Read Online Selby's Stardom by Duncan Ball - Free Book Online

that?’
    â€˜One who couldn’t stand a grumpy old man complaining all the time, I suspect,’ Mrs Trifle said. ‘I believe he’s quite impossible to live with.’
    â€˜Pets are good for old people,’ Dr Trifle said. ‘They’re good company. You can talk to them and they don’t talk back. Just looking after a pet can give people the bit of exercise they need.’
    â€˜The Council tried to get a dog from the RSPCA but Digger Dave refused. He had a dog that he adored but it died. Now he says he doesn’t want another dog because it would outlive him and then no one would want to take an old dog.’ Mrs Trifle thought for a moment, then said, ‘But what if we were to lendhim one for a while? I think I could talk him into that.’
    â€˜You don’t mean …?’ Dr Trifle said, looking over at Selby.
    â€˜Oh, yes, I do,’ Mrs Trifle said, looking at Selby too.
    â€˜Oh, no, you don’t!’ Selby thought as he looked back at the Trifles. ‘I’m not going to live with old grumpy-guts for even a second!’
    â€˜Hello Dave, how are you?’ Mrs Trifle said brightly. She’d decided to visit and see how Dave got on with Selby.
    â€˜What would you care?’ Digger Dave said, squinting through filthy glasses. ‘And don’t even try to give me that flea-bitten dog.’
    â€˜Give him to you?’ Mrs Trifle said, patting Selby. ‘I just wondered if you could look after him for a few days.’
    â€˜Look after him yourself. Now buzz off.’
    Mrs Trifle ignored Digger Dave’s rudeness and said, ‘Dr Trifle and I are going away for a week and we can’t take him with us.’ It wasn’t the truth but it was the only way Mrs Trifle could think of to get Dave to say yes.
    â€˜Say no, Digger,’ Selby thought. ‘Please say no.’
    â€˜No!’ said Digger Dave. ‘Get that ugly dog out of here!’
    â€˜Phew!’ Selby thought. ‘Thank goodness for that.’
    â€˜Then I guess we’ll have to have him put down,’ Mrs Trifle lied again. ‘There’s no one to care for him.’
    â€˜Oh, that’s charming!’ Selby thought.
    Digger Dave gave Mrs Trifle a fierce look.
    â€˜You would kill that mutt because you can’t get anyone to feed him for a week?’
    â€˜It would be the kindest thing for him,’ Mrs Trifle sniffed. She hated lying but she was so concerned about Digger Dave that she felt she had no choice. ‘Better that than having him starve to death.’
    â€˜You horrid woman! Give me that dog!’ Dave exploded, grabbing Selby’s leash and pulling him into the house. ‘Now get out of here and never come back!’
    Slam!
    â€˜Great!’ Selby thought. ‘Now what? Eew! This place stinks. I’ll be out of here and back to the Trifles before old sourpuss can think to blink.’
    â€˜Hey, dog, what’s your name?’ Dave said, looking at the tag on Selby’s collar. ‘Selby. Stupid name for a stupid dog. Now my dog Shishkebab, there was a dog. Good old Shish.’
    Selby watched as the old man locked the front door and put the key in his pocket.
    â€˜Shishkebab,’ Selby thought. ‘Talk about a silly name.’
    â€˜Sit down, Selby. I’ll make you some grub. Ain’t got no dog food though. Guess you’ll have to eat what I eat.’
    â€˜Well, that’s one good thing,’ Selby thought. ‘At least I’ll get to eat some people food. Then, after lunch, I’m outta here.’
    Selby looked around the house.
    â€˜How can anyone live in a place like this. It’s filthy. And what a pong!’
    Digger Dave opened a can of beans and poured them into a blackened saucepan. He tried to light the flame on the gas stove a couple of times but it wouldn’t light. His hands were shaking too much to keep a match alight.
    â€˜Heating things up is a waste of