Take a Chance on Me Read Online Free PDF Page B

out. He was wheezing, shaking, staring up at him through the metal bars with bulging, frightened eyes. When he sucked in air, Thomas could see his throat collapse with the battle for oxygen.
    "Jesus!" He yanked open the latch and reached for him.
    "What the hell is that?" Stephano's mouth fell open in disbelief.
    "It's a dog," Rollo whispered to the men now gathered in closely. "Thomas's dog."
    Thomas wheeled around. "He is not my damn dog, all right, Rollo? How many times do I have to tell you I'm just keeping him until I can find a home for him?"
    "A dog? Are you sure?" Manny seemed genuinely perplexed.
    "Is he wearing a sweater?" Chick's words came out in a shocked whisper.
    Everyone leaned in closer and felt free to comment. "That's the ugliest thing I've ever seen."
    "It looks like a fetal pig."
    "A sewer rat."
    "An alien."
    "Whatever it is, it's choking to death."
    "Damn! It's the cigar smoke!" Thomas ran to the foyer and threw open the front door, taking Hairy into the September night air. He sat on the front stoop, his long legs nearly folded under his chin as he examined the dog.

    Hairy continued to cough. His breathing steadied but the wheezing remained.
    "Should we call the vet?" Rollo asked.
    "Try Terminix," Stephano said, which cleared the way for guffaws all around.
    "Shut up so I can listen to him breathe, would you?" Thomas swung his head around and he glared up at his friends.
    "Maybe we should call it a night," Manny said. "We've got that early meeting tomorrow and I'm wiped.
    Let's go in and settle up."
    Rollo patted Thomas on the shoulder. "I'll turn off the air conditioning and open the windows. I'll collect for you."
    Thomas nodded. "Turn on the exhaust fan in the kitchen, too, would you, man? Thanks."
    When the front door shut behind him, Thomas sighed and peered down into Hairy's pointy face. For a moment it seemed as if a look of gratitude passed through the animal's eyes. Then, in the darkness, Thomas thought for sure that Hairy smiled at him. He'd obviously had a few too many beers.
    At least the little mutant was still alive, which was a good thing because he'd just spent close to six hundred dollars on medical care and supplies.
    "You are one freakin' high-maintenance dog," Thomas muttered.
    Then Hairy began squirming in a way that signaled the onset of urination. Thomas unfolded his body from the stoop and released Hairy in the small patch of grass in front of his townhouse. The mutant squatted like a girl the way he always did and took care of business, sniffed around the rhododendrons, then toddled over to Thomas's feet and sat, staring up in adoration to his new master's face.
    He was still wheezing.

    * * *
The tree frogs and crickets were especially loud that night. Emma listened to the soft creak of the front porch rocker as it kept time with the twirling, buzzing, beeping melody that washed over her damp skin.
    She couldn't sleep, though she knew she needed the rest. She wondered if she sometimes did this on purpose, just to have an excuse to come downstairs in her nightgown and bare feet and sit on the porch in the dark—alone. It was peaceful here. The hay fields of southern Carroll County smelled so ripe and clean, just the way they had when she was a girl. The stars blinked off and on behind wispy night clouds.
    This was her private world. At night, she could think. She could make her wishes. She could convince herself that there was still a chance they'd come true.
    Ray's hard head nudged insistently at Emma's knee, and she scratched the soft spot behind the old guy's ear. She listened to his low growl of pleasure and it made her smile. She wished she could be more like Ray—he always seemed so glad for what he had instead of worrying about what he didn't have. Maybe that was the difference between dogs and human beings right there, in a nutshell.
    Emma plopped her bare feet up on the wide, smooth porch railing and leaned back in the rocker. With her free hand, she twisted her long