When I went to the vet office the next afternoon, I found the door locked. I'd assumed that Ivy might have left her truck out back. I took
the key from under the heavy ceramic basset hound, and opened the door.
Inside, it smelled musty. I opened some windows, and looked around to see if Ivy had left me a note. Not finding one, I tidied up the office,
and was headed out back to check on the two horses that Ivy was tending to.
I left the double back doors open, to let fresh air inside. The dampness from the wet carpet and all from the day before was still hanging in the air.
I took the two horses out of the stalls in the old building out back, and staked them out in the grass. While I went to work cleaning out the
stalls, and replacing fresh hay, I listened to the old transistor radio that Doc G had always kept out there.
I was trying to think while I worked. I'd gotten back an anatomy quiz earlier and had gotten a high D on it. Now, that in itself would not be
any big deal. Except that I was not in an ordinary way of things.
Firstly, the quiz had been a surprise on Monday. So I was unprepared. We'd gotten new notes and information on Friday, and I hadn't
reviewed it over the weekend, being as busy as I was.
Secondly, I'd gotten a C on a test the week before in that class, so when I'd asked Mr. Fornelli about it, he told me I had a 75 percent
at the time. An A or a B on either the test or the quiz would have put me into security, and I might have had a B in the class, but combining the
two low grades together, well, that didn't work so well.
I had to keep my grade point average up, or I wouldn't be able to stay in the job program. And then, the family would think I couldn't
handle everything. I'd wanted to prove that I could. Not to mention the fact that I didn't want to have to give up my job with Ivy. It would
be utterly humiliating to have to go back to being at school the full day, and be out of the program.
I'd asked Mr. Fornelli, (who was really a very nice man), if I could do some extra credit or something, but he'd just told me to do better on
my next quiz, or test, and continue turning in my homework, and that my grade would be fine by report card time.
I sighed, just thinking about it. I couldn't have a low grade at progress reports, either. I just couldn't. And progress reports were
only about two weeks away, due to come out between now and report card time.
7
I was finished up, and was set on returning the two horses back into the clean stalls, when I heard somebody calling to me.
I stepped out of the building, a halter from one of the horses in my hand.
"Hi, Nanc," I greeted her.
"Hey, wild child."
"What are you doing here?" I asked.
"I saw your truck out front, and I just thought I'd stop and say hello."
"Oh. Well, hello," I said, with humor.
"Are you about finished up here?" she asked me then.
"What time is it?" I asked.
"Three-forty," she said, with a glance at her watch.
"I've got a few more minutes. Until four. Why?"
"I thought we might go to Marie's, and talk for awhile. I'll even buy you a Coke."
"Aren't you coming over for supper tonight?" I asked her. Nancy had taken to coming out to the ranch three or four nights a week
to eat supper with all of us.
"Not tonight. I've got some wedding stuff I need to do."
"Oh." I considered. "Well, okay. Sure. I'll call home and tell Hannah."
"Great. Anything I can do to help you finish up?"
"No. I just have to close all the windows and lock up."
After we went inside, Nancy helped me close windows, and I gave Hannah a quick call. I locked up, replaced the key, and we walked over to the café.
We'd been sitting there, and the new waitress, Judy, had brought us our drinks. Nancy had asked me if I wanted a piece of pie, but
I shook my head.
"I better not," I said.
"Oh, golly, I forgot," Nancy said, referring to my diabetes. "I have wedding 'on the brain' right now."
"It's okay. I just like to save my splurges for something I really want."
Nancy regarded me with what seemed like admiration. "It must be tough, being a teenager and having diabetes. You really
handle it well."
"Not so well sometimes," I admitted. "I get really tired of it."
"I can imagine."
I leaned forward, resting my elbows on the table. "So tell me. What's up with the wedding planning?"
That was all I needed to say. Six words. And, Nancy was off and running. Or talking, rather. Non-stop, with excitement, about
the wedding.
"I think we've settled on the 23rd of October for the date," she said.
Only a month away? Or five weeks, it was, I realized. That seemed really, really soon to me. I mean, I knew how much work it was going to be,
getting the house ready and all.
"That's great," I settled for answering. I mean, I was excited, too. You couldn't be around Nancy right now, and not feel her excitement.
After that Nancy talked about her dress, which was what her own mother had worn when she married Nancy's father.
"Wow, that's awesome," I said. For the first time, I wondered about my mom's wedding dress. I tried to think back to the journal entries.
Had she talked about a special wedding dress? And if so, where was it now?
It was just hard to think of Evan being a married man. I mean, he's just Evan, you know? I didn't voice that thought, though. I didn't want
to say anything to dim that sparkle in Nancy's eyes.
"Anyway, I'm only going to have two girls stand up with me," Nancy was saying. "Kelly Gillam as my maid of honor, for sure.
And, at first I was going to ask Deidre. But, now, I've been thinking. Would you be my other bridesmaid?"
I was sort of surprised, I had to admit. I mean, Nancy is one of those type of girls that's friends with lots of different people.
When Clare had asked me to be her maid of honor when she married Brian, I'd been thrilled, but not very surprised, really. I mean,
it was because of me that Clare and Brian had met to begin with, and Clare gave me full credit for that.
But, this, with Nancy, was a bit of a surprise.
"You look stunned," she said, with a grin. "What do you think?"
"Well, sure," I agreed. "If you want me to."
"I want you to. You're Evan's only sister. Well, besides Hannah of course, and Clare-" Nancy gave me a scattered look. "See? I'm in 'wedding brain'
again! I meant-"
"I know what you meant," I said, and she smiled at me.
"Not to mention the fact that I think of you as a sister already," she said.
"Me, too," I said, smiling back.
"And Evan will be thrilled when I tell him," she said.
"You think so?" I asked, teasing.
"Of course I do." She paused, fiddling with her straw wrapper.
"With Evan and I," I hesitated, "Well, it's always been sort of complicated between us."
"I know," she said. "But, you and him, you're solid now. Don't you think so?"
I nodded, glad that I could answer truthfully. "Yeah. I think we are. I mean, sometimes he's hard on me, though."
"I know that, too," she agreed. "But, whenever he does his whole 'trail boss' thing on you, just remember that he truly does
adore you."
"He'll deny that," I said.
"Well, it's the truth, just the same," Nancy said.
We finished up, and Nancy paid the check for the two of us.
We were walking back to the veterinary office, where our car and truck were parked, when there was a honking behind us.
"Who's that?" Nancy asked me.
"Zach," I said, as Zach pulled over to the curb and parked. "The one that took Pepe."
"I've gotta talk to you, Harlie," Zach said, without any other greeting, as he walked around his truck to where Nancy and I
stood.
"Hey, I'll see you later, alright?" Nancy told me.
I told her goodbye, and turned back to Zach.
"How's Pepe?" I asked.
"The skunk's great. He's just fine," Zach said, sounding ominous.
"What's wrong?" I asked, feeling anxious.
"He bit my little sister. That's what's wrong."
I stared up at Zach, aghast. "Pepe doesn't bite," I denied. "He never has-"
"Well, he did now. He bit Ashton's finger."
"Well, what was she doing to him?" I pointed out. "Maybe she was being too rough or something-"
"I dunno know what she was doing!" he said, sounding irritated. "I wasn't there when it happened. I got home from
football practice and my mom told me. So, you gotta take the skunk back."
My heart sank. I mean, I didn't want Pepe to be in a home where he was going to get teased or poked at by a little kid, but
I also knew how hard it was going to be to find him another home.
"How old is your sister?" I asked. "Maybe I could talk to her, and teach her about how to act around Pepe, and what to do-"
"She's eight. And, that's no good. My mom says the skunk has to go."
I was trying to formulate my thoughts, and my words, and ideas on how to resolve this mess, when Zach said, impatiently,
"He's in the truck. I was gonna head over to your house with him, when I saw you walking just now. So, come on, and I'll
load him up in your truck. I've still got your carrier."
He began walking to his truck again, and I stood there, on the sidewalk, contemplating the horribleness of this situation.
I was going to talk some more, coax some more, but I could sense there was no use.
Still, I said, one last time, "Maybe your mom will calm down, huh? I mean, Pepe's really gentle-"
"She won't calm down. I tried talking to her," Zach denied. He paused beside the front of his truck, looking at me.
"I'm real sorry, Harlie. I am. But, you gotta take him back."
I felt my face getting warm in temper. And frustration.
"Fine," I snapped, and began walking towards the vet office. Zach got in his truck and drove on, passing me as I stalked along the
sidewalk. He parked in front of the office, and already had the carrier, with Pepe inside, in his hand, waiting when I walked up.
I took the carrier from him without a word.
"I'll do it for you," he offered.
"I can do it myself," I said shortly.
"Look, Harlie, you hadn't ought to be mad at me," he protested. "Maybe he shouldn't be in a home with people. Maybe you ought to
release him into the wild or somethin'."
I gave Zach a scathing look. "Pepe's never been in the wild, Zach. He's domesticated. He wouldn't have any idea what to do
on his own!" I turned away, and pulled open my passenger door, setting the carrier on the seat. "You're an idiot," I muttered under
my breath.
"What did you say?" he demanded.
I shut the door, and turned to him. "I said, you. are. an. idiot," I said, specifying each word.
"Oh, yeah?" he countered.
I rolled my eyes, and went to head around to the driver's side of my truck.
"You know what? Forget about Friday night," he said. "Forget about meetin' up with me after the football game. I'll ask another girl. One who
doesn't think it's normal to talk to skunks!"
I got in behind the steering wheel, and slammed my door, looking across the cab at where he stood, leaning into the passenger window.
"I'd already forgotten about Friday night," I told him. "Now, you might want to move, or I'll drive over your toes."
As I drove, too quickly, out of Murphys, I was wondering how I was going to break the news at home that Pepe had
returned.
7
