climb from beneath the floor. ‘This is so
wrong,’ he muttered as Eddie and Father nodded but did nothing. ‘So wrong. I am
the goddamn Mayor and I should not be lying next to a goddamn dog catcher who
won’t catch the goddamn dog. Judith!’ he bellowed. In seconds she was at his
side, followed by the other women. Even Mother had made it to her feet. Harry
looked at his wife.
‘Judith,
the goddamn dog has died and Joey won’t catch it. Tell him to catch it. You and
he are so goddamn close, you tell him.’ It was perhaps not the best way to
break the news. To put it mildly, Judith fell apart.
‘Don’t
say that. You don’t mean it,’ she cried over and over and over. Mascara
streamed down her face. Aunt Bonnie patted her on the back and lit a cigarette.
Mother decided it was a good time to be helpful and fainted. Father, who had
been having something close to a good time, was mortified. He tried to bring
Mother round and then he tried to lift her. Meanwhile Harry was in the hall, shaking
the clearly deceased Rocco. Sweetheart stood beside him just crying silently.
It was mayhem. Father simply could not lift Mother and began to feel faint himself.
Aunt Bonnie took him outside to cool off, which left Judith hysterical. Joey
woke up and, not knowing what had happened, leaped to Judith’s defence.
‘What
happened, what happened?’ he yelled. No one said anything so I said:
‘Judith
is upset because Harry.
That
was as far as I got. Joey heard the words ‘Judith’, ‘upset’ and ‘Harry’, turned
around and punched Harry. Judith screamed and for reasons I will never
understand grabbed me and began crying on my shoulder. Everything was a little
confused after that. In the end it was Uncle Eddie who carried Mother back
across the road. Eddie was so strong, it was nothing to him. He salvaged her.
We had to go out the back way as no one liked to move the dog. I think
Sweetheart helped Mother to bed.
I sat
in the Schlicks’ sitting room with Judith, waiting for her to calm down. She
sobbed for a long time but it dripped right off the plastic covers. When she
calmed a little I tried to be helpful.
‘I
loved that dog,’ she said. ‘He was my baby.’
‘Yes,’
I said.
‘I don’t
know how I’m going to say goodbye to him,’ she moaned.
We had
never stayed anywhere long enough to have a pet so I wasn’t sure either.
‘Maybe
we could have a funeral,’ I suggested hesitantly. ‘So you could say goodbye.
We had one for Father’s mum and Mother said it made her feel great.’
‘Oh,
Dorothy, do you think we could? Would you help me?’ I didn’t know why she was
asking me but I couldn’t think why not. I shrugged.
‘Sure.’
‘You must
be such a comfort to your mother. If my Pearl was here she would have helped
me.’ This notion set her off again. Then Harry came in with a steak on his eye
and I decided it was time to go. Back at home I sat up waiting for Father. I
guess he had been in the Schlicks’ yard all that time. When he finally came in
he went straight to his papers in the dining room. I went to talk to him. I had
a lot of questions. It had been a very different evening for everyone. Maybe it
was a good time to talk.
‘Father?’
I started.
‘Hmm,’
he said, not looking up.
‘Why
did Harry treat Judith like that?’ I asked.
‘Like
what?’ His head snapped up. ‘Whatever he was doing it is none of our business.’
‘But he
was hurting her at the barbecue and it wasn’t nice. I know everyone had had a
lot to drink but…’ Father looked closely at me.
‘What’s
happened to your accent?’
‘Nothing,’
I mumbled, trying to remember how to say the word ‘nothing’.
‘Well,
keep it that way. While I am delighted you are having the full American
experience I would appreciate it if you left some of the more unpleasant vowels
at the front door.’ It was a very long sentence for him. He looked back at the
table and carefully began to open a new letter from the
wrong,’ he muttered as Eddie and Father nodded but did nothing. ‘So wrong. I am
the goddamn Mayor and I should not be lying next to a goddamn dog catcher who
won’t catch the goddamn dog. Judith!’ he bellowed. In seconds she was at his
side, followed by the other women. Even Mother had made it to her feet. Harry
looked at his wife.
‘Judith,
the goddamn dog has died and Joey won’t catch it. Tell him to catch it. You and
he are so goddamn close, you tell him.’ It was perhaps not the best way to
break the news. To put it mildly, Judith fell apart.
‘Don’t
say that. You don’t mean it,’ she cried over and over and over. Mascara
streamed down her face. Aunt Bonnie patted her on the back and lit a cigarette.
Mother decided it was a good time to be helpful and fainted. Father, who had
been having something close to a good time, was mortified. He tried to bring
Mother round and then he tried to lift her. Meanwhile Harry was in the hall, shaking
the clearly deceased Rocco. Sweetheart stood beside him just crying silently.
It was mayhem. Father simply could not lift Mother and began to feel faint himself.
Aunt Bonnie took him outside to cool off, which left Judith hysterical. Joey
woke up and, not knowing what had happened, leaped to Judith’s defence.
‘What
happened, what happened?’ he yelled. No one said anything so I said:
‘Judith
is upset because Harry.
That
was as far as I got. Joey heard the words ‘Judith’, ‘upset’ and ‘Harry’, turned
around and punched Harry. Judith screamed and for reasons I will never
understand grabbed me and began crying on my shoulder. Everything was a little
confused after that. In the end it was Uncle Eddie who carried Mother back
across the road. Eddie was so strong, it was nothing to him. He salvaged her.
We had to go out the back way as no one liked to move the dog. I think
Sweetheart helped Mother to bed.
I sat
in the Schlicks’ sitting room with Judith, waiting for her to calm down. She
sobbed for a long time but it dripped right off the plastic covers. When she
calmed a little I tried to be helpful.
‘I
loved that dog,’ she said. ‘He was my baby.’
‘Yes,’
I said.
‘I don’t
know how I’m going to say goodbye to him,’ she moaned.
We had
never stayed anywhere long enough to have a pet so I wasn’t sure either.
‘Maybe
we could have a funeral,’ I suggested hesitantly. ‘So you could say goodbye.
We had one for Father’s mum and Mother said it made her feel great.’
‘Oh,
Dorothy, do you think we could? Would you help me?’ I didn’t know why she was
asking me but I couldn’t think why not. I shrugged.
‘Sure.’
‘You must
be such a comfort to your mother. If my Pearl was here she would have helped
me.’ This notion set her off again. Then Harry came in with a steak on his eye
and I decided it was time to go. Back at home I sat up waiting for Father. I
guess he had been in the Schlicks’ yard all that time. When he finally came in
he went straight to his papers in the dining room. I went to talk to him. I had
a lot of questions. It had been a very different evening for everyone. Maybe it
was a good time to talk.
‘Father?’
I started.
‘Hmm,’
he said, not looking up.
‘Why
did Harry treat Judith like that?’ I asked.
‘Like
what?’ His head snapped up. ‘Whatever he was doing it is none of our business.’
‘But he
was hurting her at the barbecue and it wasn’t nice. I know everyone had had a
lot to drink but…’ Father looked closely at me.
‘What’s
happened to your accent?’
‘Nothing,’
I mumbled, trying to remember how to say the word ‘nothing’.
‘Well,
keep it that way. While I am delighted you are having the full American
experience I would appreciate it if you left some of the more unpleasant vowels
at the front door.’ It was a very long sentence for him. He looked back at the
table and carefully began to open a new letter from the
Similar Books
