A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall

Chapter XLVI: Reflections

"Come on, why don't we take the dogs for a walk?" Angus asked. He pulled the curtain aside and let the sunlight in our bedroom. I turned away, letting the bright touch my hair instead of my eyes. I heard Cooper bark and he jumped on and off the bed, shaking the thing. Atlas nudged his wet nose against my leg and I reached down to give him a scratch under his chin. "They could use some exercise."

I stood up and stretched. The weather was unreasonably nice for a late winter's day. And I could always use a bit of fresh air. Angus grabbed their harnesses and leashes and hooked them up. I made to grab my trainers under the bed when I noticed the nightstand drawer was open just a tad. The label of the bottle could be seen and I quickly closed the drawer with my hip. 

Angus didn't need to worry.

"Here you are," Angus said handing me Atlas' leash. He opened the door for us. "After you."

Not ten steps into the walk the boys decided they had to piss. Atlas used our neighbour's grass and Cooper pulled Angus a little further down the footpath. We caught up and saw them in the Popplewell's front yard. Cooper's leg was high in the air. "Good boy," I said. 

"Not if Wanda comes out an' sees us," Angus said looking over his shoulder. "They're home, ya' know."

"Serves her right," I grumbled. 

"Ya' wouldn't be sayin' that if you were holdin' the leash," Angus said. The front door opened and we both froze, turning toward the house in suspense. Little Sheryl came out in one of her new birthday dresses that was now covered in maple syrup. Cooper was taking a long time to finish up. Sheryl saw him and gasped.

"You got a puppy!" She came running over at lightning speed and Cooper finally put his leg down to run towards her. Atlas hid between my feet. Cooper stood on his hind legs to lick Sheryl's face. He was taller than her. 

"Come on, Cooper, lay off," Angus said patting his leg. Cooper, forced to pick a side, chose Angus and went to stand by his feet, his head down. "Good boy." Cooper perked up after the neck scratch. 

"You got two puppies!" Sheryl said after seeing the quivering Atlas. 

"Well, one's a puppy," Angus said stroking Cooper's ear. "The other is an old timer." Cooper tugged on his leash wanting so badly to lick Sheryl's face. "Where's your mum?"

"Oh, there you are, Sheryl," Wanda said coming out of the house in loose slacks and a large parka with a fur trim. She was wearing designer boots with heels. "You ran out of the house so quickly that I didn't get a chance to....oh, it's you two,"she said upon seeing Angus and I. She nearly screamed at the sight of our dogs. Cooper wagged his tail and Atlas quivered some more. I pet him. Wanda put a hand on her chest. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you had...company..."

"They're the newest members of the family," Angus said proudly. "Since we're not havin' kids an' we both like dogs, ya' know..." Wanda reached a tentative hand toward Atlas and he barked at her. I'd never heard him bark before. "Sorry about that, he's not as comfortable around people."

"Oh, but he seems quite comfortable around you," Wanda sneered staring straight at me. "Birds of a feather, it would seem. Or, dogs, I should say." I huffed. 

"Maybe your dog would like to meet 'em," Angus said. Wanda grimaced. 

"I doubt that," she said. "By the way, Angus..." Wanda reached into her enormous parka and pulled out a couple of envelopes. "These are for you." There must have been at least ten of them all marked with Angus' name. "I was just about to deliver them to your house, as a matter of fact."

"What are they?" Angus asked taking them. 

"Bit of post that was delivered to our house by mistake," Wanda said. "From someone named Bette Catherine?" I could see her face turn up in a saucy little grin and I shuddered.