Let's All Make Believe - Oasis

Chapter 26

As requested we headed over to Jamie's. Sinead wasn't there, she was at work. When he answered the door he was followed by a black dog. She was no bad omen though. She was just a puppy.

Ste went straight to her to investigate. "Dog!"

He'd never really met a dog before. He was fascinated. She didn't seem to mind the toddler poking at her and trying to stroke her.

"Who's this?" I asked, watching Ste carefully.

"Well I'm trying to get a new name to stick."

"Where'd she come from?" Liam asked.

Jamie turned to me. "D'you remember Jack from football and stuff?"

I didn't but I nodded anyway. He knew so many different lads that I had no idea who he meant without making him really describe this guy. It didn't matter so I didn't make him.

"He's being sent down so he said I could have her."

"What's he done?" I asked concerned about the prisoner's dog.

Who knows what someone who just earnt himself a prison cell would've taught their dog or how he treated her? I didn't want a dog with that kind of history around my boys. She didn't look like she was trouble. Ste seemed to like her already, he hadn't stopped patting her, chatting at her, trying to tell us about her but we weren't listening.

"Got caught selling stuff. He's only had her a few months."

"So what is she called?"

"He's an evertonian." He rolled his eyes. "So he's called her Goodi. Luckily she's young enough to change it."

She looked up at him like a good puppy.

"What are you thinking? Annie?" Liam suggested.

He shrugged. "That'd piss him off."

"No, he can't call her that, that's the name of our daughter." George whispered.

"Yeah, that's no name for a dog." I agreed. "You can't call her that."

"What do you suggest then?"

"Paisley. Bobby. Sammy." I said the names that came to mind. "I don't know, it's hard to think of male football related names for a girl dog.""

"Sammy, yeah I like that." he nodded before turning to the dog. "Right, no more Goodi, you're Sammy now."

She looked at him again. She was just waiting for her new dad to tell her to do something. He stroked her head.

"What's Sinead gonna say?"

"About what?"

"About the huge Rottweiler puppy in her flat."

"She's a mix, didn't say what else she is. She'll like it or she'll have to find another home."

I didn't know exactly what a Rottweiler looked like but she didn't look like she was mixed with another breed to me. She looked exactly like a Rottweiler. Big head, floppy triangle ears, the left one currently being flopped back and forth by Ste. Black with little brown eyebrows, muzzle, chest stripe and socks, different on each foot. She had a little, stubby docked tail, wagging at the attention she was getting.

"Is that the missus or the dog?" Liam asked.

"The dog, cheeky shit."

"I can't believe you got a dog..."

"We're not having kids anytime soon so I jumped at the chance, you convinced me so if it goes tits up it's all your fault."

"I did no such thing!"