Page 82 of Keep Your Guard Up
Chapter 44
Chance
“Ithought you might need some of this.” Marilyn’s sweet voice startled me. Gus’s front paws tackling me to the ground was a welcome surprise as he planted wet doggy kisses all over my face.
“Hey, buddy,” I laughed.
He pushed off me and lay down in front of me, fixing his gaze back up to Marilyn.
She sighed before slowly taking a seat on the green grass. “Here,” she said, handing me a plastic container.
I opened it wide a bowl full of pasta.
“Since you’re out here every time I look out the window, figured you’d be hungry.”
“Thank you.” I smiled at the old woman, who returned the gesture almost immediately. “How is she?”
“She’s doing what she normally does in these situations.” Marilyn’s face turned sympathetic. “Cutting herself off from everyone and using anger to cope. Sometimes it can be easier to wield the knife than to accept that someone else has cut you.”
“I just need her to—”
She held up a hand. “I know. You just need her to hear your side, right, dear?”
My face burned with shame. I’d not only lied to Mari—I’d lied to Marilyn too. “I’m sorry, Marilyn.”
“What for, dear?”
“I lied to you.”
“I’m sure you had your reasons.” She smiled, shifting her weight slightly to get comfortable.
Gus stood abruptly, watching her intently until she gave him a reassuring nod—some kind of non-verbal communication the two of them had.
“My granddaughter is tough. She’s not an easy one to gain forgiveness from. But with every bridge that I’ve seen her cross, every fork in her road, she’s always made the right choice.You, dear, count as one of those choices too.”
“I don’t know what to do. She won’t see me; she won’t answer my texts or calls; she won’thearme. I—”
“Sometimes actions speak louder than words ever can. Loud enough that even a deaf man could find his way.” She patted me on the shoulder before clicking to Gus. He moved to her side, standing guard next to her as she rose slowly to her feet.
With a smile and a gentle squeeze of my shoulder, they walked back inside the house.
The house where my home was.
I stood, picking up my dead phone, water bottle, and Marilyn’s pasta, and left.
Chapter 45
Mari
Whatever Nan said to Chance had worked, since it had been over an hour since he left our front lawn. Gus hadn’t returned to his perch on the window, so I took that as a sign of him not coming back.
A small, aching piece of my heart twanged — he’d finally left. I tried and tried and tried to push relief on it, showing that broken piece how good it was that he was gone now. But it wouldn’t take. Instead, it left that same hollow ache in my chest, but this time it was quiet. No thundering beat knowing he was right outside, so spike of adrenaline every time Gus moved—justquiet.
I grabbed Gus’s lead and collar from by the doorway before strapping the red fabric around his neck. He was wary to leave Nan but was content when he realised he could walk at a faster pace and sniff to his heart’s content.
I disconnected the clasp from his lead once we hit the old florist and Gus took it upon himself to pee on some of the weeds growing between the cracks. While he investigated the different smells of passers-by, I walked ahead. The sun was starting to set, and clouds were rolling in from off in the distance. Fitting, considering it felt like my life had gone from sunny and bright to an angry storm in the last three days.
“Mari!” a voice called.
