to see you smile - avatrice

chapter 7

Brutus, it turns out, does not love to jog. Which, given his size, probably wouldn’t be a problem because Beatrice would have assumed his paces would have been quite large. But Brutus doesn’t really like to walk either. He more likes to lay down or roll on his back.

“This isn’t going to work out if you don’t work with me here, bud,” Beatrice tells him. In the time she normally completes her usual route, they’ve barely gotten five blocks. “You were meant to jog with me. It was going to be a thing.” Brutus looks up at her from where he’s rolling on his back. “Do you have a grass seed in there or something? Like, is it time to go to the vet?” Brutus rolls up into a sitting position. “Here’s the deal. I jog every second night. Which means you jog every second night. And I’ll give you an extra bone if we make it all the way. That’s fair, right?” Beatrice asks. Brutus looks up at her, trustingly. Beatrice realises at this point that she is trying to have a legitimate conversation with an animal that doesn’t speak her language. “I need alcohol.”

•••••

It’s probably overkill, but Beatrice still makes Camila babysit Brutus for her the following night.

“It’s just that it’s his second night here and I have to go out and I feel bad,” she justifies to Camila. Camila rolls rolls her eyes dramatically.

“You’re ridiculous. And so is your dog,” she says. But she’s sitting on the couch and Brutus has his head in her lap and he’s pressed against her legs.

“Do not let him on the couch,” Beatrice says, and Camila gives her another look to communicate that she’s ridiculous.

“I am trained at a university level to handle animals and any emergencies that may arrive,” Camila replies dryly. “Go help Ava do the hard shit, I’ll take care of Brutus.” Beatrice gives one last look at Brutus to plead with him to be a good boy.

“I’ll be back by like ten at the latest,” she says, still hovering in the doorway.

“I can not wait for you to have human children. You’re going to be neurotic. This is why you didn’t want a dog, isn’t it? Because you didn’t want everyone to know you would mother hen a pot plant given the opportunity,” Camila teases her, and it’s her affectionate scorn that finally drives her out the door.

•••••

Ava is waiting for her on the front fence of her block of flats. She stomps into the car before Beatrice feels she’s even truly stopped and throws herself in.

“I want to apologise for who I become around my mother in advance,” Ava says instead of hello. Beatrice nods.

“You’re my best friend. I’m going to love you anyway,” she says, absently. Her brain catches up a half second later.

“I love you too,” Ava replies, and Beatrice chants the words ‘as friends’ over and over in her head as Ava continues speaking. “But my mother turns me into exactly the person who you thought I was when we met because she is the archetype of the rich white bitch.” Beatrice nods again.

“Duly noted,” Beatrice replies. Ava sighs heavily.

“I hate everything about this stupid thing. I hate going back to the house and I’m going to hate looking through Dad’s stuff in boxes but I know I need to and emptying out my room. She said I could have a room at the new house with her new man but I mean… I haven’t stayed in that room since I don’t even know when. It’s stupid. And I can not thank you enough for doing this with me,” Ava rants. “I’m really not sure I could have faced it alone.” Beatrice smiles, just a little.