I had friends and family, I had food and my health. Why spoil it with romance?
A chicken wing rolled into my bowl, accompanied by a peck on the top of my head from Odelia, and I watched as she and Chase disappeared through the hedge, holding hands.
“What are they up to, you think?” asked Dooley.
“Nookie,” I told him.
“What’s a nookie, Max?” he asked.
“Um…”
“Is it like a cookie?”
“Yes. Yes, it is.”
He smiled.“I love cookies.”
In short order, Tex and Marge disappeared into the house, Brutus and Harriet disappeared into the bushes, and the backyard was suddenly empty.
“Are they all going for cookies?” asked Dooley.
“Yup. Everybody loves a cookie.”
We sat in silence for a moment, watching as Uncle Alec and Grandma Muffin came around the corner of the house once more. Grandma appeared out of breath, for she plunked down in her chair, glanced around and, noticing the rest of the family had split, sliced off a piece of roast, dug her spoon into the bowl of potatoes, and started tucking in.
Uncle Alec, also dropping into a chair, watched her with a contented smile.
Silence reigned, only interrupted by Grandma’s smacking noises.
“You know what, Max?” asked Dooley finally.
“What?”
“Chase is probably right. The Pooles are a little crazy, aren’t they?”
“That, they definitely are.”
“But I still love them.”
“So do I, Dooley. So do I.”
And then we followed Grandma’s example and tucked in, too.
Life with the Pooles might not be perfect, but it was never boring.