Seasons of Her Life (71 page)

Though Ruby drove slowly over the country road, the dogs yelped and slid to the floor every time she put her foot on the gas pedal. In between times they barked in hatred of the ride. Next they would start to fight. The cat snarled, and his claws tried to reach the squabbling dogs. The parakeet was still singing. Not to be outdone, Ruby joined in with the bird. The dogs silenced immediately and lay down on the backseat. The hissing cat grew quiet. Ruby sung on lustily, the bird right along with her. So that was the secret to silence. The tension in her shoulders eased.

When Ruby swerved the car to a halt in her driveway, Sam flew over the front seat. Fred landed with her paw tangled in the space between the headrest and the top of the seat. Ruby untangled her and was rewarded with a ripe red scratch on her hand. The cat hissed and spit when Ruby picked up the carrier. The bird fluttered her wings wildly.

It was a goddamn menagerie, Ruby thought when she had let the cat out. She stood by helplessly as the animals raced and tore about the house. Her helplessness turned to horror when Sam lifted his leg four times on various table legs. The cat pawed through the junk mail on the dining room floor before it relieved itself. Ruby squealed, the cat froze, then hissed and continued.

“Oh, shit!” Rub hissed back.

Fred took her word literally and crapped between the dining room and kitchen doorway. The bird was starting on the national anthem, feathers flying all over the kitchen, her cage rattling ominously.

Ruby want to choke the life out of Arthur Bidwell.

It was a full ninety minutes before she had thawed enough chicken for the two dogs. She added some gravy and vegetables from a bowl of leftover stew in the refrigerator. She carefully cut the meat into small pieces and mashed the vegetables to disguise them.

The animals were watching her like vultures. A lump settled in her throat as she wondered when they had had their last meal. When the dogs' food was ready, she set it aside. She opened a large can of tuna, flaked it with her fingers, added some of the stew gravy and vegetables, and warmed it.

Ruby almost lost her arm when she set the plates on the floor. Charlotte sang her heart out as the animals devoured their food. When they were done, they backed away and looked at her expectantly.

“What's that look mean?” she muttered. “Do you want more?” She filled their plates a second time. Charlotte continued to sing.

Ruby developed a headache. An hour later she threw a dishtowel over Charlotte's cage. Fred cocked one ear from her position half on top of Sam by the fireplace. Sam squirmed. Doozie was between Fred's legs. They looked like a giant pretzel, Ruby thought.

A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. How long would it take, she wondered, for the animals to become hers? When would they jump on her, lick her face and hands? When would they view her as their master? When, if ever, would she take Mrs. Penny's place? Her heart thumped. What if Mrs. Penny weren't replaceable?

Confident that the animals would sleep for a while with full bellies, Ruby drove into town. Her first stop was a pet store, where she bought three wicker beds with bright red plaid cushions and a litter box. She purchased three leashes, three collars, assorted dog and cat toys, catnip, chewies, and cat treats. A spiky brush, dog shampoo, and a complete grooming kit was added to the pile.

In the supermarket she purchased fifty dollars' worth of canned dog food, along with moist packets and a large bag of dry food. She added another twenty dollars' worth of cat food to her basket alone.

In the checkout line Ruby stared at the contents in the basket. The word
family
popped into mind. Her new family. Commitment. Responsibility. Love. The animals would love her. Unconditionally. Forever. For all their lives. And she would shower them with love in return. They were
hers.
They would never go, and no one would ever take them away from her.

People . . . people trampled all over you. People disappointed you. People caused pain and broken hearts. Damn you, Dixie, damn you to hell. Damn you, Nola, damn you, Calvin. Who needs you? Who fucking needs you?

From the market she went to the bookstore and bought two books on dogs and cats. When the salesclerk asked her what breed the dogs were, she shrugged. At the last minute she asked for a book on birds. If she was going to do her best for her new family, she needed to be prepared.

“Would you be interested in reading some of James Herriot's books?” the saleswoman asked. “They're wonderful if you like animals.”

“Why not?” Ruby muttered.

All Things Wise and Wonderful, The Lord God Made Them All,
and
All Things Bright and Beautiful
were added to her order.

Fifteen minutes later she was convinced you never left animals alone. There was something wrong with every room in the house. When she finally located her new roommates, she could only gape. Sam had tugged the bedspread down to the middle of the bed. He was on one pillow, Fred on the other. The cat was asleep on the mantel between a picture of Andy holding his first fish and Marty riding her bicycle for the first time without training wheels. All three animals ignored her.

Hands clenched into fists, her thumbs pointing backward, she yelled, “Out!” The cat hissed. The dogs barked. None of them moved.

“Listen up. I don't care if Mrs. Penny lets you sleep on her bed or not. You aren't sleeping on
mine
. Out!” When they still didn't move, Ruby shouted again. “Oh, shit!” She stormed out of the room and stomped down the stairs.

Obviously, she was doing something wrong or else the animals didn't like her. It was their first day. She was a stranger. Maybe she had to change her attitude. Maybe she needed to be more patient . . .

Something strange was happening to her, something that was within her grasp. All she had to do was open up, reach out. The moment was gone a second later. Her heart pounded in her chest. She wasn't sure why.

 

In her life Ruby would never understand how three animals could drop so much poop. They must have been house-trained. How could an old lady clean up after three animals?

For five whole days Ruby tried her best to fasten the collars and leashes on the animals so they could be walked. They refused to come within a foot of her. Neither would they go near any of the doors in the house. She spread newspapers all over the place, hoping the animals would hit one once in a while. They didn't. She'd gone through two bottles of liquid cleanser and almost a gallon of bleach. The new beds hadn't been slept in. The dog and cat toys were in a red basket by the fireplace and hadn't been touched. The litter box by the pantry door was used, but that was it. The only thing the animals permitted her to do was feed them.

She'd read all the books, tried all the tricks. Nothing worked. She called Arthur Bidwell and said she had to bring the animals back. “I've done everything, Mr. Bidwell, they won't cooperate. I'm so tired of cleaning up their messes. If you can't come up with something, I really will have to bring them back.”

Biddy shook his grizzled head. “They should have come around by now. They love to go for walks. Fred especially. She knows how to get the leash off the hook. She gets it when she has to go. Maybe they're afraid you're going to bring them back here. They don't like cages or pens. No animal does. Now, wait a minute, I seem to recall hearing Agatha call them by special names. Let me think now so I get this straight. Fred was honey button, Sam was her honey bunch, and Doozie was her sweet honey. Try that. Hell, ma'am, it might work. They're scared is all. I'd stake my life on it.”

“I don't think they like me.” Ruby wanted to cry. No one liked her anymore, except her son.

“That's not true, Mrs. Blue. Animals are smart. I think they're afraid you're going to go away. Why do you think they picked your bed to lay on? You said you have other beds. That means something to them.”

Ruby brightened considerably. “Okay, I'll give it a few more days.”

“How's Charlotte?”

“I now know most of the words to the national anthem, what does that tell you?” Biddy allowed himself a small chuckle when he hung up the phone.

Ruby felt silly as hell when she walked upstairs to her bedroom that wasn't her bedroom anymore. The animals didn't acknowledge her in any way. She walked to the center of the room, where they could all see her. She called them by names Mr. Bidwell suggested. Fred opened one eye; otherwise she ignored her. Sam's tail swished, but he, too, ignored her. Doozie lifted her head at the sound of the familiar name and then lowered her head to her paws. It wasn't working.

She found herself pleading; her eyes filled with tears. “I thought we could be best friends, that you would like me. Don't you understand? I don't have anyone, and neither do you. Mrs. Penny is gone. I know you loved her. Can't you love me just a little?” Ruby asked brokenly. “Mr. Bidwell couldn't keep you. You were hungry and you were dirty. You were sleeping in a cage. Now you're sleeping on pillows, eating steak and chicken. I don't rub your noses in the messes you make. I've been more than fair, haven't I? All my life I've been fair, and what happens? They stick it to me every damn time. Now you're doing the same thing.”

The dogs stared at her. The cat leapt to the back of the rocking chair, her eyes on Ruby. Her plumed tail swished.

“I don't think it was too much to ask. I never had animals before, so maybe I'm doing something wrong. Don't you understand? I
need
someone to love me, someone to care about me. Somehow, I screwed up everything. Well, you know what? I don't care anymore. I don't care about you anymore, either.” She wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt.

Sam inched closer to Fred, nuzzling her furry neck. Doozie stared with unblinking eyes at the distraught woman.

Ruby called the animals by Mrs. Penny's pet names. She stayed with it for a full hour. Finally her shoulders straightened, her eyes sparked. “I cannot believe I am standing here, talking to you, begging and pleading with you.”

The two dogs were huddled into a tight ball, their eyes on the cat, whose tail was swishing furiously.

“Okay, that's it! You hear me? That's it! I'm sick and tired of your crap. I've had it!” Ruby screeched at the top of her lungs. “I did my best. I cooked for you. I goddamn cooked for you.
Real
food. I sneaked in that dog food only once in a while. I bought you toys, beds, leashes. And what the hell do you do? You sleep in my goddamn bed, that's what!
I
sleep in the guest room! No more! Get your goddamn asses off my bed. You're going back to Mr. Bidwell. Live in a stinking cage, see if I care. Ungrateful, stinking animals. I hate you! You're supposed to be my goddamn best friends, and what are you? Takers. That's what you are, just like everyone else in my life. I give, you take.
Bullshit!
Get out of here! Now! I don't ever want to see you again! You hear me, dammit, get out of here!

“You're just like Dixie and Nola and Calvin. They didn't care about me. I did everything, went out of my way to be the best friend I know how to be. For God's sake, I practically did their . . . thinking for them. I was always there for them, but were they there for me? Hell, no, they weren't. Time and again they . . . they . . . disappointed me. I expected . . . I expected . . . Oh, God, it wasn't them at all, was it? It was me. I
expected
. If they didn't measure up to ... my standards, to my way of doing things, I copped an attitude. The way I'm doing now with you. I was so damn busy blaming everyone else but myself.” Andrew was right, she thought. She was stupid for not seeing it. Well, she was going to ... to ... bawl her damn head off.

Ruby dropped to her knees and howled, her shoulders shaking with sobs. She had the animals' attention now, but she didn't know it. Fred crept to the edge of the bed, Sam alongside her. They looked at one another. Both of them looked at Doozie, who was standing at attention on the rocking chair. As one they leapt, knocking Ruby off balance. They licked her, they pawed her, they snuggled against her, pushing at her hands and arms so she would pet them.

Hiccoughing with pure joy, Ruby was a child then, rolling and tussling, tickling and scratching, yelping and hollering. Doozie purred. The dogs woofed. Ruby cried some more. The animals backed off, waiting to hear the strange sounds they heard before. They crept closer, gentler this time as they licked daintily at her tears, pawed her more carefully, woofing softly.

“Okay, you can stay.” Ruby hiccoughed. She blew her nose loudly. They were on their haunches now, lined up like little soldiers. It must mean something, Ruby thought wildly. What? “You want to go for a walk? I want to go for a walk. Get the leashes.” Doozie streaked ahead of the dogs and had the leash in his mouth. Fred couldn't seem to make up her mind if she wanted the red or green one. She finally settled for the red one. Sam was left with the green one. Once again they lined up.

“You little devils,” Ruby muttered. “You knew how to do it all along. You put me through hell this past week,” she cried happily.

Like a Park Avenue matron walking her prize show dogs, Ruby sailed through the open kitchen door with her two mutts and her stray cat. They walked beautifully, even the cat. They all did what they had to do in record time. As one, they turned. They wanted to go back. Doozie's back was up, Sam's tail between his legs.

“Okay, we're going back. You did real good. We'll do it again after supper. I'm going to give you a special treat tonight, real liver and bacon. For you, Doozie, I'll split my salmon steak.” She thought she saw Fred nod.

“I'll be dipped,” Ruby mumbled as each animal went to the red basket to pick out a toy and chewie. They carried them back to their beds. She watched, a wide grin splitting her features as Doozie and Sam waited for Fred to make her choice. “So, you're the boss.” She laughed. “Now I know who to defer to.” With a wild flourish she removed the dishtowel from the bird cage. “Ninety-nine bottles . . .” Ruby threw the towel back over the cage.