Chapter 8 — Arthur Comes Home for Jasper
Arthur Collins returned the following afternoon.
Richard drove Jasper to his house himself.
Sophie came too.
So did Mark.
The moment Arthur opened the door, Jasper pulled free of Sophie’s hand.
He ran.
Arthur crouched as quickly as his knees allowed.
Jasper nearly knocked him backward.
“Easy, you lunatic.”
Arthur laughed.
Then cried.
Sophie stood several feet away.
“I’m sorry I took him.”
Arthur looked at her.
“Did you feed him?”
“Yes.”
“Walk him?”
“At five in the morning so nobody would see.”
Arthur raised his eyebrows.
“That’s commitment.”
Richard interrupted.
“Do not encourage this.”
Arthur smiled.
Then became serious.
“Sophie, you should have called me.”
She nodded.
“I know.”
“You were right that I didn’t want Jasper permanently given away.”
Then:
“You were wrong to assume that’s what Mark was doing.”
Sophie looked toward Mark.
“Sorry.”
Mark nodded.
“I’m sorry too.”
Sophie frowned.
“For what?”
Arthur answered:
“For apparently deciding I was too old to be told where my own dog was going.”
Mark sighed.
“Dad.”
Arthur looked at him.
“Did I say something inaccurate?”
Mark couldn’t argue.
He apologized.
Properly.
He had been overwhelmed.
He believed handling everything himself was an act of care.
But he had slowly started treating Arthur like a problem to manage rather than a person whose choices still mattered.
Arthur accepted that Mark had been under pressure.
He did not accept that pressure as an excuse.
“Ask me,” Arthur said.
“Even if you know I’ll argue?”
“Especially then.”
Richard almost laughed.
That sentence seemed applicable to nearly everybody standing there.