“It’ll take time to find the one I want,” Cami says. She stares up at Danika with wide eyes. “I don’t just want any dog; I want one that will love me as much as I love it. And I want one that no one else wants.”
That doesn’t sound good. “There’s often a reason why some dogs are difficult to home. Maybe they’re aggressive, or have had no training.”
“I’ll train it.” Cami’s jaw juts. “I’ll love it. And Bella will help. She wants a dog but can’t have one in the apartment.”
Apartment. That word again.
“We’ll start looking.” Danika capitulates. She has promised, after all. And if they have to move, well it will be good if Cami has a dog to love as she settles into a new home. “But smaller breeds only. No Irish wolfhounds or great Danes.”
Cami giggles. “I promise. The RSPCA is having an adoption day tomorrow.”
“Those will be mostly adult dogs,” Danika says.
“That’s okay. It doesn’t have to be a puppy. Can we go look?”
“Sure, we can.” Cami’s insistence on her perfect dog likely means they’ll be traipsing around the breeders, shelters, and pet shops for weeks to come. “We’ll go after soccer.”
“Can Bella come too?” She pouts. “It would be easier if Bella and I were on the same team.”
“I’ll call Kim.” She doesn’t answer the soccer team issue, because any team that’s geographically in the middle will add a lot of travel to their week. Plus, Sylvie and Jorie will miss their friends. They’re not likely to uproot themselves to join a new team.
“Can you call her now? Please?” Cami says.
Danika sticks her tongue out at Cami, but picks up her mobile. Bella has already asked if they can go. Done deed then. They arrange to meet at the RSPCA in Oakleigh at eleven, and then have lunch together after.
Cami’s team wins their match, and Cami is one of the goal scorers, with a surprisingly fierce shot from just inside the penalty box. Danika cheers and laughs as Cami’s teammates surround her to hug her. It seems girls’ soccer is a supportive place, which is a good thing. Certainly, it’s better than her own memories of school hockey and netball, and the ultra-competitive nature of the teams.
They’re first to arrive at the shelter, but five minutes later, Kim’s Subaru pulls up in the car park.
Bella jumps out. “We won! And I scored!” she shouts to Cami, who goes running over.
“So did we, and I scored too!” The sisters hug each other and jump up and down.
Kim comes over, sunglasses shading her face. “Will we be watching them in the Young Matildas in a few years?” She grimaces and removes her sunnies. “The time on soccer pitches is enough now, let alone if they really get serious.”
Danika laughs. She hasn’t seen Kim since the meeting in Alan’s office, and it’s good to simply watch her expressive face, see the wispy braid she always has, and her old t-shirt slipping down over one shoulder. The revealed bra strap is chocolate brown, just as it was that night when Danika got to see Kim remove it. She swallows hard in memory.
Cami and Bella are already at the gate, and as Danika and Kim approach, Danika hears the volunteer explaining they can’t come in without a parent.
“We’re here,” Kim says.
The volunteer smiles. “I’m glad. Too many kids have come in alone and tried to leave with a dog. That never ends well. Are these two your daughters?” Her glance encompasses Danika.
With a small jolt, Danika realises the volunteer assumes she and Kim are a couple—most likely because Cami and Bella are so obviously sisters. The mistake, though, feels…good.
“They are.” Danika smiles. “But we’re mostly just looking today. You’re our first stop on the puppy trail.”
The volunteer gives a half-smile. “If you’re after a young dog, you may be disappointed. We only have a couple of puppies at the moment. Most are senior dogs.” Her mouth falls. “They’re lovely, perfect for a family, but they’re so much harder to place.”
“We’ll take a look anyway,” Danika says.
The noise is deafening—a constant cacophony of barking. Dogs of all types are in individual wire runs. Some pant at the front, tails wagging, desperate for attention. Others hide under blankets, with only a nose or twitching tail visible.
Danika’s heart clenches. This was a bad, bad idea. Already she wants to take all of them home, give them love, show them a world that is better. That although their families may have surrendered them, or they simply got lost one day and couldn’t find their way home, there are still people who will love them.
She looks across at Cami. She appears to be on the verge of tears, and Bella is holding her hand tightly as the two of them look into a cage holding a small terrier who’s leaping up and down at the wire and whining.
“Oh,” Kim says. “The poor dogs.”
