empty lives without us and they can’t make us themselves so… when we have little ones eventually the good people come and take us with them to their homes. Then we take them on adventures and spend our lives showing them how to really live.”

“Wow!” I said. But then I realized nobody had come for me. “Doesn’t anybody want me to take them on an adventure?”

“I promise, someone is coming for you soon enough. Besides, are you in a hurry to leave your momma all alone?”

I wasn’t in a hurry to leave my momma, but I sure would love to go on adventures. “No, momma, I don’t wanna leave you just yet.” I curled up with her so she would believe me.

As the the boy set the table for the breakfast mom was preparing he couldn’t help himself.

“Daadddddd! I’ve been doing my chores, getting good grades, and I even googled all the dogs and I know what kind I want!”

His dad chuckled, “oh really, what kind?”

“A corgi!”

“A corgi? What do you know about them?”

“Well, the queen has them. And they have fluffy butts!”

His mom, who had turned to watch this little tete-a-tete, almost spit coffee out of her nose. “He’s not wrong, hon!”

Fighting back a laugh dad said, “no, I suppose he is not.”

The boy felt he’d won something, he just wasn’t exactly sure what that something was. “So, we can go get me a dog?”

“A corgi, huh?”

“Yeah! I mean, I would like a corgi, but I don’t care cuz I think a dog is good no matter what kind. But I want one with a fluffy butt!”

Momma looked sad so I asked her what was wrong. She pulled me close and said, “someone is coming to see if you might be their dog and I’m gonna miss you is all.”

It was hard to hide my excitement, “adventures!”

Momma tried to smile.

“Can’t you come with me, momma?”

“No son, I have my people. I have to stay with them or they’ll get sad and forget how to be happy.”

“But I can come visit you, right?”

I didn’t realize then that she was lying to me when she said I could.

When the boy came in with his family I wasn’t sure about him. He talked about my butt.

“What’s his name?”

“Well, if you take him home you can name him whatever you want,” the woman said.

“Dad, he’s not exactly a corgi.”

“I thought you said all dogs are good.”

“They are. And this one has a fluffy butt!”

The woman explained that he was a corgi mix. “I am not exactly sure what he’s mixed with, you see, his momma got out one night and by the time we found her again she was expecting. Taking her to the vet to get her fixed next week.”

“Is she broken?” the boy asked.

My momma isn’t broken, stupid boy!

The woman smiled then hesitated as she explained, “no, she is definitely not broken. It’s just that having puppies was… hard on her so we’re going to fix it so that doesn’t happen again. You know, so she can live a long, healthy life from here on out.”

“Oh. I think I get it.”

“Good. So what do you think about the puppy?”

I didn’t realize my momma suffered by becoming my momma. I think she could tell. “I think she’s saying that to make the boy feel better. I’m fine and having you was the best thing I have ever done.”

I felt better. Then I didn’t. “Are you saying that just to make this boy feel better?”

Momma smiled. “Go see the boy.”

I walked over to the boy and sniffed a little. He stood there just looking down at me. I smelled something… delicious. He bent down, his face inches from my own snoot. He said “hi,” and I knew it! His breath smelled like… like… biscuits! And bacon! And jam! I jumped up and licked his face!

IT WAS SO DELICIOUS!

The boy fell back, laying on the floor as I pounced!

The boy was giggling so much.

“So, what you think? Is this your dog?” the woman asked.

Mom said, “I think it’s safe to say you’re defintely his boy.”

-Part three coming sometime in the future

“A dog will protect us and he can watch me when you can’t find a sitter and I promise I’ll feed him and clean up after him and dogs are cute!” My mom looked at me like I was the cutest, saddest little thing she’d ever seen. My dad would try to get a word in from time-to-time, but I wouldn’t let him because I knew he was going to say, “no” without really giving it any real thought. “And dogs are cuddly and soft and …”

So I was sent to bed a little early so they could “talk about it.”

“Really, you promise you’re really gonna talk ‘bout it?”

“Yes mijo, we promise we’ll talk about it. That does not mean we’re promising you a dog, understand?” I stood there in my Minions pajamas contemplating what my dad had just said for a moment and said, “okay. But dogs are really the best, and…”

“I SAID WE’LL TALK ABOUT IT! Now go to bed, I love you.”

“C’mon, I’ll tuck you in,” mom said. She took me by the hand and walked me into my room. I climbed into bed and she pulled my blankets up to my chin, smiled and kissed my forehead. “A dog is lot of responisbility you know.”

“I know, but I promise, promise, PROMISE to take care of him!”

She looked around at the mess that was my room. Toys littering the floor. What was once a pile of Legos that may have been a castle or gas station or some other building that was struck by a wrecking ball. “Like you take care of your toys?”

I didn’t say anything because I didn’t know what to say. Mom was right, but it still hurt. I made a promise to myself to clean my room tomorrow. “If I get a dog, mommy, I promise you’ll never have to ask me to clean my room.”

She took me into her arms and squeezed me. “I’m sure you will, mijo, but you still might be a little too young.”

“I’m not!”

“Lemme talk to your daddy and we’ll see, okay?”

As soon as she left my room and closed the door I threw my covers off, crawled across my bed, and hovered over the foot with my face pressed against the door crack.

“Why does a boy need a dog? Are you sure it isn’t you who just wants a dog?”

I hadn’t even considered that my dad might want a dog. As long as he understood that it would be my dog.

“Maybe I do. Would it be so bad? He’s a smart boy.”

“Yeah, but he is a little boy. He isn’t even a teenager yet.” I felt betrayed by my own mother. I wanted to run out of my room and beg, but my dad’s next words stopped me.

“I want my little boy to grow up with a puppy. Who cares if he’s ready? Were you ready to be a mom?”

“No.”

“But look at you now,” he said as I glimpsed him take her into his arms through the crack in the door. “I have never met a better, more loving, compassionate, fierce mother in my life. He is his mother’s son; he’ll be amazing with a dog because he’s just like his mama.”

I heard my mom sniffle like she was crying.

Why would my mommy be crying, I wondered.

“You’re not fighting fair you know,” she said to my dad.

“Well, if you weren’t so amazing I wouldn’t be so well armed.”

I heard kissing noises. Eww, I thought. I jumped back into bed and covered my ears with my pillow to erase the sounds of my parents being gross.

I ran out of bed the next morning. It was a Saturday so they were both home. Dad was in the kitchen pouring himself a cup of coffee.

“Where’s mommy?”

“She’s…”

“Did you decide I can have a dog?!”

“… in the shower. Come and eat some breakfast.”

“Can I?”

“Nothing was decided last night, mijo. So come and eat let’s have a chat.” Dad was using his firm, don’t talk back voice so I knew better than to say anything more. I stood at the edge of the kitchen counter while he poured me a bowl of cereal and milk.

“Can I - may I have some orange juice?”

“Half a glass or full?”

“Half! Please.”

“Go sit at the table and I’ll bring it to you.” I did as told and watched him. He put down my bowl of cereal and glass of orange juice in front of me then took the seat across from me. I shoved a spoonful of cereal into my mouth.

“A dog is a huge responsibility, mijo. I need to know that you’re ready for it, so here’s what you’re going to do for me,” he said in his serious dad voice. I put my spoon down and stopped chewing so I could listen.

“Chew your food, mijo.”

Crunch, crunch, crunch, swallow.

“You’re going to show us that you’re a responsible young man. I need to see that your room is kept clean without us having to get on you about it. And you’re going to start doing chores around the house. I think taking the garbage out and loading the dishwasher are something you can handle, yeah?” he asked in that dad way that let me know it was not negotiable.

“Yessir.”

“You show us you can do all that for awhile - do not ask how long - and then we can discuss you getting a dog, okay?”

“But, dad…”

“NO ‘BUT DAD.’ It’s this or no dog.”

“Okay,” I said in my mopiest voice.

Mom down the hallway in her robe, towel-drying her long black hair saw the look on my face and said, “I’m guessing daddy told you?”

“Yes ma’am.”

She looked at dad, “ohhhh, he’s ma’am-ing me. This is serious,” as she scooped me into her arms. I wanted to be mad at her, but I needed her comfort more. She pulled my head to her shoulder. I could feel her damp hair on my cheek, the smell of her fruity shampoo filling my lungs. “It’s okay to be disappointed for a little while, mijo. But then you need to dust yourself off and get to work showing us that you can handle some responsibility, okay?”

“Okay.”

“And in-between chores maybe start doing some research on the kind of dog you want.”

Part Two tomorrow