CHAPTER 5, Part 1: When morning came, she went down to the kitchen…
Putting him on the counter, she took a little brush from the cupboard and slicked him all over with it, dusting him off, while he squirmed and tried to bite her hand and the brush. Then she set him on the floor and refreshed his water bowl and poured out some kibbles, which he ate hungrily. “Was that hard work, learning to bark?” When he had finished, she started to go upstairs to get dressed, but he stood at the bottom of the stairs with an unbelieving expression on his face and she had to carry him up with her. At the top of the stairs she set him down and went into the bathroom to wash, and he stood quaking, looking down the stairs, and then suddenly shot for the safety of her ankles. “You silly noodle,” she said moving into the bedroom to dress.
Downstairs again she plugged in the kettle and poured a big helping of nuts and grain cereal. While waiting for the water to boil, she folded up the soiled newspapers and removed the plank barricades. She rolled the ball toward the puppy and sat down to breakfast while he fooled around with it. The phone rang; it was Frieda asking her to supper.
“Well I can’t today, because I just got my puppy.” Katherine reached for her mug, smiling at Frieda’s surprise and delight. “A mixture of a lot of things. He looks like a cross between a husky and a shepherd, but his mother has some collie. …I haven’t decided yet. I’ve been calling him all sorts of things. Buster, Socks, Tippy. I’ll wait until something feels right. …Clara Lodge. She got a grown dog from the pound, but it turned out she was pregnant. Not Clara, the dog. So she has five other pups left to give away. Want one?” Katherine chuckled at Frieda’s gasp of horror. “It does actually feel like looking after a baby. I’m responsible for another creature. …Sure, bring them over. I’m not doing much today. Just hanging around, trying to get this dog used to things. …Okay, see you in a bit.”
Katherine drained her mug of coffee and got her jacket. “Come on, poochie, let’s go outside.” And the puppy stepped bravely out after her. As soon as his big white paws touched the grass, he stopped and sniffed it cautiously. He walked along, sniffing, until he came to the edge of the driveway. Then he looked up and ran over to Katherine who laughed and petted his head. He immediately put his ears back in a smile and took her hand between his baby teeth for a moment. Then he let go and started moving back and forth, sniffing, until he stopped, leaned away from his back legs, and peed. “Good boy,” Katherine praised him elaborately, and his whole body wiggled with pleasure.
Katherine found a twig on the ground and they played with it until Frieda’s car pulled up. Frank and Beth’s eager faces were in the windows, and they broke into delighted shrieks at the sight of the pup. Tumbling from the car, they dashed to him and he gave a squeak of fear and ran behind Katherine’s legs. “Oh, you noodle!” she cried. “They won’t hurt you. You don’t have to be afraid.” To the kids, she said “Now be gentle with him, because he’s just a baby.”
Bethie bent right over to peer into his face, and was rewarded by a cautious wet nose touching her cheek. She screamed and straightened up, which caused the pup to back away. “Softly, Beth,” said Frieda.
“Here Noodle,” called Frank, waving the twig. “Go fetch!” He tossed it expectantly, but the dog stood still, watching the flying stick and then turning back to look at Frank as if asking what was next. Then Frank knelt down on the grass in front of him, and the puppy at once came bounding over. Beth gave another shout of joy and mimicked Frank, but lost her balance and fell over. The puppy batted her with a paw and then flopped over himself. While the three tumbled together, Frieda smiled at Katherine, shaking her head, and they sat down in lawn chairs.
“Babies of any species seem to understand each other,” remarked Katherine.
“Frank, don’t keep calling him Noodle, because Katherine doesn’t know what his name is yet.”
“It’s all right. It won’t matter at this stage. And I do sometimes call him that.”
“He’s gorgeous with those markings. The white knee socks! Do you love him already?”
”You know, I don’t know what I feel. Mostly, I’m tired. I didn’t sleep well last night, and all I’m aware is that I have to look after this little creature all the time.”
“You sound like a new mother, all right.”
“That’s exactly what Lawrence said when I mentioned I was getting a dog.”
“So is he sleeping with you yet?”
“Lawrence?” Katherine looked over in mock horror. “You’ve got to be kidding.”
“Not Lawrence. Although there’s an idea. He’s in a line of work you respect. But I meant Noodle, or Socks over there.”
“No way. He has a nice little bed in the kitchen and that’s where he’ll stay.”
“Uh-huh.” Frieda nodded knowingly. “We’ll see.”
“No, it’ll be fine. He just has to get used to it first.”
“He doesn’t like it?”
“He howled all night long. I couldn’t believe it. I thought for sure he’d tire himself out. No chance. Every 20 minutes, he’d start up again. It was yelps, barks, then howls. All night long.”
“That’s what it is to be a mother. Did you give him a hot water bottle wrapped in a towel for him to snuggle against?”
“No. I should try that.” The two of them watched Frank getting the dog to play tug with the twig while Bethie cautiously stroked his tail. He became distracted by this, and made a lunge for his tail, which sent him spinning in circles chasing it, causing the kids to shout with laughter. Frieda and Katherine watched and smiled.
“How’s Douglas?”
“All right. At the moment. We have our ups and downs. Sometimes it’s difficult.” Frieda paused, and Katherine thought she was about to say more, but Frieda glanced at the romping children and seemed to change her mind. “Right now, he’s making a positive racket building shelving for the storage room. I told him he could only have the morning, and then we’d need it to be quiet. So I’m glad to get away from there for a while.”
Katherine studied Frieda’s face and thought she looked a little strained. “How about a cup of tea?” suggested Katherine. “I’d love one. Let’s go inside.” Frieda agreed, and called to her children. The puppy trotted close behind, and everyone trooped into the kitchen.
“I love this stove,” said Frieda stroking it. “It’s so quaint, it’s cool. Have you tried it yet?”
“To tell you the truth, I’m a little afraid to,” said Katherine pouring apple juice. “I want to, but I want someone to check it out first, and show me what to do. But I definitely want to use it.”
“If only for the heat.” Frieda lifted Beth into a chair and stacked two cookies in front of her. They all sat down, and the dog went to his bowl. He became absorbed in his food, and then drank some water. The kettle steamed, Katherine made tea, and Frank and Beth gave their opinions of the puppy until Frieda had to declare that they would not be getting a dog any time soon.
They were happily drinking and munching chocolate chip cookies when there was a knock on the door. Getting up, Katherine had to avoid stepping on the puppy who was stretched out, dozing beside her chair. She opened the door and there stood Rick Burman.