Silent Stranger

19 - The Pet Store

After the incident with the hunter, we both finished our chores and waited around until sunset so Sophie would feel safe enough to come shopping with me.

During a rerun of Guardians of the Galaxy on the TV, I heard a sniffle and noticed her weeping.

"C'mon now, this movie is a comedy, not a tear-jerker."

She shot me a wan smile and grabbed a tissue.

"What's wrong?"

She wrote: Playing chase this afternoon reminded me of the fun I had playing with my siblings.

I perked up. This was new information. "Do you miss them?"

She nodded.

"Are they...?"

She glanced my way and wrote: They died.

"I'm so sorry, Sophie. How many sibs did you have?"

Three.

"Can you tell me about them?"

She shook her head and wrote. It will be in my journal.

She went quiet for a long while and focused on the TV. Then, out of the blue, she wrote: I hope you're not angry that I kissed you.

"I'm not angry, but why did you do it?"

She shrugged and wrote: Your prize for catching me.

"I wasn't expecting a prize."

More writing: I was curious about what it would be like. The rosy hue of shyness crept into her cheeks.

"The kiss was sweet, but don't do it again."

She wore a devilish grin and wrote: No promises.

"Sophie, I'm serious. I'm not the right guy for you to experiment on."

She ignored me and faced the TV screen.

When twilight came, we piled into my truck and headed down the mountain. As I turned onto the hard road, a horse drawn buggy driven by a family of Amish passed us by in the opposite direction, no doubt hurrying to get home before full dark.

Sophie freaked out. She pulled her hoodie around her head and trembled. Looking in my rearview mirror, I watched the buggy disappear down the road.

"They're gone."

Her wide eyes searched mine, looking as if she was trying to decide whether to believe me.

"They're gone, Sophie."

She fixed her gaze through the rear window, verifying what I had told her.

"Do you want to explain to me what just happened?"

She shook her head.

I was losing patience. "Since you won't talk, I will. Something happened to you involving the Amish. Am I right?"

She didn't react.

"You're Amish, aren't you?"

She met my gaze but didn't react. She sat erect in her seat, gazing out the windshield, both palms pressed to the dashboard. She breathed heavy.

I lowered my tone. "Oh, Sophie, what happened to you, girl? What did they do to you?"

She ignored me.

I snapped my fingers in front of her face. "Hey, snap out of it. You're hyperventilating."

She looked at me.

"Should we go shopping another time? Do you want me to take you back to the cabin?"

She took a moment to think about it. She shook her head and pointed straight ahead out the windshield.

During the rest of the trip, Sophie acted as if nothing happened. She transformed back into her usual ebullient self as we wandered through the Target store. She picked out an electric blanket, pink, of course, and I bought her an insulated winter coat with a fur-lined hood. After another dinner at Cracker Barrel, we visited the grocery store.

Sophie fished through the meat department freezer section and pulled out an eighteen-pound turkey.

"Whoa, girl, that's way too big. We aren't feeding an army. It's just the two of us." Was she still thinking about her bigger family of parents and siblings?

She set the turkey in our shopping cart and pulled the pad from her pocket. A big turkey means lots of leftovers, followed by two smiley faces.

"Yeah, but after a while we'll be sick of turkey."

We can freeze most of it. Please?

"I don't think so."

She grabbed my wrist and squeezed.

"Ow! Okay, okay, let go."

She wore an ear-to-ear grin.

"You're such a brat." Sophie wasn't really hurting me, but I pretended because she seemed to enjoy the game. As she pushed the shopping cart down the aisle with the big turkey still in it, I reminded myself how although it made me feel good to please her, I needed to stop allowing her to manipulate me.

I got a chance to put my foot down after we left the grocery store. While I loaded the sacks into the truck, Sophie pulled on my sleeve. She pointed to a pet store beside the supermarket and motioned she wanted to go there.

I couldn't imagine why, but I told her to go while I finished. A few moments later, I recalled her pestering me about wanting a dog.

"Oh, no, no, no," I mumbled while hurrying to load the truck.

A few minutes later I found her at the rear of the store staring at the puppies in their cages. She wore a forlorn expression. Seeing them ate at me too, the little ones stumbling over each other scratching at the wire doors competing to get our attention.

I sidled up beside her. "If it were possible, I'd buy every one and take them home with us. But you know it's not possible, right?"

She looked at me with moisture rimmed eyes and nodded. Pulling her pad, she wrote: Not even one?

"Under the circumstances, it wouldn't be fair to the animal. I think you realize that."

She turned her attention back to the puppies.

Carefully, I chose my words remembering how she liked to play gin. I used that game as a talking point. "Sophie, life deals us our cards. Some of us get a winning hand and some a crappy hand. Often, our circumstances leave us helpless to make a difference for others. Like with those pups. It remains to be seen if they get a winning hand or a crappy hand. Maybe all of them will find good homes. Maybe not. Rarely, we find ourselves in the right place and at the right time to make a difference. Like I was when I found you."

She faced me.

"Unlike those pups, you have the power to decide what your hand will be. Trust me with your story, and odds are you'll come out a winner. I'll fight for you to make that happen."

She wrote: Not a day goes by that I don't thank God for you.

I never knew how to react when she wrote stuff like that. "Yeah, let's go."

She wrote more, handed me the pad, and pointed to the row of puppies wearing a huge grin. I'm gonna keep nagging you and wear you down. I'll get a puppy. You'll see!