blue eyes, and a soft smile. She was wearing a pink costume for the show with long white
ribbons on the sleeves. Noah shrugged his shoulders and looked down at his shoes. “Thanks,” he said,
shoving his hands into the pockets of his navy blue suit pants.
Katie smiled and handed him a small piece of paper. “Here’s my phone number.
You can call me if you want.”
Noah took the paper and shoved it into his pocket. He shrugged again and said,
“Okay.”
Then Katie wished him a merry Christmas and skipped off to find her family.
Ed looked at Lisa, and then he said to Noah, “I didn’t know you and Katie were
such good friends.”
“Hey, neither did I,” Lisa said.
Noah kicked his left foot and looked up to Jonathan for support. Jonathan put his
hand on Noah’s shoulder and said, “Katie’s a nice girl. They are just good friends.” Then
he gave Ed a knowing look and changed the subject. “Let’s go back to the house for some
coffee or something. Tucker is all alone.” He didn’t want Jonathan and Lisa to make a big
thing about Katie and embarrass Noah. Noah had been confiding in him about Katie
while they’d been rehearsing his solo for the show. Noah had his first real crush on a girl,
and he was very sensitive about it.
Ed poked Lisa in the arm and said, “Ah well, yes, Tucker is waiting for us.” Then
he put his arm around his son and said, “You were really good tonight, buddy. I know
how hard you and Jonathan worked on that song. It was worth it.”
On the way to the car, Lisa leaned into Jonathan’s side and said, “Did you see
Ed’s expression when that little girl gave Noah her phone number? I thought he was going to fall over on the sidewalk.” She talked through the side of her mouth and giggled.
“I’m not sure he’s ready for this yet. Noah’s growing up.”
When they reached the house a few minutes later, Noah pointed to the front
window and said, “See, Dad, how good the tree looks in the window from the street? You
can see all the lights and it looks just like Christmas.” Noah had asked if they could plug
in the tree before they’d left for the show. Ed said he didn’t like leaving the lights on
while they were out, but he’d agreed to do it just that once.
Ed switched off the engine and opened his door. “You were right, buddy,” he said.
“It’s much better there than next to the fireplace.”
Noah continued to stare at the window. “I think Dad would have liked our tree
this year,” he said.
He was talking about Jake again. Jonathan’s heart sank to his stomach. He looked
at Lisa, frowned, and pressed his palm to his throat. Lisa lowered her head to her lap and
smiled. They never knew when Noah was going to say something innocent that wound up
leaving everyone speechless.
But this time Ed didn’t change the subject and avoid Noah. He smiled at Noah
and looked into his eyes. “I think he would have liked our tree this year, too, son.”
Tucker was waiting for them at the front door. They could hear his paws clicking
on the tile floor in the hallway. Ed unlocked the door and went in first to flip on the hall
lights. Tucker’s tail was wagging and he was panting. When he saw Noah, he jumped
past Ed and ran down the front walk to lick his face. Tucker was so happy to see him he
lunged forward and knocked him down on the grass. He licked his entire face twice. Jonathan and Lisa stood there laughing. But Ed lowered his voice and said, “Grab
his collar, buddy. I don’t want him outside without a leash.”
Jonathan and Lisa turned to go inside. Noah laughed and reached for Tucker’s
collar. But just before he could loop his fingers beneath the black leather, a siren sounded.
It came from nowhere and two police cars rushed past the house. Their red lights were
rolling in circles and their sirens blaring.
When Jonathan turned back to see what was happening, he saw Noah running
down the front lawn. One arm was stretched out and he was shouting, “Tucker, come
back here.”
But he stopped short at the end of the lawn, because Tucker was already down the
street and out of sight. He turned back and spread his arms wide. He stared at Jonathan.
His small face turned red and tears fell from his eyes. “He’s gone, Jonathan! He’s gone.”
Then he fell to his knees and started sobbing.
Chapter Twelve
Before Ed went out looking for Tucker in his car, he wanted to take Lisa and
Noah back to the guest cottage. Noah was sitting on the front steps next to Jonathan with
his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. But he refused to leave the house.
“What if Tucker comes back here and there’s no one home, Dad?” he said. He pointed his
small finger down toward the sidewalk and moved it up and down. “He’d never go back
to that guest house.
This
is where he lives.
This
is his home.”
Jonathan looked at Ed and said, “He has a point. It might be a good idea for Noah
to sleep here tonight.” It was the day before Christmas Eve, and the boy’s dog had just
run off after a police car. To send him back to a rented guest house for a good night’s
sleep would have been futile. But he knew Ed meant well, and that Ed was only thinking
of Noah’s best interests. Jonathan knew it wasn’t his place to get involved, but he had to
say something on Noah’s behalf. The poor kid was devastated.
And thankfully, Lisa agreed. “You and Jonathan can go look for him,” she said,
“We’ll go upstairs to your room, Ed, and wait.” The house wasn’t ready to live in yet.
The upstairs bathrooms still weren’t finished and the only bed in the house was in Ed’s
room.
Ed sighed and squatted down to look Noah in the eye. He grabbed his hands and
said, “We’ll get him, buddy. Stop worrying. You can spend the night here in your own
home.” Then he looked up at Jonathan and said, “I have a couple of flashlights in the
garage. I’ll get them. You go wait in the car.” Jonathan looked at him and tilted his head. “I’m going on foot,” he said. “It will
be easier to spot him that way. We’ll keep in touch with our cell phones and meet up later.
If you find him first, call me. I’ll do the same.”
Noah lifted his head and tugged on Ed’s pants. “Can I go with Jonathan, Dad?” he
asked. “If Tucker sees me, he’ll come back right away.”
Ed frowned. “No, Noah. You stay here with Lisa. It’s too late and you’ve had
enough for one day.”
“Your Dad’s right, buddy,” Jonathan said. “I can cover a lot of ground alone. I’m
fast and I’m used to walking all the time in New York. Tucker knows me, and he’ll come
to me if he sees me.”
Noah lowered his head to his shoes and nodded yes. Lisa sat down next to him
and put her arms around him. “Call us if you find him,” Noah said.
Ed and Jonathan said at the same time, “Of course we will.”
Then Ed went into the house to get Tucker’s retractable leash from the hall closet.
He also found an old leash they’d used when he was a puppy. When he came out, he
handed the retractable leash to Jonathan and said, “I’ll call you in about a half hour to
find out where you are.”
He called Jonathan every half hour for an update. Each time the phone rang,
Jonathan pulled it from his back pocket and looked up at the sky, hoping for good news.
Then he’d hang up a minute later, frown, and continue searching. Jonathan walked for
miles. He peeked over fences, snooped through shrubbery, and walked up and down dark
driveways. If he heard a dog bark at a house he passed by, he knocked on the front door
and asked if they’d seen Tucker. He called the dog’s name, slapped his thigh, and whistled. At one point, about six blocks away from Ed’s house, he saw a police car
cruising down the street and he flagged the cop down. He gave him a description of
Tucker and Ed’s address. The cop said he’d keep his eyes open, but couldn’t promise
anything. Jonathan thanked him and continued walking.
By two o’clock in the morning, Ed called and asked where he was. When
Jonathan told him he was nearly seven miles away, Ed wanted to pick him up there and
go home for the night. He was about five miles away in the other direction. But Jonathan
refused; he couldn’t imagine going back to the house and telling Noah he hadn’t been
able to find Tucker. So he told Ed he’d start walking home and that he’d backtrack along
the way in case he’d missed something. Maybe he’d find him sitting on someone’s front
steps, lost and wondering how to get home.
At one point, only two blocks away from Ed’s, he saw the shadow of a large dog
on someone’s front lawn. His heart raced and he jogged in the dog’s direction. It had to
be Tucker. When he called out his name, the dog stopped and stared at him for a moment.
He tilted his head sideways and whimpered.
Then a woman’s voice called, “Spody, c’mon inside now.” The dog turned and
ran to the front door. And when he was under the porch light, Jonathan saw he was an
Irish setter, not a black lab.
When he reached Ed’s house, he was still alone. He placed the retractable leash
on the hall table and sighed. It was almost five o’clock in the morning. His feet ached and
his voice was sore from calling Tucker’s name. Ed was in the dining room waiting for
him. He was sitting in the dark at the head of the table with his arms folded across his
chest. Jonathan sat down at the other end of the table and stared down at his feet. The
backs of his legs were actually tingling with aches and pains and he couldn’t wait to
remove his shoes. He asked Ed, “Where’s Noah?” He’d had this image of Noah sitting on
the front steps the entire time he’d been out looking.
“He’s upstairs sleeping,” Ed said. “Lisa’s with him.”
Then Ed stood up and yawned. “C’mon,” he said. “Let’s try to get some sleep. I’ll
grab a few covers and pillows that are in boxes in the garage.”
They slept on the living room floor in front of the fireplace. But they only slept
for about two hours, because Noah came running down the stairs looking for Tucker at
seven o’clock. He was still wearing the same clothes he’d worn to the school Christmas
show. His sandy blond hair was tangled and his eyes were still red and puffy from crying.
Ed and Jonathan were sleeping about six feet apart. Ed was on his stomach and Jonathan
was on his back. They were also still wearing the same clothes they’d worn the night
before.
When Jonathan heard him coming down the stairs, he poked Ed in the arm and
said, “You’d better wake up.”
Ed grunted and turned to his side. Noah was standing at his feet. He looked at his
father and said, “You didn’t find him, did you?”
Ed shook his head and sat up straight. “We’ll start looking again this morning as
soon as I have some coffee and we get you back to the guest house to wash up and
change your clothes.”
Then Jonathan sat up and rubbed his eyes. “You can come with us this time, too,
Noah,” he said. “Maybe if he hears your voice he’ll come faster.” Noah shrugged his shoulders and said, “Okay.” He wasn’t crying anymore. But
when he turned to leave the room, he looked back and Ed and said, “This is almost as bad
as when Dad died.”
* * * *
While Lisa went shopping for food for their Christmas dinner—Jonathan thought
ahead and gave her a detailed list so she wouldn’t get confused—Ed, Jonathan, and Noah
searched for Tucker all day. It was the day before Christmas and the streets and roads
were jammed with people shopping and running last-minute errands. They drove through
back alleys and down streets they never knew existed. They parked and walked on foot,
asking people on the street if they’d seen Tucker. Noah was carrying a small photo of
him in his little-boy wallet, the one with superheroes on the outside flap. They checked
animal shelters and veterinarian offices in case someone else had found Tucker and
dropped him off.
But it was all for nothing. It was as if Tucker had dropped off the planet in the
flash of an eye.
On Christmas Eve, they went out to dinner. Ed had made reservations three weeks
earlier at one of San Francisco’s best restaurants on the wharf, but no one felt like eating.
Noah sat there, kicking his feet and staring at his plate, expressionless. Lisa kept looking
at Ed and sighing out loud.
Jonathan finally said, “You know, Noah, when I was about your age I had a dog
named Homer. We called him ‘Old Homer,’ because he looked like an old dog from the
time he was a puppy. He was a rough old schnauzer who was allergic to fleas and