Bits And Pieces

A Dog's Name

     "Hey, Jimmy," I put my arms across his small shoulders, "Aren't you going to wait for your Mom to pick you up at the pet store?"

     He shook his head and those soft brown eyes stared up at me as defiant as could be.  He made no effort to hide the rawhide bone and I noticed he'd picked a big one--it took both of his small hands to hold it.  His shoulder felt thin and narrow under my hand.

     I swallowed.  "Why did you take the stuff, Jimmy?"  I nodded at the bone and with my other hand patted the bulge in his pants pocket I knew held the toy.

    Jimmy placed the too large rawhide bone on the floor at his feet and reached slowly into his pocket, his small hand disappeared and it looked like that pocket was a foot deep as he seemed to get his arm in all the way to his elbow.  He struggled a minute and finally pulled out a squeaky rubber fire hydrant, brilliant red and it squeaked louder as he finally wrenched it from its spot in his shorts pocket.

     "They're for my dogs.  I've got three, all different sizes--one's bigger than me even and they're better than that one we like next door--better than any dogs in the world and they're mine."  He'd been talking fast, his head down, blond roughly cropped hair hanging around his face so I put a finger under his chin and lifted his head so I could look at him.  He'd been sniffling but then he did that a lot but I wasn't prepared for the tears I saw in his eyes and made a path through his freckles.

     "Jimmy, what in the world is the matter?"

     His mother was tall with some sprinkling of freckles on her tip tilted nose.  She balanced a bag of groceries on one hip and with one hand automatically pulled a piece of rumpled Kleenex from her shorts pocket and commanded Jimmy, "Blow".  I hope I never get too old to appreciate a good looking woman--now take Susan, she still looks great to me but I can still look, "Just don't touch," laughs Susan.

     "What's all this stuff and where did you get that toy and dog bone?"  Eyes almost level with mine questioned me as Jimmy wiped a brown arm across his eyes and said defiantly, "They're for my dogs."

     "But we don't have a dog and we're not getting a dog right now--they're too expensive.  Now we're going right back to the pet shop and return these things--you did take them from there, didn't you, Jimmy?"

     There was a hiccup and a shrug and I realized I still had my hand on his shoulder.

     I don't know why I did it but there was something about those brown eyes full of tears looking at me--"I guess it was me that made the mistake, Ma'am.  Jim here and I have been talking a lot and I just thought he had a dog and got these toys for his dog."  I cleared my throat and hurried on as I could see Susan just about finished at the check out and wanted to get the words out before she appeared.  In all the 40 years of married life she could always tell when I was lying; I never could hide a thing from her, but I had an idea.

     "There's a red setter in the store next door too big for his cage and Jim and I sure like him only I can't keep him in my place but I thought maybe Jim could take care of him for me at his house?  I'd sure like that."

     Jimmy's mother looked relieved.  "Since his father died it's kinda tough making both ends meet."  She took the dog toy gently from Jimmy's hand and I picked up the bone that still laid on the floor near our feet.

     "I work part of the day and Jim's in a day care place but he's nuts about animals, cats, birds, but especially dogs.  He even makes up stories about his 3 dogs, and then I think and well, I guess that's his security blanket, really.  His father has been dead only a year.  Oh, my yes, I've heard about that Irish Setter next door and about you, for that matter.  For the last two weeks, he's really looked forward to being with you and when you haven't been in the Gilted Cage, he has really been disappointed.  He needs a man around, I guess--a boy does.  My father lives in Australia so Jim doesn't even have a grandfather around.  Oh, my dad tries with pictures and letters but things are so expensive we've not been able to visit so he's never seen his grandson."  She paused just as Susan caught up with us.