Keys to the City by Lisa Schroeder
I texted Nora: Maybe I should volunteer at an animal shelter. Do you think I’m old enough?
She texted back: Great idea! I’ll have Mom check. She’s right here on the couch with her laptop.
A minute later: At one place you have to be at least 18. Another says if you’re not 18 then you have to have a parent or guardian with you.
Me: Thanks for checking. Guess I’ll wait another five years to try that out.
I checked the time and couldn’t believe it was almost nine. I hadn’t heard anyone walking around yet, but that didn’t seem right. Usually somebody was up by now.
Mom and Dad’s bedroom door was shut. I went to the bathroom and quickly got dressed, brushed my hair and my teeth, and went out to the family room and then the kitchen. The box of doughnuts Dad had bought at the store sat on the kitchen counter. Then I remembered we had guests staying here. Maybe Mom and Dad went down to help with breakfast or something, even though Dad was supposed to have bought food that the guests could serve themselves.
“Hi, Lindy,” I heard from behind me.
I turned around to find Davis standing there looking sort of pathetic, with his cast and his bed-head hair. He yawned.
“Hi,” I said. “How’s the arm?”
When he saw the doughnut box, he headed straight for it. “It’s hard to sleep with a cast on. Every time I started to roll over on that side, I woke up.” He yawned again. “I’m tired. And I’m sad I don’t get to play baseball this weekend.”
“I know. But I bet you’ll get used to sleeping with it soon,” I said. “Pick out a doughnut, and I’ll pour you a glass of milk.”
“Where’s Mom and Dad?” he asked as he tried to get the lid off of the box. I reached over and helped him before I stepped over to the refrigerator to get the jug of milk.
“Sleeping, I guess,” I said.
“That’s weird,” he said.
I turned around and watched as he chose a marble bar, which is half maple bar and half chocolate bar. No surprise, really. It was the biggest doughnut in the box.
“Here,” I said, reaching up and grabbing a plate. “You’ll need a napkin, too.”
After he had everything, he went to the table, and I followed along with his milk.
“I’m gonna go see if they’re in their room,” I told him. “I’ll be right back.”
When I got to the closed door, I started to knock, but then I heard Mom and I stopped. She was crying. Dad was saying something to her, but I couldn’t hear what it was.
They’d probably been fighting again. I tiptoed away so they wouldn’t know I’d heard them. Davis had already devoured half his doughnut.
“Geez, dude, slow down or you’ll make yourself sick.”
“It’s so good,” he said before he took a swig of milk. He looked at me. “What’s wrong? Are they in there?”
“Yeah,” I said. “They’re talking. We’ll just leave them alone. If you need anything, I can get it for you.”
“Aren’t you going to have a doughnut?”
“I’m not really hungry.”
I got up and went to the window. It was kind of cloudy, which probably meant it wouldn’t be too hot. It’d be a great day to explore more of the city. Tyler had said they’d pick me up at ten so we could spend most of the day together. But it seemed impossible now. I pulled out my phone and wrote him a text:
I can’t go anywhere. My brother broke his arm yesterday. I’m so sorry.
It took a couple of minutes before he replied: Oh no that’s horrible! Is he okay?
Me: Yeah. He’s fine. But my parents want me to stick around here.
As I waited for another reply, I heard the door open down the hall. I turned and watched my parents come out of their room, my dad first, followed by my mom. My stomach tightened as I wondered if they’d say anything to us about what they’d been discussing.
“Good morning,” Dad said with a smile. He went over to the kitchen table. “Glad to see you found the doughnuts.”
“Can I have another one, please?” Davis asked. “You picked out really good ones, Dad.”
Clearly, a broken arm couldn’t keep Prince Charming down for long.
“I think one’s enough, buddy.”
Mom came over and put her arm around me. “Thanks for helping him with breakfast.”
“You’re welcome. Is everything all right?”
My phone vibrated, but I ignored it.
“Actually, can you come over to the table? I want to tell you kids something.”
My mind raced with possibilities. Was she going to tell us we had to move? That this place was a total failure and we never should have bought it? Or even worse, that she’d been wrong and Dad really was fed up and planned to leave? I stood there, frozen. I didn’t want to hear what she had to say. If it made her cry, what would it do to us?
“Lindy?” Dad said. “What’s wrong?”
I didn’t know what to say. Mom came over to me again and said, “Sweetie? Oh no, you’re not worried, are you? It’s good news, I promise.”
She walked me over to the table, and I sat down, still feeling nervous.
“Your dad and I had a really good discussion about the inn,” Mom said to me and Davis. “And I realized I’ve been close-minded about this idea of having dogs stay here. Clearly, you kids think it’s a good idea. And your dad thinks it’s a good idea, too. I’m the one with the issues. And I’ve decided I need to work on those. So I found those people and called them back and told them they’re welcome to have their reunion here.”
I sat there in shock. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “You’re not scared?” I asked. “After what happened to Davis?”
“Yes, I’m scared.” She wrung her hands together. “And while sometimes fear can be helpful, sometimes it can be harmful. To moving forward. To trying new things. To doing what’s right. I need to get over it. Now, please understand, that doesn’t mean I’ll be running up to every dog that stays here, hoping to be their best friend.”
“But you won’t run away from them, either,” Davis said. “Which is good, because if you’re not careful, you might turn too fast and fall and break your arm.”
Mom smiled. “Exactly.”
“Can I offer to walk dogs for people?” I asked. “Because I’d really love to do that.”
“I know you would,” she said. “And we’ll talk about that later. Right now, shouldn’t you be getting ready to go out with Vivian and Tyler? It’s your last day with them, remember?”
“But I thought—”
“No, I want you to go. I talked to Vivian this morning and told her you’d be going.”
I pulled out my phone and checked the last text Tyler had sent me:
Grandma says your mom told her you can go. You can’t chicken out now. See you soon!
I stuffed my phone into my pocket and ran to my room to get a bag, my notebook, and some shoes. This morning had turned out a hundred times better than I thought it would be.
Now, if that would only continue for the rest of the day.
I ate a doughnut, a banana, and a glass of orange juice before I rushed down the stairs. I ran into our guests from Kansas as I was going down, and instantly slowed myself down.
“Hello,” I said. “I hope you’re enjoying your stay.”
Prince Charming would have been so proud of me with my good manners.
The lady smiled at me and said, “We are, thank you.”
“Joe’s Pizza is really good, and it’s not too far from here, in case you don’t have lunch plans.”
“Wonderful,” she said. “Thank you.”
I continued past them and out the front door. When I saw Odie sitting between Tyler and Vivian, I let out a little squeal.
“Odie,” I said as I bent down and held his head in my hands. “I can’t believe you get to go with us!” He was wearing a special harness I’d never seen before, and had a red bandana tied around his neck.
“All right, dear ones, we’re going
I stood up. “Any hints where we’re going?”
Tyler raised his eyebrows. “Like we’d change things up now?”
I laughed. “Okay, okay. Let’s go. Surprise me, as usual.”
“We have to go quite a ways uptown for today’s adventure,” Vivian said. “Do you have a book to read or something to do to help pass the time?”
For a second, I thought about running back upstairs to get one of my library books, but I decided it was a bad idea. I’d already kept them waiting long enough. “No, but I have my notebook,” I said without thinking. “I mean, yes, I have something to do.”
“Wonderful.”
It didn’t take long for a cab to stop and pick us up. Vivian pulled a towel out of her bag and spread it on the backseat next to the window for Odie. He climbed up and happily sat there. Tyler climbed in next to him, and I sat next to the other window. Vivian got in the front seat with the driver, and they started chatting right away.
Tyler pulled out some comic books from his backpack. When it seemed like he was completely lost in what he was reading, I pulled my notebook and pen out of my messenger bag. I’d opened it to the Enzo story for maybe half a second before Tyler put his comic down and asked, “What have you got in there?”
“Nothing,” I said. “Just doodles and stuff.”
He leaned in, and I snapped the notebook shut.
“Doesn’t look like doodles. Looks like words. Lots of words.”
I shrugged. “Maybe.”
He gave me an annoyed look. “You’re really not going to tell me? What are you afraid of?”
“Nothing,” I said. “It’s just … personal. Kind of like my diary, I guess.”
“Who’s Enzo?”
My jaw dropped. “What? How’d you see—”
“It was right there, at the top of the page. Something about little Enzo? So who is it?”
I bit my lip as I considered how to answer. I didn’t want to lie, so finally I just said, “He’s a dog.”
“A dog? Whose dog?”
“Well, um, he’s made up, actually. I made him up.”
He shook his head. “I don’t understand. If it’s your diary, doesn’t that mean you’re writing stuff that’s true?”
“Well, sometimes I am. But sometimes I make stuff up. Little stories or poems, just for fun. Anyway, it’s not important. It’s something to do when I’ve run out of books to read or I’m bored or whatever.”
“Lindy, what do you mean it’s not important?” he asked. “I think that’s really cool. I couldn’t write a poem if someone offered to pay me ten thousand dollars.”
I scoffed. “Oh, you could, too. It’s not that hard.”
“Can you show me one?” he asked. “Please? I’m really curious.”
He fluttered his eyelashes a couple of times, trying his hardest to look sweet and innocent, and it made me laugh. Just what I needed, another Prince Charming.
“I don’t know.”
“Oh, come on. We’re friends, right? I’m not going to say anything mean. I promise.”
“But I haven’t even showed it to Nora,” I told him. “And she’s my very best friend.”
“Yeah, well, she’s not here, and I am. So pick one and show me. Maybe it’s your shortest one. Whatever.”
I sighed as I flipped through the pages. I stopped on the haiku I’d written the morning after Nora stayed the night. “Okay, just one. I wrote this haiku last weekend, while I was waiting for Nora to wake up. You know what a haiku is, right?”
“Yes,” he said. “Five, seven, five.”
“Right. So I’ll just read it to you. It goes, ‘Waiting for sunrise, while the rest of the world sleeps, I’m dreaming of crêpes.’”
I looked at him when I finished, my stomach tied up in knots, wondering what he’d say. I regretted giving in. I shouldn’t have done it. What if he hated it? What if he started laughing, or worse, made fun of it?
But that’s not what happened. His eyes got really big. He looked surprised. “Lindy, that’s really good. Wow.”
“Thanks, but I don’t know about that. It’s nothing special, really.”
“It is, too. Read me something else.”
I nudged his knee with mine. “No. You asked me to read something, and so I did. Now go back to Spider-Man or Superman or whoever you’re reading about.”
“It’s Batman meets Scooby-Doo,” he said, showing me the cover.
I smiled. “Hey, it is.”
“I want to hear about Enzo, though.”
“You said to pick one, and I did. Not two. Not three. Not five. One.”
“Fine,” he said with a huff. “But I really think I’d like it.”
With that, he went back to reading his comic book. And the rest of the way I kept my notebook shut and wished I’d gone back for that library book after all.
The driver dropped us off at the doors of a beautiful brick building. I looked around for a sign. When I couldn’t find one, I asked Vivian, “Where are we?”
“This is the Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital,” she said.
“A hospital?” I looked at Tyler and then back at Vivian. “What are we doing here? Please tell me you’re not going to have me operate on some poor kid. I mean, if I can’t even make a decent pizza, you really don’t want to let me near sharp instruments.”
They both smiled. “Don’t worry,” Vivian told me. “This one is probably the easiest by far. We’re going to let you try out being the handler of a therapy dog.”
I wasn’t sure I was following. “Therapy dog? What do you mean?”
Vivian explained it to me. “Tyler, along with his dad, and Odie, of course, have been through special training so that Odie can come to places like this and give people comfort, affection, and a little happiness for a while. There is something pretty magical about the unconditional love of an animal, you see.”
I instantly thought back to the day Tyler had brought Odie over to my house and I’d sat on the floor and cuddled with him. Tyler had known it was just what I’d needed.
Now I understood. Odie wasn’t just an ordinary dog. He was a dog with a job to do. Vivian kept talking. “Therapy animals must be friendly, patient, and gentle, even with strangers. Well, especially with strangers. Odie is all those things. Tyler saw a need and wanted to do something to help people.”
“There’s this kid I went to school with,” Tyler explained, “who didn’t talk very much and had behavior problems. When they let him bring his service dog to school, I thought it was so great. All of us in his class loved that dog. And when I turned thirteen last fall, I asked my parents if there was any way Odie and I could help people somehow. And now here we are.”
I stared at Odie, who sat there waiting for us to move and go inside. He was such a good dog, of course it made sense that he would do well at this sort of thing. But I couldn’t deny that a part of me felt upset, too. Maybe upset wasn’t the right word. Jealous. That’s what it was. Because how sad was it that a dog had something he loved to do, that mattered to him, and I didn’t? I tried my best to press the jealousy down as Vivian said, “Come on. Let’s go inside, and you can see for yourself.”
We stopped at the front desk, and I hung back while Vivian spoke to someone. A minute later, we were getting on the elevator and going up to the fourth floor. A young woman with chin-length brown hair and a slight limp greeted us. She shook our hands and told us her name was Char. She had a vest on that said Paws for Patients. She bent down and gave Odie a whole bunch of love and even handed him a treat she pulled out of her jeans pocket.
“I was a patient once,” she told us. “Just like these kids. And now I spend time helping to bring dogs to patients because I really believe in the healing power they can provide. Now, not every patient can have visitors. So some will just have
The hallway had super-shiny floors and it smelled like lemon mixed with the antibacterial spray Mom put on our knees when we were little and fell and scraped them. We walked to the first room, and Char opened the door. “Mario? You ready for a visitor?”
Mario slowly sat up and turned so his legs hung down the side of the bed. He had on a white T-shirt and green pajama bottoms. The smile on his little brown face was so big and wide it almost made me tear up. He looked about my brother’s age. Of course we didn’t know what was wrong with him. It wasn’t any of our business. But I couldn’t help but wonder about him. Knowing my brother had been able to go home after just a few hours at the hospital, it had to be something much worse than a broken bone.
Odie got right up next to the bed so Mario could lean down and pet him. After a minute or two of that, the boy bent down farther and put his cheek on top of Odie’s head and closed his eyes. In that moment, Mario looked like there was nothing else in the world he’d rather be doing.
And then Tyler did something that totally surprised me. He handed me the leash. It was as if he said, “Here. You’re in charge now. See how it feels.”
Except I didn’t want to see how it felt. Because I knew it would feel all kinds of wonderful, but it didn’t matter. Maybe Mom had decided dogs could stay at the B&B, but never in a million years would she let us have one of our own. She wasn’t a dog person, which meant I couldn’t be a dog person. It was like taking someone who was allergic to milk to an ice cream shop. They could watch other people enjoy the ice cream, but they could never take a bite themselves. So why go at all?
I handed the leash back to Tyler. And then I turned around and walked out of the room.
Ugly jealousy.
Please go away. Disappear.
You just make things worse.
They came out of Mario’s room a little while later. Tyler looked at me, sitting in a chair I’d found against one of the walls, and waved me over. But I threw my notebook back into my bag, tucked my legs up into my chest, and buried my face in my knees. He got the hint. Vivian followed him and Odie into another room and left me alone.