Zoo Breath (6 page)

L
ater, me and Julio tried to get up close to his brother’s pet white rat and check its breath. But it bit Julio’s nose, so we gave that up.

“We need a zoo,” I said as we headed out of his house. “I bet they got all kinds of stink breath there.”

“Zoo breath.”

“Prob’ly monkeys got the worst.”

“How come?”

“They always eating bugs from each other’s heads.”

“That’s weird, man.”

“Not as weird as that,” I said, pointing my chin down the street. “A cat with a death wish.”

Zippy the black blob was still sleeping out in the middle of the road. Someday he was going to get squished. “Let’s go see if a cat’s breath is as bad as a dog’s.”

Julio shrugged. “They eat mice.”

“And they always licking their okoles.”

“Eeew, butt breath.”

We headed toward the black blob.

“Hey, Zipster,” I said.

Zippy stretched and looked up at us.

I squatted. “Open up. Julio wants to smell your breath.”

“Your turn,” Julio said. “I already got bit once.”

I got closer to Zippy. “Okay … let me have it.”

Zippy rolled over on his back. I took a quick sniff and jumped back when he clawed at me. “Yuck!”

“Bad?” Julio asked.

“Cat food breath.”

We headed back to my house.

Ledward’s jeep was still in the driveway. When Mom got home I was thinking maybe I’d ask her if Julio could sleep over so we could come up with fresh ideas.

We headed into the garage. Julio stopped.

“Ha! Look what your dog did!”

Streak was lounging on the mat by the kitchen door, bits of rubber between her paws. She slapped her tail on the ground
and looked up. Part of one of Mom’s rubber slippers hung from the side of her mouth.

“Jeese Louise, Streak! You want to get sent back to the Humane Society
tonight?
Gimme that!”

I yanked what was left of the slipper out of her mouth and scooped up the shredded pieces, then tossed it all into the garbage can.

Streak looked up with a goofy dog grin, Heh-heh.

“You are
so
lucky I came home before Mom did, because you’d be history if she saw what you were doing.
History!
”

Streak yawned, her eyes turning to slits.

Julio laughed his head off.

Inside, Ledward, Darci, and Stella were standing around in the kitchen.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

Darci beamed. “We’re waiting for Mom. We’re going to surprise her!”

Stella sat on a stool at the counter gazing out the window. “Shock her, is more like it.”

“Come see,” Darci said, grabbing my hand.

Julio wagged his eyebrows. “Let’s do it.”

Ledward had covered the new toilet with an old sheet. Darci lifted it up. There was a big red Christmas bow stuck to the seat. “Wow,” I said.

Someone had cleaned up Mom’s entire bathroom. There was even a vase of flowers. The place sparkled.

We waited in the kitchen.

Darci had invited her stuffed parrot, Petey, there to see it.

When Mom finally came home, we cheered.

“What’s all this?” she said.

Streak tried to squeeze in the door behind her, but Mom nudged her back into the garage with her foot.

Mom pecked Ledward on the cheek.

“Welcome home,” he said.

“You don’t know how welcome it is. What a busy day at the store!” She sighed. “Hi, Julio.”

Julio lifted his chin.

“Okay, family,” Mom said, giving me and Darci quick hugs. “What’s going on here?”

Darci tugged at her dress. “We have a surprise for you.”

“Yeah, Mom,” I said. “You gotta see it.”

Stella rolled her eyes like, Big deal.

Mom dropped her keys and purse on the counter. “I could use a surprise.”

Ledward stood behind her and massaged her shoulders.

Mom closed her eyes.

“Come,” Ledward said, stopping. “We show you.”

Mom grabbed his hand and put it back on her shoulder. “Can’t we just stay here a minute?”

But Darci was too excited. “Come see, come see!”

Mom followed us down the hall.

“Close your eyes,” Ledward said.

We squeezed in close, even Stella.

Darci jumped up and down. “Open your eyes, Mom!”

Ledward pulled the sheet away.

“Oh, my,” Mom whispered. She put a fist to her lips and looked at us. Tears swelled in her eyes.

Tears? Over a toilet? Didn’t she like it?

Mom knelt down and gathered me and Darci in. She gave us the biggest hug ever. “You don’t know, you just don’t know … I am so lucky to have so much help, I just love you all to pieces.”

Stella watched us a second, then turned and walked away.

“You like it?” Ledward asked.

“I like you,” she said, and reached for his hand.

“Can Julio sleep over, Mom?” I asked.

“Of course he can … but only after you shovel up all your dog’s little treasures in the yard.”

“Sure, Mom.”

Julio and I started to leave.

“Wait!” Darci said, and I stopped. “I forgot. I talked to Dad today. He called. He said he’d call again later to talk to you.”

I glanced at Mom. Her happy face became a frown. She tried to turn it back into a smile.

“Go,” Ledward said, giving me a little shove. “I come get you if he calls back.”

Julio and I headed for the pooper scooper.

S
treak was lounging on the doormat. “Hey, girl,” I said. “Come help us clean up your mess.”

I reached down and scratched her under the chin. She liked that. “Try to stay out of trouble, okay? Mom’s about five minutes from sending you to the moon.”

Julio snorted. “Impossible for that mutt to stay out of trouble.”

I laughed. “True.”

I grabbed the shovel. Crusty brown stuff was dried out on the blade.

Julio pointed at it with his chin. “What’s that?”

“Here, smell it and tell me.”

Julio jerked back and ran out of the garage into the sunlight. “Hey, listen,” he said. “I got to go tell my mom I’m staying at your place tonight … and get my sleeping bag, too.”