Goldie (4 page)

Charles put his hand over his mouth and tried to stop laughing, but he couldn’t. The look on the man’s face! The look on
Goldie’s
face! It was too much.

He thought he saw the corners of his father’s mouth twitching. Lizzie was obviously holding back a giggle. And even his mom seemed to have a tiny sparkle in her eyes. “Oh, dear,” said Mom. “I’m so sorry!”

“Puppies will be puppies,” said Dad. He shook his head, laughing a little.

“Well!” The woman stood up. “Come on, Harold. We’ll have to look elsewhere for a dog we can live with. A dog with some
manners.”

She walked past the Bean, who was crawling on the floor near Goldie. The Bean looked up at her and barked. The woman jumped — and kept on walking, a little more quickly.

Goldie watched as the two strangers walked out of the room. The piece of cloth dropped out of her mouth as she watched them go. Why were they going away? Then Charles sat down on the floor next to her and invited her into his lap, and she forgot all about the strangers.

When they heard the front door close, the whole family burst out laughing. “A dog with some manners!” Dad gasped. “What would it say? Please pass the dog food?”

“May I please go for a walk?” Lizzie added.

“Thank you for the lovely bath!” Charles shouted.

“Maybe what they really need is a cat,” suggested Mom.

They laughed for a long time.

Then Mom got serious. “Oh, dear,” she said.
“What if we just drove away the perfect family for Goldie?”

“Come on, Mom,” said Lizzie. “They weren’t the right people for Goldie. Can you imagine her cooped up in an RV?”

“I guess not,” Mom admitted. “But we really have to find this dog a home before she destroys our entire house.”

Charles gave Goldie a little squeeze and she let out a tiny sigh. He could hardly stand the idea of giving her up. But if they really couldn’t keep her, she deserved the best home, with people who loved her just the way she was.

“She’s probably ready for a trip outside,” Lizzie suggested. “Let’s take her out back.”

Sammy must have been watching from next door. He came right over. “So?” he asked. “Didn’t those people want her?”

Charles shook his head. “She didn’t give them the best first impression,” he said. He told Sammy what had happened.

“Well, it doesn’t matter,” Sammy said. “Because I thought of a great home for Goldie.”

“What?” Charles asked. “Where?”

Sammy pointed to his house, next door. “Right there,” he said. “She could live with me and Rufus. Come on, it’s perfect! She’s just what Rufus needs. Didn’t you see how happy he was, playing with her?”

Goldie living next door with Sammy? Charles wasn’t sure how he felt about that. What if Goldie ended up liking Sammy better?

“What, really?” Lizzie asked. “Your parents said it was okay?” She didn’t seem so sure about the idea, either.

“Well, no,” Sammy said. “Actually — I haven’t asked them yet.” He looked a little sheepish. “But they
have
to say yes.”

Charles thought some more. It was true that Goldie was good for Rufus. And if she lived next door, he could see her every day. Suddenly, it seemed like a
great
idea. “If we can’t keep Goldie,
having her next door would be the next best thing,” he said.

Lizzie looked at him. “You know,” she said slowly, “you might be right.”

“He’s
definitely
right,” Sammy said. “Now all we have to do is convince my parents.”

“We can do it,” Charles said. “Goldie is the best puppy ever. How could they say no?”

Sammy and Charles and Lizzie brought Goldie right over to meet Sammy’s parents. Charles held her in his arms so she wouldn’t get down and chase around with Rufus, breaking things and making a mess. Sammy’s dad said that Goldie looked like a great pup. “But we already
have
a dog,” he added. “And I’m not sure I can go through the whole housebreaking thing again. Rufus took
months
to learn. What a disaster! It was too much work.”

Sammy’s mother thought Goldie was very cute. “But it’s been hard on us, watching Rufus get older. I don’t think we want to start all over. We
don’t really need another dog now.” She smiled at Lizzie and Charles. “I’m sure you’ll have no trouble finding a good home for her,” she said.

Charles knew she was right. But if he really had to give up Goldie, the
best
home would be one that was right next door to his own!

“If only she was housebroken,” Sammy said when they were back outside. “Maybe that would convince Dad.”

“Sure, as long as she didn’t decide to chew his favorite camera or something,” Lizzie said. Sammy’s dad was a photographer, and he had a lot of expensive equipment.

They both sounded as if they had given up. But Charles wasn’t ready to quit. He wanted Goldie to live next door! “It’s time for Operation Goldie,” he declared. “They might not
need
another dog, but we can make them
want
another dog. Goldie’s so smart. She just has to learn a few things, and then Sammy’s parents won’t be able to resist her.”

Lizzie and Sammy stared at him.

“That’s true!” Lizzie said. “We can train her so they don’t have to.”

“I bet we can teach her to always go outside,” Sammy said. “She only makes mistakes once in a while.”

“And puppies need to chew,” Lizzie said. “That’s a fact. But we can make sure she has her own toys to chew on, so she won’t wreck people’s things.”

Cozy in Charles’s arms, Goldie looked happily from one face to another. Her people were excited. Something good was going to happen. She could hardly wait!

“Come, Goldie!” Lizzie knelt down with her arms wide open. Goldie dashed across the yard so fast that she tumbled head over heels twice before she got to Lizzie. “Oh, what a good girl,” Lizzie said.

“Come, Goldie!” called Charles from another corner of the yard, and Goldie took off at a gallop. Charles was proud of Goldie for learning so fast.

“Look at her go!” Sammy said. He looked at the list in his hand. “I think we can check off ‘comes when called,’” he said. “She sure knows how to do that.”

“And ‘sit,’ and even ‘stay,’” added Lizzie. “She’s got those nailed.”

Charles kissed the top of Goldie’s head as he
cuddled the wriggling pup in his arms. Operation Goldie was a total success so far. Lizzie said they could only train Goldie for ten minutes at a time because of her short attention span. But she had learned so much in one week! She really was the smartest puppy ever. And Charles had been watching Sammy with Goldie. His friend was great with the puppy.

Maybe the plan would really work, and Sammy’s parents would agree to keep her! Charles would get to play with her every day and watch her grow up. He could already see himself and Sammy throwing balls for Rufus and a grown-up Goldie, taking the dogs swimming at Crystal Lake, showing them off at the library’s annual pet show.

“And it’s been” — Sammy checked the sheet again — “three whole days since she made a mistake in the house.”

“Two days,” Lizzie reminded him. “Remember that little incident in the entryway?”

“That doesn’t count!” Charles said. “She was
trying
to get outside!” He knelt down to give Goldie a rub. “Weren’t you, girl?” he asked.

“The chewing has gotten a lot better, too,” Lizzie said. “The only thing she’s destroyed lately is Duckie, and that was okay, since he’s a dog toy.”

“She destroyed Duckie?” Sammy asked. He looked upset.

“Well, not really
destroyed,”
Charles said. “Let’s just say that he’s a lot thinner than he used to be. And he probably won’t be flying south for the winter.”

Sammy laughed. He reached down to pat Goldie. “That’s okay, Goldie. Rufus was tired of that old toy, anyway.”

“I think Goldie will be ready to show off to your parents in just a few more days,” Lizzie said.

“Charles! Lizzie!” Their mom was standing at the back door. “Guess what? We just got another phone call. A family is interested in adopting Goldie!”

Charles, Lizzie, and Sammy stared at one another. This was terrible news! Nobody else could adopt Goldie. Not now, not when they had worked so hard with her.

“Come on in, I’ll tell you all about it,” said Mom.

Lizzie, Charles, and Sammy all went inside.

The news got worse and worse. According to Mom, this family sounded great. They weren’t old people living in an RV. They had three kids, and they lived in the country, where Goldie would have lots of room to roam. And they were coming right over to see Goldie. They would be there in half an hour!

When their mom left the kitchen after telling them about the phone call, Lizzie and Charles and Sammy just sat there. They stared down at Goldie. “I guess that’s it,” Sammy said sadly. “We’ll never see her again.”

“I can’t stand it,” Lizzie said, getting down on the floor to cuddle with Goldie.

“Hold on, you guys,” Charles said. “We can’t give up yet.”

“What other choice do we have?” Sammy asked.

“We show her off to your parents —
now,”
Charles said. “Sure, we wanted to train her for another few days, but she’s nearly perfect. I bet they’ll love her.”

Lizzie and Sammy and Charles looked at one another.

Yes. It was time.

Lizzie started getting all bossy and making plans. “Okay,” she said. “Let me see that checklist. We need to figure out all the things we want to show off. First we’ll have her sit. Then we’ll show how well she can stay —”

Goldie could tell that something exciting was about to happen, but until it did, she decided she might as well have a drink! She was so thirsty. She wandered over to her bowl and drank some water. Then she waded into her water bowl a little
bit, because she liked how the cool water felt on her feet. This was fun! She had another drink. Then, suddenly, Charles came over and picked her up.

“Ready to show off your stuff, Goldie?” he asked. “This is the big time. You have to do your very, very best.”

Goldie licked his face. Charles laughed and gave her a kiss on the nose. “Let’s go, girl,” he said.

When they got to Sammy’s house, Sammy put Rufus in the downstairs den and shut the door. They had agreed that Goldie would be more impressive if she wasn’t distracted. Then he called his parents into the living room. “I know you think a puppy is too much bother,” he said, “but this one is different. She’s perfectly trained! She won’t be any trouble at all.”

“Sammy —” his dad began.

“Please, Dad?” Sammy begged. “Can we just show you all the things Goldie can do?”

Sammy’s mom and dad looked at each other. “Okay,” said his dad, leaning back on the couch. “Let’s see this perfect dog perform.”

Lizzie was first. “Here, Goldie,” she called, and Goldie came trotting right over to her. “Goldie, sit!” Lizzie said.

Goldie sat.

Sammy’s mom clapped her hands. “Excellent!” she cheered.

Next Sammy called Goldie. When she came, he praised her. Then he said, “Goldie, down!”

Goldie lay down, her eyes on Sammy’s face.

That made Charles feel a little jealous. But he was also proud of Goldie.

“Wow,” said Sammy’s dad. “That really is pretty good.”

Then Charles called Goldie. “Goldie, here!” he said, with a big smile. He had a good feeling about the way this was going.

Goldie started to run over to Charles. But
on her way, she stopped on a pretty rug under the piano.

She sniffed.

She squatted.

And she peed.

Sammy’s father groaned.

His mother sighed.

“This is exactly what I’m talking about,” said Sammy’s father.

“But, Dad!” Sammy said. “She really is house-broken! I don’t know what happened.”

“What happened is that she’s a puppy,” his dad said tiredly. “Puppies make mistakes. It’s not her fault. But this is just the kind of thing that I don’t want to deal with.”

Lizzie picked Goldie up and took her outside.

Sammy’s mom ran to the kitchen and came back with some paper towels.

Charles just sat there, feeling awful.

They had tried so hard! Goldie had tried so
hard! And now everything was ruined. Instead of living right next door, Goldie was going to live far away with some perfect family in their perfect country home. He would never see her again, never feel her sweet puppy breath on his face, never get another puppy hug from her little paws, never see her grow up into a happy, healthy dog.

Sammy’s father was shaking his head. “We went through it all with Rufus,” he said. “Remember our wedding?” he asked Sammy’s mom.

She thought for a second and laughed.

“What’s so funny?” Sammy asked.

“Rufus was in our wedding,” his mom explained. “He was our ring bearer. Our wedding rings were tied to his collar with white ribbon, and he was supposed to sit there quietly until the moment came when the minister said we should exchange rings.” She started to laugh. “Instead, he tore up and down the aisle of the church, barking and chasing his tail and chewing the maid of honor’s bouquet.”

“And then, right in front of everybody, he peed
on my shoe!” Sammy’s dad added. He was laughing so hard that Charles could hardly understand him. “What a moment!” He shook his head. Then he stopped laughing and a sad look came into his eyes. “Good old Rufus,” he said. “He used to be quite a dog.” Sammy’s father reached out to hold hands with Sammy’s mom.

Suddenly, Charles had an idea. Rufus was
still
quite a dog — when he was with Goldie! So far, Sammy’s parents had not seen the two of them together. That’s why Sammy’s family needed Goldie — for Rufus.

Charles looked over at Sammy.

“Get Rufus!” he whispered.

Sammy raised his eyebrows. “Why?” he whispered back.

“Just get him.”

Suddenly, Sammy nodded. He understood. He jumped to his feet and ran for the den. A second later, Rufus plodded into the living room. By then, Lizzie had returned with Goldie.

When Rufus saw Goldie, his eyes brightened and his ears went up. His tail started wagging. He woofed a little woof and bowed down with his front paws way out in front.

Goldie was overjoyed. Her friend! What a great surprise! It had been so long since she had seen him. Oh, happy, happy, happy.

Goldie bounced out of Lizzie’s arms and touched noses with Rufus. Then she gave him a look that said, “Chase me!” She took off, zooming around the coffee table and running behind the couch.

Rufus took off after her, woofing happily as he skidded past Sammy’s parents. “Whoa!” said Sammy’s father.

“I haven’t seen him look that happy in months,” said Sammy’s mother.

Sammy’s dad watched Rufus let Goldie chase him into the front hallway. “He’s acting like a puppy,” he said wonderingly.

“He always does when Goldie’s around,” Sammy
said. “That’s why we think she should come and live with us.”

Sammy’s parents didn’t say anything for a few minutes. They just laughed and pointed as Rufus and Goldie wrestled on the floor by their feet.

“So?” Charles finally asked. “What do you think?”

“I think,” said Sammy’s father, “that if Goldie makes Rufus this happy, maybe a few puddles here and there would be a small price to pay. It’s good to see the old guy playing again.”

“Does that mean —” Charles could hardly believe it.

Sammy’s mom looked at Sammy’s dad. Then she nodded. “I think it means you found a new home for Goldie,” she said. “She’s going to be your neighbor.”

That night, the Petersons celebrated with pizza. Pepperoni for Charles, olives for Lizzie, and extra
cheese for the Bean. It was great to know Goldie would be living right next door.

“I have to admit that you kids really did a great job with Goldie,” Mom said. “Plus, you kept your side of the deal. Lizzie, you kept up with your homework. And Charles, your room is cleaner than I’ve ever seen it. I’m proud of you both.”

“So does that mean we get our own puppy soon?” Charles asked.

“We’ll see,” said Mom. “It does seem awfully quiet around here without a puppy in the house.”

Charles wasn’t sure whether she thought that was a good or a bad thing. He decided not to push it. “I felt sorry for that family with the three kids,” he said. “They really wanted a dog, too.”

“But Goldie went to the right home,” Lizzie said. “Did you see how happy Sammy’s parents looked? And Rufus is like a whole new dog.”

“Plus,” said Charles, around a mouthful of pizza, “we get to see Goldie every day.”

“Woof!” said the Bean, from his spot on the floor next to Charles.

“Maybe we could foster another puppy someday,” Charles suggested, “even if we’re not ready for a dog of our own.”

“Hmm,” said Dad. “Not a bad idea.”

“It’s a
great
idea,” said Lizzie.

“Woof!” agreed the Bean.

Even Mom was nodding. “Well, I guess we do have some leftover puppy food. I’d hate to see that go to waste.”

Charles imagined puppies of every size and breed, from giant Great Danes to teeny tiny Chihuauas. He wondered what kind of puppy the Petersons would foster next. But he knew it really didn’t matter. All puppies were wonderful. Whatever kind the next one was, he would love it and take care of it and find it the very best home. And maybe someday, if he was lucky, that home would be his own.