Chapter 16 - Buster's Great Escape
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Sunday afternoons were strictly reserved for family time. I refused to check corporate emails, and Marcus knew never to call me unless the building was literally on fire.
Leo and I were in the sprawling backyard of our new home, enjoying the warm autumn sunshine. Buster, our rapidly growing golden retriever puppy, was chewing enthusiastically on a thick rope toy.
"Watch this, Mommy!" Leo yelled, winding his small arm back. "I can throw it all the way to the fence!"
Leo hurled the rope toy. It sailed through the air, completely clearing the fence line and landing in the dense bushes of the neighbor's yard.
Buster didn't hesitate. With a joyful bark, the puppy scrambled under a small, unsecured gap at the bottom of the wooden fence, disappearing into the neighboring property.
"Buster, no!" Leo gasped, his eyes going wide with panic. "Mommy, he ran away!"
"Don't worry, buddy, we will get him," I laughed, putting down my book and walking over to the fence.
I opened the side gate, and Leo and I jogged down the sidewalk toward our neighbor's driveway. The neighbor, an elderly, incredibly kind woman named Mrs. Higgins, was already standing on her porch, laughing out loud.
Buster was happily trotting in circles around her legs, holding the rope toy proudly in his mouth.
"I think you lost a very fluffy escape artist, Elena," Mrs. Higgins chuckled, petting the puppy's golden head.
"I am so sorry, Mrs. Higgins," I smiled, walking up and taking the rope toy. "He is still learning his boundaries."
"Buster, you are a bad boy!" Leo scolded lightly, though he was already hugging the dog around the neck.
"He isn't a bad boy, Leo," Mrs. Higgins smiled warmly. "He just saw an adventure and went for it. You have a beautiful family, Elena. It is so nice to hear laughter coming from that house."
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"Thank you," I said softly, feeling a profound wave of gratitude wash over me.
We walked back home, the puppy trotting happily between us. It was a chaotic, perfectly normal, beautifully mundane afternoon. It was the exact kind of peaceful, boring domestic life I had spent years desperately praying for.
