“Seems like the right thing to do. It’s just a celebration. It won’t make us any more mated than we already are, and with Emmalyn and everything, I couldn’t see not postponing for a little while.”
“Makes sense. I know she really wanted to be a big part of it and she’s definitely not ready for that yet.”
“Exactly!” Analise said.
Hellen sipped her coffee while watching Analise typing out emails, then crossing names off her list for the next half hour.
When Analise was done, she smiled and sat back in her chair, picking up her own coffee that had gone cold by then. She grimaced a little, but continued to drink it anyway. “So, you headed home? You going to be around for a few days?”
Hellen kind of hemmed and hawed, not really committing to one thing or another. Finally she looked Analise in the eye. “I think I’m going to stop by and visit my mom and dad for a little while, then maybe tomorrow or the next day, heading back to see how my gator is.”
“Gator?! You’re trying to save an alligator?!”
“Well, yeah. Why not. He’s not that much different from Gerald,” Hellen said, gesturing in the general direction of Harley still playing on the side porch. “Doesn’t anything have the right to live as long as it’s not hurting anything else?”
“Aren’t gators just cold blooded, prehistoric eating machines?” Analise asked.
“Some, maybe. But Analise, they’re all wild creatures. They’re just trying to survive.”
“Please don’t try to pet the damn thing! It could eat you!”
“At this point, I think it’s more afraid of me, than me of it. It’s weak, and struggling to heal.”
“Just be careful. Please.”
Hellen nodded, looking into her cup as she swirled the remaining coffee around inside it. “I’m being more careful than you’d think,” she practically whispered.
The door flew open and slammed against the wall behind it, as Harley entered the house.
“Harley, I told you to be careful with that door,” Analise said.
“Sorry, Mom. I got to pee!” she called out as she leaned over to put Gerald on the floor while at the same time running toward the bathroom.
Gerald turned his head toward Analise and Hellen, his nostrils flaring, then turned back in the direction Harley had gone and started quickly scurrying after her.
“It follows her like a puppy?” Hellen asked.
“Yeah. He’s actually a very affectionate little lizard.”
“He’s not a little lizard. He’s gotta weigh five pounds. He’s a fat, orange iguana. But he’s very beautiful.”
“I think he’s just glad that he’s not being picked on by the other iguanas he was with before. And Harley adores him, so he’s always got attention and more food than he cares to eat.”
“What happened to the puppy?”
“Well, Havoc got a hunting dog, who loves to hunt. So, he doesn’t want to be spending every waking moment keeping company with a little girl that wants him to wear little doggie clothes and lie patiently while she paints his toenails. He’s kind of adopted Kiernan’s family. Kiernan and Shawn go hunting a lot, so he loves accompanying them.”
“You need to get her another kind of puppy.”
“It’s got to be one that won’t eat Gerald, he’s a good lizard,” Analise said.
Hellen started laughing, then sighed tiredly. “The things I never thought I’d hear spoken as sentences.”
“Ain’t that the truth,” Analise said, giggling as she sipped her cold coffee. She eyed Hellen. “You look really tired.”
“I am.”
“Go get some rest.”
