Hamilton "Go get it, boy!" Bobby threw the stick as far as he could. Cruiser bolted into a run toward the flying oak branch. The piece of tree was arching gracefully through the air, and Cruiser was watching it fly as he loped toward the line of trees the bordered the field in which he and Bobby were playing. Suddenly, the stick hit a low-hanging branch, but Cruiser couldn't stop in time, and he passed the stick, which fell behind him. He finally stopped, turned and grabbed the stick and bounded back toward Bobby, tail wagging. "Good boy, Cruiser." The field was about a mile from Bobby's house. He and Cruiser would go there every day and play. Cruiser was a yellow lab, and Bobby was 11 years old. He lived in a rural section of North Carolina, far from any big city. Afternoons were spent running through fields and chasing rabbits with Cruiser. That particular day started like any other day for Bobby and Cruiser. Bobby's mother awoke him at 6:30 a.m. so he could get ready for school. Cruiser, who slept at the foot of Bobby's bed, watched Bobby as he got dressed. The dog followed Bobby all around the house, watching the boy as he brushed his teeth and hair in the bathroom. Bobby tousled the dog's hair every time he passed him in the hallway, and smile at Cruiser. The dog was on his heels as he walked downstairs to have breakfast. "Will you call the gas company today?" Bobby heard his mother ask his father. "I swear I still smell gas." "I don't smell anything," his father said. "But I'll call 'em." "Hi guys," Bobby said. "Hey Bobby, how's it going?" his father said over the newspaper. The man reached down and patted Cruiser on the head, and the dog licked his hand. "Good, but I'm starved," Bobby answered. "Well, eat up, son," said his mother, pushing a plate of eggs, bacon and toast in front of him. Bobby tore into the food, spooning large fork-fulls of eggs into his mouth and taking huge bites of toast. He washed the food down with a large glass of milk and small glass of orange juice. "That boy eats more than I did when I was a kid," his father said to his wife after Bobby left the room. "Yeah, he eats as much as you do now," she said. "What? No way. I don't eat that much." She smiled at his sly grin and the two laughed. Bobby walked back in the room, bookbag hanging on one shoulder. "What are you guys laughing at?" "Nothing," his father said. "Just about how much you eat." "Well, I'm a growing boy," Bobby said hugging his mother. He walked over to his father and lightly punched him on the shoulder. "I'll see ya," Bobby said. Cruiser was waiting for Bobby at the front door. He leaned down and kissed the dog's head before he ran outside to wait for the bus. Cruiser followed him to the bus stop about a half-mile down the road. Bobby saw Cameron, his next-door neighbor and waved. Cameron waved back. Cameron didn't like Cruiser, mostly because Cruiser always would jump up on Cameron's leg and try to lick him. Cameron was very particular about his clothes, and he didn't like dog slobber on his shirt when he got to school. Sometimes, Cameron would have to wash up in the school bathroom to make sure there weren't spots of slobber or dog hair on him. "What's up, Cam?" "Nothing much, Bob." Cruiser jumped on Cameron's leg, resting his paws on Cameron's stomach, waiting for a pat on the head. Cameron knew if he patted him a couple of times, he would get down. With Cruiser down, Cameron felt more comfortable. They waited about five minutes before the bus came, talking about what they did the night before. Bobby talked about his jaunt down to the pond and how he and Cruiser chased rabbits and few birds. Cameron told Bobby about a new Web site he had found on the Internet about stars and planets. The two were so different, but they still were good friends. Bobby sometimes would go over to Cameron's, and Cameron would show him how to look up things on the Internet. And Cameron would sometimes go with Bobby and Cruiser to the pond. Bobby would show Cameron how to spit and make his own fishing pole out of a tree limb and string. School was fairly uneventful that day. Bobby got a math test back from the previous week. He'd made a C, one of his better grades in math. Cameron scored a 105, earning extra credit for knowing the square root of some such number or something like that. When the day finally ended, Bobby could hardly wait to get home. It's not that he hated school, but his time with Cruiser was the best. He saw Cruiser, waiting for him at the bus stop. Cameron declined Bobby's invitation to go to the field down the road so Cruiser and Bobby could play a game of fetch. So, Bobby and Cruiser made their way to the field. About two hours passed before Bobby decided to make his way back home. He and Cruiser were walking down the road, Bobby kicking rocks as he went and Cruiser running ahead then waiting for Bobby to catch up. As they turned the last curve before they got to Bobby's house, he noticed a white van parked at the end of their dirt driveway. Something Power. Bobby didn't pay much attention to it. "I guess Dad did call the gas company," Bobby thought to himself, kicking one more rock down the road. Bobby turned to look at Cruiser who had stopped to pee on a fence post, and then he heard it. A loud boom. He turned to see his entire house in flames. He was frozen, but Cruiser took off running toward the burning building. Bobby watched his dog leap over the fence and run. Bobby snapped out of his shock and ran toward the gate. He opened it, and ran toward the house. "Oh no. Oh no." Bobby was crying by the time he got close enough to feel the heat. He stopped, looking at the side of the house to see if his parents' cars were there. "No," he screamed. Then, he saw Cruiser run up to the front porch, leaping through the dancing flames. "Cruiser. No." The dog jumped through the open doorway, yelping as he hit the wall of flames. They had the funeral a week later. Bobby's aunt, who lived in the city, came to get him that night, and they stayed in a motel for a week, waiting for the day. There were three caskets. Bobby insisted that Cruiser be buried next to his parents, and the cemetery finally agreed after Bobby's aunt paid double for a plot next to the ones that already had been purchased by Bobby's parents years ago. Cameron was there, as were most of Bobby's classmates. Friends and neighbors came. It was a little chilly, and it started to drizzle as the last coffin was lowered into the ground. Bobby hadn't cried much that week. He already figured what had happened, but the county fire marshal told both he and Peg together that a leaky gas line ignited while the gas company worker was trying to fix the leak. He could have hit a wrench on a pipe, or any number of things. Bobby was trying to be strong, knowing that he was the only one left to take care of things. He was old enough to know that someone had to take care of the insurance for the house, plus the life insurance policies. He'd heard his parents talking about these matters about a year ago when his Dad's great-aunt died and left them a fairly large inheritance. Bobby's Dad was the woman's beneficiary, and Bobby remembered his father's explanation when Bobby asked what "beneficiary" meant. The second day that he and Aunt Peg had stayed in the motel, he asked about the insurance, telling her that he needed to "take care of a few things." Peg smiled and hugged the boy. "Maybe I can help you settle up everything," Peg said. "It's hard to lose your parents, plus remember everything that you have to do to settle their estate." "I know, but there's no one else." "Why don't you just worry about the funeral, and I'll handle the money part." "OK." Bobby was silent for a few minutes, then, "Aunt Peg?" "Yes, Sweetie." "Can I have any kind of funeral I want?" "Of course. What do have in mind?" "I want Cruiser buried with my Mom and Dad." It took some convincing, but the cemetery finally agreed. It was more about the money than anything. After the funeral, Peg and Bobby returned to the motel. Peg had been to the lawyer's office the previous day and started the process to settle her late brother's estate. The next question was what Bobby was going to do without his parents. Peg knew that he would have to go with her. Bobby's mother was an only child, and her parents died years ago. Peg was the only living relative who could care for the boy, but she hadn't brought up the subject yet. Bobby somehow sensed her thoughts back at the room and asked, "What's going to happen to me?" "Well, Bobby, you could come and live with me. I know it's not the same, but I do have an extra bedroom in my condo." "I don't really have a choice, do I?" "It'll be OK, Bobby. I'll try to do my best to give you some privacy and let you have your freedom, like you did here." "Aunt Peg. I don't think I want much privacy now. I don't want to be alone. I know that might sound girly. But I'm scared." Peg walked over to the boy, who was sitting on the edge of the bed. She wrapped her arms around him and nuzzled his head into her stomach. He began to cry. It had been three months since Bobby had moved in with Peg. School was different, and Bobby still was having trouble with math. But the kids were OK, and he started taking more interest in the computer. Cameron and Bobby would talk almost daily, and Bobby even found a few tricks on the Internet that Cameron didn't know about. Life was getting bearable for Bobby, but he missed his parents. And he missed Cruiser. One day after school, Bobby walked into the kitchen where Peg was fixing him a snack. "Aunt Peg, do you think I could get another dog? I know it won't bring Cruiser back, but I just miss having someone follow me around everywhere I go. It's like he was my best friend, and I've been so lonely without him." "I don't know, Bobby," Peg said, slicing the peanut butter and jelly sandwich in half, diagonally - just like Bobby's Dad used to like it. "The condo people made me sign a contract when I moved in, saying I wouldn't have pets." "No pets?" Bobby said. "Well, I remember the contract said no cats or dogs." "But we could get something else?" "Hold on a second." Peg went to her desk, pulled out a drawer and rifled through some files. She pulled out a manila folder, opened it and began reading. Bobby watched intently. "Well, it says no cats or dogs, and that's it." "Well, can I get something?" "I'll tell you what. Let's go down to the pet store right now and see what they've got." It was one of the few times that Peg had seen Bobby smile since the accident. When they arrived at the store, a young woman with red hair immediately greeted them. She was stunning and friendly. And she seemed very knowledgeable about animals. Peg told the woman that they were looking for something they could keep in a relatively small condo. Peg had heard of pocket pets and thought maybe a hamster would be nice. "Hamsters are OK, but they aren't as social as others," the redheaded saleswoman said. "If you want my advice, rats are the best small animal you can find." "Rats?" Peg gasped. "You're kidding." "No, I'm not," the woman said matter-of-factly. "Rats have been tamed for centuries. They're very intelligent. They can learn their own names, and they can do tricks. Hamsters can't do that. Come on, let me show you a couple of rats we just got in today." When Bobby saw the two fancy rats in their cage, his eyes lit up, and he smiled for the second time since his parents and Cruiser were killed. "Here, let me get one out for you," the woman said. She handed it to Bobby, and Peg backed away. The rat squirmed a bit in Bobby's hand, but then she settled down and began to try to climb up Bobby's arm. "Let her climb," the saleswoman said. "She won't hurt you. She's very sweet. I played with her and her littermate for about an hour after they got here." The rat scampered slowly up Bobby's arm until she reached his shoulder. She looked around and sniffed the air, then started washing her face with her little rat hands. Peg still hadn't said a word, staring at her nephew and that animal on his shoulder. "Don't they have diseases?" Peg finally said. "No, ma'am," the woman said with a smile. "You might not believe this, but they're cleaner than you and me. In fact, they think we're dirty, and they'll wash themselves off after we touch them. But they'll do it privately so they won't hurt our feelings." "This is the one," Bobby said, watching the rat scamper back down his arm toward his hand. "Bobby," Peg said. "No." "But Aunt Peg," Bobby whined. "You heard what she said: she's clean, and she's sweet. And I'll clean up after her, and I'll feed her, and I'll make sure she has water." "One more thing," the redhead said. "Rats are social animals, and they like to have other rats for company. Now, I'm not trying to sell you two rats, but you need to think about that. Maybe you could get one now, and see how you like her. She obviously likes you, Bobby. After you see that they are great pets - and you will - you can come back for another one." "Aunt Peg. Please." "I don't know, Bobby." "Please." "OK, but you make sure he doesn't get out of your room. And keep him locked up." "Her," Bobby corrected her. "Whatever." "So, what are you going to name him - her?" Peg asked Bobby as they drove home from the pet store. "I don't know. The only rat name I know comes from Charlotte's Web. Remember? The rat in Charlotte's Web?" "Yeah, I remember. What was his name?" "Hamilton," Bobby said. "That's it, I think," Peg said. "Well, that's it then," Bobby said to his new friend. "You are Hamilton." "Isn't that a boy's name?" Peg asked. "I know, but I don't want to name her something girly." "OK, it's your rat. Remember that when she makes a mess." Peg carried the cage inside the condo, and Bobby carried Hamilton inside a cardboard carrying container that the pet store gives customers to transport pets home. An hour after the two set up Hamilton's new home, Peg left the boy and his new friend alone. Bobby was happier than he had been in months. Hamilton ran all over the bed, and Bobby chased her, making funny clicking noises as he grabbed playfully at the rat. Bobby laid on his back, and Hamilton jumped on his chest and ran around in circles before jumping back onto the bed. Then, Hamilton hopped across the bed. Bobby then remembered that the woman at the pet store recommended some treats, so he dug into the bottom of the bag and pulled out some Yogurt Balls for rats. Blueberry flavor. He opened the bag, and Hamilton rushed over to check things out. She wagged her head back and forth, sniffing the air and looking up at Bobby. The boy handed her a ball, and she grabbed it, shoved it in her mouth and looked up pleadingly for another. Bobby handed her another ball, and she shoved that one in her mouth. "Hamilton, be careful. You're going to choke." Hamilton scurried across the bed and ducked under one of the pillows. Moments later, she was back, begging for more treats. "Did you eat those already?" He handed her another ball and closed up the package. "No more for you, Hamilton." The first night with Hamilton, Bobby slept off and on, getting up every few hours to check on the rat. She was sleeping soundly in her cage each time, but awoke to greet Bobby. Things stayed like that for about a week, and Bobby and Hamilton grew closer and closer. He tried taking Hamilton to the breakfast table in the morning, but Peg would have none of that. "Bobby, get that rat back in its cage." "No," Bobby said softly. It was the first time Bobby ever said no to Peg, and she was shocked. "Bobby," she said calmly, "Please take Hamilton back to her cage. I'm afraid of her." Bobby didn't move. "Bobby." "You don't care about me," he shouted, tears filling his eyes. "You don't care about my parents. You don't care about Cruiser. You don't even care about Hamilton." "Bobby, I know this is hard on you, but I told you to put that rat up, and I mean now." Bobby pushed his chair back hard, and it tilted. The boy grabbed it before it fell, and he walked back to his bedroom. "I hate her. I hate her. I hate her." Bobby looked down at Hamilton, who was watching Bobby with her pink eyes. "She didn't mean it," Bobby said in a soothing voice. "She loves you. Don't worry about her." Bobby went to school, not saying anything to Peg before he left the condo and waited outside for the bus. When he got home that afternoon, Peg had a batch of cookies waiting on him. When he walked in the door, he could smell them. He sat down at the table just as Peg was setting a large plate of chocolate chip cookies in front of him. He reached in his bookbag and pulled out a card that he had made at school. Neither said a word. Peg read her card, and Bobby ate two cookies. "Aunt Peg," Bobby said. "Yes, Bobby." "Tomorrow, we're allowed to bring unusual pets in to class. Do you think I can bring in Hamilton?" "I don't see why not. But his cage is too big for you to carry. Why don't we get a little travel cage at the pet store tonight?" "That sounds great." When they arrived at the store, they saw the redheaded saleswoman and waited for her to finish talking to another customer. They told her what they wanted, and she asked them about the rat. "She's great," Bobby said quickly. "What did you name her?" the woman asked. "Hamilton - after Charlotte's Web," said Bobby. "Hamilton?" the woman said. "The rat in Charlotte's Web was Templeton." "That's right," Peg said. "Now, I remember." "Maybe we should change it," Bobby said. "I don't think that's a good idea," the woman said. "She already is used to Hamilton. Besides, Hamilton is a great name." "Yeah, you're right," Bobby said. "Oh, by the way, has she pulled her dentist trick yet?" the redheaded lady asked. "Dentist trick?" Bobby said. "I don't have any idea what you're talking about." "You'll see," she said. The next day, Bobby took Hamilton to school. He introduced her to his classmates. Some of them refused to touch her, but most of them petted the rat and let it sit on their shoulders. Bobby was a hit, and so was Hamilton. When they got home that afternoon, Peg told him that he had to cook his own dinner that night because she would be busy on an important report for work. He wasn't hungry then so he decided to wait. He got Hamilton out of her cage, and she jumped out of his hand and ran under the bed. "What's wrong?" Bobby asked. He leaned down and looked under the bed, and Hamilton raced across the floor to the open door. "Oh no," Bobby thought. "If she gets out, Peg is going to kill me." He dived toward Hamilton, but she was too quick. Out the door she went. She ran down the hall, past the bathroom and went straight to Peg's door. Bobby reached for her as she squeezed under the door. "Oh my God," Bobby said softly. Then, he heard the scream. "Bobby." Bobby threw open the door and saw Peg standing on the bed and Hamilton climbing the bedspread. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. She jumped out of my hands. I'm sorry." Bobby scooped Hamilton up and fled the room quickly. "Are you crazy, Hamilton? You're gonna get us in trouble. You better not ever do that again." Bobby put Hamilton back in her cage. Then, he sat down at his desk to do his homework. Two or three hours later, he was finished, and he decided to fix his dinner. He tiptoed past Peg's room, but stopped when he heard the TV. He knocked softly, but she didn't answer. He quietly opened the door and saw her asleep on the bed. He closed the door softly behind him and went to the kitchen. He pulled a pan out of the cupboard, then went to the fridge. He pulled two pieces of cheese and some butter from the door and closed it. He turned on stove and the grabbed two pieces of bread from the breadbox. After fixing the grilled cheese sandwich, he took it to his bedroom, along with a glass of Coke. Once inside his bedroom, he took Hamilton from her cage so she could share his sandwich. The two finished eating, and Bobby turned his TV on and lay back on his bed. Hamilton ran around the room for a few minutes, leaving rat turds behind her. Eventually, she climbed back on the bed and ran over to Bobby. She climbed up to his face, grabbed his bottom lip with her little rat hands and pulled them down. Then, she stuck her face in Bobby's mouth and began licking his teeth. Bobby was shocked at first and jerked his head back. Then, he remembered what the redheaded saleswoman said. Bobby put his head back in front of Hamilton, and she pried open his mouth again. For the next 20 minutes, Hamilton cleaned every one of Bobby's teeth. At one point, she tried to climb inside his mouth, but Bobby wasn't ready for that yet. Hamilton finally stopped her dentistry practice on Bobby and scampered away. A few minutes later, Bobby was snoring with SpongeBob Squarepants blaring on the TV. In the kitchen, a tiny flicker of flame jumped from the pan atop the burner that Bobby had left on. The flame grew a little bigger until the plastic grease guard covering the wall behind the stove began to melt. Then, the wall caught on fire, and flames were shooting toward the ceiling. Soon, the entire kitchen was engulfed in flames and the front of the condo was full of smoke. Bobby and Peg were both asleep, but Hamilton was busy chewing on a piece of Yogurt Ball that she had stashed in a corner. Smoke started seeping under the door. Hamilton ran to the door, squeezed under and ran down the hallway. She squeezed her body again under Peg's door and ran to the bed. She climbed the bedspread, ran over the Peg and jumped on her chest. Peg didn't move. Hamilton moved toward her face and pried open her mouth and began licking Peg's teeth. Peg stirred, looked down at the rat just inches from her nose and screamed. "Bobby." Then, she smelled the smoke. She jumped from the bed, sending Hamilton flying across the room. Peg dropped to the floor and began crawling toward the door. She felt it, and it was a little warm, but not hot. She opened it slowly, saw the smoke and inched her way along the floor toward Bobby's room, yelling the entire time. Bobby heard his aunt's screams, awoke and also smelled the smoke. They both reached his bedroom door at the same time. "Get on the floor, Bobby." He dropped to his knees, and they both began to crawl toward the closest window. "Wait, what about Hamilton?" Bobby screamed. "She's in my room," Peg said without thinking. "I have to get her." "No, Bobby." It was too late. Bobby already was low-crawling toward her bedroom. Peg grabbed a towel, wrapped it across her face and ran toward Bobby. She grabbed him by the pants, picked up and ordered him to find the nearest window. "I'll get Hamilton." She pushed him back down, then she ran into her bedroom. Bobby crawled toward the window in the next room, opened it and crawled out. They lived on the second floor, and it was about a 15-foot drop to the ground. When he looked down, he saw a fire truck pulling up to the complex. He leaned out of the window, took one last glance behind him to see if Peg and Hamilton were coming, then he jumped. When he hit the ground, it hurt. He looked up, saw flames shooting from one of the windows in his condo. No Peg. No Hamilton. Then, his eyes shut, and he passed out. When Bobby awoke, a firefighter was kneeling over him, pulling an oxygen mask away from his face. "Are you OK?" the firefighter asked. Bobby tried to say something but his words came out as coughs. Black soot erupted from his mouth, but still no words. "That's OK. You just rest for a few minutes. You'll be OK. Let's get some oxygen back on you." The firefighter pressed the mask back on Bobby's face. He couldn't talk now if he had wanted to. He wanted to know about Peg and Hamilton. "Please, God, let them be OK. Let them be OK." His head tilted toward the side, and he saw two more firefighters standing over someone a few feet from him. He squinted. "Is that her?" he thought. "Is she OK?" The body stirred, sat up and looked over at Bobby. It was Peg. She stood up, but her legs were shaky. The firefighter helped her over to Bobby, and she hugged him. "I'm sorry," Peg said. "I couldn't find her. I'm so sorry." Bobby screamed into his mask. "She saved our lives, Bobby," Peg said. "She woke me. There was a fire, and she woke me up. If it hadn't been for Hamilton, we would be dead. Can you hear me?" Tears started filling the mask on Bobby's face. Peg pulled him close. "Hey, are you guys talking about your cat?" one firefighter asked. "No," Peg said. "Hamilton is our rat." "Rat?" the firefighter said. "You mean like a white rat?" "Yeah." "Like this one?" He reached in his pocket and pulled out Hamilton. Her white fur was covered with black soot. She started wagging her head from side to side and sniffing the air. Bobby sat up, tore the mask from his face and grabbed her from the firefighter's hands. "Hamilton, I knew you'd make it." Peg smiled and hugged Bobby. "I'm sorry, son. I will never ever say anything about Hamilton again. As far as I'm concerned, she's part of the family now." "Thanks Peg." Hamilton jumped out of Bobby's hands, landing on Peg's arm. It startled her, but she sat there and held her arm out while Hamilton ran up and sat on her shoulder. Hamilton looked at Peg, opened her mouth in greeting and stared at the woman. Bobby started laughing, and Peg was grinning from ear to ear.
Copyright © 2003 J Eric Eckard |