Norman's Neighborhood

Seventeen

In the morning, Sam was up early. He discovered their canine guest lying just outside the doorway of his mother's bedroom. The big dog raised his square head off the floor and regarded Sam for a moment, then heaved himself up and waved his tail. He stood aside as the man looked in on the peacefully sleeping woman.

"Well, boy, you did a good job of guarding her!" Sam told the dog. "Come! I'll give you some breakfast." He patted Norman's head, then patted his own leg and whistled softly. Norman followed him into the kitchen.
"We don't have any dog food, so you'll have to make do with people food again. I doubt you'll mind that!" Sam chuckled, pulling a package of bacon out of the refrigerator.

A little while later, Norman was carefully licking out every speck of food from the bowl Sam had given him. It was a tasty combination of scrambled egg with tomato, bits of bacon, and some feta cheese; Norman didn't want to leave any of it! He inspected the bowl for cleanliness, then stepped over to the bowl of water and lapped thirstily.

As Norman finished his food, Sam was preparing a quiche for his family's breakfast. He chopped and sauteed onion, then stirred in spinach and fresh basil. Tomato, bacon, and feta cheese went into the mixture too. He set the bowl aside; he'd beat eggs and stir the other ingredients in when the rest of the family was awake.

Norman slowly made his way out of the kitchen, his toenails making a slight "click-click, click-click" sound on the white and blue tiles. His feet slid a bit on the smooth surface. He clicked across the hardwood floor of the dining room, then in the family room his steps were muffled when he came to a large, colorful  throw rug. He preferred the soft, resilient texture of the rug; it was much easier on his feet. He almost gave in to the impulse to flop down on it - but there was the door, just a few feet away. He needed to go on.

"Bff!"
Sam heard the polite bark, and looked into the front entry. The furry visitor was standing by the front door, looking back at him.
"Time to go? All right - I'm sure a good dog like you has a family waiting for you... Go ahead," Sam said, opening the door. The dog stepped outside, then turned and gave a half-apologetic look to the big man. Sam raised a hand in salute, and watched the dog trot down the street.

**********

"Daddy, where you going? Can I go with you?" the small, black-haired girl asked, running up and flinging her arms around her father's waist. She leaned back and twinkled at him, dimples flashing high on her round cheeks.
"I'm going in town. Go ask Mummy if it's all right; if she says it is, you can come," answered the young man, tousling his lively three-year-old's curls. She spun around and ran to the tidy cottage.

Perry Penrose lived, with his wife and three little girls, on the property of Mr. Paul de Laurentiis. He had taken the job of groundskeeper for the large property just before he and Anna got married, and it was a good place to raise their family.

Hannah, their middle child, loved to spend time with her father. She was a strikingly beautiful little girl who looked very feminine and deceptively dainty. Her appearance belied her nature; she preferred to spend her time outside, getting dirty in the garden or climbing things.

The door of the house opened, and Hannah raced out to the truck. Perry lifted her up, strapped her into the car seat, and they were off. She chattered along the way, at one point exclaiming,
"Look, Daddy, there's a doggy all by himself! I think he's going visiting!" she declared.

Perry glanced quickly out the passenger window and saw a large, grayish dog loping along in the opposite direction.
"Do you think he's going to visit our house?" he asked teasingly.