The Penderwicks- Together at last

Good Dog!

I threw my heavy suitcase into the trunk of Daddy's van. I was wearing my backpack, stuffed with my laptop, and huge yellow envelopes from all my teachers. In each one were note packets, assignments, and a few quizzes. It was the week before spring break, and Mom, Daddy, Jane, Batty, Jeffery, and I were about to depart to Arundel. I had gone to my teachers, explaining the predicament, and they had given me the work for the 2 weeks I would miss, along with an outline for when I should do assignments. Batty's wedding would be the first Saturday after spring break, and there was a lot of preparation to be done. Which is why both Jane's car and Daddy's van were packed to the brim with stuff. Mostly Jane's books. Alice ran out of the door, duffel in hand. Jack had left this morning with his belongings, along with Cagney and Natalie's suitcases. Alice and I had asked (okay, begged) for Alice to be permitted to ride along with Daddy, Mom, and I. And here we were. 

"Lydia, is Bear coming with us, or riding with Jane?"

"He's coming with us. Jane's car is too small and too prone to breaking down in the middle of the road." Alice looked happy and set her duffle in the backseat. Jeffery's little blue car pulled into the driveway. He got out and quickly but quietly shut his door.

"Where's Batty?" He asked. 

"Inside. Why?"

"I have something for her." He looked about ready to burst with happiness. I looked at him warily. Just then, Batty walked out, a box in her arms. She beamed at her future husband. Batty was glowing and had been for the past few days. She walked over to him and gave him a quick kiss. Jeffery took the box from her arms and walked to the trunk of his car. He opened it and gave a fake gasp of surprise. "Well, how did this get here?" He asked, holding back a smile. Batty walked over, curious. Her hands flew to her mouth. 

"Jeffery! You shouldn't have! You already have Scout and Tracy!" She was referring to the dachshunds Jeffery had gotten from a friend a few years ago. Natalie had also taken Scout and Tracy to Arundel that morning, after stopping by Jeffery's apartment. She turned and gave him a tight hug. 

"Well, I did." Jeffery kissed the top of her head. I walked over, Alice right at my heels. In the car was the cutest dog ever! It was mostly white, with tan spots. "This is Sadie. I got her from the shelter. She's one and a half." He opened the cage, letting Sadie out. Her fur was long-ish, and she looked like a herding dog. She stretched and walked over to Batty immediately, sniffing her hand and licking it gently. Sadie trotted over to Alice and I, sniffed us, then walked back to Batty, laying on her feet. Batty crouched down, stroking the dog's head and murmuring softly. Sadie barked happily. 

"I love you! Are you my new friend? Can we play? This feels really good! I love you!" Sadie seemed to smile up at Batty. Jeffery snapped a leash onto Sadie's black canvas collar. Sadie got up excitedly, wagging her tail.

"Are we going for a walk? I love walks! Can my friend take me? I love my friend!" Jeffery laughed pleasantly, handing the leash to Batty. Sadie jumped up on Batty, placing her paws on Batty's shoulders, as if giving her a hug. Batty smiled and kissed Sadie on the bridge of her nose. Sadie hopped down and set off down the driveway, pulling Batty along. Mom walked out the door.

"Are we ready to go? Luggage, books, and sewing dummy and fabric for Jane? Bear's stuff is all in there? Where's Bear?" She paused. "What is Batty doing with that dog?" She had spotted Batty walking down the street with Sadie.

"Mom, Jeffery got Sadie for Batty as a gift!" I exclaimed. 

"And Sadie is the dog?"

"Yeah! She is almost 2, and is a rescue." 

"She's cute! Good pick Jeffery." Mom enveloped her future son-in-law in a hug. "Where is Bear though?" As if on cue, Bear came trotting around the corner of the house, covered in mud. "Oh, lovely. We don't have time to give him a bath. Girls, would you mind spraying him down with a hose and toweling him off? Careful not to get wet yourselves." (A/N: My hedgehog is licking my arm right now, and it feels really weird, so any spelling or punctuation mistakes are because of that. I'm sorry) Alice and I herded Bear to the hose and turned it on low, drizzling the water over his back, legs, and head. I left Alice to finish and ran inside to grab one or two of the towels we specifically designated for Bear. On second thought... I grabbed a stack, and ran outside, tossing two at Alice and setting the rest in the car with Bear's stuff. 

"Good thinking Lyds." Mom says. A shriek from Alice makes me whirl around. Bear had tackled her, and somehow the hose had ended up in his mouth. The water was soaking Alice's shirt, and Bear was licking her face, a front paw on each of her shoulders. A commanding whistle made Bear stop and look up. He gleefully ran to Batty, who had returned from her walk with Sadie. The two dogs danced around each other and began to play. Alice stood up and walked over to the car, laughing. She went inside to change, and I turned my attention to the dogs, now curled up with each other on the warm driveway. Mom sighed. "As soon as Alice gets back out here, we need to leave. Have you seen your father anywhere? Jane, possibly?"

"Right here, Iantha. Why is Alice soaking wet? And why is there another dog in the driveway?" Daddy walked out of the door, Jane behind him.

"Daddy, Jeffery got her for me. This is Sadie." Batty smiled at him. Jane got in her car and started the engine, but didn't drive away, on account of there being 2 dogs right behind her car. At the sound of the car engine, Bear jumped up and climbed in his travel kennel. Sadie, not wanting to be outdone, did the same. Alice walked out, changed and dry, wet shirt in a plastic bag. 

"Right, everyone here? One Pelletier, five Penderwicks, one Tifton, 2 dogs? Let's go troops." 

And so we did.

^^^^^^^^^^

Authors Note

I've wanted Jeffery to get Batty a dog for a while and now felt like a good time. I get that you should introduce dogs to vehicles slowly, but let's pretend that Sadie's previous owner already did that, 'kay? Thanks. Also, THIS BOOK HAS OVER 800 VIEWS!!!! Thank you guys so much for reading and giving me your feedback.

QOTD: Do you guys want me to make a chapter with just pictures of the dogs?

Comment, vote, and tell me what you think

Lots of love,

Sammie K