Read Online Spirit Level by Sarah N. Harvey - Free Book Online Page B

give his belly a good rub, wishing for the thousandth time that Mom would let me have a dog.
    I straighten, and Churchill leaps to his feet and starts pulling Alex down the street.
    “Not so fast, big guy,” Alex says. “He’s got a lot of energy. Doesn’t know how to heel. I’m working on that, but it’s slow. He used to live on a big fenced property. Never got leash trained.”
    “Why is he at the shelter?” I ask.
    “His owner died, I think. The heirs sold the property and brought Churchill here. He’s a great dog, but he goes off like a rocket if he sees a cat or a squirrel. Nearly yanked my arm out of its socket once. But he’s kind of getting the hang of the leash. And he’s getting better with basic commands.”
    I walk beside Alex, with Churchill yawing back and forth in front of us. Occasionally the leash gets tangled in our legs, and once I have to grab Alex to keep from falling over. Does he hold on to me a bit longer than necessary? I think so, but I can’t be sure. I start to hope that Churchill will trip me again. When we arrive at the park, which is an off-leash area, Alex unclips Churchill from the leash. He takes off toward some other dogs, and Alex says, “Meredith told me you don’t want to meet your dad.”
    Wow, this guy really cuts to the chase. Maybe I’m reading this all wrong. Maybe he’s Meredith’s emissary, and he’s not interested in me at all.
    “He’s not my dad. He’s my donor.” I’m still not ready to tell anybody I might have changed my mind.
    “Yeah, I get that.”
    “So why doesn’t she?”
    He shrugs. “Maybe she just needs someone to share the experience with. Someone who understands.”
    “But I don’t understand. Really, I don’t. I didn’t grow up longing for a dad.”
    “Well, she did.”
    So now I’m supposed to feel guilty that I have a great mom?
    “What was her mom like?” I ask.
    “Hard to say. I mean, I’d go to Meredith’s house and her mom would be all Have some milk and cookies , but in private? You never really know, do you? Maybe it was a totally different story. But her folks were really good to me, especially her dad.”
    I think of the girls in Mom’s study—all the reasons they run away and end up homeless. Maybe I should try to be a bit more compassionate toward Meredith. A bit kinder.
    We stand in silence and watch Churchill race around the park.
    Finally Alex says, “I’m sorry I brought it up. I didn’t ask you here to get you to change your mind.”
    “No? Then why did you ask me?” There’s something about Alex that invites openness. Unlike Meredith, he seems incapable of deviousness. I turn to look at him and see that he is blushing, which is incredibly sweet.
    “Because I like you,” he says.
    “You’ve only met me once,” I say, although why I want to argue with him is beyond me.
    “And I liked you. Is that so hard to believe?” The blush is receding, and he is grinning at me. “Don’t tell me you’re one of those girls with tragically low self-esteem.”
    I laugh. “Not tragically low. Just average.” Like the rest of me, I think.
    “Well, you passed the belly-rub test. I can’t be with a girl who won’t rub a dog’s belly.”
    “Well, yeah,” I say. “Belly rubbing is the key to a good relationship.” I put my fingers in my mouth and let loose a piercing whistle. All the dogs in the park stop running and look at me. “Churchill, come!” I yell, and he races toward us. Alex hands me a dog treat, and I get Churchill to sit and shake a paw before I give it to him. Then he puts his paws on my shoulders and licks my face before he runs off again.
    “Looks like Churchill’s got a new best friend,” Alex says. “I feel so betrayed. And jealous. I always wanted to be able to whistle like that.”
    “My mom taught me. Her whistle is epic. Almost painful. Better than any rape whistle, she claims. I could teach you. You just have to know where to put your lips and fingers and tongue.”
    The