Читать книгу A Puppy Called Hugo - Fiona Harrison, Fiona Harrison - Страница 14

After Gail took Ben shopping with Eric, Jenny and I set about clearing up Hugo’s mess for the second time while he napped in his basket. Along with the heart shape, Hugo had also chosen to show his affection for Gail by running across her bed, getting muddy paws all over the sheets and upending the laundry basket in a game of chase with himself.

I looked helplessly at Jenny, wondering where to start. If anyone understood how much I needed Hugo to behave it was Jenny. When Gail had first adopted me, Simon had been hesitant to keep me, afraid I would be too much work with Jenny so poorly. However, thanks to Jenny, Gail and the love they had shown me, Simon had come around and realised I was their forever friend. With the threat of the tails of the forgotten looming large over Hugo’s head, I desperately needed my son to stop being so naughty.

‘He’s just being a puppy, don’t worry,’ Jenny said soothingly, as if reading my mind.

‘It’s not sweet,’ I whined. ‘It means trouble, and not everyone wants trouble.’

‘You didn’t think Hugo was trouble yesterday when he went off to look for Granddad,’ Jenny said accusingly. ‘Then you thought Hugo was a hero.’

I barked nothing. Jenny was of course right. I had thought Hugo was a hero and when I fretted I would never see him again I knew I would trade my own life in a heartbeat to save his. Looking at him now, snoring away, head rested on the 101 Dalmatians dog blanket Jenny had bought him, as though he didn’t have a care in the world, I felt myself softening. Mouth open, head rested on paws, Hugo looked like a mini statue. I wasn’t sure I had ever seen him so still. I saw Jenny also had a look of love in her eyes. I had to admit, she had a point. Hugo could be very cute at times. Watching him now, his little eyelids fluttering gently, it was hard to resist leaning over and giving him a huge cuddle. Reluctantly, I brought my attention to the here and now.

‘So, shall I tug the sheets off the bed?’ I barked in suggestion.

‘I’ll do the kitchen floor again,’ Jenny sighed.

Together we raced off to our respective jobs and worked hard to make the place sparkling for Gail when she returned. I know many humans were surprised when they discovered I took on household chores, but when Jenny had been in hospital and Gail and Simon had been out of the house so much I wanted to ease the burden. So I learnt to dust what I could, as well as strip beds and clean the floor. I could even fold sheets at a push. I always thought that if things got really sticky for me in Barksdale Way I could become a service dog like one of those canine helpers that’s trained to assist their lovely owners around the home.

I had always enjoyed helping others, especially the family I loved, and considered it my purpose as a dog. Whipping around the king-size bed, I tugged off the last of the Egyptian cotton sheets, and pushed them all into a ball in the corner of the room. Then I ran down the stairs to help Jenny. She had already cleared up enough of Hugo’s mess today, without doing any more.

Finding her in the kitchen wiping up the last of the stains, my heart pounded with love for the little girl. With her ponytail swinging as she worked, she had a huge, sloppy smile on her face. Given the job she was doing, I thought this was unusual and told her so.

‘It’s just the concert tonight that’s making me so happy.’ She beamed.

‘Is this Ed Sheeran good then?’ I barked.

‘Ed Sheeran is epic!’ she exclaimed.

After balling up the dirty kitchen roll and throwing it out with the rubbish, she turned to me, her face thoughtful.

‘But you know it’s more that this will be my first ever concert, Perce,’ Jenny said, quietly. ‘There was a time I wondered if I would ever get to see a gig, and now look at me.’

As she stood there looking bashful, I rubbed my head against her legs. She picked me up and cuddled me to her chest. Just listening to her heart beat proud and strong made me dizzy with delight. Jenny had been through so much, had nearly lost her life. She was right to feel excited about her very first concert and I couldn’t be happier for her. Something I told her with a gentle lick to the ear.

Just then the front door opened and Jenny and I exchanged looks of surprise.

‘Mum? That you?’ she called.

Gail appeared with Ben fast asleep in his carrycot. ‘Who were you expecting? Father Christmas?’ she replied sharply.

‘Sorry.’ Jenny raised her eyebrows in surprise at her mother’s tone.

Gail held her daughter’s gaze and sighed. ‘No, I’m sorry, love, that was a stupid thing to say. Ignore me I’ve had a tough morning.’

‘That’s OK.’ She shrugged, setting me down on the floor with a kiss to my head. ‘What are you doing here though? I thought you were going shopping with Granddad.’

‘I was,’ Gail explained. ‘But when I arrived Dad didn’t know anything about it.’

I watched Jenny’s brow crinkle with confusion. ‘What do you mean? I thought Granddad asked you to go shopping with him? I thought it was his idea.’

Gail nodded, as she took off her cardigan and hung it from the back of a kitchen chair. ‘Yes, it was. We talked about it only yesterday after his vanishing act. But when he opened the door, he seemed genuinely surprised to see me.’

‘But didn’t you tell him you were meant to be shopping, that you’d sorted things out here so you could go into town together?’ Jenny pressed.

Gail gently placed Ben’s carrycot on the floor and sat down heavily in the wooden chair. Eager to give her a cuddle, I hopped up onto her lap. My lovely owner looked as though she had the weight of the world on her shoulders; the least I could do was offer her a bit of comfort.

‘I tried.’ Gail smiled, fondling my ears. ‘But the more I talked about it the more distressed your granddad got, so I left it and made out it was all my fault and I’d got the wrong end of the stick.’

‘Was Gran there?’ Jenny asked, sitting opposite her mum.

Gail shook her head. ‘She was at yoga and it was probably for the best. She would only have got upset if she’d seen him like that. Honestly, love, the way your granddad looked at me, it was frightening. He seemed so distressed when I implied he might have forgotten something. He insisted it was me who had got it wrong, that I was just like Mum and never listened to a word he had to say.’

‘Do you think there’s a chance that you might have got hold of the wrong end of the stick?’ Jenny suggested gently.

Gail ran her hands through her chestnut hair and sighed. ‘I’ve been wondering that all the way home. It seems unlikely after what happened yesterday, but it could be coincidence. I mean, maybe I did get it wrong, I’ve had a lot to juggle lately. Perhaps it is me that’s having trouble keeping track of things.’

Jenny leant over to clasp her mother’s hand. ‘I mean maybe you could talk to Gran later, if you’re worried.’

Gail smiled and stretched across the table to kiss Jenny’s cheek. ‘Yes, maybe I’ll try to subtly mention something, without spoiling the anniversary surprise, of course. Now, just what did I do to deserve a daughter as wise as you eh?’

‘Something pretty special.’ Jenny chuckled. ‘And to think, I don’t ask for much in return, just a lift to the stadium later.’

‘All right, all right.’ Gail laughed, quickly getting to her feet, causing me to jump to the floor. ‘Don’t worry I haven’t forgotten. Now let me get changed, and how about I take you two pugs to the park?’

At the sound of my favourite walk, my ears pricked up and unsurprisingly so did my son’s. At breakneck speed Hugo got to his feet, drool hanging from his mouth and sleep crusted in the corners of his eyes.

‘Walk! Did Gail say walk?’ Hugo barked excitedly.

‘Yes,’ I yapped quickly. ‘Now get ready, Gail will be ready to leave in a minute, and I’m not waiting for you.’

Hugo needed no further encouragement and after giving himself such a thorough shaking I thought his head might fall off, he walked briskly to the front door.

‘Ready,’ he barked, jumping up and down so excitedly he sent the little blue-and-white china bowl of potpourri Gail kept on the table by the door flying.

I stared in horror as the bowl crashed to the floor with a resounding thud, sending scented flowers and shards of china everywhere.

Rooted to the spot in horror, I gazed at Hugo as Gail’s voice bellowed down the stairs.

‘Percy! What’s happened now?’

My eyes met Hugo’s and he stared at me apologetically.

‘Sorry, Dad,’ he yelped forlornly.

As Gail and Jenny rushed to the scene, I let out a heavy sigh. Would my boy ever learn?

*

The midday sun beamed through the clouds, and I lay on my back, enjoying the warmth on my belly. There was nothing better than a trip to the park. But when the sun beat down like this it felt like a real treat and after the morning I’d had I felt I deserved it.

I had always loved this particular park and the fact it was so huge only made it all the more exciting. Although it was just a few minutes away, it was so big it felt as though you were in the middle of nowhere. All you could see for miles was greenery and trees, perfect for jumping and playing in. Yet it was the dedicated dog park right at the heart of the park that was my favourite place in all the world. Not only was it filled with trees and grass, there was plenty of shade and a proper drinking trough for us dogs to use when we needed to cool off in the summer.

I turned my head and felt a stab of delight as I saw Sal and Peg walk towards me, accompanied incredibly by Lily, Roscoe and Ralph.

Unable to believe my luck at seeing all of my children at once, I nudged Hugo who was napping next to me.

‘Look, your mum and siblings are here,’ I barked.

Excitedly, Hugo pushed past me and bounded towards his loved ones.

I had to admire his energy and followed as quickly as I could. Within seconds, I had reached Peg, and greeted her with a lick and nibble to the ear while Hugo, Lily, Roscoe and Ralph rolled around on the floor, each displaying their own particular puppy brand of affection. I chuckled. They were all an identical mass of blond and black fur, making it hard to tell where one pug ended and another began.

‘Have you got a lick for your old dad then?’ I barked with affection.

‘Daddy!’ Lily barked, throwing herself onto me.

‘It’s so good to see you, Dad,’ Roscoe added, hurling his little body on top of Lily.

‘I’ve missed you,’ Ralph put in.

‘We’re all together, Daddy,’ Hugo added warmly.

‘Whatever are you all doing here?’ I barked, detangling myself from my offspring.

‘Sal offered to bring Hugo out for a walk,’ Peg explained casually. ‘You know what she’s like.’

I knew just what Peg’s owner Sal was like: big hearted and generous to a fault. Glancing across at Gail and Sal already engrossed in conversation on a park bench, I barked at her welcomingly. As soon as I finished, Sal smiled and blew me a kiss before turning back to Gail who chuckled with merriment.

Turning back to Peg, I saw our children had already disappeared, intent on a game of chase. I couldn’t help but watch with pride at the tremendous amount of energy they displayed. I wasn’t known for my athletic prowess so they could only have got it from their mother, I thought admiringly.

A loud bark interrupted my reverie. Turning around, I saw my adorable friend Bugsy, bounding towards me while Heather and Jake brought up the rear. It was turning out to be a perfect day.

As Bugsy got nearer, I tried to avoid the onslaught of his enthusiasm and dodge out of his way. Only, despite my best efforts, I was too late and he greeted me with all the excitement of a dog that hasn’t seen his owner after a week away and knocked me to the floor.

‘Percy,’ he yapped, licking me ferociously. ‘It’s so good to see you, so good.’

‘Thanks, but I only saw you the other day,’ I barked breathlessly in between licks.

Bugsy paused and let me get to my paws. ‘But it feels like forever.’

‘Don’t mind him; he’s been in a funny mood all week,’ Heather yapped from behind us.

‘It’s true. Don’t know what’s up with the chap,’ added Jake, slightly out of breath.

Bugsy looked at our friends balefully. ‘You know what’s wrong. Bella wants me to go to dog obedience school, but that just means she wants to send me to the tails of the forgotten doesn’t it, Percy?’

I shook myself down, freshly mown grass flying everywhere, and fixed Bugsy with my sternest glare.

‘Just because your owner wants you to go to training classes, doesn’t mean she wants to send you to the tails of the forgotten. It just means she wants you to behave a bit better that’s all,’ I yapped, thinking back to my own pup destroying Gail’s home earlier.

‘But I’m not bad, Percy; you of all dogs should know that,’ Bugsy barked mournfully.

‘Nobody thinks you’re a bad dog, Bugsy,’ Jake barked knowledgeably, looking to Heather for support.

She nodded her head in agreement with Jake. ‘Exactly, lovey, it just means she needs you to stop being quite so barky.’

Bugsy looked indignant. ‘I’m not barky.’

Jake, Heather and I exchanged knowing looks. Bugsy had always barked a lot, but lately he had become over-exuberant to say the least. The youngest in our little group aside from our pups, Bugsy still had a lot of growing up to do in my opinion, which was probably why Bella wanted to send him to doggy training school.

‘It won’t be as bad as you think,’ Heather put in.

‘That’s right,’ agreed Jake. ‘It can be rather fun, lots of jumping through things, crawling through tunnels, rolling around in mud and playing with balls.’

Bugsy’s eyes lit up at the thought of rolling around in mud, one of his favourite ways to spend an afternoon. ‘That doesn’t sound so bad, though not the tunnels. I hate tunnels.’

‘What doesn’t sound so bad?’ Peg asked, joining us with our four pups in tow.

‘Doggy training school,’ Heather explained.

Peg nodded knowingly. ‘After Hugo ran off by himself on a rescue mission yesterday it sounds like something he could use.’

‘I was just thinking the same thing myself,’ I barked thoughtfully.

Lily, Hugo, Roscoe and Ralph eyed us in confusion.

‘But not us though?’ Lily yapped, almost daringly.

‘Yeah,’ Roscoe put in, glancing from me to her mother. ‘Not us? We’re good boys and girls.’

As if to demonstrate, Roscoe stood to attention, eyes forward, paws tucked in neatly together, closely followed by Lily and Ralph. Hugo, sadly, didn’t get the hint and thought it was a game, preparing to leapfrog over his siblings.

Peg opened her mouth and bit Hugo by the scruff of his neck in warning. ‘That is quite enough of that. You could hurt one of them. You just remember who’s in charge here.’

‘That’s right,’ I added. ‘And, Hugo, you could do worse than follow your siblings’ example. Look how well behaved they are now. That’s how you find a forever home.’

Hugo let out a large sigh as Peg released him from her grip.

‘It’s true, love,’ Heather barked helpfully. ‘Humans don’t like wilful dogs.’

‘Sad but true,’ Jake agreed.

We turned back to Hugo, who was looking at us with wide-eyed sorrow. Eyes big and mournful, he wagged his little tail on the floor.

‘Sorry, Mum,’ Hugo barked quietly.

Turning to Peg, I saw her shake her head. She was as powerless as me when Hugo was apologetic. She was especially susceptible to his wide-eyed look, as was I, which I suspect was why he had turned it on. Now, he was even rolling on his back, paws in the air to show us his tummy. My heart went out to him. Despite his naughtiness he was so little and sweet, something he wouldn’t be forever. I had to stop comparing him to our other kids and finding fault. Just because it made me feel like a failure as a parent, it didn’t mean that Hugo was a failure himself.

‘Go on, you four, go play before Sal has to take you all back to your owners,’ I barked warmly. ‘Why don’t you go and jump up and down in the fountain?’

Hugo looked at me in astonishment. ‘Can we really, Dad?’

‘Yes, really?’ Ralph asked.

‘You really can,’ I yapped.

Rubbing my nose against each of theirs to bid them all farewell, I watched them scamper away.

Moments later, the sound of a woman shrieking up ahead made us all turn around. To my horror, I saw a young woman being chased around the fountain by a very excitable pup, namely Hugo.

‘Not again,’ Peg groaned. ‘That’s the fourth time this week.’

‘What’s he doing?’ Jake asked in wonder.

‘Every time he sees a woman out running in the park, he thinks it’s a cue for him to join her,’ I explained.

‘Sounds quite a nice thing he’s trying to do,’ Bugsy barked.

‘It does in theory,’ Peg barked wearily. ‘The only trouble is Hugo’s idea of fun is to run and jump up at the poor runners.’

‘Terrifying them out of their wits,’ I finished.

‘Poor runners,’ Heather barked sympathetically. ‘They have enough of a hard time dressed up in those ridiculous outfits, without some puppies going after them, thinking they’re playing chase.’

‘Leave it to me, I’ll sort it out,’ I barked, gearing myself up to it.

Running wasn’t my strong suit, and I would have to work up to it if I had any chance of catching up with my pug, who was now terrorising the poor woman with his antics, while his brothers and sister looked on in astonishment.

‘I’ll go,’ Heather said. ‘Bark some sense into him.’

‘I’ll come with you,’ Bugsy barked with enthusiasm, wagging his tail as if to demonstrate his delight.

‘I’ll stay here and watch.’ Jake sighed.

For once I didn’t argue, and as Jake slumped down a few metres away under the shady beech tree, I watched Heather and Bugsy galvanise into action. The two of them rounded on my son in seconds and barked gentle apologies at the poor runner. As my friends led Hugo and the rest of our pups across the park towards Peg and I, their faces full of joy, I sighed.

‘We should appreciate Hugo more while he’s so young,’ I barked wisely. ‘One day, he might not always be so close.’

Peg looked at me in surprise. ‘Where’s that come from?’

I said nothing. Despite his antics this morning, Hugo had shown he had a responsible, caring streak yesterday and although I wanted nothing more than for him to behave and find his forever home, I had selfishly realised that it could happen a lot earlier than I anticipated.

‘Percy, we need Hugo to find an owner. Gail can’t handle him forever, she’s got more than enough on her plate. We always knew this was temporary.’ Peg sighed.

I nodded. ‘I know, it’s just at times I don’t ever want him to leave. I’ll miss him.’

‘I will too, Percy,’ Peg barked quietly. ‘Despite his faults he’s a sweetheart, but the best we can hope for is that he finds a human who he has an unshakeable bond with, like you have with Gail and I have with Sal. Why don’t you just enjoy the here and now? We’re all together, our pugs have great owners, and after yesterday Hugo has the makings of a wonderfully brave little dog, despite what he’s just done to that poor runner. Isn’t that enough?’

I barked nothing, I knew she was right. Whatever lay ahead for Peg, me, our pugs and our families, I just wanted to enjoy this perfect moment of joy while it lasted.