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Central Park glistened in its first snow. Sonny couldn’t help himself; he tore down the hill like a child as he chased his daughter. Her squeals were the sound of pure happiness, and he laughed gleefully as well. Marlene was a few yards ahead of him and darted behind a tree trunk. He could see the purple sleeve of her coat and one tiny mittened hand peeking out from behind the large maple.
“I’m gonna get you, Marley Mae!” he cried, scooping a small handful of snow and gently tossing it her way. “Daddy’s gonna get you! You better run!”
“Daddy!” she shrieked suddenly, then ran around the tree to the other side. “I’ma get YOU, Dah-dee!” He watched as she bent over and grabbed a handful of snow, then tossed it his way, before she tore off running in the direction of the park bench where Rafael sat, drinking a cup of coffee and watching. She collided into him at full speed and he moved his cup out of the way just in time.
“Papi!” she gasped, clambering onto the bench next to him. “Daddy’s trying to get me! Tell him to stop! You won’t let anyone get your sweet baby girl, will you?”
Rafael raised one eyebrow at her, suddenly remembering Sonny sitting on their bed the other night as they discussed Christmas presents. Sonny had stopped Rafael partway into his list of ideas for their princess and held up one pinky finger. “Wrapped, honey,” he had said, smirking at his husband, while Rafael’s mouth formed an objection, “she’s got you wrapped.”
Rafael now pointed to Sonny, who was ambling toward them. “Oh, I think you can tell Daddy if you’re ready to stop,” he replied, then stroked the top of her head. “Daddy will listen if you tell him to stop.”
Marlene looked at Rafael, then nodded and smiled. “No means no, wight, Papi?”
“Right, princesa.” He watched his daughter hop to her feet and approach his husband. She held out one hand.
“Stop, Daddy! And no means no!”
Sonny held both hands up. “You’re right, Marley. No means no. Ready to go get us some hot cocoa?”
“Yes!” She reached her little arms up. “Carry me?”
Sonny scooped her up in his arms as Rafael gathered up their things. These happy weekend family days weren’t frequent, but they certainly were fun.
***
“Okay guys,” Marlene handed two more books to Sonny. “I think dat’s all my books I want today.”
They had stopped in the library on the way to hot cocoa so that Marley could get some books for the week. Sonny had to admit this was one of the things that he really admired about his husband. Since she was a baby, Rafael had been taking Marlene to the library on regular occasions. The little girl had a very large book collection at home as it was, but Rafael made sure they got several library books each week as well. Rafael also read to her nightly, unless he was held up at work; in those cases, Sonny or the babysitter filled in. Rafael always concluded their night by singing her a lullabye in spanish, songs that his abuelita had sung to him. Their bedtime routine was a favorite of everyone’s in the house, and Sonny often sat on the corner of Marley’s bed listening as raptly as his daughter.
The two men approached the counter, putting all their selections together, and Rafael glanced at the titles as they were being checked out. The stack began with what looked to be a new children’s picture book named Can I Be Your Dog? . He couldn’t help but chuckle, knowing Marlene’s affinity for dogs. He noted a true crime book Sonny had added to their pile and rolled his eyes. Sonny’s favorites predictably ran along the lines of either true crime or cooking, much as his choices in television did. Rafael was about to make a colorful comment on Sonny’s book choices when he noticed the rest of Marley’s stack. It included four Clifford books, one called If You Give A Dog A Donut, and 101 Ways to Take Care of Your Dog. Rafael frowned and turned to Sonny. “I’m sensing a theme here,” he said slyly, tapping the top of the stack, “and I DON’T like it.”
“Come on, babe,” Sonny cajoled, gently bumping his shoulder. “What do you want to do, kill her interest in being sweet to animals? We both know she loves dogs---”
“She’s wearing us down,” Rafael said, narrowing his eyes at the preschooler who was freely spinning in the library foyer as she sang “BINGO”. “She’s trying to singlehandedly expand this family.”
Sonny tsked at him, grinning. “Heaven forbid. I don’t know why you’re so opposed to us having a dog anyway. All kids should grow up with a pet to love. It teaches responsibility, caring, kindness…”
“I never had a pet and I turned out just fine,” Rafael returned petulantly as Sonny picked up their selections. “She’s three years old, Sonny,” Rafael continued, trying to sound reasonable. “Exactly how much responsibility can a three-year old take with a dog? This is along the same lines as feeding her spaghetti sauce when she was a toddler, isn’t it? About how all toddlers should have a chance to play with their food? How natural and good and fun it would be for her? Meanwhile we still have those splotches of spaghetti sauce along the top of the cabinets, over where her high chair used to sit!”
“I’m getting to them,” Sonny huffed defensively. “I told you I’d get them cleaned up eventually.”
Rafael snorted. “It’s been two years. I can only imagine what a dog could leave for us in that amount of time.”
Marley ran up to them. “Look!” she exclaimed, pointing outside of the library door. “Look at that big dog, Daddy! Can we see if we can pet it?”
Sonny pasted a large smile on his face and turned toward Rafael. “Of course, honey. Let’s go pet the sweet dog. I know how very much you love them!” He followed Marlene out of the library, approaching the dog and its owner outside.
“Suck up,” Rafael muttered, then followed his family outdoors, pulling his scarf closer against the wind.
***
“But why, Papi? We need a doggy, just like Arfy!”
Marlene was curled up in Rafael’s lap, fresh out of the bath and in her pajamas. She smelled like cherries from her fruity shampoo and mint from her toothpaste. Her dark curls, recently combed, hung damp around her tiny head and she was staring at him with those large green eyes. He hated it when she did that because the longer she stared, the more he felt his heart turning into putty. And God help him if Sonny saw. He’d never live it down.
She had chosen to read Can I Be Your Dog? , and if Rafael hadn’t known better, he would have thought she had carefully planned her approach. The book had been about a dog in desperate need of a home, and she had made certain to comment on every page. “Oh Papi, dat’s just so sad, isn’t it?” followed by, “Aw, he’s such a cute little doggy, don’t you think so?” and working up to, “We weally, WEALLY need a doggy, don’t we, Papi?”
Rafael had raised one eyebrow at her before sighing heavily and shaking his head no.
But now she’d asked why and pulled the big doe-eyed thing and he felt his resolve going to shit. She was playing with the hem of his henley as she sat in his lap, biting on her lip and waiting for him to expand upon his answer. He knew what she was up to. Looking for a hole in his logic, for sure.
“Sweetheart, dogs take a lot of time,” he tried to explain. “They have to be fed and walked and played with--”
“I can feed it! And I can walk it too!”
He shook his head. “Baby, you’re too little. You can’t walk by yourself in the city. Plus dogs have to be trained how to act. They get messy and have to have baths--”
She tapped her little chin and said, “I take a baf. The doggy could take a baf with me.”
Rafael tried to control his inner shudder at the thought. “Honey, we just don’t have time. Daddy and I spend all of our time at work and with you, and we love it like that. But we don’t have time to take care of a dog on top of it. I’m sorry.”
Marlene crossed her arms and frowned at him, and he tried not to feel like the biggest asshole on the planet.
“Papi,” she said firmly, “Some doggies need homes just wike I did. You and Daddy picked me as your wittle girl and you give me wots of wove. Somewhere there’s a wittle doggy who needs our wove. We need to find it.” Putting a little hand on each of his shoulders, she looked into his eyes and said, “I know you can do this, Papi. I know it.”
Later, Rafael would insist she had placed him under hypnosis, but all he knew in that moment was that he felt his head nod and heard his voice say, “Okay, princesa. We’ll think about it.”
And thus, the search for the next member of the Barba-Carisi family began.
***
“So what do you think?” Amanda asked, as she and Sonny roamed through the last of the kennels at the ASPCA.
“I just don’t know,” he admitted, shaking his head. “Before we started actually looking, I thought it’d be easy...we’d just bring her in here and let her pick whichever dog she wanted. But now that I’ve done a little research…”
“I know,” Amanda nodded, following him out of the kennel area. “There’s a lot more to consider.”
“Well, yeah.” He held the door for her as they exited the facility. “Which ones are good with kids, which ones will work best in a small city apartment...I have no idea if any of the dogs in here have hurt a kid. Hell, I could bring a dog home that could really harm my daughter, Amanda. I couldn’t live with myself if I did that.”
Amanda snorted. “You’re a little melodramatic. I know you read the summaries on the cages. And they have behavioral specialists who evaluate and work with the dogs.”
Sonny shook his head. “Yeah, because people giving up their dogs are going to be honest about why. You know how often the average New Yorker lies?”
“So I guess you’re not thinking this is a good fit. Does this mean you and Rafael are going to look for a breeder, God forbid?”
“At least then I have an idea of where they’ve been and what to expect.” He climbed into the passenger seat of the car as Amanda turned it on.
“You cannot possibly get a dog from a breeder. How are you going to be sure it’s not a horrible breeding situation? You could end up with a sick dog who’s never walked on grass and has parvo and dies three days after you bring it home. THEN how are you going to feel?”
He shook his head. “Rita Calhoun has a friend who breeds some small breed, I think malteses or something, out on Long Island. She says the lady’s a nut for her dog and has only bred her a few times. The puppies are supposed to be great, like purebreds or something. AKC and all that.”
“AKC, huh?” Amanda laughed. “Frannie’s about as far from AKC as you can get, and she’s perfect. She’s a BFD.”
“BFD?” he asked. “What’s that?”
“Best Fucking Dog. No certificate required for that one.”
********
“So Rita tells me you gentlemen are looking for a dog for your little girl?” Rita’s friend Penny handed a teacup to Sonny, then to Rafael, who smiled politely before taking a sip gratefully. It was freezing outside with a cold, steady rain, and he was finding it hard to believe that he had actually driven this far to sit in what could only be called a parlor, to drink tea with a woman twice his age, all in an effort to get his daughter a dog.
“Yes,” Sonny answered, smiling. “Marlene is three and is fascinated by dogs. We think it’s time to consider one.”
“That’s wonderful.” Penny’s mouth pulled into a large smile of brightly white teeth. She reached across the table and patted his hand. Sonny watched the large baubled rings on her fingers. “She’ll just love one of my little sweethearts. They’re all purebred and registered, ready to show. Would you like to see my princess Mamie? She’s the mother and is due in thirteen days. She’s just a love. The father, Duke, is here as well, so you can see them both. Fine looking, beautiful examples of the maltese breed.”
“That would be great,” Sonny nodded, smiling at the woman as he felt Rafael kicking the back of his heel with the toe of his shoe.
“Yes, we would love that.” Rafael smiled back, and Sonny recognized that look. He’d know Rafael’s BS face anywhere.
“TINA!” Penny bellowed, then took a sip of her tea. A small woman with dark hair, dressed in a maid’s uniform, appeared in the doorway. “These gentlemen would like to see Mamie and Duke. Would you please bring them in?”
The small woman nodded. “Of course, Miss Penny.”
Sonny could feel Rafael making side eyes at him. He kept his own eyes on Penny to keep from laughing.
A moment later, Tina appeared, pushing a baby carriage. A small long-haired white dog walked next to her, stopping and jumping onto the couch next to Penny. “Hello, Duke!” the woman greeted warmly, petting him on the head and leaning forward with her lips pursed. The dog leaned up and licked her on the lips once before relaxing next to her. “And my Mamie!” Penny exclaimed, holding her arms up before standing and reaching into the carriage. “There’s my princess! Just look at you! A picture of motherhood!” Penny scooped Mamie up out of the carriage and cuddled her in her arms. “Don’t worry, darling...these fine gentlemen are considering becoming daddies to one of your sweet pups! Gentlemen, this is Mamie.”
Feeling the occasion somehow called for it, Rafael rose to his feet. “Hello, Mamie,” he responded, but didn’t reach toward the dog. Instead, he nodded toward her owner. “She is indeed a fine, beautiful maltese.”
“Yes, she is,” Sonny added, standing next to Rafael. “Could you tell me a little about her temperament?”
Penny sat back down on the couch with Mamie in her arms. “Well, you can see she’s a very sweet girl. You did say you have a daughter, correct?”
Sonny looked confusedly at Rafael, who seemed just as puzzled, then back to Penny. “Yes...does that matter?”
“Well, it may,” Penny said as she stroked Mamie’s hair. “Mamie’s favorite things are being brushed and dressed, and riding in her carriage. I’ve found girls tend to enjoy the same things as my Mamie.” Pursing her lips again, this time she approached Mamie, who gave a cursory lick across Penny’s mouth.
“Good girl,” Penny gushed. “So, gentlemen, would you like me to let you know when she delivers?”
*******
Marlene was at the top of the climber, Rafael standing nearby, as she yelled, “I’m QUEEN of da WORLD! I’m the QUEEN, peoples!”
He couldn’t help but chuckle to himself. He’d been so horrified at the use of royal titles in their visit with Penny that he’d even limited using princesa with his little girl. Sonny had just shaken his head. “Don’t let senility steal a beautiful nickname between the two of you,” he advised. “Marlene loves being your princesa, and trust me, she’s way better at it than Mamie.”
He watched as the little girl ran across the bridge and slid down the slide, almost colliding with a small dog scampering through the snow. “WHOA!” she cried, landing on her butt on the ground, barely missing the animal. “Are you otay, wittle doggy?”
Rafael was just about to call out, “Don’t pet that dog!” when he almost collided with a large man running through the snow, calling loudly, “PRU! JURIS PRUDENCE!” The man quickly made his way around the slide, just as Marlene began to pet the dog’s head. She looked up confusedly at the large form looming over her, and Rafael watched as the man reattached the leash to his dog.
“Sorry about that, honey,” the man gasped, trying to catch his breath.
“S’okay,” Marley replied. “I was just gonna pet his head if it’s okay. I wike dogs a WOT.”
The man chuckled. “Sure, just gently on the head. She loves to be petted.” Marlene carefully stroked the top of the dog’s head. Her large eyes watched the little girl carefully and her tongue wobbled out of the side of her mouth. Marlene looked up at grinned at Rafael. “Look, Papi! I’m pettin’ the good dog! She’s a good girl like me!”
Rafael smiled and moved around the man to extend his hand. “She does love dogs---”
The man’s face broke into a large grin. “Mr. Barba!” he exclaimed warmly. Nodding toward Marlene, he added, “I thought she looked familiar.”
Barba shook his head and laughed. “Mr. Buchanon. I wasn’t aware you had a dog.”
Marlene rubbed the dog’s ears, and the dog leaned over and licked her cheek.
Buchanon shook his head. “She’s actually my daughter’s...Kelsey found her at the beginning of her semester break last month but hasn’t been able to find her owner. She’s got to head back to Yale in another week but she can’t take the dog with her. You wouldn’t know anyone looking to adopt a dog, would you?”
“Wook Papi!” Marlene cried. She rolled over in the snow, and the dog rolled over next to her.
“Friends already,” Buchanon laughed, then turned to Rafael. “You’re hesitating.”
Rafael shook his head. “We have been considering it, but we’re just concerned about not knowing the dog’s history.”
Buchanon nodded his head. “I can understand that. When Kelsey found her, she took her to the vet and had her checked out. She’s up to date on her shots, and is healthy. The vet said she was a little malnourished but otherwise, he couldn’t find any signs of abuse. Thinks the little girl’s about a year old.” He leaned a little closer. “You definitely need to think about your daughter’s safety, but all I can do is tell you what I’ve seen since we’ve had her. She’s a sweet, friendly girl. I’ve had dogs my whole life, but this one is definitely made for kids. She’s snuggly and content and happy as can be. If my wife and I didn’t travel as much as we do, I’d consider keeping her.” He smiled and shook his head sadly. “It just wouldn’t be fair to her though.”
Rafael watched as Marley rubbed her forehead against the dog’s. “Be gentle, Marlene,” he called, then turned to Buchanon. “You really think it’d be a good match?”
John chuckled, then nodded his head. “Look at ‘em, Rafael. That’s two happy souls right there.”
They watched for a few more moments as dog and child played together before Buchanon finally said, “Tell you what. Why don’t you take her for a couple weeks and try her out. If you and Sonny think it isn’t working out, you just bring her back and I’ll find her another home. But if it works, she’s yours.”
Marlene ran up to Rafael and wrapped her arms around his legs. “Papi,” she gasped, out of breath, “I think she wikes me. Wook. She wants to come home wif us!” Sure enough, the dog had followed them.
“Okay,” Rafael agreed, nodding at Buchanon and shaking his hand. “Thanks, John. By the way, does she have a name?”
“Pru,” he replied casually as he petted the dog’s head. “Her name is Juris Prudence, but that got to be a hassle, so now we just call her Pru.” Looking back at Rafael’s stunned expression, he laughed. “See Barba? If you didn’t know she was meant for you before, you sure know it now.”
******************
“I like pugs,” Sonny commented casually, as they sat snuggled together on the couch with Pru.
Buchanon had brought her by a couple hours after their visit at the park with all of her things, and Rafael had been shocked to know just how much stuff a dog could acquire. He had expected the bowls and the leashes. The toys, beds, and clothing were a bit of a surprise, along with the shampoo, cologne, and brush. “That jacket is obviously optional,” John told him, motioning toward what Rafael assumed would be considered a stylish suede number. “Kelsey got a little carried away.”
Marlene and Pru had run through the house until Rafael stopped it; then they had spun in circles until Sonny stopped it. Finally everyone had dinner, Marley had a bath, and Rafael read the whole family their bedtime story. Now, Sonny and Rafael were curled together on the couch as usual, a throw blanket over their legs, as Pru snuggled into Sonny’s lap.
“I know nothing about pugs,” Rafael said, reaching down to pet the dog. “All I know is her last owner had hideous taste in dog names.”
“I like it. Juris Prudence--the theoretical study of law--her name is a sign she belongs with us. And Marley can say ‘Pru’-”
Rafael scrunched his nose. “More like ‘Pwu’.”
“Whatever. She’s perfect. Marley’s perfect. You--” Sonny leaned over and pecked a light kiss on Rafael’s forehead--”are perfect.”
“Wow,” Rafael said softly, “you must feel pretty left out.”
Sonny tickled Rafael’s ribs, and Rafael jumped, laughing. “Okay! Okay! You’re perfect too!”
“Thought so,” Sonny replied, petting Pru’s head again as Rafael covered his feet with the throw.