Chapter 12 Ris
Ris
Ris was the first to admit that she hadn’t completely understood all that a puppy would entail. She’d never had a dog at all, let alone a brand new one, but Ainsley had insisted that they would need to puppy-proof the apartment.
“He’s gonna want to chew all of our shoes. Our days of having the shoes lined up at the door are finished, Nanaya.”
“And you know that you used to chew shoes as a pup?” she asked, laughing when he pitched her slides over his shoulder. “I thought you said you’ve never had a dog?”
Ainsley waved a hand, dismissing her words. “Between the two of us, I’m willing to bet I’ve banked more viewing hours of both nature documentaries and movies about puppy detectives. So, unless you’re here to report with your credentials, get a box for these flippy floppies.”
Compromise was found, once again, at the furniture superstore.
“I honestly can’t believe I’ve lived my whole life without these meatballs,” he hummed as they left the cafeteria area, holding her hand as they walked through the long hallway that led back to the showroom floor.
The corridor was a hall of mirrors, mirrors of every shape and size in frames of various styles. It gave Ris a strange feeling, and she tugged his hand a little faster, urging him along.
“I’m glad you enjoyed the meatballs, but I don’t understand why they make you take a trip through the Otherworld’s waiting room to get there,” she mumbled, pulling him along.
They bought a shoe rack, sleeves for all their electrical cords, and heavier pots for the plants with higher sides.
They spent an inordinate amount of time comparing two gates, choosing, in the end, a white model with an easy swing-open latch that required drilling into the wall.
They prepped the apartment with the seriousness of preparing for dragon storms, she thought, as he fired up the drill with too much glee.
The gate had come in an almost hilarious amount of pieces.
“The meatballs are not worth this,” he’d grumbled as she lay curled in a ball of uncontrollable laughter, the third time he was forced to disassemble what he’d already done, turning the directions over as if reading them upside down might help.
When he was finished at last, Ris watched from the kitchen as Ainsley carefully measured, measured again, drilling with all the precision of a surgeon.
The gate fit perfectly, cutting off access to the front hallway.
“I love how seriously you’re taking nesting.”
He looked up in surprise at her words, face splitting into one of those searing grins, laughing in response. A genuine laugh, an Ainsley laugh, and it split open something inside her. His bright laughter had been kept in a room for too long, a door he never opened anymore, and hearing it now . . .
“Hey, what’s wrong?” He scrambled up on his knees from where he’d sat on the floor, wrapping his long arms around her waist. “Nanaya, if you’re—”
“I’m not,” she wheezed, laughing through her sudden rush of tears, wrapping her own arms around his neck, kissing the side of his stubble-covered head.
“I’m not changing my mind. I just love you so much.
And I love seeing you happy.” Ris was happy to be pulled down to the ground as he lowered himself back to a sitting position, crossing his legs and putting her in the center.
“This is never going to grow out if you keep shaving it, you know. Like, one sort of precludes the other, just so you’re aware. ”
“I know! I’m well aware, but I can’t help it. It’s like an addiction. I touch the stubble. I like the stubble. The stubble gets too long. I don’t like touching the stubble anymore. It’s got to go. But then, oh no, my hair.”
Her shoulders shook as she pulled his head down, drawing his mouth down to hers. His skin was warm, and the heat of his mouth was safe and familiar. We’re going to be okay, she reminded herself.
“Then maybe it’s time for a hat. This looks great, by the way. Professional installation.”
“Too bad there’s nothing to keep out of the hallway,” he grumbled.
“I can’t believe we have to wait ten stupid long weeks.
You know, I can’t help but notice that they omit that from movies.
You never see anyone saying, ‘Hey, let’s get a dog!
’ And then they’re stuck waiting around for two and a half months. ”
Choosing a breed had been a process of several weeks of deliberation.
“Something energetic and playful, like me,” Ainsley had suggested.
“That’s fine, if you’re going to be taking it outside to be energetic and playful seven days a week.
But what happens when you work late, or I get stuck in traffic?
What about winter? I’m not saying we should rule anything out yet, but we do have to remember that we’re in an apartment with no yard. ”
He’d scrunched his nose, but nodded his agreement.
“What about this one?” She tilted the laptop screen in his direction, laughing at the face he pulled.
“Nanaya, that’s not a dog. That’s a puffball! And it’s going to expect us to carry it everywhere, look at that fur! If you just want a stuffed animal, we can take care of that this afternoon.”
“I don’t want some huge beast that will overpower me!” Ris protested, still laughing.
They eventually reached a compromise, compiling a list of wants and absolute nos together.
Something medium-sized. Nothing large and muscular enough that she would have trouble controlling them on her own, but nothing so small that they could be carried in a purse.
Playful, but not so energetic that their apartment would be a liability.
No working dogs that would become destructive without a task.
A dog that would enjoy trips to the park when the weather was nice, but be satisfied with a short trip up the block in winter.
A spaniel, they decided at last, finding a breeder in the area and placing a deposit. They bought stainless steel bowls that sat on a solid wooden base, and a leash that felt substantial in their hands. Sturdy rubber toys that concealed food behind puzzles, promising mental enrichment.
“You know he’s going to be the smartest puppy in school, right?
With us at home?” Ainsley made a derisive snort, waving his hand as if he were dismissing a classroom of dogs without the same love for music, art, and anthropology as their dog would surely possess.
“Pffffttttt. Those other dogs may as well pack it in now.”
“Are we going to enroll him in art classes?” she asked with a grin, happy to play along when it made him this happy.
“Oh, for sure. We’re gonna have his originals all over the walls.
And we’ll take him to the summer concert series that the symphony does in the park.
Weekends in the museum so he can identify canine cultures through the ages.
Maybe you can switch to a dance class that also teaches four-legged tap.
And like, surely there’s a spelling bee somewhere we can dominate.
He’s going to know how to spell ‘bone’ before any of his classmates. ”
Ainsley’s mother hooted at the news. “You have no idea how happy you’re making him. He’s wanted a puppy his whole life.”
His mom had been worried about him as well, Ris knew.
They spoke together in hushed whispers, every time Ris and Ainsley came for their regular visit, in the brief bursts when he left the room.
She had found herself engulfed in a long, crushing hug when Shu’la discovered Ris had insisted her son go to therapy to deal with the upheaval of the last year.
“I know you had a soft spot for him,” she’d hissed, months earlier, “but after everything we’ve all been through, if I ever see Tate again, I’m going to back over him with my car.”
Shu’la had only smiled sadly. “Well . . . I’m not going to tell you you’re wrong for feeling what you feel.
I’m willing to withhold judgment, I think.
It’s easy to know how we might react in situations, until we’re forced to actually do it.
I’ve had to make decisions that hurt people.
I left my clan when I met his dad, raised Ainsley far away from them, and I know that hurt.
Hurt my mother something awful. It was still the right decision, though.
And even though it caused pain, even though it hurt people who love me, I’d make it again today.
I won’t pretend to know Tate’s reasons for all the things he did, but you can bet he had them. ”
Having his mother validate his long-held desire for a dog only served to solidify his insistence that he was already an expert, purely based on longing alone.
“Tell her, ShuShu. Literally my entire life,” Ainsley confirmed. “‘What do you want Gragnog to bring you for Yule this year, Ainsley?’ A puppy. It was always a puppy. I never wanted a chemistry set or a telescope or an amplifier. I mean, I did. But I asked for the puppy first. Every year!”
“He did,” his mother confirmed with a laugh. “And I always felt terrible that we couldn’t.”
“At long last, his moment has arrived. I think this will be good,” Ris said with more confidence than she may have felt. “For both of us.”
They were driving home from his mother’s, had just crossed the center of town, and were stopped at a light.
“We’re about to become very responsible people,” he said abruptly, his voice solemn. “Our schedules are going to have to shift; we’re going to need to be home a lot more. This is a big responsibility. We’ll have to start thinking of something other than ourselves.”
Ris raised her eyebrows at the portentous pronouncement. These were all things they’d already discussed. Ainsley had his head tipped back, leaning against his right shoulder, his eyes sliding to the side to find hers.
“Let’s go do something really irresponsible that we’ll probably hate.”
Ris was laughing before the light had a chance to turn green, already knowing precisely what sort of irresponsible quest he was proposing, and that yes, they would probably hate it.