Our Souls at Night

20

The next day Louis took Jamie to the old Holt hardware store on Main Street and bought him a leather glove and one for himself and another for Addie and also three hard rubber balls and a small bat. At the counter he asked Jamie which of the caps on the display rack he wanted and the boy chose one in purple and black and the little stooped man at the register adjusted the back of the cap for him and the boy pulled it down and looked up at them with a serious look on his face.

Looks okay to me, Louis said.

That cap’ll keep you from getting burned up out here in this sun, the little man said. Rudy was his name, Louis knew him from years ago. It was a wonder he was still working, a wonder that he was still alive. The other manager, a tall man named Bob, had died years ago. And the woman who owned the store had gone back to Denver after her mother died.

They returned to Louis’s house and Louis showed him how to turn his glove in the right way to catch a ball and they played catch in the shade between Addie’s house and Ruth’s. The boy wasn’t any good at first but got a little better after a while and then he wanted to try hitting with the bat. He finally hit one and Louis praised him extravagantly and they hit some more and then played catch again and the boy was improving now.

Addie came out from the house and watched. Can you stop now? I’ve got lunch ready. What have you got there? A baseball glove?

And I got this new cap.

I see you em; margin-top: 3em; margin-bottom: 2em; text-align: H5 about his handhave. Did you thank Louis?

No.

You’d better, don’t you think?

Thank you, Louis.

You’re welcome.

We got a glove for you too, Jamie said.

Oh, I don’t know how.

You have to learn, Grandma. I did.

—

That night in bed after Jamie was asleep between them Louis said, This boy needs a dog.

What makes you say that?

He needs someone or something to play with besides his phone and an old man and an old woman doddering around.

Thank you very much, Addie said.

But I’m serious, he does need a dog. What if we drive over to Phillips tomorrow and look at the humane shelter.

I don’t want a puppy around here. I don’t have the energy for a puppy.

No, a full-grown dog. One that’s house-trained already. A nice small older dog.

I don’t know. I don’t know if I want the bother.

I’ll keep it at my house. Jamie can come over and they can play there.

Do you want a dog around all the time? You surprise me.

I don’t mind. It’s been too long since I’ve had a dog.

I guess it’s up to you. I wouldn’t have thought of it myself.

—

After breakfast they drove out north of Holt on the narrow blacktop state highway past the fields of irrigated corn and the dryland wheat and turned west at Red Willow and went on past the country school in the next county and then north again down into the Platte River valley and the town of Phillips. The humane shelter was on the edge of town. They told the woman at the front desk that they wanted a grown mature dog.

Well, we have more of that kind than anything else, she said. Did you have something specific in mind?

No. Just a dog that’s not too wild or crazy or doesn’t yap and bark all day long.

You want one for this boy to play with. Well, let’s see what we’ve got.

She stood up heavily and led them back across the office. As soon as she opened the door the dogs in the cages and pens put up a frantic racket so that you could hardly hear what anyone said. They went in and she shut the door behind them. There were cages along either side of the middle walkway, with one or two dogs in each cage, with a bad smell in the room, cement floors in the cages and water bowls and pieces of carpet and rugs for the dogs to lie on.

I’ll just let you look at the dogs yourselves. If you want to try one let me know.

Can we take any outside?

Yes, but you’ll need a leash for that. Here’s one hanging on the door here.

She left and they walked back past all the pens and looked in at each of them. There were all kinds and colors of dogs. The boy was afraid of the loud barking em; margin-top: 3em; margin-bottom: 2em; text-align: to the onopand kept close to Louis on the walkway. They turned and looked again at all the dogs.

Did you see any you liked?

I don’t know.

What about this one? Addie said. It was a black and white border collie mix with something on its right front foot, a kind of bandage or plastic tube. She seems nice, Addie said.

Wha>

I don’t know. We can ask. It seems to be something to protect her.

Louis put his fingers through the mesh and the dog sniffed his fingers and licked at them. Let’s take her outside. He opened the cage and went in and put the leash on her collar and blocked the other dog from coming out. He led her out easily, without trouble, and they went back into the office.

You found one, the woman said.

Maybe, Louis said. We want to take her outside to see how she is away from these other dogs.

You have to just stay here in the parking lot.

They went outside and across the lot past the parked cars and over to the weeds and dirt at the side. The dog immediately squatted. Good dog, Louis said. She waited until we got outside and over to the dirt. You want to lead her, Jamie?

Let’s touch her first, Addie said.

They all bent down over her and she sat down on her haunches. The boy patted her head and she looked up at him.

You want to try now? I’ll be right here with you.

Do you think she’s all right? What about her foot?

We’ll ask the woman inside. She limps a little when she walks but she doesn’t seem to be in a lot of pain.

Jamie took the leash and the dog stood up and followed along beside him. Louis and the boy and the dog made a circle around the cars on the paved lot. Louis said, You want to try it by yourself? The boy and the dog took another little circle. They could see he liked her. They went back inside. She went in limping, favoring her right paw. The woman told them the dog had gotten her foot frozen in the winter when someone left her outside all night tied up on the back concrete patio. The veterinarian had had to amputate the toes on that foot. She had a white plastic tube she wore now that fastened with Velcro. If she was in the house they could take it off during the day and just have it put on only when she went out. The woman showed them how to take the tube off and how to put it on.

How old is she? Louis said.

About five, I’d guess.

I think we’ll try her, Louis said. If it doesn’t work out we can bring her back.

Well, we want people to make a good try, not to give up too soon.

We’ll do that. But I want to know we can come back if we have to.

Yes, you can.

Louis paid the fee and collected her papers, the record of her inoculations, and they went out to the car. Jamie got in back and Louis put the dog in the seat beside him and they started out of town on the state highway toward home. After a while the dog laid her head oem; margin-top: 3em; margin-bottom: 2em; text-align: 9inidbyn the boy’s leg and shut her eyes and the boy patted her. Addie nodded for Louis to look in back, and he adjusted the mirror. They were both asleep now. In Holt, Louis dropped Addie off and at home he helped Jamie make a bed for the dog in the kitchen. You want to show her around the house? he said.

I’ve never been in the other rooms myself, Jamie told him.

That’s right. He led the two of them through the house and at the stairs the dog loped up ahead of them, on three legs, holding her one paw up, and then they went back down to the kitchen. Let’s see if your grandmother has any lunch for us.

What about our dog?

I think we’d better take her with us. She’s just new. We don’t want to leave her alone yet.

The boy took the leash and they went across the street and back through the alley to Addie’s and knocked and went in.

In the kitchen Addie said, Have you decided on a name? She has to have a name. Didn’t the woman call her something at the shelter?

Tippy, Louis said. But I don’t like that very much.

What about Bonny? the boy said.

Where’d you get that name?

A girl in my class.

Someone you like?

Sort of.

All right. Bonny it is.

I think it suits her, Addie said.

—

Jamie and Louis left the dog on her rug at Louis’s house out in the kitchen and went over to eat supper at Addie’s. After supper they all went to check on her and she was whining and crying. They could hear her from a distance.

Why don’t you just bring her over to my house for now? Addie said. I don’t think Ruth and the other neighbors need this.

Then what?

Then we’ll have to see.

They got the dog and brought her back to Addie’s. Addie gave her an old throw rug to lie on and she settled down and watched them, looking one to the other. The boy went upstairs to play with his phone and took the dog with him. When Louis and Addie went up they told him the dog would have to stay in the kitchen. But after they took her downstairs, she began to cry again until Addie said, Oh, go ahead. I know what you want.

Louis said, Well, we don’t want to hear that all night, do we?

I said go ahead.

He brought her to the front bedroom. Jamie looked over the side of the bed at her and reached down and petted her.

I’ve got another idea, Louis said. How about you and Bonny go into your bedroom? You can keep her with you.

I don’t know.

She’ll be right there with you in your room. You won’t be alone.

When the boy got into bed the dog jumped up immediately.

Is this okay?

We’ll try it. Unless your grandmother says not to.

em; margin-top: 3em; margin-bottom: 2em; text-align: turned inidbyBut still leave the light on.

I will.

And the door open?

Now see if you can sleep. Bonny will be here with you.

Then Louis went back to the bed with Addie and slid in under the sheet.

Tell me something, she sadent" id="p93" aid="NQU5C">What.

Did you have this in mind all along?

I wish I were that smart, Louis said. At least we can stretch out now without tangling up with a little boy’s feet.

Addie turned off the light. Where’s your hand?

Right here beside you where it always is.

She took his hand. Now we can talk again, she said.

What do you want to talk about?

I want to know what you’re thinking.

About what?

Aboutid.