ants on him, only worse. I just kept saying over and over to myself, âPlease donât let him die. Please donât let him die.â
Moe didnât die, but the vet said if he wasnât so big and strong it might have been a lot different. He was still hurt pretty bad. He had three broken ribs and some other bad cuts and bruises, so he had to stay at the vetâs for a while. Dad said he had no idea how we were going to pay for it because we had ânothing in the bankâ. But the vet said that Moe was good company and there was no hurry and we could pay her back when Dad was working again. Mum cried and hugged the vet when she said that.
When Mister Mosely was strong enough to come home he had to wear another bucket-thing. That was because he had lots of stitches in his side. They were in a big âVâ shape and all the hair around them was shaved off. And he had blobs of orangey-yellow stuff painted all over his whitebody to help the other cuts heal up. Mum said the vet had turned poor old Moe into one of those albino tigers. Dad said more like an albino tiger that had been âcaught in a blenderâ.
We had to move Mister Moselyâs bed downstairs in the laundry until he got better, because there was no way he could make it all the way to the porch. Mum said Moe was a good patient because he just rested and waited and didnât try to do too much before he was ready for it. âUnlike your father,â was what Mum said. When he did get better we put Moeâs bed back on the porch and after a while he started fetching the paper and waiting for me out the front of the house same as always.
The only other thing I remember about the day Mister Mosely got hit was how the lady in the car gave my mask back to me. She must have found it on the footpath. I waited till she left and then I ripped it up into little pieces and threw it in the rubbish bin.
19 Mister Mosely and Mum
Mum used to say that Mister Mosely had a âsixth senseâ about things. That meant he knew stuff when no one else did.
Dad didnât think so. He said he was pretty sure Moe didnât have a sixth sense about newspapers anyway. But I think Mum was right, because one time Mister Mosely knew something about her before anyone else.
It all began about a year ago. It was the last day of school before the holidays. I was walking home. My bag was really heavy because it was packed up with all the junk from my locker. I didnât care but. I was too busy thinking about all the things I was going to do and how me and Moe would muck around together. But when I got to the topof the street and looked down at our house, Moe wasnât there waiting for me. I was scared straight away. I thought maybe he got hit by a car again, so I ran home as fast as I could.
I found Moe in the backyard under the clothesline. He was just watching Mum peg out the washing. When he saw me he came over and jumped around a bit, but then he went straight back to Mum. It wasnât like Moe at all. Mum didnât know what was wrong with him either. She said heâd been âunder her feetâ all day âhanging around like a bad smellâ. I donât think she really minded too much because she was smiling when she said it.
Moe kept hanging around Mum pretty much all the time after that. It was like he was her bodyguard or something. Heâd sit at the back door waiting for her to come outside and then heâd follow her around everywhere she went. Even if me and Moe were playing together in the yard or if we went down to the park, you could tell all he really wanted to do was to get back to Mum. Mum said it was even worse when she was home by herself, because then Moe stuck to her âlike glueâ.
None of us knew then that Mum was going to have a baby. Mum only found out for sure later. But I reckon Mister Mosely knew all along, and that was why he was acting so weird. Mum thought so too. She said Moe
Moe didnât die, but the vet said if he wasnât so big and strong it might have been a lot different. He was still hurt pretty bad. He had three broken ribs and some other bad cuts and bruises, so he had to stay at the vetâs for a while. Dad said he had no idea how we were going to pay for it because we had ânothing in the bankâ. But the vet said that Moe was good company and there was no hurry and we could pay her back when Dad was working again. Mum cried and hugged the vet when she said that.
When Mister Mosely was strong enough to come home he had to wear another bucket-thing. That was because he had lots of stitches in his side. They were in a big âVâ shape and all the hair around them was shaved off. And he had blobs of orangey-yellow stuff painted all over his whitebody to help the other cuts heal up. Mum said the vet had turned poor old Moe into one of those albino tigers. Dad said more like an albino tiger that had been âcaught in a blenderâ.
We had to move Mister Moselyâs bed downstairs in the laundry until he got better, because there was no way he could make it all the way to the porch. Mum said Moe was a good patient because he just rested and waited and didnât try to do too much before he was ready for it. âUnlike your father,â was what Mum said. When he did get better we put Moeâs bed back on the porch and after a while he started fetching the paper and waiting for me out the front of the house same as always.
The only other thing I remember about the day Mister Mosely got hit was how the lady in the car gave my mask back to me. She must have found it on the footpath. I waited till she left and then I ripped it up into little pieces and threw it in the rubbish bin.
19 Mister Mosely and Mum
Mum used to say that Mister Mosely had a âsixth senseâ about things. That meant he knew stuff when no one else did.
Dad didnât think so. He said he was pretty sure Moe didnât have a sixth sense about newspapers anyway. But I think Mum was right, because one time Mister Mosely knew something about her before anyone else.
It all began about a year ago. It was the last day of school before the holidays. I was walking home. My bag was really heavy because it was packed up with all the junk from my locker. I didnât care but. I was too busy thinking about all the things I was going to do and how me and Moe would muck around together. But when I got to the topof the street and looked down at our house, Moe wasnât there waiting for me. I was scared straight away. I thought maybe he got hit by a car again, so I ran home as fast as I could.
I found Moe in the backyard under the clothesline. He was just watching Mum peg out the washing. When he saw me he came over and jumped around a bit, but then he went straight back to Mum. It wasnât like Moe at all. Mum didnât know what was wrong with him either. She said heâd been âunder her feetâ all day âhanging around like a bad smellâ. I donât think she really minded too much because she was smiling when she said it.
Moe kept hanging around Mum pretty much all the time after that. It was like he was her bodyguard or something. Heâd sit at the back door waiting for her to come outside and then heâd follow her around everywhere she went. Even if me and Moe were playing together in the yard or if we went down to the park, you could tell all he really wanted to do was to get back to Mum. Mum said it was even worse when she was home by herself, because then Moe stuck to her âlike glueâ.
None of us knew then that Mum was going to have a baby. Mum only found out for sure later. But I reckon Mister Mosely knew all along, and that was why he was acting so weird. Mum thought so too. She said Moe
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