back down and stared at Stewart as he spoke.
“Well, it would be best if you kept your distance, that’s all. And who is this Lisa Goodly person? The name sounds familiar. Was she a student of mine?”
“No, she wasn’t. She grew up in Johnstown. I think you met her during your last visit. She works at the coffee shop.”
“That little twig of a girl? She wrote that? I’m surprised. It was actually well written.”
Stewart decided to be proactive.
“And she goes to church, too.”
A moment of silence followed.
“And how do you know that?”
“Grams, she lives downstairs—on the second floor. She saw that Bible calendar you sent me. She said she goes to church.”
“Which one? Not every church is the right church, Stewart.”
“I don’t know. I didn’t ask.”
Stewart heard a sharp inhale.
“And what was she doing in your apartment, Stewart? Honestly? What would people say? What would Jesus say?”
“Grams, please. She came up to interview me about the dog, that’s all. In the afternoon. She saw the calendar as she left.”
Stewart could imagine his grandmother closing her eyes and rubbing the bridge of her nose—a gesture she always made when peeved, which was often.
“Stewart, I do not like this at all. Not at all. Perhaps you should rethink your decision about moving down here. The complex here is looking for a full-time pool attendant. You could do that, couldn’t you, Stewart? And it would keep you out of trouble.”
Hubert turned his head to the side as if hearing a high-pitched whine coming from somewhere.
“Move to a retirement village?”
“It’s a senior housing complex.”
“Grams, we already discussed this.”
He hoped he sounded firm and final.
“Maybe you should try going to church as well, Stewart. For a change. I’m praying for someone to come into your life and change your priorities, Stewart. You need to repent. And be restored. That’s what the Bible says, Stewart. You don’t want God to be mad at you, do you? You’re not doing things to make God mad at you, are you, Stewart?”
Later, Stewart would be unable to recall anything else his grandmother said that evening. He was pretty certain that it was nothing important. And making it harder to recall was the fact that Hubert came over to him and pushed his wet nose against him, trying to get his head under his arm, trying to offer comfort, Stewart thought, during a most uncomfortable time.
Chapter Nine
A PPARENTLY H UBERT slept on the living room floor all night. There was no whining or barking. When Stewart woke, already ten minutes late, Hubert was standing, calmly, by the door to downstairs.
“Just a minute, Hubert. I have to take a quick shower and change.”
Stewart prided himself on being low maintenance and could be ready for work, showered, shaved, dressed, in less than ten minutes. This morning, he accomplished it all in seven minutes. He would have to walk fast, but that was okay.
He stopped for a moment, trying to decide what to do with Hubert. He knew that dogs had to go outside—like every couple of hours?
And being already late, Stewart did not have time to wait for Hubert to accomplish anything and everything that he needed to accomplish in the morning. Nor did Stewart have any food to offer him.
I could cut up some hot dogs, but then what would I eat?
Hubert looked up at him with a knowing look, or at least that was how Stewart interpreted it.
“If I let you out this morning, will you stick around until I get back? I’ll bring dog food back with me.”
I bet the store has a private label brand of dog food. Or maybe something is on sale this week. I don’t often walk down that aisle.
He would have sworn that Hubert nodded as he explained his predicament.
“Okay. You promise to come back? Or hang around here—wherever it was that you hung around before. I’ll be back in six hours. Maybe a little longer. Maybe I’ll stop in and see Lisa at the coffee shop. But you’ll be
“Well, it would be best if you kept your distance, that’s all. And who is this Lisa Goodly person? The name sounds familiar. Was she a student of mine?”
“No, she wasn’t. She grew up in Johnstown. I think you met her during your last visit. She works at the coffee shop.”
“That little twig of a girl? She wrote that? I’m surprised. It was actually well written.”
Stewart decided to be proactive.
“And she goes to church, too.”
A moment of silence followed.
“And how do you know that?”
“Grams, she lives downstairs—on the second floor. She saw that Bible calendar you sent me. She said she goes to church.”
“Which one? Not every church is the right church, Stewart.”
“I don’t know. I didn’t ask.”
Stewart heard a sharp inhale.
“And what was she doing in your apartment, Stewart? Honestly? What would people say? What would Jesus say?”
“Grams, please. She came up to interview me about the dog, that’s all. In the afternoon. She saw the calendar as she left.”
Stewart could imagine his grandmother closing her eyes and rubbing the bridge of her nose—a gesture she always made when peeved, which was often.
“Stewart, I do not like this at all. Not at all. Perhaps you should rethink your decision about moving down here. The complex here is looking for a full-time pool attendant. You could do that, couldn’t you, Stewart? And it would keep you out of trouble.”
Hubert turned his head to the side as if hearing a high-pitched whine coming from somewhere.
“Move to a retirement village?”
“It’s a senior housing complex.”
“Grams, we already discussed this.”
He hoped he sounded firm and final.
“Maybe you should try going to church as well, Stewart. For a change. I’m praying for someone to come into your life and change your priorities, Stewart. You need to repent. And be restored. That’s what the Bible says, Stewart. You don’t want God to be mad at you, do you? You’re not doing things to make God mad at you, are you, Stewart?”
Later, Stewart would be unable to recall anything else his grandmother said that evening. He was pretty certain that it was nothing important. And making it harder to recall was the fact that Hubert came over to him and pushed his wet nose against him, trying to get his head under his arm, trying to offer comfort, Stewart thought, during a most uncomfortable time.
Chapter Nine
A PPARENTLY H UBERT slept on the living room floor all night. There was no whining or barking. When Stewart woke, already ten minutes late, Hubert was standing, calmly, by the door to downstairs.
“Just a minute, Hubert. I have to take a quick shower and change.”
Stewart prided himself on being low maintenance and could be ready for work, showered, shaved, dressed, in less than ten minutes. This morning, he accomplished it all in seven minutes. He would have to walk fast, but that was okay.
He stopped for a moment, trying to decide what to do with Hubert. He knew that dogs had to go outside—like every couple of hours?
And being already late, Stewart did not have time to wait for Hubert to accomplish anything and everything that he needed to accomplish in the morning. Nor did Stewart have any food to offer him.
I could cut up some hot dogs, but then what would I eat?
Hubert looked up at him with a knowing look, or at least that was how Stewart interpreted it.
“If I let you out this morning, will you stick around until I get back? I’ll bring dog food back with me.”
I bet the store has a private label brand of dog food. Or maybe something is on sale this week. I don’t often walk down that aisle.
He would have sworn that Hubert nodded as he explained his predicament.
“Okay. You promise to come back? Or hang around here—wherever it was that you hung around before. I’ll be back in six hours. Maybe a little longer. Maybe I’ll stop in and see Lisa at the coffee shop. But you’ll be
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