Two years ago, when we just moved into town, my daughter Amy came to ask me whether she could keep a pet puppy, because she needed to write a science report on that topic. 41 After several trips to pet shops, we finally decided on a Dalmatian and named him Derek.
The first two months were encouraging. 42 When I cooked dinner, he would take a walk with our daughter; a few times, Derek miraculously found his way home when Amy got lost. To reward him, we allowed him to eat at the table or to sleep with us.
But problems soon began after the science report. Many times, the spoiled puppy ruined our meals. And I started to feel irritated when Derek licked my cheek at dawn. 43 Finally, I thought it was time to get rid of the animal.
I remember it was a Friday afternoon. I drove around for 10 minutes and left Derek in a park. 44 The next day, with the help of a map, I left the doggie 30 minutes away, but Derek beat me home again. So, on Sunday, I took him on a long drive, arbitrarily turning left and right and making U-turns. I did everything I could to throw off his sense of direction.
45 She said, “Yes. Derek is having dinner with me. Where are you?” “I was about to ask myself the same question,” I replied. “Put Derek on the phone. I need directions home.”
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