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When she got home, Lucy was already there. The little girl jumped up from in front of the television and ran to hug her.
“I’m so glad you’re home,” Lucy sighed, looking up at her aunt with a beaming smile. “It’s so nice here, Aunt Abby,” she added. “I’ve got so many friends, and we get to live on the ranch with real cowboys!”
Abby laughed. “Well, yes, I suppose we do. Suppose we go try out the ice rink tomorrow?” she asked. “It’s Saturday.”
“Oh, could we!”
“Yes, we could. We both need some relaxation after work and school for a whole week. We’ll go after breakfast, how’s that?”
“That’s just fine!”
THERINKHADa lot of people on it, even at this early hour. Abby and Lucy tied on their skates and walked gingerly onto the ice, holding hands.
“Now, don’t let go because I’m very nervous and I might fall!” Abby said with a grin.
Lucy laughed. “Okay. I promise I’ll take good care of you, so you don’t slip on the ice!”
They turned and melted into the crowd, skating slowly at first, and then faster as music came out of the walls. It was a nice touch, soothing music, not loud or with words. Mostly classical pieces, and very suited to the kind of skating Abby loved.
Abby had wanted to be a champion figure skater when she was young, but the ice rink here in Catelow had no instructors back then, and Denver was a long way off. Besides, Abby’s father would never have let her escape his domination. She wasn’t allowed out of the yard except on weekends when he was too drunk to care that her mother took her skating. Once she got home from school, on weekdays, it was like being a prisoner. She couldn’t even have a friend over to play with her. By the time her father died and she went to live in Denver with Lawrence, she’d lost her interest in figure skating except for watching the competition at the Olympics. Skating here brought back those lost dreams.
Her expression was broody. Lucy squeezed her hand. “You have to be happy here,” she chided. “We have everything. We even have cats!”
Abby burst out laughing. “So that’s the secret of life, is it? Cats?”
“Cats,” Lucy agreed smugly, and grinned up at her.
Abby smiled from ear to ear. “I don’t know what I’d do without you, Lucy. You make the world bright and new, every day.”
“Thanks.”
“And here I thought the secret to life was 42.”
Lucy gaped at her.
“It was in a book. And a movie. The world is owned by white mice and the secret of life is 42.” She laughed with her whole heart. “See, there was this terrific writer called Douglas Adams, and he wrote a book calledThe Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy...”
By the time she finished giving her niece the bare bones of the story, Lucy was entranced and asking if they couldn’t find the movie and rent it online.
“You bet we can,” Abby said. “In fact, we’ll watch it after supper tonight, how about that?”
“That sounds just great!”
DESPITEFREQUENTCALLSabout his dog, Cody wasn’t given any of the test results. He was asked to wait until the vet had all the information at hand.
It took several days. It was the following week when Dr. Shriver called him at work and asked him to come by the office as soon as he could.
Cody burned rubber getting to the animal hospital.
Dr. Shriver was in the waiting room when he walked in. The vet motioned him down the hall into his office and closed the door.
“Have a seat,” he said.
Cody sat.
The vet drew in a long breath. This was one thing about his practice that he truly hated. “Your dog has cancer,” he said after a minute.
Cody felt his very heart ripping inside him. Anyu was all he had in the world. He ground his teeth together. “How bad? And can we treat it?”
