D&B5

17

"Why is that?" Day asked, confused. Brick then explained to Day how Salmon played with Kan, and how Kan recognized Salmon.  Day smiled faintly, feeling a sense of pride deep down.

"Why are you back home? Didn't you wanted to see Nong Kan?" asked Day.

"I came back to check on you. Are you vacuuming? Have you fed Cotton?" Brick asked back.

"It’s done. I saw some of Cotton's fur falling, so I took out the vacuum to clean it up.  I don't want it to go up Nong Kan's nose," Day said. Brick was silent for a moment, pondering something.

"Day, if we have kids, can we raise our child together with Cotton?" Brick asked curiously because he had heard some people say they were afraid of germs or terrified of fur getting into their children’s noses.

"Why not? As long as we take good care of Cotton’s hygiene.  Besides, there are studies that show that raising children with dogs can help improve their immunity and development in many ways.  Cotton is a kind dog.  I want our child to grow up with Cotton," Day replied.  He had been thinking about this for a long time.

"Whew, I’m relieved. I didn’t want to separate Cotton.  I want it to see our children and have our children as its siblings," Brick said, expressing his own thoughts.

"Don’t worry, Cotton will stay with us," Day reassured Brick, who smiled back before looking at Cotton, who was lying on the sofa watching TV.

"On second thought, maybe we should separate them. Cotton doesn’t even seem to care," Brick jokingly complained to his dog.

"Woof," Cotton barked once and then turned back to the TV. Day chuckled quietly.

"I told Cotton to stay on the sofa because I was going to vacuum, so it didn’t dare to come down," Day said.

"You order people and dogs around, huh?" Brick teased with a chuckle before walking to sit on the sofa beside Cotton. As soon as Brick sat down, Cotton came over to rub against him affectionately. Day continued vacuuming until it was finished.

"Should we take a shower first and then go see Nong Kan?" Day suggested, as they had just come back from work and had stopped for dinner earlier.

"Yeah, that’s a good idea," Brick replied before going to take a shower and change clothes. Meanwhile, Day went out to water the plants, especially the rose bush he had bought for Brick, which was still growing and blooming beautifully. Day could hear the little voices of the children from Jan’s house and didn’t worry too much, knowing Salmon’s sense of decorum and how well-behaved he was with adults.  It wasn’t long before Brick walked out.

"I’m going to P'Jan’s place," Brick said.

"Okay, but don’t stay too late," Day emphasized. He didn’t want to intrude on Jan’s house, so he told Brick to go see the kids alone. Brick agreed and went to find Salmon again. When he got there, he saw that they weren’t playing the jigsaw puzzle anymore but instead were sitting on the sofa. Salmon was showing Kan pictures of different animals in a book and could use the accompanying pen to point at the animal and make a sound effect. This was highly exciting for Kan, who would continuously ask questions.

"How have they been?" Brick asked Jan, who was sitting nearby, while Kan’s father had gone to shower and prepare his son’s room for the evening.

"Nong Kan’s been so calm with Salmon. He asks questions nonstop, but Salmon never gets annoyed with him," Jan said, complimenting him, which made Brick beam.

"Salmon actually wants a little brother. And since he found Kan so cute, he’s been happy to play with him for a long time," Brick explained. He sat and chatted with Jan for a while until Kan’s father came downstairs to join them.