Taking off the leash, I watched a second as the dog sat and regarded the cat, and the cat did the exact same. Pushing out his nose, he was clearly horrified when the dog licked it-the disgust was evident-but he only “talked” to the puppy. There was a hop onto the counter and then another to the floor before he strutted over to me and the tan and black Chihuahua.

He stretched and yawned wide, making a show like he could have cared less, but I knew he was eaten up with excitement and interest as deliberate as he was moving. Both me and Dobby-I’d already named him after the elf from Harry Potter because, hello, with those ears he could get Direct TV, I was sure-looked up at the cat. I opened the French door and stepped into the kitchen-the door was new also-and was greeted by my cat, Chilly, calling to me from the top of the refrigerator. I thought he’d have trouble with the stairs, being as small as he was, but he went right up them to the back deck Sam had built, along with his brother and mine, this past summer. There were cans of wet food in a bag in the trunk, and I collected that, snapped the leash to the collar, and led the sweater-clad Chihuahua toward my home. Picking up the sleeping dog from the passenger seat, I tucked him under my arm and got out. Him being home was not super great for me-I’d hoped to have a little more time to prepare-but there was no way around it, and I wasn’t going to change my mind. At least now, they couldn’t get far without transportation. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust them-they were both the kind of people anyone would be happy to claim-it was just that they were both superheroes at heart, so if duty called, they would ditch out to help a friend in need. They used to be on the sides, with mine, but after Kola and Hannah made a nighttime getaway, Sam had moved them just to be on the safe side. Sam had put up bike hooks on the far wall, so I was always careful pulling in so I didn’t crush them. It was tiny, compared to most people’s, as the cars could fit in there but nothing much else besides the kids’ bikes. I was surprised when I got home and found the tank he drove already parked in our small two car garage.

Mary calmes a matter of time series