Helping Hands (9 page)

E
verything happens so fast I feel like I'm on a roller coaster. As I'm explaining to Mr. Snyder everything that has happened, Jules comes out of the house waving a handful of papers: the responses to the e-mail I sent out last night. Mom is with Jules, and she looks pretty worried. Brenna's dad introduces her to Mr. Snyder, who starts going through the printed e-mails.

He flips through the pages quickly, but I catch a few phrases.

Never, never, NEVER hire Gustav Blusterfeld.

. . . the most incompetent, dishonest worker I have ever met
.

. . . The sad thing is, his sister, Gloria, was a top-notch pony handler. But when she passed away and Gus took over, everything changed.

. . . Dishonest business practices, driving without a license, and mistreatment of his ponies, among other things.

. . . Cruel, neglectful, and just plain mean.

. . .
I wanted to press charges, but he left town . . .

Mr. Snyder looks at Dr. Gabe. “What have you seen?”

“There's certainly been evidence of neglect. Ask him for the vaccination records and the name of his vet,” Dr. Gabe says. “I guarantee you'll come up empty.”

“Stay here,” Mr. Snyder tells us.

The Animal Control officer walks over to Gus, shows the pony handler his identification, and starts talking, but they are standing too far away for us to hear them.

David jogs out to us. “What's going on?” he asks.

“Showdown at the Wrenches and Roses Corral!” I say.

“You can't do that!” Gus hollers at Mr. Snyder.

Buster shifts his feet nervously, and I reach out to pet and reassure him.

Mr. Snyder says something quietly, but Gus steps up to him and pokes his finger in the middle of his chest. My dad and Dr. Gabe both tense up.

“Do you think we're needed?” the doc asks Dad.

“Nope.” Dad points to the police cruiser that's turning into the parking lot. “Looks like the cavalry just arrived.”

•  •  •  •  •

It takes more than an hour before everything is sorted out. At first, Gus was yelling at Mr. Snyder and the police officer, and Mom didn't want the Vet Volunteers to watch or even listen. I could tell she wasn't too happy with Gus's cursing. It got a little scary, but Dad convinced her that we were old enough to learn about things like this.

After Mr. Snyder had taken a look at Buster and his hoof, he told Gus sternly, “You can't work an animal to the point of lameness. And from the looks of those e-mails, this isn't the first time this has happened. Normally, I might be able to let you go with a warning and a fine, but this has gone beyond my jurisdiction.” And then the policeman took over. It was so cool! Just like one of the cop shows that Dad and I watch.

The police officer put handcuffs on Gus and made him sit in the back of his squad car. By then, Gus looked a little sad, like he'd given up, and I almost felt sorry for him. But mostly, I was just happy that Buster was okay.

Meanwhile, Dr. Gabe brought Babe over to where we were standing with Buster. Now that Buster had been treated and was with Babe again, he was like a brand-new pony, nuzzling Babe and nickering softly. The whole time David was announcing what we were watching like it was a tennis match, making everyone crack up.

I sat on the ground next to Sunita. We didn't talk to each other, but it was a comfortable silence, and that made me feel pretty good.

After chatting a bit longer with Mr. Snyder, the officer tipped his hat in our direction, got in his car, and drove off.

•  •  •  •  •

Mr. Snyder had all the answers we'd been dying for.

“Gus has a half-dozen warrants out for his arrest—for everything from theft to drunk driving,” he says. “Plus, his truck isn't registered or insured, and Gus had his license to drive taken away years ago. When he realized that he was going to be arrested, he was finally honest about the ponies: they haven't been seen by a vet or gotten any vaccinations since his sister died.”

“So what happens now?” I ask. “What about Buster and Babe?”

“I gave him a choice,” Mr. Snyder says. “He could let me take the animals and I would send him the bill for their care and boarding. Instead, he offered to give the animals away.”

“But where do we put them?” I ask. “They can't stay here. We can take care of a couple of bunnies, but we definitely can't handle two ponies. Plus, Buster needs to go someplace where his abscess can be watched.”

David points at me. “You are a worrywart with horse sense, Josh. Mr. Quinn is gonna love you.”

“What are you talking about?” I ask.

“I called him when I went inside. Your mom told me that your dad had already called the police, so I told Mr. Quinn that there was a good chance the ponies were about to be homeless.”

“What did he say?”

“There's an old shed behind the stables that he's been using for equipment. It's kind of beat-up and dirty, but he said if we clean it out, the ponies could stay there until a better home is found for them. He even offered to call a friend who runs a therapy-riding program—Helping Hands School for Special Riders. He thinks Buster and Babe would be perfect for it.”

I blink, trying to sort it all out. “Mr. Quinn's going to save them?”

“No, dork.” David punches my shoulder. “You're the one who saved them.”

Sunita nods her head. “He's right, Josh. You noticed when Buster was sick. You did all the research; you pulled everything together.”

I start blushing so hard my cheeks feel like they're on fire.

“And you showed me a real willingness to help and to learn,” Dr. Gabe says.

“Well, thanks,” I say, “but . . .” There's one last thing I'm worried about. I swallow. “Dad? I kind of told Gus that we would pay for Buster's treatment today. I know I shouldn't have, but it was the only way to get him to agree to Dr. Gabe's help.” I jam my hands into my pockets and keep my eyes on the ground. I can't help feeling like I screwed up again.

But Dad's voice doesn't sound angry.

“Hmmm, is that so?” he asks. I look up. He's exchanging a glance with Dr. Gabe, and there's a twinkle in his eye.

Dr. Gabe clears his throat. “You know, John, I could use Josh's help. He's done a great job assisting me with Buster, and it's the busy season at the farms in the area. Lots of newborn animals that need tending. A few hours on the weekends for the next few weeks, and we can call it even. What do you say?”

Dad smiles and nods. “I'd say that sounds just fine. Seems like my son was a real help today.”

Now I'm blushing even harder.

I punch David's shoulder. “This dork here helped, too. In fact, we did this together, all of us.”

“That's enough of that,” David says, rubbing his shoulder. “Next thing you know, the girls are going to want a group hug.”

“Not a hug,” Brenna says, “but we do need a picture. Can you take one, Daddy, please?”

“Sure thing.”

Brenna pulls out her camera and hands it to her dad as we line up: Jules, Sunita, Buster, me, Babe, David, and Brenna. We put our arms around each other and look at the camera.

“Okay, everybody,” says Mr. Lake. “Say ‘Vet Volunteers!'”

Join the Vet Volunteers on another adventure!

Text copyright © Laurie Halse Anderson

Y
ou’re dumping me again, Mom.”

“Zoe, don’t be dramatic.”

Mom sits at Gran’s kitchen table and doesn’t take her eyes off me. I lean against the counter, cross my arms, and roll my eyes to the ceiling.

“Zoe, it would be different if we were filming this movie only during the summer. But it’s going to take months. You can’t be out of middle school that long. Once summer starts, you can visit me for a week or two on set in Vancouver.”

Visit
. What does that mean? I guess Mom expects to be in Canada through the summer, but how long after that? And why can’t I spend the whole summer with her?