“No problem.”
“How’s the little guy doing?”
“He’s good. Excited to meet his new best friend,” she said. “Did you tell him yet?”
“No. I wanted it to be a surprise.”
“Alright, but if he has a heart attack and starts pissing all over the place, I’m not helping you clean up a damn thing.”
I eyed her in confusion. “Are we talking about Ol’ School or the dog?”
“Both.” She laughed.
I could hear Ol’ School’s feet sliding across the floor as he returned to the living room.
“Alright, close your eyes,” I told him.
“Close my eyes? I can barely see as it is.”
“Just do it.”
He let out a loud huff but did as he was told. “I swear, you’re always up to something.”
“Mmhmm, just keep them closed.” I pulled the puppy from the box and walked toward him. “Now, hold out your arms like you’re going to hold a baby.”
“What size baby are we talking about? Like a newborn or one that’s been out of the oven for a few months?”
My aunt chuckled.
“Is that a young ladies’ voice I hear?”
“Keep those eyes closed.”
“Alright, alright. But if you got me a little person for my birthday?—”
“Just be quiet.”
I placed the dog in his arms.
“Oh, wow,” he said, his eyes finally opening. “Where did this little guy come from?”
I looked back at my aunt. “Ol’ School, this is my aunt, Myra. She sells puppies, and she just so happened to have had a few left that needed a home. I know how much you love dogs, so I figured why not? Plus, I figured it might keep you away from that pack of wild beasts across the street.”
“They’re not beasts. They’re just hungry.”
“Oh, those vicious things are definitely beasts,” Aunt Myra chimed in. “They are too far gone to be anything else now. Someone needs to call the city or something.”
“I’m pretty sure the neighbors have, but nothing’s changed,” I said.
“Wow, really?”
“Yep.”
“Hmm...maybe I should make some phone calls. Something’s got to be done about that. There is way too many kids that play around in this neighborhood. If one of those dogs get loose, there’s no telling what might happen.”
I nodded in agreement.
That was what I was afraid of, especially during the school year. There was a school bus that picked up on the corner, which was just a few houses down. Although the fence seemed pretty sturdy, the way those dogs barked and pushed shit around, it could give out at any moment. I didn’t want to witness the result if it did.
