In which Lizzie finally cracks her mother.
“ … Mom … ”
Her daughter’s uncertain voice was followed by a bark. A small bark, but a bark nonetheless. Bela turned and spotted the puppy in her daughter’s hands, and couldn’t help but bury her face in her hands with a sigh. “Lizzie, sweetheart, you know how your father feels about dogs.” Her face fell almost instantly. Bela sighed before crouching down to take the puppy from her, noting that there were no tags and the dog was almost too small to be out on his own. “Where’d you get him?”
“Selena’s?” Lizzie said uncertainly. “Her dog just had puppies an’ she said I could have one if you guys said it was okay.” She let Bela take the puppy from her gently, so that she could climb up on the couch next to her. “I’ll take really good care of him, Mommy. I promise. Daddy won’t have to do anythin’. I’ll walk him, and I’ll feed him, and I’ll do everything.”
“I think that’s a lot of responsibility for a little girl, love,” she said softly, letting her daughter’s head rest against her shoulder as she kept the puppy on her lap. “You’ll have to train him not to go in the house. And he’s a greyhound, which means he’s going to get big, and he’s going to do it faster than you do.”
“I can do it,” she said with a nod. “I’m big enough. Promise.”
“I know you can, sweetheart, but what if you can’t?”
“I-I-Uncle Sam can help?” she asked. The girl looked almost desperate, and Bela wasn’t sure how much longer she could keep saying no. There was something about this that was all resonating a little too close to home and Bela didn’t like it. But she knew that there weren’t a lot of ways to get Michael to say yes.
It would have to take some doing, but she was relatively certain she could get that for her. She took a deep breath, before smoothing a hand over the top of her head. “I’ll see what I can do, love, alright? But no promises.”
Lizzie looked up, before wrapping her arms around her mother as best she could. “Thank you, Mommy.”
“Oh, don’t thank me,” Bela sighed, letting out a slow breath. “I haven’t done anything yet.”
Convincing Michael of this was going to be a whole other story.
Her daughter’s uncertain voice was followed by a bark. A small bark, but a bark nonetheless. Bela turned and spotted the puppy in her daughter’s hands, and couldn’t help but bury her face in her hands with a sigh. “Lizzie, sweetheart, you know how your father feels about dogs.” Her face fell almost instantly. Bela sighed before crouching down to take the puppy from her, noting that there were no tags and the dog was almost too small to be out on his own. “Where’d you get him?”
“Selena’s?” Lizzie said uncertainly. “Her dog just had puppies an’ she said I could have one if you guys said it was okay.” She let Bela take the puppy from her gently, so that she could climb up on the couch next to her. “I’ll take really good care of him, Mommy. I promise. Daddy won’t have to do anythin’. I’ll walk him, and I’ll feed him, and I’ll do everything.”
“I think that’s a lot of responsibility for a little girl, love,” she said softly, letting her daughter’s head rest against her shoulder as she kept the puppy on her lap. “You’ll have to train him not to go in the house. And he’s a greyhound, which means he’s going to get big, and he’s going to do it faster than you do.”
“I can do it,” she said with a nod. “I’m big enough. Promise.”
“I know you can, sweetheart, but what if you can’t?”
“I-I-Uncle Sam can help?” she asked. The girl looked almost desperate, and Bela wasn’t sure how much longer she could keep saying no. There was something about this that was all resonating a little too close to home and Bela didn’t like it. But she knew that there weren’t a lot of ways to get Michael to say yes.
It would have to take some doing, but she was relatively certain she could get that for her. She took a deep breath, before smoothing a hand over the top of her head. “I’ll see what I can do, love, alright? But no promises.”
Lizzie looked up, before wrapping her arms around her mother as best she could. “Thank you, Mommy.”
“Oh, don’t thank me,” Bela sighed, letting out a slow breath. “I haven’t done anything yet.”
Convincing Michael of this was going to be a whole other story.