CHAPTER 9: May—Kristy

It was the first Monday in May. As I got off the bus, I realized that I really needed to talk to Cary, because I felt that our relationship wasn't going anywhere. I also remembered something that my so-called "dad" once told me about having to break up a relationship: "It's kind of like taking a physical; unpleasant, but necessary."

"Cary, I really need to talk to you," I said as I got my math book out of my locker.

"Okay," he said. "Shoot."

This was it. The point of no return.

"Well, um, I've been doing a lot of thinking lately," I began. "You know, we haven't seen much of each other."

"Yeah, I've noticed that, too," he said. "You've been busy with your baby-sitting and that club of yours, and I've been busy with the debate team, not to mention getting my grades up before finals. We hardly ever see each other anymore, except in homeroom and English class."

"So..." I said.

"Well..." he said.

"I guess this means we're breaking up."

"I guess so."

I won't lie to you, I was kind of sorry to see this happening. After all, he may have been kind of a jerk, but he was able to win me over after we basically got stuck teaching gym class during Teachers of Tomorrow week at SMS, and I really grew to like him. Sure, it wasn't as much fun as when Bart and I were dating, but he's still a nice guy.

"Well, see you around," I said at last.

"You, too."

"Sorry it didn't work out."

"Yeah, c'est la vie."

"Better luck next time."

"Thanks."

I know what you're probably thinking: All right, Thomas, we get it! Let's move on! (exasperated sigh)

That evening after dinner, I was in the kitchen, fixing myself a smoothie. Emily was sitting at the kitchen table with a Dora the Explorer coloring book in front of her and a black crayon in her right hand.

"Hi, Kristy," she said as she colored Dora's hair. And isn't it a coincidence that Emily looks a little like Dora? The only difference is, Emily's Vietnamese and Dora's Spanish, if I'm not mistaken. Also, not only is Emily getting more of a firm grasp on the English language, but she's also doing a better job of staying in the lines when she colors.

"Hi," I answered.

"Are you all right?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm all right. It's just that I don't have a boyfriend anymore."

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said, laying her crayon down. "Did you two have a fight?"

I shook my head. "It's just that we've both been so busy with other things, and haven't spent much time together. But we're still friends, so everything's okay."

"That's good," she said.

"Would you like a smoothie?"

"Sure." She put her coloring book and crayons in her Elmo bag and slung it on the back of her chair.

I was glad that Emily was able to understand what happened, and just being with her made me feel so much better.

That following Saturday, we went to the Guide Dog Foundation for the graduation. All the puppy-walker families were invited to see their puppy/dog graduate with their blind companion. We were also going to meet Scout's new owner, a woman named Denise.

We saw a woman with reddish-brown hair, and she was wearing a dark blue blouse and jeans skirt. It had to be Denise.

Mom led the way, and we approached her. "Hi," I said. "You must be Denise."

"Yeah," she answered.

"We're Scout's puppy-walker family," Watson told her.

"Nice to meet you," she said, shaking our hands.

"You'll really like Scout," Karen told her.

"Thanks."

I thought about telling Denise about the time that Karen had given Scout one of Jackie Rodowsky's old shoes to chew on, but I changed my mind.

"I just thought I'd let you know something," I told her. "You may go to some places where someone will disapprove of you having a dog with you. One time, when we took Scout into the grocery store, a woman made a big stink about it, until the manager settled it."

"Oh, boy," Denise said.

"If there weren't so many people around, I would've given that loudmouth a piece of my mind."

"I'll be careful," Denise promised. "Of course, anyone with half a gnat's brain knows that a guide dog can go anywhere a person can go."

"Yeah, that's true."

"Well, I've got to go. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"See you."

We found some seats, and soon the ceremony got underway. I don't remember much about it, because I was watching Denise and Scout, but I do remember seeing how happy they looked together, and I knew they'd have a good life together.