“Like I’ve been telling you,” Anna said, “you’re as good as any veterinarian.”
“Danke,” Emmi said. “It’s not every day that I receive an accolade for my work. I’ll take any praise from Fleck I can get, even if he prefers not to deliver it himself.”
“You deserve it,” Max said.
“I have more news,” Anna said. “Fleck has permanently assigned Nia to Max.”
“Oh, my goodness!” Emmi said. “That’s marvelous!”
“We still need to pass the rest of the training,” Max said, leery that being overconfident would only lead to disappointment.
“I have no doubt that you will graduate,” Emmi said. “Soon, you’ll be taking Nia home to live with you.”
A wave of indebtedness washed over him. “If it wasn’t for both of you, Nia and I wouldn’t be together. I’m grateful for what you’ve done for us.”
“You’re welcome, Max,” Emmi said.
Anna blinked her eyes, as if she was fighting back tears.
As Max adjusted his hand on Nia’s harness, he heard approaching footsteps.
“Is that him?” Emmi asked.
“Ja.” Anna ran ahead.
“Who?” Max asked.
“Bruno,” Emmi said.
Max’s elation faded.
“You came to see us,” Anna said, stepping to Bruno.
Bruno nodded. “I was planning to view you from afar, of course. I wouldn’t want to make you nervous, or draw unnecessary attention to you from your supervisor.”
It’s good that he came out in support of Anna, Max thought.
“We’re training in town for the remainder of the day,” she said. “I’m glad I caught you on our way there.”
Bruno placed his hands into his coat pockets. “You look surprised to see me.”
“Nein,” she said. “I’m happy that you came.”
“Gut,” Bruno said.
Anna gestured with her hand. “Do you remember Emmi?”
“Ja,” Bruno said, looking at Emmi. “You worked at the hospital with Anna.”
Emmi nodded. “Welcome home.”
It’s wrong of me to be envious, Max thought, feeling a bit ashamed of himself.He seems to care for Anna, and I want what is best for her.He buried his thoughts and said, “Bruno, how about you follow Nia and me back to town, and you’ll see what Anna has taught us to do.”
“Lead the way,” Bruno said.
Max gave a command to Nia, and the dog pawed ahead.
For the remainder of the afternoon, Anna, Max, and Nia trained on the sidewalks and street crossings of Oldenburg. He and Anna spoke little with Bruno, who followed a dozen or so paces behind them, as if he was making an effort to not interrupt their training. But Bruno’s presence did, however, stall conversation between Anna and Max. Instead of carrying on their usual banter, which was often the case when training away from Fleck and the others, Anna once again turned quiet, with the exception of training dialogue. And Max’s glorious day, of being awarded Nia, turned bittersweet.
