Chapter 11 #2
“No. Mom bought this house a few years ago. She always loved it, and when it came on the market, she sold the house we had and moved here.” It was a single story, crisp white trim against red brick, but spread out over a double lot with large mature landscaping.
It had been built in the late twenties and was opulent inside.
Lyle led the way up the walk, each of them with two of the dogs, and they went inside. “Hey, Mom.”
She came out of the kitchen, a spotless apron over her dress. When she cooked, it was like the food didn’t dare get on her clothes. “You’re right on time.”
“Yes, Mom,” he told her and got a quick hug. She and James shook hands, and then they went into the kitchen. “So how are you feeling?” He let the dogs off their leashes, and they set about exploring.
“I’m fine, and you are forbidden to ever ask me that question again.
I hate it when people do that. It makes me feel as though I’m going to keel over at any second, and I don’t want to spend weeks or months in that mode.
If I’m unwell, I’ll tell you.” She turned back to the stove.
“Why don’t you set the table for me?” The dishes were already out, so he got on the task, leaving his mother and James to talk.
That was a frightening prospect, but he supposed that if he wanted them to get along, he had to let them get to know each other.
Though he never knew what his mother was going to say.
He set out the plates and silverware, adding the glasses at each place before returning to the kitchen, with the dogs following him to where James sat at the snack bar with a glass of wine. “Your mom was telling me about the time you decided to go swimming in the LeTort in January.” He snickered.
“I was seven and it was warm outside, so I thought the water would be warm.” Lyle shrugged and tried to make as little of it as possible.
“I thought my heart was going to stop and that Lyle was going to die of hypothermia, especially since the current took him downstream and he was heading toward the tunnel under the road. But I got him out and warmed him up in the car as I brought him home. I was terrified, but he just told me from the back seat that he was fine and that he wanted to go swimming again.” She sipped from her glass.
“I got us a Y membership. It was safer.”
“Do you swim?” James asked Lyle.
“Yeah. I used to swim competitively. I don’t do that any longer, but I go a few times a week to the pool. It gets my heart pumping and helps me stay trim.”
“We should swim sometime. I was on the team at the Y when I was a kid. I didn’t keep up with it as I got older. But I do love the water. Though I didn’t try to go swimming in the creek in January.”
“Yeah… we’ll have to. I have the Y membership still and I swim there. I suppose you use the pool on campus.”
“Sometimes, and I go to the Y as well. I like the equipment there, and if I want to work out, I don’t need to compete with the college athletes for space and equipment. They can get a little competitive.” James finished his wine, and Mom refilled his glass.
“So. I understand you decided to chase after these dogfighters,” Mom said, and Lyle turned to James, who shook his head. “I have eyes and ears everywhere.”
“I’m not going to confirm or deny that, and whoever you’ve been talking to hasn’t been giving you completely accurate information.
All I did was follow them for the safety of the dogs.
I know where they are meeting, but I didn’t confront anyone, and I left right away.
” He wasn’t going to tell her that James went with him.
“I want these people behind bars. You should see how these dogs are kept. It’s terrible, Mom. ”
She shook her head. “You were always so concerned about everyone else.” She looked down at where the dogs sat in a semicircle around her, waiting for something to drop to the floor. With Mom, they were going to wait for a long time. “Do they know they won’t get anything?”
“Dogs are the epitome of hope,” James said.
“I brought some food for them,” Lyle explained. “I’ll feed them after we eat, and they’ll be fine. Corky never fed them people food. She said it was spoiling them and that if we did, the dogs would come to expect it, and she didn’t want that.”
“Did she raise the dogs for a reason?”
Lyle nodded and sighed. “The wall of her living room was filled with pictures and ribbons from the dogs she had. She was always smiling and seemed so happy. And there were a lot of ribbons and winner’s cups.
She had an entire case of them, and she told me once that she only put the really good ones in there.
He daughter wanted to sell these sweeties off for breeding. ”
His mom stopped stirring whatever she was making. It smelled heavenly, and it was no secret why the dogs were watching her.
“A King Charles puppy can sell for five to ten thousand dollars. I checked on the internet, and ones with a top pedigree can sell for even more. I wasn’t able to research the pedigree of these dogs because I don’t know the parents’ names.”
“I have them. When I got the dogs’ things, I also gathered their registration papers, and they have the parents listed. I put them away so I wouldn’t lose them in case they were needed. But the details don’t really matter, because I’m not going to sell them.”
“True. But if someone reputable inquires, Dash or Dover could father pups, and you could breed Daisy or Dahlia if you wanted. I’m not saying that you would, but I think they would both be good mothers, and having a littler of pups could be good before having them spayed. That is, if you wanted.”
“I haven’t given it much thought,” Lyle said gently.
“I’m just getting used to being a pet parent and I know I’m at the limit for what my lease will allow.
In fact, I’m over it, but apparently Corky thought of everything, because she got the landlord to sign specific permission for me to take her dogs.
I doubt they would look past a litter of puppies, though. ”
“If you wanted to have puppies, you could bring the dog here so she could have them in the house. There is plenty of space, and no one is going to tell me what I can and can’t do.” Sometimes his mother could surprise him big time. “They are pretty little things.”
“Yeah, they are.” He put down his hand, and they all came over for some loving. He sat on the floor in the corner, and all of them gathered around him, pressing in for his attention.
“Do they do that all the time?” Mom asked.
“Yes. All four of them think Lyle has pockets filled with bacon. They follow him everywhere he goes and can’t get enough of his affection.
They love him, and when he sits on the sofa, they all crowd around him.
The only time they keep their distance is at night.
They have little beds that they sleep in. ”
She looked down at the dogs, still sitting there waiting for goodies. “Think of it as a compliment on your cooking. It smells good enough that they want some too, and they aren’t willing to give up.”
Mom snickered and started dishing up rice and various components. “Tonight it’s Japanese… sort of.” She set bowls of various things on a tray, and Lyle carried it into the dining room. There was also salad and sauces. She even had Japanese beer.
“Okay. You start with rice, some sauce, and then add what you want on top,” she told them before sitting down. “In Japan, this is a kind of street food. I love it.” She seemed happy and rather carefree, which made Lyle wonder why she had called him here.
Lyle filled his bowl and began to eat. The food was really good, with beef, onions, and a slightly sweet, tangy sauce. “So, can I ask what it was that you wanted to talk to me about?”
His mom sighed. “Yes. Well… you know that I’m having surgery, and there is always a risk. I’m not a spring chicken any longer. So I wanted to go over arrangements if I don’t make it.”