“Not a problem.”
She dipped her head,
Going back into the room, I found Oakley right where I left him. The puppy was curled up on his lap, chewing on a toy.
They were a perfect match.
“I think after this, we’ll head home.”
“Okay.” He didn’t bring his gaze from the puppy, but his word was sad like he thought I wasn’t going to let him have the animal.
If I wasn’t going to let him have the puppy, then I wouldn’t have brought him here.
“What do you think would be a good name for this animal?”
“I’m not naming something I can’t have.” For once, I was surprised by the heat behind his words. So far, Oakley hadn’t once had an attitude about anything. not even once.
“Her papers say they named her Hunter.”
Oakley made some sort of noise, which I took for disagreement. I didn’t think that name fit this dog at all.
A knock on the door caused me to look up. “Sir? I have…that thing for you.”
“I’ll be right back. Then we can go home.”
My boy didn’t say anything, keeping his eyes on the dog in his lap.
“Paperwork. Info on the chip, which would be under your phone number and name, will be put into the data once you fill this out. The next form is your agreement to spay her when she’s six months old. Her appointment to do that is when she’s seven months old. You can take this card to remember. Then, the last page is just your signature saying you will take care of the puppy’s needs and all that.”
Easy.
I quickly signed what needed, handing it all back.
“Great. The items are at the front counter for you to grab on your way out.”
“Thanks.”
Going back into the room, Oakley looked up, sadder than I ever thought he’d been before.
Bending down to be at eye level with him, I spoke. Keeping my voice low and soft. “Are you ready to head home now?”
“No.” but he sighed. With one of the saddest looks he could muster, he gave out a long sigh.
“What if I told you that, that puppy is now ours?”
He opened and closed his mouth, then shook it.
“You aren’t like Sir. And…you don’t play games.”
“I don’t like games that make fun of others or make others upset,” I said slowly, patiently. “And I’m pretty sure I’ve told you that I’d like to see you happy.”
“I don’t think…you mean it.”
“Oh, Oakley, honey. I mean it. I want you happy. And that dog is now yours. You’ll be responsible for feeding her, taking her out, potty training, and playing with her. And all that other stuff that dogs need to learn.”
“Really?” A little bit of that hope came back to his eyes.
“Yes. You’ve been such a good boy, and it’s your birthday. Plus, I don’t think anyone else can take care of her as well as you will.”
