Page 78 of August
“Havers?” Elisa laughed.
“Yeah, I don’t like using the word ‘owners.’ I do when I have to, but I feel like our pets really ownusmore than the other way around.”
Buster walked over to Elisa and sat.
“I think he needs to go out again,” she noted.
“And I should go home,” Gwen said. “If I were you, though, I’d tell her. Make sure she knows that you’re staying.”
“She knows I’m staying. I never said I was moving. Besides, I just got a dog and told her about a job.”
“Yes, a temporary one. And the dog will go with you. So, just make sure she knows that you’re not going back.”
“It was just to stay, Gwen.”
“Elisa, it was to stay in yourex-husband’sguest house. It’s your whole old life. I would be worried if I were her. She knows you stayed there before for the kids. All I’m suggesting is that you should fill her in that you won’t be giving in to him.”
“Yeah, maybe,” she said.
Elisa hadn’t planned on addressing this with Myra at all because she wasn’t going anywhere, so it would be irrelevant, in her opinion, but maybe Gwen was right. She would have been staying in the guest house where she’d lived after their divorce, basically being a housekeeper more than anything else, and she had to admit to herself that she expected that to be the case again if she returned, unsure she would’ve been able to prevent it or stop it if it happened.
When Gwen left, Elisa put the leash on Buster, and he began dancing with excitement. She decided to walk him up and down the street instead of making him go in the backyardbecause it was his first night at his new home, and she wanted him to get as many walks in as possible, but when she opened the door, it was sprinkling, so the walk had to turn into him peeing in the front yard and her hurrying him back inside. It was starting to pick up, and Elisa was only in her T-shirt and jeans, with flip-flops she regretted putting on.
“Come on, buddy. It’s starting to really come down.”
Undeterred by the rain, the dog huffed at her as if he was determined to take his time sniffing around, and she had to laugh at that. Then, Elisa looked up at Myra’s house and saw a light on. It wasn’t late yet, so she shouldn’t have been surprised by that, but it made her think about what Gwen had said. Deciding not to wait until later to tell her that she wasn’t going anywhere, she marched on to Myra’s front door.
“Hi,” Myra greeted. “What are you doing out there? It’s pouring.”
“I’m not staying at the guest house,” she said.
“What?” Myra asked.
“Babe, I’m not staying at the guest house. If you’re worried that I’ll go there and stay there or just go there because he wants me to, I’m not going. I talked to Adele. We’ll figure it out, but I’m not staying there on their breaks or any other time. I’m staying here. I’m in New Orleans now.”
Myra smiled and seemed to sigh in relief.
‘Damn. Gwen had been right,’Elisa thought.
“That’s really good news,” Myra said.
“You were worried?”
“I felt like I had no right to be,” Myra replied. “But, yes. I just want you to be happy. I didn’t think that would make you happy, though, and I didn’t like how he told you that I couldn’t go with you.” She shook her head. “Or any woman if you wanted–”
“You,” she interrupted. “I want you.” She looked down at Buster, who was sitting calmly by her side. “And I want to come inside. Can I come inside?”
“What? Oh, yeah,” Myra replied.
“Actually, I can’t,” Elisa added.
“You can’t?”
“I didn’t lock the house, and Buster is here. Can you maybe come to my place?”
“Um… Yeah. Sure,” Myra replied.
“Myra?”
