Lesson Seven - Second draft

Cache – Lesson Seven – Revised

When the Cat’s Away…

                   More than the mice play!



         A voice called out, “Take care of the house, Robbie.  I won’t be gone long.”  The back door slammed and the gate banged shut.  Robert James was alone in the dark hallway.

         He didn’t like the dark.  He didn’t like lots of stuff—but that was okay, he was the baby.  Or he had been until last month.  Now a three and a half pound puppy was the baby.  And there was still his older sister, Aggie—or Agatha Lynne, as she liked to be called—to be placated.

         In fact, if he didn’t go let her out of her crate, she was liable to go off on him.  She did that several times at day anyway.  Still . . . he thought, letting out a low sigh, it was a bit early in the day for him to deal with her snarling and slathering—gums rolled back to show her ‘shark-face’.

         He trotted into the bedroom and stood before her crate.  “Hurry up! she growled, “I want out!”

         “I’m not sure I should.  Mommy said she wouldn’t be long.”

         “She always tells you that, you moron.  Now let me out!”

         He spread his jaws wide, and grabbed at the spring release on the crate door.  This wasn’t easy for him, since he did have the teeniest little bit of an under bite.  But he’d manage, after all, he did it several times a week.

         It had taken weeks, but he’d figured it out.  So, he wasn’t a moron like Aggie said.  She always said mean stuff like that.  He caught both sides of the latch, bit down and pulled.  The door swung open and Aggie rushed passed him.

         He followed, but he took his time.  It wasn’t hard to figure out where she was headed.  Where she went every chance she got—straight to the kitchen garbage can.  It was her garbage trolling, of course, that was the cause for her incarceration in the first place.

         As predicted, he found her ass-over-teacup in the trash.  He sat down, shaking his head as he watched her emerge with a wet coffee filter.  “Why do you do that?  He asked, “I mean, it’s not like you enjoy eating old coffee grounds, do you?” 

         She ran her tongue over her teeth, spit out a few grounds and said, “No, but they put the grounds on top of the good stuff—when there is good stuff.”  She went over to the water bowl, placed a paw in it and helped herself to a long drink. 

Meanwhile, he tidied up any spilt grounds around the garbage can.  Mommy knew he never raided the garbage.  He wasn’t worried about getting in trouble about that.  But he didn’t want her to know he could know he could free Aggie.  Well, that wasn’t exactly true.  He’d love for Mommy to know he could—for Daddy and everyone to know.  It was just better they didn’t.

Sissy had finished her drink and moved on.  He laughed to himself as she sniffed around in search of the odd piece of kibble she might have missed the night before.  She never found any, because she never left any—ever.  She was a loco . .  No, that wasn’t right.  He’d watched a program on the Animal Planet about these bugs that ate everything.  It made him think of Aggie.  But he had the good sense never to tell her that.

“So, what are we going to do?” he asked.  He knew better than to make any suggestions of his own.  It wasn’t like he cared anyway.  Aggie could tease him, but he was pretty happy just being himself.

“What’s today . . . Wednesday?” she asked.

“Yes,” Robbie answered, “Daddy said yesterday when he was here, he was working at the tele . . . tele—“

“Telescope!  He goes up to Kitt Peak,” Aggie said with a scowl.

He knew she hated that David worked now, which meant he didn’t come over as often.  This seriously cut down on the chance of doggie bones and, if they were very lucky, hamburgers and Frenchy fries.  Daddy, unlike Mommy, believed in sharing most of his food.  This made Agatha very happy. 

David also sat on the couch, with his dog, Jennie, on one side and Robbie on the other.  This made Robbie very happy.  But, lately, he’d been letting the puppy up with them.  And while Robbie believed in ‘peace and love’, Daddy only had two hands.  So the Peanut, as they called her, was cutting into his petting time.  He only hoped that as she grew, everyone was less enthralled by her.

“Yes, telescope.  So?” he asked.  He was pretty sure she was going to elaborate on it anyway.  He might as well sound interested.

“It means Jennie’s home alone too,” she said over her shoulded as she headed to the living room, her nails clicking on the tiles.

He followed behind, arriving just in time to see jump into the chair—or tried to.  It took several attempts, but she finally made it, once she got a little momentum going.  He shook his head in silent disgust.  She was getting a bit wide in the rear axle.  He thought about what Daddy had said, ‘She had more than a little junk in her trunk’.

She was almost as bad as Jennie—but she was half Jennie’s age.  Jennie was the pack’s matriarch—a fox terrier to be revered and respected.  Besides, she could be even grouchier than his sister.

Aggie turned around several times before she settled down.  Then she knocked the cordless phone off the charger, picked up a pencil and poked #2 on speed dial.  Jennie must have answered, because Aggie started talking.

Once it was clear David was gone—and he was sure the two of them would be on the phone for an hour, he slipped through the doggie door.  He took care of a few personal needs and then went to his corner and surveyed their toys.

He was forced to do this at least every day—now that the Peanut had arrived.  She didn’t seem to understand he was responsible for all the toys.  She had not only chewed on a few toys, without asking him but she wouldn’t share her own toys.  Robbie considered himself a mellow dog—but this really did get his collar in a twist.

After a quick review to assure himself all the toys were accounted for, he went back inside to sit in front of the Peanut’s crate.  He liked her.  She was feisty, without the ‘Jaws-like’ quality his sister exhibited. 

Her crate was even easier to open.  He just didn’t think it was the smartest thing to do.  First, Aggie liked to think she made all the decisions.  And, he wasn’t at all sure he could wrangle her back in once she was out.  But he didn’t mind keeping her company.

To his chagrin, she was sound asleep.  He would be just setting himself up for razzing if Aggie found him sitting there, watching Pea sleep.  So, with a certain amount of reluctance, he walked back to the living room.  Aggie was still on the phone, but she’d also booted up the computer and appeared to be surfing for something.

She was focused on whatever she was looking for, and he took the opportunity to snag the TV remote and his own pencil.  Mommy always left the TV on.  He like TV—especially Animal Planet and National Geographic channel.  But he’d watch pretty much anything.

The girls (Jennie, Aggie and now, he supposed, the Peanut) liked old movies.  Aggie and Jennie would watch TCM and talk on the phone.  More than once she’d almost been caught out of her crate because she wouldn’t get off the phone.  Last week, he hadn’t managed to lock her in.  But she’d covered it up pretty well by throwing herself against the door just as Mommy went to unlock it.

He had to admit, she did have a way of figuring stuff out.  But that did not mean he was dumb—no matter what she said.  He entered the living room and jumped—first try—to the couch and settled down.

It looked like Aggie had found whatever she’d been after.  She was now typing in Mommy’s credit card number.  He shook his head.  She was going to get caught.  She’s almost gotten snagged before Christmas.

Luckily for sis, Mommy ordered all the Christmas presents and lost track of how many should be delivered.  But he had had to help her and create a diversion by harking up some half chewed grass in the foyer while Aggie dragged her package off and stuffed it in the back of her crate.  Personally, he thought she was pushing her luck.

Problem was, whenever she got in trouble, she took it out on him.  He’d taken it for the first year or so, but no more.  And things could get very ugly, very fast, now that he was standing up for himself.  Oh well, he told himself, no use worrying over something that hadn’t happened—yet. 

He poked at the channel selector until he found Animal Planet.  Oh crap!  It was that awful animal rescue commercial—the one with the crate filled with puppies.  It always made him sad.  He’d tried to get Agatha call the number and make a donation.  After all, she didn’t hesitate to use the credit card if she wanted something.  However, she refused—outright.  It pained him to think it, but she was very self-absorbed.

He looked over at her, hopefully.  She’d hung up the phone and turned off the computer.  “Don’t even start whining about it!” she snapped, before she dropped to the floor and headed outside.

Robbie followed her as far as the foyer, stuck his head through the dog flap and said, “I think you should get back into your crate.  Mom will be home soon.”

She made a face at him as she pushed past him.  “I want to look for something first,” she said as she walked into the dining room.

He followed along.  It wasn’t like he had anything better to do.  He watched with the same morbid fascination that made him watch when the vet gave her her shots.  She managed to get up onto one of the dining room chairs.  She scriggled between its back and the table, and up onto the top of the table, 

“What are you doing?” he asked.  This was very bad.  Dogs did not belong on the dining room table.

“I am looking for something,” she growled.

“They aren’t there,” he said with an air of superiority.

“What?”

“The box of chocolates,” he answered.  “Mommy put them on top of the hutch.”

Aggie scowled, “Oh, I see.”

“Chocolate is bad for you, you know?”  Royal pain she might be, she was his sister.  “You heard Dr. Robertson.  It could kill you!”

“I had chocolate and I’m still alive.” 

“It doesn’t matter.  It could the next time.  You should listen to him.”

“I liked Dr. Robertson.  The new guy is all right,” she sighed, “but Dr. Robertson said I was ‘perfect’.”

“Really?” he questioned.

“It was before you were around, of course.  But yes, he did.  He said those exact words—‘I was perfect.’”

Robbie sat down, muttering under his breath, “Yeah, well he hasn’t seen you lately?  Has he?”  Then he started licking himself.

“I wish you wouldn’t do that in front of me, “Aggie said, prudishly.  She jumped down from the table, added, “And don’t think I didn’t hear what you said.  Now, it’s getting late.  Come lock me back in.”

She led the way back to the bedroom and returned to her crate.  Robbie had trouble with the latch.  Twice he thought he had it, but it snapped back.  He could feel his sister’s disapproving gaze as he tried again.

It stung his nose when he missed.  But this was nothing to the dread her staring caused, making it progressively harder each time he tried again.  At last, he heard it snap shut.

He knew she was still watching him as he slipped in his own crate, and returned with a rawhide knot.  He pretended not to notice her glower.  He was going to go to the sunny chair in the foyer, but on second thought, he stretched out in front of her crate and settled in for a good chew.