Рита Браун - Pawing Through The Past

A subdued quiet fell over the room.

"I'm perfect," Pewter warbled as the humans looked at her.

"Oh la!" Mrs. Murphy laughed.

"Girls, this is serious." The corgi frowned. "You know sooner or later the murderer will pop up and what if he pops up here?!"

"You've got a point," Mrs. Murphy, stretching fore and aft, agreed.

"Doesn't change the fact that I am perfect."

"Harry, what do you feed them?" Chris lightheartedly said, which broke the tension in the room.

The chatter again filled the room but the acrimony level died down.

Herb leaned over to Harry. "What's this letter business?"

"I'll show you." She walked back to the small table where she'd left three days' worth of mail. She returned, handing it over the counter.

He read it. "Could mean a lot of things."

"Exactly," Harry agreed.

"But it is creepy," BoomBoom intruded.

"Now it is, but we're viewing it through the lens of Charlie's death," Herb sensibly replied.

Fair put one elbow on the counter divider. "I wouldn't make too much of this unless something else happens-something, uh, dark."

Chris joined in as Marcy was tongue-tied and uncomfortable. "I agree, but reunions are such loaded situations. All those memories."

"My memories are pretty wonderful." Fair winked at Harry, who blushed.

"You were the class ahead. Our memories might be different." BoomBoom sighed.

"I thought you had a great time-a great senior year," Harry said.

"I did."

"Well, then, Boom, what are you talking about?"

Mrs. H., fearing another spat, left the Sanburnes and Marcy Wiggins to go back behind the divider. "Let me tell you about memory. It plays tricks on you. The further I get from my youth the better it looks and then some sharp memory will startle me, like stepping on a nail. It might be a fragrance or a ring around the moon at midnight, but then I remember the swirling emotions-the confusion-and you know, I'm quite glad to be old."

"You're not old," Fair gallantly said.

Jim, overhearing, agreed. "We're holding up pretty good, Miranda, and of course, my bride"-he smiled broadly-"is as beautiful as the day I married her."

As the friends and neighbors applauded, Marcy slipped outside.

"Odd." Tucker noticed as did Chris, who also walked outside.

"Marcy?" Mrs. Murphy knew her friend's mind.

"Yes . . . such a little person with such a heavy burden." The dog put her paws on the windowsill.

Jim checked his gold watch. "Meeting at town hall." He kissed Mim on the cheek. "Home for dinner."

One by one the old friends left the post office.

"When's the next shoot?" Harry asked BoomBoom as she slipped the key into her mailbox. She was beginning to regret her anger at the high-school shoot and she really regretted saying she'd outlive Charlie even though she loathed him.

"Saturday."

"Who is it?"

"Bonnie Baltier and Leo Burkey. She's driving down from Warrenton and he's coming over fromRichmond . I promised them dinner as a reward."

"Better do the shoot soon. I mean, you never know who else will die." Harry rolled the full mail cart over to the counter.

"That's ghoulish," BoomBoom indignantly replied.

"You're right." Harry sighed. "But I couldn't resist. I mean I could keel over right here. We're all so . . . fragile."

"Prophesy." Fair raised an eyebrow and Harry whitened.

"Don't say that. That's worse." BoomBoom, an emotional type, crossed herself.

"I didn't say it was a prophecy. I said prophesy."

"I'm a little jangled." Boom's beautiful face clouded over.

"Your affair with Charlie was in high school," Harry snapped. "That's too far back to be jangled."

"That is uncalled for, Harry, and you're better than that," Miranda chided.

"Don't know that I am." Harry stuck her jaw out.

"Charlie Ashcraft was a big mistake. That was obvious even in high school. But I had to make the mistake first." Boom's face was pink. "I know you think little of me, Harry Haristeen, and not without just cause. I've apologized to you before. I can't spend my life apologizing. I am not promiscuous. I do not go around seducing every man I see and furthermore when my husband died my judgment was flawed. I did a lot of things I wouldn't do today. When are you ever going to let it go?"

Harry, amazed, blurted out, "It's easy to be gracious now-I even believe you. But it wasn't your marriage that hit the rocks."

"That was my fault." Fair finally spoke up. He'd been too stunned to speak.

"Why don't you three go out back and settle this?" Miranda saw more people pulling into the parking lot. "I know this is federal property and you have a right to be here, but really, go out back."

"All right." Harry stomped out, slamming the back door behind her.

"I think we're on duty." Mrs. Murphy jumped down, then scooted across the back room.

Pewter followed. Tucker walked out the front door when Fair held the door for BoomBoom. She tagged at their heels as they walked between Market Shiflett's store and the post office to the parking area in the rear.

In the parking lot by the alleyway they stood mutely staring at one another for a moment.

"Come on, Mom, get it out. Get it over with," Mrs. Murphy advised.

"I'm being a bitch. I know it." Harry finally broke the silence.

Fair said, "Some wounds take a long time to heal. And I am sorry, truly sorry. Harry, I was scared to death that I was missing something." He paused. "But if I hadn't made such a major mistake I wouldn't have known what a fool I was. Maybe other people can learn without as much chaos, but I don't think I could have grown if I hadn't gone through that time. The sorrow of it is, I dragged you through it, too."

Harry leaned against the clapboard side of the post office, the wood warm on her back. All three animals turned their faces up to her. She looked down at them, opened her mouth, but nothing came out.

"Go on," Mrs. Murphy encouraged her.

Harry picked up the tiger cat, stroking her. "I don't guess there is another way to learn. I don't know if it's worse being the one who goes or the one who stays. Does that make sense?"

"It does, sort of," BoomBoom replied. "We're so different, Harry, that if this hadn't happened we still wouldn't be best friends. I'm driven by my emotions, and you, well, you're much more logical."

"I apologize for my rude remarks. And I accept your apology."

"Mom is growing up at last." Tucker felt quite proud of her human.

Before more could be said, Mrs. Hogendobber opened the back door. "Cynthia Cooper here to see all three of you."

They trooped back in, feeling a bit sheepish.

Cynthia noticed their demeanor and after a few pleasantries she asked them about the shoot, if they noticed anything un-usual about Charlie, if they had any specific ideas.