Beast and Dog-Boy

Chapter 9 - Sunday

It was very early in the morning, and a near frantic Valerie was about to ring Drew up on his house’s phone, when there was a knock on her front door.

She smiled as she hurried to the door. She opened it, and as she hoped it was Drew. Neverthelesshe she only became more distressed..

She gasped and asked him, “How’s that eye feel?” It was really black. Luckily, she saw, there still wasn’t any red in the eyeball itself

“It good, no worries,” he said. “It not even hurt much now. No lying. So to business, woman! What the latest?”

She looked at his eye for a moment longer, and then she nodded her head. Now she noticed he had the work clothes on that they had picked out for him yesterday. Despite her concern, she had to admit, he looked good to go.

“Business is bad, so your timing is perfect. You’re my hero…” she said.

He looked at her questioning, so she continued, “My Gramp’s already around back, messing around by the barn, and he’s pretty irritated with me.”

“For us hooligans waking up your Grams last night?” Drew asked.

“No,” said Valerie smiling. “When he heard about that, he smiled. He probably actually hoped we were drinking beers in the road, with your “buddies” last night. He wants me to have friends so badly.”

Drew just nodded his head, so she said, “He’s mad at me because I was trying to convince him more that painting the barn this morning, or any other morning, afternoon or evening for that matter, was a bad idea. He didn’t cotton to my sass. Grams piled on with me on that theme of not painting the barn. He really, really didn’t like that, the ganging up on him. He’s pretty fed up with both of us…”

Drew nodded his head, looked at her sympathetically, but he still said nothing. She said, “You want to give him a try now with your plan B.”

“Of course,” he said. “You want to come too now.”

She was torn. She said, “I don’t want to throw you alone at that grumpy, old puss, but my presence will probably only hurt the plan now.”

“OK,” said Drew. “I try alone.”

Valerie smiled ruefully a little and said regretfully, “I’m sorry about this. I’m putting you in such a pickle with all this.”

Drew said, “No putting me in pickle. This our idea, not yours alone. We cook it up together. We a team. It us against the world.”

She went quiet at this, chilled by Drew’s ever growing command of English, and his sweet loveliness.

She threw up her hands and said, “I don’t know why I think I’m so adept. You are so smooth, and good. Alright Drew, do your smooth, good thing and give it a shot.”

Drew nodded his head, and then he went around back.


A moment later Drew saw Valerie’s grandfather gathering tools by the barn. Valerie’s grandfather saw him, smiled. and said to him, “Morning Andrew,” as he walked up.

“Morning Mr. Wright,” he said.

“Jeez son, where did you get that ugly shiner?” he asked.

Drew smiled and said, “I fall down steps last night. Never should of had second beer. Me light weight…”

Valerie’s grandfather laughed at this. Then his brow furrowed as he said, “What’s with the painting clothes?”

“Uncle Joe say I pitch in, paint barn,” said Drew.

Valerie’s grandfather said, “It’s not his barn, so no you shouldn’t.”

Drew said, “You help Uncle Joe in past. You help fix his tractor - many times. You help him make hay - year after year. Not your tractor, not your hay.”

Valerie’s grandfather said, “Those things weren't any big deal. And that’s what neighbors do.”

Drew smiled and said, “That exactly why Uncle Joe say I help you now.”

Valerie’s grandfather shook his head and said, “All that was different. He couldn’t figure out how to fix his tractor on his own, and haying is a two man job. This barn isn’t.”

“I ask this,” said Drew. “Valerie and Mrs. Wright be up ass about doing barn alone, right?”

“Good Lord, yes, son,” said Valerie’s grandfather. “You have no idea!”

“Oh, I have idea, sir,” said Drew. “Uncle Joe get up Drew’s ass about help with barn too. He say barn two man job too.”

Valerie’s grandfather was about to say something, but Drew quickly said, “Uncle Joe say more. He say you know how paint and work. He say I know know nothing and lazy. He say I learn how work from you, and learn how do something other video games. He say I learn how paint from you, if you teach me.”

Valerie’s grandfather went quiet at this, so Drew said, “He say some payback for your past help. He say Drew get out house and do something. You say Valerie and Mrs Wright be up your ass? I say Uncle Joe be a colonoscopy to me.”

Valerie’s grandfather laughed at this, so Drew quickly continued, ”I listen what you tell. If you no like Drew work today, you can fire me, and I promise no bother more.”

Valerie’s grandfather said, “OK, that’s reasonable. I’ll give you a try, but you only get the morning to prove yourself, and not all day. Maybe we won’t be able to get along, and I'll only cotton to that for so long.”

Drew smiled and said, “You not regret that. Hey Mr. Wright, watch this!”

Drew then leapt on the extended ladder that was up against the barn and scooted up it with amazing speed. “I no scared of heights,” he said as he perched at its very top. “Need scrapper now, right?” he asked from above.

Valerie’s grandfather stood somewhat stunned at the speed at which Drew had scampered up the ladder. “Yeah, you’ll need a paint scraper first,” he said quietly.

“Will you throw up, please?” asked Drew.

Valerie’s grandfather retrieved a paint scraper and tossed it up to Drew.

It was a bad throw, wide of Drew and too low. Nevertheless Drew quickly leaned down and then he swung himself so far out that he still managed to snatch it from the air.

Valerie’s grandfather stared at Drew silently, his mouth agape. Drew noticed this and said, “Mr. Wright, you may be stronger than me, but sorry, I out monkey you. I out monkey everyone.”

Valerie’s grandfather laughed at this. Drew asked, “Mr. Wright, how work scrapper?”

Valerie’s grandfather told him what to do. He told him to scrap only so hard as to get all the loose paint off, but not so hard as to dig into the barn’s wooden siding. He told Drew to work the scrapper from different angles, to get under and get all the loose paint off. He told Drew lots of stuff. Drew listened to all this carefully. Then he started to do all this as told.

Valerie watched this scene from her upstairs window. She smiled when her grandfather laughed at Drew. She sighed and got a little envious. She always suspected her grandfather had secretly wanted a grandson.

Then she smiled when Drew scampered up the ladder. She smiled more when Drew caught the scrapper, and then as he listened to her grandfather’s instructions. She watched Drew starting to scrap the highest part of the barn. Her smile faded a little because she worried about him too, all high up in the air like that.

But then she smiled hugely when her grandfather started scraping the barn’s side as well…from the nice, safe ground.


About an hour later, when she thought it was good timing, she went outside. She went outside to take care of the daily chores and to, more importantly, see how her guys were doing.

As she approached them, her grandfather had his back to her and he was looking up while talking with Drew. Drew saw her, but he was so smart. He didn’t acknowledge her and so he let her sneak up on her grandfather to eavesdrop.

“Son, that was fast, and it looks good. That whole upper section under the peak is all done scrapping wise,” he said. He thought for a time and said, “You willing to take a try at a hand sander?”

“Yes sir,” said Drew.

As her Gramps retrieved a sander and a long lead cord, he spied her. He was in a better mood now, so he smiled at her. She smiled back.

“What are you guys going to want for lunch later,” she asked.

“Peanut butter and jelly is about all we have now,” her grandfather said.

“We have roast beef, ham, and turkey” she said, as her grandmother must have not told him that Drew and her had loaded them up yesterday.

“Oh,” said her Grandfather looking slightly perplexed for a moment. “Roast beef then.”

“On rye bread with mayo, american cheese, tomato, and raw onions?” she asked.

“Please, Dollface,” said her grandfather, warming up even more.

“Drew?” she asked him.

Drew had taken a moment to sit on a ladder rung, so as to do nothing but watch her. He was smiling so sweetly at her that her face got all hot. Then the rest of her went all warm as well.

“The same, please,” Drew said quietly as he continued to watch her closely. Then he noticed that Valerie’s grandfather had connected the sander to the lead cord, and he didn’t want him climbing up the ladder to hand it to him. So he scampered down the ladder in a jiff.

Valerie watched as her Gramps handed Drew the hand sander. Then she watched as Drew reclimbed up the ladder slower, as her grandfather fed the cord so that it wouldn’t hang up or get tangled.

Soon the sander was buzzing, and her grandfather was calling up instructions and tips to Drew. She watched them for a moment as she smiled and enjoyed the warm sunshine. Then she went off to see what the hens had given them today.


Later that morning, after milking the goat and cleaning up the farmyard and chicken coops, Valerie had finished the daily chores. After a brief stop in the kitchen, she went back to check back in on her boys, with two tall lemonades in hand.

Drew was still buzzing with the hand sander. He was about halfway up the ladder, where he had to stretch out to still reach the barn’s side. He was covered in paint chips and sanding dust. Her grandfather was still working off the ground and he too was finishing off the bottom of that barn side, scraping wise.

She went up to her grandfather. He said to her as Drew buzzed above them, “He’s a worker.”

“Yes,” she said. She handed him a lemonade.

“Umm,” he said as he took a long drink. “Perfect,” he added. He stepped back from the bottom of the barn so he could look up at Drew.

“Good God,” he said to her. “He’s almost done with the sanding up there too now.”

Valerie smiled as she watched her grandfather think. “Want time is it, Doll?” he asked her.

“Twenty after ten,” she said.

“I’m tempted to try and prime this side of the barn before lunch,” he said. “Primer dries fast, and on a dry, warm day like this, we could actually put a coat of paint on this side, if we can get that spot priming done before we stop to eat.”

Valerie nodded her head.

“That’s a bit of a stretch though,” her grandfather said. “I don’t want to tucker the boy out, or give him something too big to try and tackle.”

Valerie said, “I think you two can get the prepped spots primed before lunch. Put a brush in his hand. He is a worker.”

Her Gramps nodded his head. Then he said, “Wezell said he’s lazy!”

Valerie smiled and said, “Family’s always harder on family.”

Her Grandfather smiled and said, “True enough.” His face clouded a bit and said, “Sorry I was such a nasty grump this morning…”

Valerie smiled and said, “You were fine. I’m the one who’s sorry.”

“Alright,” he said as he watched Drew turn off the sander because he was done.

Drew turned to look at them, and he was quiet.

“You feel him out,” her Gramps said to her low.

“Hey, Drew!” she called up to him. “You hungry up there?”

“Getting there,” he said. “But we can do more before that, if want.”

“You thirsty,” she asked as she held up the lemonade.

“Very,” he said. “I wish I had something to drink.”

She giggled at his joke and said, “This is for you.” She held the lemonade up a little more.

“Now you talking,” he said as he started climbing down. Even her grandfather was chuckling at Drew now too.

“Wanna take a stab at some priming? Wanna paint?” she asked as his feet hit the ground.

“That why I here!” he said, smiling as he took the lemonade from her hand.


At noon Valerie, her Gramps, her Gram, and Drew all sat at their kitchen table. They all had big honking sandwiches in front of them, even her Gram’s was big because Valerie was thinking her Gram was looking a little too skinny lately.

They had chips on their plates as well. She had put out cherries, and cut up apples too - from two of their own trees no less! In a bowl in the middle of the table were garden carrots and celery and another bowl held dip. Everyone had a glass of water and another lemonade.

Drew said quietly to her, “This look awesome.”

“Thanks,” she said to him low. She was a little nervous. She didn’t know where the conversation was going to go.

But it was all good, because suddenly Drew’s intelligence dropped off and he had a hard time discussing anything very complicated. He did talk to her Gramps a little about football and with her Gram about a few things as well.

“Valerie said you’re playing center,” her grandfather said to him at one point.

“Yes, sir,” said Drew.

After some more quiet eating, her Gram asked Drew, “Andrew, how’s the new school?”

“Good mame,” said Drew. “I in Special Ed. class. Teacher, Ms. Owens. She very nice.”

Valerie’s Grandmother smiled and nodded her head.

They ate quietly for a while longer, and then her grandfather brought up the barn. “The one side is all scrapped, sanded and spot primed,” he said, mostly to her grandmother.

“Really?” her Grams said. “My word, that was fast!”

And all that it was true too, Valerie knew. Drew had spot primed all the upper part. Then he helped her grandfather sand and hit all those spots at the bottom part as well.

“What are your plans today?” her Gramps asked both her and Drew.

Valerie said, “Mr. Wezell wants Drew to help you with the barn, so those are his plans.”

Her Gramps frowned at this and said, “I’m not going to take up his whole day with that. Nor yours, Doll.”

“It’s OK,” she said, although she was pretty disappointed that she wasn’t going to get much Drew time to herself today

But on the other hand, she was happy that big old chunk of the barn was going to get done, safely.

“Hmm,” her grandfather hummed, unconvinced. “Yeah, I don’t want to do that.”

She offered gingerly, “How about after lunch you give us some time to goof around. That will give the primer more time to dry nice and good. At around two, you two can start putting a coat of the red on. Between both of you, that will take about two hours to coat that side, right?”

Her Gramps thought about this.

She ended, “Then you can cut Drew loose.”

Her grandfather asked Drew, “That sound OK?”

Drew had a big bite of delicious sandwich in his mouth, so he just smiled and nodded his head.

“Alright, that’s what we’ll do then,” said her grandfather.

Valerie cringed a little thinking that her grandfather was going to try and do more today without Drew after. She couldn’t read his face cause now he had grabbed the newspaper and was reading it, blocking her view.

“I think that’s all I’ll do today too,” he said from behind it.

Valerie knew grandfather so well, so she waited with bated breath. He wasn’t done yet.

True enough, soon he said, “I mean how stupid do you guys think I am?” he continued.. “I mean, I can see which way the wind is blowing around here now. That you all are never going to let me climb MY extending ladder again. So fine, I give up.”

Then Valerie was shocked when Drew said, “Thanks Mr. Wright.”

“Whatever,” her grandfather said to Drew.

Drew said, “Next Saturday and Sunday, I come back and do the high parts more again.”

“Alright,” said her Gramps, now mostly resigned. “But if you all think I’m not going to work off of my step ladder on that barn this week, you’re dead wrong.”

Drew looked at Valerie and she smiled so big. She knew they were going to get what they were going to get, and her grandfather not climbing the big ladder was a much better battle to win.

“Thanks Gramps,” said Valerie.

“Whatever,” said her grandfather like a child and she giggled. Then her Gramps started to fill in her smiling grandmother on what was going on in the world from the paper.


As her grandfather and her grandmother chatted back and forth about the news between themselves, Valerie and Drew slid together likewise.

“This sandwich delicious,” he said to her quietly.

She smiled and said, “Food tastes so much better after working, right?”

“Yay it does,” he said low.

Then he said he liked the cherries, the apples, the carrots, the celery and the dip, as he noshed on them all for a while. He ate quite a bit.

When they were done, she started to clean up. But her grandmother said, “You made lunch, sweetie. I’ll clean this up.”

“I got it, Grams,” she said as she carried on.

“Valerie! Don’t sass me!” her grandmother said. “And I’ve done nothing but lay around most of the morning…”

“Yes, mame,” she said. Then she and Drew went out in the living room and had a pow wow.

“We have some time,” she whispered to him. “What do you want to do?”

“Hang out in Valerie’s room til two?” he asked.

“Love it,” she said. “But we can’t do anything too freaky up there.”

They climbed her steps and then went into her bedroom. It was fairly private up there, as her bedroom and her bathroom were the only rooms on their second floor.

Drew asked, “All that with grandfather good?”

She smiled wide and said, “Holy shit, are you kidding? I can’t believe he said that. We win! Drew thanks!”

He smiled at this.

“Want to lay in bed with me?” she asked.

“I all dirty,” he said.

“No you aren’t, you shook most of it off,” she said as she lay down.

Drew nodded his head, but before could get in bed as well, he heard some scratching at her door.

He froze, then asked, “Valerie, what the hell is that?!”

“That’s our cat, Ms. Mouser,” she said while smiling. “She wants in too.”

Drew looked at her questioningly, as the cat continued to scratch at the door.

“What do? Let in her?” asked Drew as he had a curious look on his face.

Valerie smiled, as all of this was all so adorable, it almost killed her. She shrugged her shoulders because she wanted more Drew entertainment with this.

“Is she friendly?” asked Drew, pretending to be scared.

“Extremely,” she said as she giggled.

Drew went to open the door, but then he stopped and asked, “Does she bite or scratch?”

“Never,” said Valerie, smiling and giggling more. “Never once.”

He went to open the door, then stopped. “I don’t know…,” he said. “That scratching sound suspect, and ominous…”

She giggled more, smiling big. He smiled too, then he opened the door.

Ms. Mouser meowed as she entered. Drew saw she was just about the cutest cat ever. She brushed up against his leg as she passed him. Then she strutted across the room with her tail straight in the air, and then jumped onto Valerie’s bed.

Valerie started to pet her. “Get in with us too, Drew,” she all but begged.

Drew got into bed with both of them.

“What that noise she make now?” he asked after a time.

“She’s purring,” said Valerie as this cuddle feast was melting her nice and good.

“What purring, is she broken?” asked Drew, goofing around.

“No, she’s just happy,” said Valerie laughing. “I am too.”

“Good,” said Drew. Then he lay there quietly for a time.

Soon Ms. Mouser fell asleep. And speaking of sleeping, the ironies of all ironies happened next. Drew fell asleep too, while Valerie didn't. She didn’t feel sleepy or tired at all.

She just lay there for a while, feeling good, and soaking up the love. She thought for a while and then she got out of bed quietly. This didn’t wake either Drew or Ms. Mouser.

She went over to her desk and started doing her schoolwork. If she could get that out of the way now, she could get some really good Drew-time in tonight. And while right now was very relaxing and cozy, she thought tonight with Drew was going to be even better.


At a quarter of two she closed her Humanities text. She had not finished all of her homework, but she had done a lot of it.

She crossed her small hallway and went into her bathroom. She washed her face. Then she started to brush her teeth. As she brushed, she noticed her face looked very tame acne wise. And her hair was still nice and fluffy, her greasiness problem she had with it for such a long time hadn’t been an issue for the last few days or so. She was perplexed by this, as she hadn’t changed shampoos or anything else she could think of that would make her hair all curly and full and nice.

Then she noticed her double chin looked a little tighter.

She stepped on her bathroom scale. She had dropped yet another five pounds.

She was really confused by this. Her appetite had been a little more in control as of late, but it wasn’t like she was really dialing it back all that much.

Maybe it was because of Drew, she thought. He was such an action boy, and she knew she had been hustling around more than usual with him, to try and keep up with him and all. She nodded her head and chalked the continuing weight loss up to that.

Plus, it wasn’t like she was some skinny mini now anyway, cause that scale still read a big, old sad number.


When she went back into her room, Drew was getting up. He took some time to pet Ms. Mousey super gently, as she was stirring as well.

“Am I doing this right?” he asked her.

“I can hear her purring from here,” she said as she giggled.

He looked refreshed. Then she sighed, and they went downstairs.


Soon enough her grandfather and Drew were painting the one side of the barn red. She watched them for a time, as her Gramps occasionally called up advice and tips to Drew. Without the sanders buzzing, it was all peaceful out here now. The weather was perfect.

So she went back inside and grabbed her European studies text and notebook, and her calculus stuff too. She sent herself up on their back porch and started to do those assignments as well.

Drew was very distracting and she sometimes found herself watching him. He and her grandfather worked pretty much quietly now, as her Gramps had gotten Drew very squared away with how to lay on an actual coat of paint.

But she focused enough to get her homework moving along, which was the last of what she had to do for today. And just as Drew and her Gramps were finishing that side of the barn an hour and a half later, she was done as well

She walked up to them as they cleaned up. She admired the barn. The red jumped out at her and looked all spac-o

“This looks great!” she said.

“Doesn’t it?” her grandfather beamed. “And if you think it looks good now, just wait till after the second coat.”


But that would be another day, so soon she and Drew were walking to his home. She had told her grandparents she’d be home by nine.

This gave her about five delicious hours with Drew.

They chatted as they walked down the road. In a short time they were approaching his house.

“Can I come in?” she asked as they walked up his driveway.

Drew started laughing, then he tried to say something, but he just ended up laughing some more.

As they entered his house, he said, “Valerie, I need shower now. I all paint, sawdust and sweat.”

She nodded her head.

“You can take shower with me if want!” he said, trying to get her to laugh.

Valerie closed the door behind her and she said, “OK, that sounds good.”

Drew froze as he said this. “You serious?” he asked her.

Her locking of the front door was her answer. “I didn’t get a chance to shower this morning, because of my grandfather getting up so early and raising a fuss about “getting to.” So that makes me a dirty, dirty girl, right now,” she said.

Drew froze as she said this. He said, “You sound funny right now. I scared.”

“This is dirty talk Drew,” she said as she approached him.

“I more scared,” he said smiling. She smiled too, cause she could see he wasn’t scared at all. She saw he was excited. There was no mistaking that. She saw that clearly now as she laughed, while taking his paint stained shirt off him.


Later that day, as twilight started to fall, Valerie lay next to Drew in his bed.

“You sure that no hurt you?” he asked her.

“Not even a little,” she said. “I’m a big and pretty solid girl. And you were so gentle…”

“It good?” he asked her quietly.

She rolled over and she laid her head on his chest. She said softly, “Remember when I said the other day - you were like magic.”

“Yeah,” he said.

She stroked his arm and she said very softly, “That was even better.”