Waldemar pulled a cigarette from his pocket and lit it. “It doesn’t matter. He’ll be lucky to last a week before Fleck sends him home.” He took a deep drag and blew smoke in her face.
Anna fought back a cough and stood her ground.
Waldemar shook his head, and then walked away.
“Are you all right?” Emmi asked, stepping to Anna.
“Ja.” Her legs trembled. “I think I know which trainer refused to have Max board in his home.”
Emmi nodded. “You were absolutely right to confront him, but please be careful. Waldemar could make it difficult for you and Max, and he might be able to persuade Fleck to expel him.”
“I will,” Anna said, wondering if her rebuttal to Waldemar had created unnecessary attention to Max.
Emmi looked at Anna. “I wish I had your mettle. I’d love to be able to speak my mind like that.”
“You have far more courage than you think.”
Anna hooked her arm through Emmi’s. With their appetites curbed by Waldemar’s anti-Semitic outburst, they took a walk around the grounds. For the rest of the afternoon, they tended to the care of shepherds. Nia, who was still viewed as lame, received less than an hour on the obstacle course with a trainer, and she spent most of the day curled near the stove. Often, Anna peeked out the window to check on Max. She hoped that his dog handling skills would improve, and that his initial poor performance would soon be forgotten. But her hopes were dashed when the trainers finished their work and Fleck called Anna aside.
“Is everything all right, Herr Fleck?”
He shook his head. “Max did not respond well to training.”
Anna’s chest ached. “I’m sure he’ll do better tomorrow.”
“He lacks focus,” Fleck said. “I informed him that if does not display that he wants to be here, I’ll have no choice but to fill his spot with someone else. Dr. Stalling has quite a long waiting list of veterans in need of a guide dog.”
Anna swallowed. “Why are you telling me this?”
He smoothed his mustache. The lines in his face softened. “I thought you could have a talk with him.”
“Ja, sir,” Anna said, feeling relieved that Fleck was not determined to expel Max.
“Also, I want you to be prepared to take on another boarder, in the event that things do not work out for Max.”
She nodded.
Fleck turned and left the barn.
Anna and Emmi finished caring for the dogs and they, along with Nia, met up with Max, who was hunkered on a wooden crate outside the barn. Under a setting sun, which painted the sky in ribbons of navy and magenta, they walked toward town. Max spoke little, despite their attempts to engage him about his day. Becoming frustrated with Max’s solitude, she insisted that he hold the handle to Nia’s harness, something she wished she would have done sooner.Maybe if I had required him to walk with Nia from the train station, as well as to school, he wouldn’t have had such a horrible first day.
Reaching the outskirts of town, Emmi said her goodbyes and gave Nia a pat on the head. She turned onto a cobblestone street and disappeared from sight.
Anna and Max, with Nia between them, continued their walk. Alone with him, she thought he might begin to open up. Instead, he shuffled along the route, making no effort to talk. With each step, her patience waned.
“I understand you had a rough day,” she said.
Max adjusted his grip on the harness. “Ja.”
“Would you like to tell me about it?”
“Nein.” He walked, tapping his stick over the ground.
“You’re going to have to make more of an effort if you want to continue training.”
“I know.”
“They’ll expel you if you don’t show them you want to be here.”
