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“No, I’ll talk to her first. She may not be able to afford the bills that come with a dog.” He said.
I let him work that one out. I started to tell him I would pay for the upkeep of the dog then stopped after the first word. Scottie was a proud man, and if anyone paid for the dog’s food and vet bills, it would be him. I respected him for that.
I clipped the lead to the collar on Buster’s neck and ruffled his ears. The black coated Labrador barked once in appreciation.
“Come on Buster, let’s go home,” I said and waved goodbye to the girl behind the reception desk. She said goodbye to Buster and not to me.
We had to put Buster in between us on the bench seat of the van. I didn’t want to put him in a cage in the back in case something fell over and scared him. Scottie petted him the whole way home. Buster looked straight out of the window while I drove as slow as the road would permit. Once we were home, Scottie clipped his lead on and took him out of the van while I went in search for a parking space. I loved living with Adaline, but it pissed me off every day trying to find a space in the streets around our place when the side street was full.
Eventually, I parked four streets away and jogged back to the flat. Adaline would still be out, and I wanted to make sure Buster was settled in his new home before she came home. By nature, Buster was placid, he had been well trained as a dog for the deaf. The charity had told me what he could do for Adaline. He knew when to tell her if the doorbell rang, or if her phone received an alert. There were plenty of other skills Buster could do. I prayed Adaline loved him because I had already fallen in love with the eighteen-month-old dog.
I entered through the shop door and raced up the stairs to my flat. The front door was ajar, and I could hear Adaline laughing. She wasn’t supposed to be home. I hoped her laugh was a good sign, but then Scottie wouldn’t reveal what type of dog Buster was.
Making my way through the hallway and into the lounge I expected to see the three of them, but the laughter was coming from the balcony.
“Stop licking me Buster,” Adaline said as I walked onto the veranda. I bent to kiss her mouth and ruffled Buster’s head.
Adaline slumped on the beanbag playing with Buster.
“I better get going Callum, I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said and patted my shoulder as he passed me on the way out.
“See you tomorrow,” I called out.
Adaline was talking to Buster like he was her mate, peppering him with question after question. I think she liked talking to someone who didn’t talk back.
“Do you like Buster?” I asked. I took the chair next to her, turned it around, so its back was facing and sat astride the seat. Resting my forearms on the back of the seat I scratched my arm with my unshaven chin. I was playing for time.
“I adore him, what made you get a dog?” She asked not looking at me. Adaline was too busy scratching Buster’s belly.
My phone chimed with a text message. Buster sat up and came over to me, laying his paw on my leg. The woman at the charity said if we would accept Buster then Adaline would need to come to the centre to train with Buster for a few days in about a month’s time.
“Buster has super powers,” I said watching Adaline’s reaction.
“He’s a dog for the deaf, isn’t he,” she said and kept cuddling the dog while chatting quietly to him.
“Yes, how did you know?”
“Well, believe it or not, I considered getting a dog when I found out hearing aids wouldn’t really help me. I travel too much, and I couldn’t take the dog overseas or leave him with my parents. I don’t want to live there so there’s no way would I leave an animal in their care. I’m still shocked that they own a dog, poor mutt.”
Was this a good sign? I had no idea, I hoped that the love she was showing meant she would keep him.
“Buster can be yours if you want him?”
I never took my eyes off her, but she had dropped her head to hold Buster’s face to smooth back the hairs from his eyes.
“What was that?” She asked and looked at my mouth.
“Would you like to have Buster as your dog?”
“I would love that,” she said and stood. Buster took her space on the bean bag and circled until he was comfortable.
“Are you sure, I’m not overstepping getting you the dog?”
“It’s a wonderful thing you did Callum, I love Buster. Thank you,” she said and kissed my lips. I stood too to pull her closer. Hugging her tight, I whispered my love into her ear.
“I can’t believe you went to this trouble for me. I can’t wait to show Steph my new best friend.”
The relief that she accepted the dog was wonderful, one more step for her to feel safe and less lonely.
