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“Bye, sweet doggie.” Bending, she gave Yoda rubs and kisses. “And you tell the guy you’re dating I expect to meet him the next time I’m here.”
“I will. And, Mom? I love knowing you and Dad had magic.”
“The magic made you. Stay happy.”
Sonya watched her go as Yoda danced in the doorway and whined.
“I know, but she’ll come back. And if I visit there, I’ll take you with me. But we’re good here.”
She looked down at him as they both stood in the open doorway. She felt spring creeping into the air.
“I was going to wear you out with a game of tug—though that takes some doing. Then I was going to work until I had leftover chicken for dinner. You know what?”
Obviously riveted, he angled his head and stared up at her.
“Screw work. It’s Sunday afternoon. I’m going to grab a jacket—don’t need more today—and that ball I bought last time I was in the village. We’re going to take a walk, and play ball. When we’re done with that, we’re going to come in and snuggle right up with a book—unless we feel more like a movie.”
She bent down. “What do you say to that?”
Since he raced in circles, she decided he felt fine about it.
“You hang on a minute.”
She got a jacket, the little red ball.
They worked on fetch—he resisted bringing the ball back—in the slushy snow.
As they played, the shadow moved across the window. Watching.
Glancing up, Sonya shielded her eyes with the flat of her hand. On impulse, she raised her other in a wave.
And saw the shadow move.
She had no doubt in that moment, it waved back.
“All right then,” she said aloud, and nodded. “Okay.”
When she heard a bang, she looked to the third floor. She watched the windows in the Gold Room fly open, slam shut.
Yoda let out three snapping barks.
“I agree,” Sonya told him, and shot up a middle finger.
Deliberately, she turned her back to the windows, threw the ball for Yoda again.
“Watch how much we give a tiny damn about you.”
By the end of the fetch session, the windows stopped banging, and she’d managed to train Yoda to not only bring the ball back, but drop it in her hand.
“Such a good boy, such a smart boy. You deserve a treat.”
In full agreement, he swung into his happy circles before racing her back to the house.
Clover greeted her with Fogerty’s “Wicked Old Witch.”
“Bet your ass she is.”
And yet, Sonya thought as she went back to the kitchen to get Yoda his treat, other than ringing the bells, moving the hands on the clock, the house had stayed mostly quiet during her mother’s visit.
