Читать книгу Marley: A Dog Like No Other - John Grogan - Страница 11
ОглавлениеOne thing was clear. Jenny and I loved our dog, but having a bunch of little Marleys running around in the world was not a good idea. It was time to make sure Marley couldn’t make any puppies. Jenny and I decided to have him fixed so he would never be a father.
As we got ready to take Marley to the vet, he bounced happily off the walls. “Yippee!” his excited movements told us. He could tell he was going for a car ride, and he didn’t care where.
For Marley, any trip was a good trip. It didn’t matter where we were going or for how long. Take out the trash? “No problem!” Walk to the corner for a gallon of milk? “Count me in!”
When I whistled, Marley bounded out the door and into the car. He was revved up and ready to go. Jenny drove and I sat in the passenger seat. From the backseat near the hand brake Marley balanced his front paws – just like he always did. His nose touched the rearview mirror. Every time Jenny pressed the brakes, he went crashing into the windshield. Marley didn’t care. He was riding shotgun with his two best friends.
“Life doesn’t get any better than this,” his puppy joy announced.
I rolled down my window a bit and Marley leaned against me, trying to catch a whiff of the outdoor smells. Soon he squirmed his way fully on to my lap. He pressed his nose so firmly into the narrow crack of the window that he snorted each time he tried to inhale.
“Do you want a little more fresh air, buddy?” I asked. I opened the window wide enough for him to stick out his snout. He was enjoying the sensation so much, I opened it farther. Soon his entire head was out the window. His tongue hung out and his ears flapped behind him in the wind. Was he happy!
As we drove down the highway, Jenny and I talked. Pretty soon I noticed that Marley had hooked both of his front paws over the edge of the half-open window. And now his neck and upper shoulders were hanging out of the car, too. He just needed a pair of goggles and a silk scarf to look like one of those World War I flying aces.
“John, he’s making me nervous,” Jenny said.
“He’s fine,” I answered. “He just wants a little fresh—”
At that instant he slid his front legs out the window until his armpits were resting on the edge of the glass.
“John, grab him! Grab him!” Jenny yelled.
Before I could do anything, Marley was scrambling out the window of our moving car. His butt was up in the air, and his hind legs were clawing for something to hold on to. He was making his break!
As his body slithered past me, I lunged for him and managed to grab the end of his tail with my left hand. Jenny was braking hard even though there was traffic all around us. Marley’s entire body dangled outside the moving car, hanging upside down by his tail. My body was twisted around, and I couldn’t get my other hand on him. Marley was frantically trotting along with his front paws on the pavement.
Jenny stopped the car in the left-hand lane. Cars lined up behind us. Their horns blared.
“Now what?” I yelled. I was stuck. I couldn’t pull him back in the window. I couldn’t open the door. I couldn’t get my other arm out. And I didn’t dare let go of him – I was convinced he’d dash in the path of one of the angry drivers swerving around us. With my face scrunched against the glass, I held on for dear life.
Jenny put on the car’s flashers and ran around to my side. She grabbed Marley and held him by the collar until I could get out and help her wrestle him back into the car.
All the action had taken place directly in front of a gas station. As Jenny got the car moving again, I looked over to see that all the mechanics had come out to take in the show. I thought they were going to pee in their pants, they were laughing so hard.
“Thanks, guys!” I called out. “Glad we could brighten your morning.”
