‘round!”
“Bye…”
Confused, Kato began to wander down the street. What in the world had Tomek meant? He couldn’t heave meant Amber, obviously. But then, who was the dog that Tomek had referred to? He automatically began the long trek to Jada’s place.
Jada was sitting on her front porch when he arrived. Joy sparked in her ice-blue eyes. “Kato!” she breathed. “I didn’t expect to ever see you again!”
She raced toward him, eyes gleaming. Brushing her tail along his flank, she reached up to touch noses with him. Quite unprepared for this warm welcome, Kato was at a loss for anything to say. Instead, he flicked his tail over her ears affectionately, playing for time so he could think up a suitable response. He didn’t have to.
Jada looked into Kato’s face, and the depth of emotion in her eyes startled him. “I’ve missed you so much!”
Kato wondered at the fierce intensity in her voice. She added more playfully, “Although, I haven’t missed the way you ate up my owner’s food in one sitting!”
Grinning, something he hadn’t done in a long time, he swatted at Jada with a forepaw. “Don’t forget how every time I looked away, you would sneak a bite of what ever was in my dish!”
As she laughed, he realized how much he trusted her. Suddenly, he decided to confide in her. “I’ve missed you, too,” he told her. “Please walk with me.”
Looking almost indecently excited, she padded along with him, matching his pace. “I- I did really miss you, Kato.” She hesitated before adding bitterly. “I bet Amber missed you, too.”
They had arrived at the edge of the town. Looking into her eyes, Kato saw anger, resentment, and sadness there all at once.
“Come on.”
He pulled Jada into an alley. Looking confused, she faced him. “What is this about, Kato?” she questioned. “Why have you got me in here?”
Kato swallowed. “Jada,” he began. “You know how Amber is expecting Tomek’s pups?” He swallowed again. Why was it so hard to talk to her? “I… the last time I was here…”
“You’re feeling jealous of Tomek?” she suggested shrewdly.
He nodded helplessly. “I… I suppose…”
Jada looked at him gently. “Did you really love Amber, though?” Her blue eyes gave away nothing.
Kato scuffed the ground with his paws, embarrassed. He sighed, playing for time. Then, slowly, very slowly, but with all of the truth that he possessed behind the movement, he shook his head. “I suppose that I could learn to love her, maybe, but I suppose that I’ve always known that the only dog for her would be Tomek.”
Jada’s face was unreadable. “Then why are you so jealous?”
Kato looked at her. When she asked him all of these questions, it seemed like he had no reason to be jealous at all. “I don’t know,” he mumbled, embarrassed. “But I still feel angry.”
“Why do you think that is?”
Why did she have to ask him all of these questions that he couldn’t answer? “I guess because… because…”
Jada had an odd look on her face. “Because you weren’t in control of the situation?” She was looking straight at him.
Kato didn’t like the way her eyes seemed to see through him like he was made of glass. “Yeah, yeah I guess. I think I’m so angry because I thought that maybe, I had a chance with Amber, but Tomek snatched it from me.” He was embarrassed that he was letting someone in on all of his deepest thoughts.
Jada stared at Kato so intensely that he looked away. “So,” she concluded. “You’re not jealous, you’re angry. You’re angry because you didn’t have a chance to get what you thought you wanted.”
Kato looked at Jada in amazement. She had worked through the tangled mess that was his feelings, and she had explained them so they made perfect sense. Kato didn’t know how to put this into words that didn’t sound dumb, so all he said was: “Thanks.”
Jada laughed. “No problem!” She added as an afterthought, “I can’t believe you dragged me out here just to tell me this! We could’ve just gone inside my owner’s house and discussed it there!”
A little abashed, Kato laughed along with her. They talked as they walked back to Jada’s. Kato found himself having the best time that he had had in more than a month. As for Jada, she was absolutely ecstatic. Frisking around, catching the raindrops that had begun to fall, she was as carefree as a puppy during its first time out of the house.
When they arrived at Jada’s house, Kato said, “I think that I’d better go. I have to apologize to…”
Eyes glowing with understanding, she tucked her head under his chin. “That’s brave of you,” she whispered. “Admitting that you’re wrong. I’ve never been able to do it.”
Kato again found himself unable to speak. He touched her tail to her flank. She padded into the house. Unable to make neither head nor tail of her behavior, he began to make his way toward Amber’s. Ducking behind some trashcans when he saw Tomek, he recalled Tomek’s parting words, “Yeah, she’s been missing you.”
Suddenly, it hit him. Could it be that Jada was interested in him? Confused at this odd new turn that his life was taking, he puzzled over her for a few minutes. That would explain her odd behavior today. Did he love her, too? He discovered that he thought he did, maybe. He could definitely try to learn to. He felt a grin spreading over his face, and the dogs that saw him from their house windows would have noticed a new spring in his step.
When he got to Amber’s house, he felt reluctant to enter. Uncertainly, he ducked through the doggie-door. Amber was lying in the sitting room, talking to a black dog that Kato didn’t know. When he entered, her eyes met his, and when she gave him a tiny nod, he understood that she had accepted his unspoken apology. Relieved, he sat down.
Amber smiled rather stiffly at him. “Hi, Kato,” she greeted him. “I was just talking to Merla.”
“Hey, Amber,” he mumbled, looking at his paws. Scolding himself at how undignified he must look, he straightened up and looked at Merla before saying politely, “And you’re Merla. Nice to meet you.”
The she-dog smiled kindly at him. “Nice to meet you, too, Kato.” Kato caught a trace of sympathy in her eyes. Had she guessed what had passed between him and Amber?
Unable to join the conversation, Kato just nodded and said, “Mmmm-Hmmmm…” periodically. A lump was in his throat, and he didn’t know why. He waited until Merla left before he padded from the room. He went into Daddy’s room. Jumping up on the bed, he let only a small whimper escape him. He felt unwanted tears burning in his eyes. Blinking them away, he buried his nose in the pillows. There seemed to be a weight in his chest, pushing down on his heart so he could barely stand it. He took, deep steadying breaths, trying to chase away the sadness that threatened to overwhelm him.
“Kato?” Amber’s voice asked hesitantly.
“What?” he acknowledged her, his voice tight with suppressed tears.
“Are you okay?”
He looked down at her, struggling to hold back his howls of misery. “I’m sorry for what I said this morning. I didn’t mean it, either. I’m glad for you and Tomek. I talked to Jada…”
Eyes glinting with hostility, Amber looked up at him. “How do I know that you mean it?” she snapped. “How do I know that you aren’t just trying to win favor with me?”
Anger filled him up so completely that there was no room left for sadness. “My question now is,” he growled, not able to keep all of his anger out of the words. “How you could think that I would do that? After you and Tomek are already mates? What do you think that I am?”
Amber flinched. “I’m sorry,” she told him. I misjudged you. I accept your apology. So we can be friends?”
Kato nodded, but he just couldn’t bring himself to smile. “Friends,” he said firmly. He walked out of the room behind her, glancing at the weak rays of sun falling upon the bed, realizing that they lit the way for a new life for him. He had no future with Amber except to be very good friends with her, and now he realized that he didn’t want anything more than that.
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