Emily & Einstein by Linda Francis Lee Read Free Book Online

to see her son.
    On the street, I hailed a cab, then pressed my head against the hard seat back, not realizing I had given the animal clinic address until we pulled up outside.

 
    einstein

chapter five
    I stared at my reflection in the stainless steel siding of some sort of medical cabinet. I could hardly believe my eyes. Where was my sandy blond hair, my sparkling hazel green eyes?
    I had always been known for my charm, not to mention my dazzling good looks. Based on the image staring back at me, I would no longer dazzle anyone. As a dog, all white wiry fur standing on end with the random smudge of brown. I was decidedly ugly.
    How could this be happening to me, Sandy Portman, a direct descendent of both the Vandermeer and Regal families of New York, Aspen, Biarritz, and the Hamptons?
    At the thought of the Hamptons I felt a spurt of pure happiness, all that sun and sand. But my joy turned to a shudder of despair at the realization that the man Sandy Portman loved the Hamptons. I couldn’t imagine that as a dog I’d ever get to see the Hamptons again.
    The drugged feeling slowly faded, unadulterated doom replaced with determination to get this ludicrous situation resolved. I pushed my anger down, like embers lying dormant, waiting to burst back into flames. I thought I was dealing rather maturely with the bizarre predicament, waiting patiently for the old man to return so I could let him know in no uncertain terms that this was unacceptable.
    Soon I started recognizing people I began to term “the staff.” A ragtag assortment of miscreants and underachievers I never would have hired given the choice, but staff nonetheless. Once I started feeling better they put me on a schedule.
    “Finally,” I snapped at the nurse.
    She gave me a wry look.
    Soon the dog diapers were removed, along with the IV, and they led me to a small area behind the clinic where a volunteer looked at me expectantly. I couldn’t imagine what he wanted.
    “Come on, Einstein, you’ve got to take care of business.”
    I ruffed in confusion.
    “You know,” he prompted. “Take a piss. Pee. Whatever.”
    My body stiffened. Relieve myself? Here? On the cement? With him watching? He couldn’t be serious.
    “Old man!” I howled.
    Thankfully the volunteer took pity on me and turned his back to give me some privacy. And really, I did need to “take care of business.”
    In addition to Nurse, there was a disreputable looking fellow who worked the nightshift named Vinny, and a multi-pierced, twenty-something female volunteer who came in twice a week. Her name was Blue, and while as a human I would have detested her, as a dog I liked her quite a lot. She was a veritable feast of smells, a living and breathing puzzle to keep my brain well occupied while she was there. The blue hair dye she used, the strange smell of her black lipstick. The vegetarian diet she ate.
    There were a scattering of other volunteers who weren’t regulars. Plus the vet, a nice enough guy who was amazed his handiwork had been able to save me.
    The faces blurred together at times, depending on how much sleep I got or what kind of drugs they pumped into me. But the person who always stood out was Emily. She arrived regularly, on more than just the Friday evenings when she used to volunteer—thank God. I might have wanted to divorce her when I was a man, but as a dog my options for interaction were uninspiring at best. The vet was too needy, the nurse too distracted. Blue was interesting but not nearly as attentive as Emily. Vinny just wanted the paycheck, and quite frankly, was a little scary. What I came to understand was that no one wanted to get attached to any of the animals in the clinic.
    As my health improved, I began to feel a fissure of concern. What would happen to me once I was able to manage on my own?
    I consoled myself with the thought that I would convince the old man I had learned my lesson and he would put me back in my body.
    Rolling over on my side, pawing