Lydia- The Pet Communicator (Wattys13- Finalist!)

Chapter 12

Lydia- The Pet Communicator

Chapter 12

With each and every day, Drake and I were getting closer and closer. I shared all my secrets and concerns with him, and he was beginning to understand me much better than he had when we’d first met. I got the feeling that he liked me, but I wasn’t ready to move on just yet—I was still waiting for Ricky to knock and my door and ask me to be his again.

Even so, Ricky never came. He wouldn’t even answer my calls, and despite Drake’s desire for me to call Ricky and talk things out, I never got the chance to speak with him.

Britney’s time with us ended earlier than expected. She was transferred to a hospital in Leicester and had to move there so she could go to work each day. I really missed her, but at least she called every now and then to give me advice.

At present, my father was out of town on a business trip. I was all alone with the animals, but my father had asked Drake to check up on me every so often. Before leaving, he’d also given me some good advice—don’t try to save another puppy stuck in the middle of the road.

Tring! Tring!

My phone was ringing. I hurried over to it and checked the screen, thinking that Clara must have been back in town and was calling me. To my surprise, I saw Ricky’s name instead.

Excitement rushed through me, and I pressed the “talk” button. “Hello, Ricky!” I said.

“Lydia,” he said. “How are you doing?”

“I’m fine! You have no idea how much I missed you,” I gushed over the phone.

“I was just calling to tell you something. I’m getting engaged.”

“What? You only called me to say that?” I hung up the phone and sank to my knees.

He’s getting engaged? I thought. He forgot everything we had because of one small argument? There has to be something more behind this, and I need to find out what it is. I’ll ask Lucky to follow Ricky around for a few days and see what’s going on.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. I wiped away my tears and opened it, revealing Drake; he was staring at me with a “what-happened” expression on his face, and when he stepped inside, I hugged him tightly

“Ricky’s getting engaged,” I told him, while sobbing.

He held me tightly and ran his hand through my hair. After taking my hand, he led me over to the couch.

“He didn’t deserve you,” he said, “but you did mention that he cared for you a lot while you were ill. If that’s true, why is he leaving you over such a small argument? Maybe he’s hiding something, maybe not.”

“I’m asking Lucky to follow him around. He’ll find the answer,” I said, resting my head on Drake’s chest. Leaning up against him, I felt entirely at ease.

“Romance, romance...” Lucky barked, wriggling his tail. “I thought you didn’t have feelings for him!”

“Go away, please. I don’t want… um... never mind...”

Oops! I can’t say anything in front of Drake!

“I just came to invite you to the shelter,” Lucky yapped. “The Arabian horse needs a good ride, and since you’re well, you can probably go horse-riding. Oh, and by the way, we’re all quite hungry. You forgot to give us our morning meal.”

I looked at Drake for a second, and then asked him if he wanted to join me for horse-riding. We could probably set aside studying for the day, and besides, I wouldn’t be able to concentrate after what had just happened. What I really needed was my father, but he wouldn’t be home for hours.