When their tears abated, they all collapsed on the couch, Maria continuing to hold her father’s hand. They were speaking in Spanish, so he couldn’t follow much of the story, but he heard more than enough to let him know that the dog’s death had made no sense at all.
Later, he sat with Maria on the back porch and she caught him up on what she’d learned, which wasn’t much. Her parents and Serena had gone to their relatives’ after brunch, and while normally they’d bring the dog, there were going to be a lot of kids there, and they’d been worried that Copo might get overwhelmed, or worse, accidentally hurt. Serena had returned to the house an hour later because she’d left her cell phone charging on the kitchen counter. When Serena saw Copo lying near the back slider – which had been left open – she assumed the dog was sleeping. But when the dog hadn’t moved by the time she was about to leave, Serena called out to her. Copo didn’t respond, so Serena went to check on her, only to realize that the dog had died. She called her parents, who drove straight home, and then Maria.
“Copo was fine before they left. She’d eaten and wasn’t acting sick. There was nothing for her to have choked on, and my dad didn’t find anything in her throat. There wasn’t any blood or vomit…” She drew a shaky breath. “It’s like she died for no reason, and my dad… I’ve never seen him cry before. He brought her everywhere; they hardly ever left her alone. You can’t understand how much he loved that little dog.”
“I can only imagine,” he said.
“Maybe,” she said. “But still… you have to understand that in the village my parents came from, dogs work or herd or spend time with you in the field, but they aren’t regarded as pets. My father never understood the American love affair with dogs. Both Serena and I begged for a dog when we were younger, but he was adamantly opposed. And then, when Serena and I left home, there was suddenly a gigantic void in his life… At some point someone suggested they get a dog, and this time, it was like a light suddenly went on for him. Copo was like his child, but more obedient and devoted.” She shook her head, quiet for a moment. “She’s not even four years old. I mean… can a dog just… die? Have you ever heard of that happening before?”
“No.”
She’d expected the answer, but it didn’t help, and her thoughts circled back to the reason she’d needed to talk to him. “Colin… About what we were talking about earlier…”
“You were right. About everything.”
She sighed. “I care about you, Colin. I love you and want nothing more than to be with you, but…”
The word but hung heavy in the air. “I’m not who you thought I was.”
“No,” she said. “You’re exactly who I thought you were, and you warned me right up front. And I thought I could handle it, but last night, I realized that I don’t think I can.”
“What does that mean?”
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I think that for right now, it might be best to slow things down a bit. Between us, I mean. With all that’s going on…” She didn’t finish. But she didn’t have to.
“What are you going to do about the guy following you?”
“I don’t know. It’s hard for me to even think straight right now.”
“That’s what he wants. He wants you worried and afraid, constantly on edge.”
She pushed her hands into her hair, kneading her temples. When she spoke, her voice was ragged. “Right now, I feel like I’m stuck in this awful dream and all I want to do is wake up… And on top of everything else, I have to support my parents. My dad wants to bury Copo tonight, and that’s only going to make him even more emotional. My mom, too. And this rain… Of all the weekends for Copo to die, why this one?”
Colin peered out at the backyard. “How about I help get things ready?”
Maria brought him a shovel from the garage, and after a little back-and-forth between Maria and Felix, Colin started digging a hole in the shade of an oak tree, rain soaking through his shirt. He remembered doing the same thing for his own dog, Penny, a long-haired miniature dachshund. The dog had slept with him in bed when he’d still been living at home, and while at school he’d missed her more than his family.
He remembered how hard it had been to dig the grave the summer after his sophomore year; it was one of the few times he could recall crying since the first year he’d been sent away. With every shovelful of dirt, he’d had a memory of Penny – running through the grass or nipping at a butterfly – and he wanted to spare Felix that.
The task also got him away from Maria. He understood her need for space right now, even if he didn’t like thinking about the reason. He knew he’d screwed up royally, and right now, she was probably trying to figure out whether Colin was worth the risk.
When Colin finished digging the pit under the tree, the family buried Copo. Again, all four of them cried and exchanged hugs. And after they went back inside, Colin began to shovel the dirt back in place, his thoughts returning to the stalker and the fact that Maria was being followed. He wondered what the stalker’s next move might be. And he decided then and there that whether Maria wanted him in her life or not, he would be there if she ever needed him.
“Are you sure?” Maria asked him, standing with him on the front porch. “I’d be happy to drive you home.” Inside, Carmen and Serena were making dinner. Felix, as far as Colin knew, was still on the back porch, sitting alone and holding Copo’s collar.