Little Daredevil
Mr. Green was driving me to Big City Children's Hospital. Cricket was in the car with us, sitting in the back seat with me. So was Tilly.
My parents were going to be so mad at me when they see me at the hospital. Since I called them before they left the house and informed them of where Mr. Green was taking me, Dad said that he, Mom and Vasquez will be on the way there. They might all be there waiting for me when we get there. I didn't want to call them originally, but Mr. Green said that I should. And maybe he's right. Someone else was taking their son to the hospital. They deserve to know. Even though I was worried about what they would say, I did as I was told.
But I couldn't help myself. I know I'm allergic to dogs, yet I want to be around them, pet and cuddle with them. What kind of person doesn't want to be around dogs? Dogs are great!
"Remy, are you okay?" Cricket asked me when he saw my frown. "Want to tell me about it?" I sighed and told him of my predicament.
When I told him that Mom, Dad and Vasquez will be livid, he was puzzled. "Livid?" He questioned. I nodded. "What's that?"
"Really mad." I explained. "It's the word of the day on the wall calendar that I have in my room." He smiled.
"See? I don't know why Dad sends me to school when I can learn from my smart best friend instead."
"You still have to go to school, Cricket." Mr. Green, who must have overheard, told him. Cricket was disappointed.
"Dang it!" I changed the subject.
"My parents will never let me around dogs ever again." I said. "And I don't blame them. Maybe they should. Seeing that your family has a dog, they might be so mad that they might send me to boarding school." Cricket was confused.
"Sorry, Remy. The rashes that you have on all over you is making it a little hard to understand what you are saying. Did you say boarding school?" I nodded. He gasped. "Boarding school? That might be worse than regular school!" I nodded again.
"I might have put my life at risk. I might survive this time, but next time, who knows? Allergies can change I think. I'm too young to die. I'm only nine." I'm not supposed to fade away, not until November 12th, 2094 at 5:22 in the evening, I would've added, but didn't. "This dumb dog allergy of mine might become deadly one day. I don't know if that's possible, but I don't want to find out."
"I don't know if that's possible either." Cricket spoke. "But I do know this, life is short. You can't let anything get in your way. If you love something, then do it. Take a risk. Be a little daredevil and rebel from time to time. It's your life."
"You should still watch your allergies…" Tilly spoke. "…and be careful, deadly or not."
"That may be." Cricket agreed with her. "But you should also do what makes you happy too. It's like me not wearing shoes. Other people may not like it and yell at me to put them on, but you know what? I don't have to. I don't dilly dang care what they think. My feet feel free without them. I can wear shoes whenever I want to and when they're really necessary."
"You also have to respect rules and not commit crimes." Tilly told him. "Rules are there for a reason. You shouldn't bend them all of the time."
"Well, it's more fun to break them and be a rebel. That's what I say. Sometimes, you have to bend them, especially to prove a point. If you obey the rules all of the time and be a goody-two shoes 24/7, life can get pretty boring and predictable. And that's no fun." Tilly sighed. I could tell that she wanted to say more, but didn't want to argue, especially with their dad driving in the front seat. Tilly then looked at me.
"Even though it was super risky." She began. "I'm still glad that you came, Remy. I mean, I didn't appreciate when you and Cricket were trying to sabotage the dog show, that was bad. But knowing that you came to support me, despite your allergies, really means alot to me. So, I thank you for that." I smiled at her.
"Of course, Tilly. I'd do anything for my friends, because I know they'd do the same for me. "Of course we will." Cricket agreed. "You have to make hard sacrifices to please others. It's just the thing to do."
"And even though Melissa didn't win the official dog show," Tilly began. "…she's still the goat in my eyes."
"Aha!" Cricket stated. "So, you admit that she is a goat."
"I meant she's the goat, you know, the greatest of all time; in my opinion anyways." Cricket gave out a nervous laugh.
"Oh. I knew that."
"And I also know that Melissa is a real goat and not a dog." Cricket smiled.
"Oh, good. I'm glad my sister isn't crazy then."
"Mr. Green." I told him as soon as we got out of the car and headed towards the building. "I'm really sorry about this. I know I have dog allergies, but when I see a dog, I can't help it. I have to pet it. I'm a dog petting addict."
"It's okay, Remy." Mr. Green told me. "As long as you come out of here safe and sound, that's all that matters in the end. I'm just glad you told me before it got worse."
"Yeah, I guess it is." Cricket was puzzled again.
"Addict? Let me guess, 'addict' was your word of the day yesterday, right?" I looked at him.
"No. Predicament was my word of the day yesterday. Addict is the word of the day two months from now." He was puzzled again.
"Two months from now?" I nodded.
"I couldn't wait, so I know what every word of the day is every day this year." My friend was impressed.
"Wow, a boy that actually wants to learn! You and I are very different." He looked at Mr. Green again. "Dad, are you sure I have to go to school when I can learn from Remy?"
"Yes, Cricket." Mr. Green told him. "I'm sure. Remy doesn't know everything."
"He's right." I said to Cricket. "I may be smart, but I don't know everything. Even adults don't know everything. We always have room to learn." He was disappointed again. A phone then went off. Mr. Green pulled out his phone from his pocket.
"Sorry." He apologized. "It's Gramma. I have to take this." He talked into it as we entered the hospital. "What?! Ma, slow down! Phoenix did what?!" He sighed. "Okay. Remy's parents are coming or maybe already here. Once I know he's with them, we'll come right over." He hung up and put his phone in his pocket. He sighed.
"What's wrong, Papa?" Asked a concerned Tilly.
"What happened to Phoenix, Dad?" A worried Cricket wanted to know. I was concerned about this too.
"Kids, Gramma had a chocolate chip cookie and a huge crumb fell onto the floor. She ate it and is now throwing up." We all gasped. "Phoenix is throwing up, not Gramma. We need to take her to the vet, Again, Phoenix, not Gramma."
"Aw, poor Phoenix." Tilly responded. "How horrible!"
"She'll be okay." Cricket stated. "Right, Dad?"
"I'm sure she will." Mr. Green replied. He looked at me. "We'll leave once we know…"
"I know, Mr. Green." I said. "I heard you over the phone. And you can leave me now if you want. I'm a big boy. I'm sure Mom and Dad will pay for my visit."
"No, I'll leave you once I know that you are with your parents or a trusted adult. I'll feel much better that way."
"Okay, hopefully they're there, so Pheonix can go to the vet and get the help that she needs as soon as possible."
"I hope for that too, buddy." Cricket put in.
As soon as we made our way to the main lobby, I saw Mom, Dad and Vasquez at the front desk. Dad was talking to the employee behind it. I turned to the Greens.
"Ok." I told them. "You can go now."
"Are you sure, Remy?" Mr. Green asked. "I feel like we should talk to them and explain what happened."
"No, no, I'll go tell them. The sooner you go, the sooner Phoenix can go to the vet. So, you all need to go asap. Just… " I took a deep breath and sighed. "…just wish me luck and hope that they'll let me keep coming over."
"Ok. I don't know why they would forbid you from coming over exactly, but, sure."
"Good luck!" Tilly said. Cricket and I hugged.
"You got this, bud." Cricket said after our hug was over. "And you and I are going to see each other real soon. Nothing can tear us apart. "I hope that you're right. And I hope Phoenix gets better soon."
"She will. Bye!" I waved after them.
"Bye!" The Greens then left. I turned to where my parents and Vasquez were. They were now walking towards some seats. I took a deep breath. Okay, Remy. You got this. Don't be scared. They're just your parents and your bodyguard. And with that, I walked towards Mom, Dad and Vasquez.
"Uh, hi, Mom." I greeted them. "Hi, Dad. Hi, Vasquez." They all looked at me and stood up in disgust.
"Good gosh, Remy!" Dad observed.
"You are worse than we thought." Mom put in. I sighed.
"I know." I said. "The rashes on my face make me ugly to look at. It's my fault. I petted a dog, several in fact." They sighed.
"Remy, you really are going to have to stop doing this." Dad told me. "You're really going to be the death of us one day."
"We know you love dogs, sweetie." Mom added. "We get it. But you have to think of your health too."
No! I can do whatever I want, Mom! It's my life! I know it's risky, but so what? I don't care! I just want to be happy and that's what dogs do. They make me happy. But, of course I didn't dare say this to my mother out loud. "I know I do, Mother. I'm so sorry. It'll never happen again." Okay, that was probably a lie. I just said what she wanted to hear.
"Is your friend and his family here?" Dad wanted to know. I shook my head.
"Sorry, Dad. Their dog had a medical emergency, so they had to go. But don't worry. The dad made sure that you guys were here first, so they didn't just ditch me here."
"Well, that's a little comforting."
"Was it the same dog that gave you the rashes, Master Remy?" Vasquez asked me. I looked at him and nodded.
"She gave me some of my rashes, but I petted other dogs too, not just her and I did it deliberately (my word of the day in three months). So, don't blame the dogs. It's my fault. They were just there."
"And I suppose they are just letting us pay for your visit, right?" Mom asked.
"Correct." I told her. "I assume that you guys will pay for it." Mom and Dad both sighed.
"Well, I guess they can't afford to pay for this as well as their dog's vet emergency."
"When we get home, we're definitely going to have a talk about this." Dad stated. "But we can't afford to go to the hospital because of your carelessness and your stupidity. Well, we can due to us being filthy rich, but we don't want to and we shouldn't have to."
"Russell!" Scolded Mom who was in shock that Dad would even say this to me. "Don't accuse him of his recklessness and stupidity, even though it's true. He's just a child."
"No, he's right, Mom." I told her. "I totally deserved it. I was reckless and I am a total dummy head for doing this every single time even though I know darn well not to."
"Never mind about this. Let's just get you checked in and let the doctor take a look at you." I sighed.
"Right." And so, we all walked to the front desk, checked in and all walked back to our seats to wait for my turn.
I was about to head up the stairs to my room when we got back to the mansion to call Cricket privately, when I heard Mom clear her throat. I stopped dead in my tracks.
"And where do you think you're going, young man?" She asked me. I turned to her.
"To my room?" I said with a nervous laugh. I don't know why I ended it as a question or why I gave Mother a nervous laugh.
"Oh no you're not!" My father responded. "We have to talk about this son." I frowned and looked at him.
"Do we have to, Dad? I mean, what is there to talk about? I'm cured. My rashes are all gone. I told Mom that I'll never do this ever again (again a lie). Is getting rashes and going to the hospital punishment enough? Because I think it is, or should be. Can I go up now?"
"You cannot." Mom said. "Frankly, I think you are lying."
"I think you are too." Dad added. I sighed. Busted!
"Ok." I said. "You got me. I'm sorry."
"Son, what are we going to do with you?" Dad asked me. "You don't take your dog allergy seriously and you have to."
"We didn't know that we had to deal with a little daredevil and a rebellious kid yet." Mom put in. "We thought we had a couple more years or so, especially the rebellious part."
"Well, I am a pre-teen, Mom. So, I'm just practicing?" I frowned again. "I know. Stupid reason. It's no excuse. I'll go pack up my things for boarding school." Mom and Dad were both confused.
"Boarding school? Remy, we're not sending you off to boarding school because of this." I was surprised at this.
"Oh, you're not?" I sighed with relief. "Well, that's good." Dad sighed.
"We might let it slide this time again," He said. "And you're right about getting rashes and going to the hospital is punishment already. But, the next time this happens and you go to the hospital, we might have no choice but to do something drastic because apparently rashes and the hospital visits aren't enough for you to stop from interacting with dogs." I gulped.
"Ok, Dad. Thanks for not doing anything drastic this time."
"But be careful." Mom warned, "Please! We can't stress it enough."
"I will, Mom!" I told her and I walked up the stairs.
I called Cricket once I was in my room and asked about his dog.
"Phoenix will be okay." He replied over the phone. "She might be the same age as me, which is really old in dog years, but she's still alive and kicking. That is all that matters." I sighed in relief.
"Oh, that's good to hear."
"It is." He then changed the subject. "So, what about you? How livid were your parents? Please say your parents aren't sending you to boarding school and we can still hang out, despite me having Phoenix."
"Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere." Cricket sighed in relief. "But I do have to be careful around dogs."
"Well, we all know that that is not happening, is it?"
"You bet! Screw my allergy!" And I could tell that Cricket was smiling on the other end.
"That's my troublemaking friend! I'm really proud of you, buddy." I smiled.
"Thanks. I'm proud of myself too." And I meant it too, every single word.
I really hate that I am now beginning to rebel against my parents and Vasquez and being a little daredevil. I hate disappointing them and them being mad at me. And I guess Cricket is to blame.
But I wouldn't have it any other way. Like Cricket said, if I was a goody-two-shoes 24/7 and didn't bend the rules every now and then, life would be pretty boring. And that's just not the kid way! And I like the kid way! I might have started out as the shy, timid kid before Cricket and I met, but not anymore! It was time for me to break out of my shell! I was a little rebel and daredevil and I love it!
