Page 101 of Mountains Divide Us

“Okay,” Murphy said, “but if you give him a bath, you gotta make sure the water’s warm. He don’t like it if it’s too cold. But don’t make it too hot. And you have to brush him after. It’s good for his skin. And you gotta brush his teeth every night. His toothbrush is in this backpack. There’s chicken-flavored toothpaste too. Don’t use your toothpaste. He don’t like mint, and it makes him look like he’s foamin’ at the mouth.”

“Doesn’t like mint,” I corrected.

“Right,” he said. “He doesn’t like mint, and he likes to sleep in bed with me, so make sure you let him up on your bed at night, Aunt Abey. I ain’t gonna be happy if I find out you made him sleep on the floor.”

Frank laughed and grabbed my hand as I rolled my eyes. “No, he ain’t. Alright, Murph. Think you’ve covered all the bases. And remember what I told you. Abey has Dr. Masterson’s number in her phone, so if there’s a problem, she’ll call her. Right, Abey?”

Still staring at Devo, Abey said, “Right.”

Murphy hugged Grum, snuggling into his neck, and Grum licked Murphy’s hair. “Love you, buddy. Be good. I’ll be back in three days.” He stood and nodded once, trying to pep himself up before he had to leave his best friend, then turned and walked to Frank and me still standing by the door. Grum settled down onto his bed, laying his head over his paws.

Looking between Abey and Devo, Murphy said, “And whatever this is”—pointing a finger, he shook it back and forth between them—“y’all better get it figured out. They need Devo at the center. She’s doin’ movie nights, and she asked me to help her when I get back from Texas.”

Smug was the word I would’ve used to describe the smile on Devo’s face now. Abey turned away and barked a laugh. “Oh, well then, I’ll just let her go, shall I? If she’s doin’ movie nights. That’s way more important than followin’ the law.”

Murphy rolled his eyes, sighing, and he turned. “Well, you guys ready? Let’s go. We don’t wanna miss our flight. Besides, I ain’t never had a grandma before. I’m thinkin’ maybe I can get me a new Nintendo outta this whole deal and maybe some homemade biscuits.”

Abey and Devo both turned their heads at the same time, and together they said, “Murphy, that’s rude.”

He laughed knowingly, grabbing Frank’s and my hands, tugging us toward the door. “See you in a few days! C’mon, guys. Let’s go do this family thing.”

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