Savannah by the Sea

Chapter One ; T he racket coming from behind the black painted wooden doors declared mayhem had stopped by. But me and mayhem had become friends years ago. Why not? I had two options: become permanently addicted to a drug of choice, or just open the door for mayhem when he arrived and pat him on the back as he left. I chose the latter. Well, okay. The former and the latter. Why make choices? While mayhem was around, I'd sit on the front steps, drink a Coca-Cola, and hope he didn't hang around too long. And truth be told, mayhem always provided me with a great story by the time he left. The only unfortunate part was, my mother usually found a way to insert me inside his story. ; ;I opened the large door and peered inside cautiously. "What's that yapping?" ;Dad was standing by the wrought-iron console, laying down his morning paper. "It's your mother's new friend," Dad informed me while Duke, our golden retriever, sat whimpering at his feet. ;My eyes narrowed in on the recently purchased creature as it rounded the corner of the foyer at full throttle and came to a halt on the Persian rug, way too close to my feet. It looked like a white rat but barked up at me like a Rottweiler seeking lunch. "How in the world did you let that happen?" ;Dad talked as he headed to the kitchen. We all followed. "You moved out. She moved in. Plus, your mother's a grown woman, and this is her house as well as mine. I wasn't going to tell her she couldn't have a dog." ;"That's not a dog, that's a . . . a . . . a . . ." I lifted my heels so it couldn't take a bite out of my ankle. Duke barked his own thoughts. "Yeah, like Duke said, that's a"--I cocked my head--"well, it looks more like a disheveled bag of packing peanuts." I hopped on top of a stool. ;The white ball of fur looked up at me, a pristine pink ribbon holding back its scraggly puppy bangs. Its toenails matched the color of its ribbon. If I hadn't known better, I would have sworn Amber Topaz Childers, the recent first runner-up (again) to Miss Georgia United States of America, had just been reincarnated as a Maltese dog. Duke leaned against me while the little white mongrel yapped at me like a broken car alarm. ;I plugged my ears. "How long will she do that?" I hollered. ;"Until Duke helps her realize he's the alpha male." Dad eyed him curiously. "At the rate he's going, it could take a while." ;I laid my hand atop Duke's sinfully beautiful honey-blond mane. "Buck up!" ;He hacked in my direction. ;"Ooh, hairball." ;The hacking noise, however, stopped the little white yapper. Her head cocked. ;" Hack !" Duke offered again in her direction with a slight glint in his eye. ;Her tail tucked between her legs, and she started backing into the foyer. ;Duke let one paw extend beyond the others in her direction. " Hack !" ;"Did you know he's a genius?" I offered my father. ;He raised his eyebrow with the upturn of his lips. "I knew he'd realize his power eventually. So, sure you don't want to come with us?" ;The heels clicking on the foyer hall reinforced my original decision. "Jake!" my mother hollered. ;"I'm certain," I said ;Mother rounded the corner in full vacation regalia, her linen dress flowing behind her as her hand patted down her pearls. "What's my boo-boo-baby-sweetie-pea-pickin' little pooh bear up to?" ;"Mother, please, I'm way too old to be talked to in--" ;"Savannah darling, I didn't hear you cHildreth, Denise is the author of 'Savannah by the Sea', published 2006 under ISBN 9781595541604 and ISBN 1595541608.