A Penny's Worth by Nancy DeRosa Read Free Book Online

hind leg. There was blood.
Penny glanced worriedly at Winston who was happily running around in circles
with one of the pugs. Winston had decided right at that moment to put his head
close to its private parts.
    “I don’t think it was my dog, he has
never bitten a person, or an animal ever,” Penny stated evenly. The blood was
coursing in her ears. She already knew this interaction would not have an
attractive outcome.
    Snake Lady laughed harshly. “Oh, so
you’re like every other stupid imbecile that says, oh it’s not my dog, he never
bites, oh, it wasn’t my kid, he doesn’t throw rocks.” She took a menacing step
toward Penny. “I’m sick of people like you and let me tell you something lady a
dog never bites someone until it does bite someone.” She shook her fist—it
blurred the air like something out of a 1970s pop video—and bellowed, “It’s as
simple as that.” She pointed a finger at Penny and added, “Your stupid dog took
a piece out of my Cookie.”
    Hell’s bells, but Penny didn’t want to
get beat up at the dog park. That would rate as the lowest moment in her life;
somewhere below Sea Level, she reckoned. She took a deep breath, her
subconscious supplying the mantra: I can defuse this. I can. “Did you actually
see my dog bite your dog?”
    Snake Bitch scoffed; it was a disgusting
sound, like a tetchy hippo blowing its nose. “I didn’t need to see it happen.
It was pretty clear which mongrel was closest when she yelped out in pain.”
    The inevitable crowd had gathered. Back
in school, someone would have been shouting “Fight! Fight!” But these are civilised
adults: they don’t shout it out loud. They merely think it. They were obviously
waiting to see who would threw the first punch.
    Penny put her hand out in a pleading
gesture. “Did anyone see who bit Cookie?”
    Taking a step back, the growing crowd
offered nothing. Penny was on her own.
    “Look miss, I’m so sorry that your dog
was bit, but you can’t say for sure it was mine, and anyway, as I said before,
my dog is not aggressive and he would not bite a little dog for no reason.”
    “Are you saying my dog asked for this?”
Snake Woman screeched, holding Cookie closer to her chest.
    The blood from Cookie’s hind leg had
gotten all over the woman’s coat and her rising terror was quickly replaced
with a wave of compassion. The woman may be crazy but she clearly loved her
little dog, and Penny could relate to that. She had to do this, regardless of
the circumstances.
    She took a deep breath.
    She stepped closer to the woman and
gingerly touched her jacket. “What can I do to help Cookie?” she asked. “And if
it was Winston who bit your dog then I am terribly sorry. From now on, I will
watch him closer when he is with other animals.”
    Penny swore she could see the tension
lift up and out of the woman like a departing Anger Demon. Her body relaxed,
her face softened, and her voice trembled as she said, “Cookie’s so little,
just look at her, the poor thing is shaking.”
    Quickly patting Cookie on her head, Penny
offered to drive the dog to the vet’s. She offered to pay for the coat to be
cleaned and any vet bill. “Whatever I can do, please tell me,” Penny added.
    “Well maybe, you know,” the lady drawled—slightly
confused, probably unused to being placated, “I can’t say for absolute certain
it was your dog. I didn’t see it exactly happen, so I’m not going to press
charges or anything, but you should keep an eye on him.”
    Penny was relieved to see the bleeding
had stopped and the cut did look minor.
    With Cookie clutched tightly under her
arm, Snake Lady left the park. With a great sense of relief, Penny knew the
altercation was over, and she was the one responsible for nipping it in the
bud.
    The fight was over, so the crowd, losing
interest, drifted away. Enough of the doggie park for one afternoon, she decided…
the re-energised social life can wait for another day. She leashed up