Mister Pepper's Secret (2 page)

A neighbor entered the elevator with her
little spaniel. “Hi,” said Mia a bit embarrassed. “I wanted to go
up and went down instead.”

“Better than going sideways,” the neighbor
laughed.

After that afternoon, Mia thought anything
might be possible—even sideways.

2

Mia talked to Bubbles, as they walked by the
Astor Court wall on Broadway. “After all, Bubbles, grandma Murphy
talks to herself. It’s just a hop and a skip from oneself to the
furniture. It may not be in fashion right now, but if people were
to chat with their furniture, it might be a good thing. Depending
on what was said, of course.”

Bubbles was paying no mind to what Mia was
saying. She was sniffing in search for exotic smells. Yucky tidbits
were harder to find in snowy December weather. All Bubbles cared
about, in her terrier way, was that Mia was good to her—that she
went on daily walks, got three meals a day, and had a soft bed to
sleep on. Bubbles was a happy dog and felt that words only clouded
good smells, good food, and the good company of her beloved Mia.
Whether you put a word or a woof to it, to her, life was
very—
good
.

“Of course, I do talk to you, Bubbles,” said
Mia. “I guess everyone has their specialty.”

Bubbles pulled Mia to go inside. It was cold
and the sidewalk burned her paws with the salt that the doormen and
merchants sprinkled outside their doorways to melt the ice and
snow.

They made it to the ninetieth street
entrance. Mia was stomping the snow from her boots, and Bubbles was
giving herself a shake, when Jack, the doorman, said: “There’s a
friend waiting for you in the garden, Mia.”

That was strange! Who would want to wait in
the garden in this weather, she wondered.

She and Bubbles went to the garden door. Mia
couldn’t see anybody. But Bubbles did and pulling the leash from
Mia’s hand, she ran toward someone she knew. Thanks to Bubbles, Mia
saw in the middle of the garden, standing by two red chairs, her
friend Angelina in white: a white puffy coat, white hood, white
gloves, with—could it be?—silvery white wings that sparkled.
Angelina was the teenager who could work magic. She was a special
person, a high school student in the neighborhood, who had brought
mystery and understanding of animals into Mia’s life.

“Hi there, Bubbles!” Angelina said, as she
patted her head, and tried to keep her from jumping on her clean
white coat.

“Hi, Mia! I’m so glad you’re here.” Angelina
turned away as she spoke, holding her thumb up, and stretching her
arm full out as if she were measuring the space. Artists are known
to do that when they want to get a new angle of a subject.

“Are you going to do a painting of the
garden?”

“I’m looking for the best spot for Mister
Pepper to be placed.”

“How did you know about Mister Pepper?” Mia
asked while trying to keep Bubbles on the ground.

“Oh, Doris is my great aunt.”

“Doris?”

“Mrs. Goldenrod,” said Angelina. “And the
head of the garden committee is my cousin, twice removed.”

Mia’s head was spinning. It had been an
unusual afternoon. First, a nice old woman talking to her furniture
and now with Angelina on the scene, there was bound to be another
surprise or two.

Angelina thought the dog statue should be
placed where it would have all the attention. Once more she swept
the garden with her gaze and let out a little “Ah, ha.” She sighed
and with a smile pointed to a stone near a lamppost. “Perfect!
Don’t you think?” Not waiting for an answer, Angelina did a little
stamp with her feet and clapped her hands in delight.

As she turned back towards Mia, one of her
wings whisked across Mia’s face. “Oops, sorry, I forgot to take
these off.” Angelina reached behind herself, snapped off the two
wings from her coat, folded them, and put them in her pocket.

“I’ve started drama lessons. The first
exercise is to improvise a scene as an animal. I thought I’d try
being a swan. I wear the wings as practice to get the feel of it
all.”

“Oh, yes,” said Mia “You are so beautiful, a
swan would be perfect.”

“I’ll give it a try,” said Angelina. “And now
I must… ‘fly.’ But before I do I wanted to give you this collar for
Mister Pepper.” Angelina brought out a bright, shiny red collar
from her coat pocket. It made Mia smile just to look at it.

“This red collar has a bit of magic. Keep it
safe until the day of the annual barbeque. When everyone is busy
chatting and Bubbles is nearby, quietly replace the statue’s blue
collar with this one. That will let the magic begin. The statue
will tell Bubbles its secret, and you will be able to listen
in.”

“Oh Angelina, I can’t wait! Where did you
learn all this?”

“It runs in the family,” said Angelina. “How
many people have aunts who talk with their furniture?” Without
waiting for an answer, she gave Bubbles a little hug; a kiss on the
cheek to Mia, and—in a blink of an eye—was out the garden door.

3

June arrived, and we now come to the day of
the annual barbeque. Mia wondered whether the garden committee had
forgotten about Mister Pepper. But on the morning of the
celebration, Mister Pepper stood in the very place that Angelina
had foretold.

Mia was excited. She placed the red dog
collar on her dresser before leaving for school that day. Angelina
had tucked a surprise in that collar and she didn’t want to forget
it.

After their walk that evening, Mia and
Bubbles went to the garden as people were arriving. The strings of
lights on poles around the courtyard were lit. Although it was not
yet dark, fireflies were adding glimmer to the celebration.
Everyone was busy chatting, carrying tasty food dishes to the
tables, and children were playing in the pathways. Mia moved over
to Mister Pepper and, since no one was watching, traded the blue
collar for the red one.

As soon as she did, several friends ran up to
say hello and for a moment she forgot about the magic Angelina had
promised. Bubbles was racing around the walkway chasing a red ball
with her doggy friend Lucy, and they were soon joined by Jasper,
the new doggy from the penthouse.

When Mrs. Goldenrod appeared, Mia went over
and asked if she might get her a plate of food. “There are
hamburgers and hot dogs,” Mia said. “Even vegan ones.”

Mrs. Goldenrod got a pained look on her face.
She took a deep breath, pursed her lips, and opted for a salad. As
Mrs. Goldenrod sat and began chatting with her neighbors, Mia saw
that Bubbles was sitting in front of Mister Pepper. People nearby
were talking, sitting on benches or waiting in line for their
charcoal-grilled dinner.

Bubbles seemed deep in thought, and nodded
her head every now and then. Mia stepped a bit closer and found
that she was seeing a conversation between Bubbles and Mister
Pepper in her mind’s eye. Animals think in images, and Mia was able
to understand what the two dogs were saying. It didn’t matter that
Mister Pepper was made of stone.

“How did you get stuck in there?” asked
Bubbles.

“Well, it’s a long story.”

“I like stories, long or short.”

“Promise you won’t tell?”

“Promise—dog scout’s honor.”

“Then I’ll begin. When I was young, I was
given to an older man Mr. Dinkus who lived alone. He was not very
interested in a having a dog, much less playing with one. So he
moved me out to a little penned area behind his work shed. He fed
me when he remembered and sometimes forgot to give me water. There
was no grass, only dirt and rocks on the ground, and my space was
never cleaned. After a couple of winters, he built me a rickety
doghouse.

“One early spring when Mr. Dinkus was gone
for a few days, a young boy saw me through the back fence. He
climbed over and walked into the yard. I was a bit nervous, but he
talked so nicely and then patted me gently on the head. It was
beautiful. But after a while he left, and I never saw him
again.

“Over the years, I always remembered that one
day with the young boy, but it made me sad and I would whimper
myself to sleep. After a while I stopped crying, I stopped eating,
and then I stopped moving. One morning I woke up and I couldn’t
feel anything. I had turned to stone.”

“Oh, dear, Mister Pepper!” said Bubbles
amazed. “How did you come to Astor Court then?”

“Mr. Dinkus didn’t want a dog statue so he
threw me out in the trash. But there was a garbage man who spotted
me. He loved dogs and he thought I looked good enough to be sold in
the thrift shop in town. That’s where Lenore went shopping, and the
rest is history.”

“That’s some story!” said Bubbles. “I hope
you like it at our place then—in the garden.”

“Actually, I love it outside here. I can see
the children playing, the lovers holding hands, and the residents
coming home to their families from work. I want everyone who sees
me to think of me as a friend—the friend who is always waiting here
for them, no matter what.

“And now it is time for me to be a friend for
these children.”

And sure enough, as Mister Pepper finished
his story, the children started coming towards him. A young girl
greeted Bubbles and then went to sit by Mister Pepper with her arm
around him. “Here, Pepper, do you want some of my watermelon?” she
asked, giving him a kiss on the cheek. Another little girl came up
and gave Mister Pepper a hug. A young boy stepped over and gently
patted him on the head. Bubbles watched her new friend and thought
she could see the trace of a smile.

Mia sighed, after learning this story. As she
watched Bubbles, she noticed that she was distracted by a familiar
voice.

“Pepper, Pepper—wherefore art thou, Pepper?”
exclaimed Angelina. She was running towards Mister Pepper in bare
feet and a flowing, long white dress.