Laughter and music filled the house of the Andrews. Two middle aged women sat on the three-seater in the living room, knitting. A cat purred at their legs, rubbing against Mrs. Lily who was dressed in hot pink gown. A group of children ran into the living room in a file sending the cat flying in the other direction.
“Aya! You children should settle down and not get so hot. It is only eight in the morning.” Mrs. Lily said firmly, her voice switching between husky and feminine. The kids ignore them, grabbing pillows and throwing at each other, making a mess of the living room.
“Children!” Marriete, the other woman sitting beside Lily in a yellow embroidered dress yells enough for the kids to freeze and stop, “I suggest you listen to your grandma.” She says with narrowed eyes behind thick glass frames.
The children mumble inaudibly and quickly leave the room in the mess they made. Lily scoffs.
“I am just thirty-eight! I have only one grandchild. Stop making me feel like I have lived a century. I blame Carlos for not being able to keep it in his pants.” She shakes her head, her hands moving expertly with the needles.
Marriete laughs, “Oh Carmen is a sweet girl. I don’t blame him at all. She is one in a million and I am sure you above all people adore those little brats.”
“Having my siblings leave their children is a blessing and a curse. I feel older than my age.”
“But you are glowing.” A Dachshund slowly makes its way into the room, body dragging along.
“Paco!” Marriete calls and drops her half-knit sweater just as the dog walks towards her, tail wagging and tongue licking its snout. Marriete lifts her and places her gingerly on her lap, “How is Adele treating you?”
Paco lets out something of a whimper as though complaining making the woman laugh.
“Adele adores Paco. She would take her to school if she could.” Lily paused to briefly give Paco an ear rub.
“I have seen them too. They are sweethearts the both of them. You are a sweetheart dear Paco.” Marriete kisses Paco on the head and the dog responds in kind, tongue tracing her face in show of affection.
“Paco!” A girl in pigtails comes in running, Paco barks and scrambles down to join Adele who bends to lift her rather awkwardly. But Paco licks her not minding at all.
“Won’t you let her with us for a second Adele? She is grandma’s friend too.”
Adele looks between her dog and her grandma and bares her slightly crooked set of teeth, “Can I stay too? I also like Grandma.” Marriete scoots for Adele to join them in the middle, Paco lays by their feet, looking up expectantly. Adele reaches into her jacket pocket and brings out a pack of dog biscuits. Paco sits up, her eyes on the prize and tail wagging.
“Did you know that Paco saved a life?” Lily begins after Adele presents some of the treats to the dog. Adele looks up in surprise. Her eyes wide in their sockets.
“My Paco?”
“Yes dear,” Lily pats her head, “The night I and your grandpa got married…”
A younger version of Lily and Marriete danced around the bond fire in the midst of the crowd set on the beach. The beach house – rented to celebrate the success of tying the knot to her Highschool sweetheart before he left for college – stood proudly lit behind the party, people walking in and out of it. Waves crashed in the distance, the smell of sizzling meat in the air.
Lily’s hand glinted with the wedding band sitting proudly on her middle finger. The man of the hour, Damon, swept in to lift her, causing her to bark a laugh as her blonde hair swept over him.
“And that is my cue to leave!” Marriete says before taking off in the other direction.
“Just a year. And you join me at NYU.” His dirty blonde looked shaggy after all the congratulatory messages that mostly came with hands ruffling his hair. His youthful eyes blazed with mirth and excitement.
“Yes. Exciting!”
Her arms go around his neck, he leaves a quick kiss on her forehead. Marriete’s panicked voice breaks them apart,
“Paco. She’s missing.”
The couple look between each other, “What do you mean missing?” Damon steps forward, Lily following. The music dies and the small crowd begins gathering to know what is amiss.
“I went in and she wasn’t there. I searched through the house and behind it where she likes to dig. She is not in the house.”
“Well have you checked the yard? The little thing likes to play hide and seek.” Someone said.
“I have. And now I am scared she wandered off. Guys. We are on a beach.”
And like a switch flipped, everyone, including the couple, take off in different directions calling out for Paco. Some go back into the house, most of the men take to the direction of the sea. Lily’s face grows hot as panic rises. Paco was a pre-wedding gift from her husband. So cute when she lifted her head from the decorated bow box.
“We’ll find her. She’s a big girl.” Marriete tells her friend.
“She is barely six months.” Lily says back.
The call for Paco stretches into the night. People searching in odd places with hopes of finding the missing dog, plans made for missing reports; Damon comforting his disturbed bride.
“We’ll find her, baby. I know we will.”
“How could I have been so careless?” Lily bawls
“Shh! Hey. Don’t do that. We are all guilty. Don’t beat yourself up.”
“Oh please no. I want her safe…”
“We found her!” Someone yells from a distance.
Lily takes off towards the call and sure enough, finds Paco in the arms of a guest.
“Oh Baby. Sweetheart!” Lily takes her, ignoring Paco’s signs of discomfort until she starts to whimper, struggling to get down, “Are you hurt baby?”
“Let me see her.” Damon says but gets the same reaction. He lowers her to the ground only for Paco to take off running in the direction of the life guard station.
“Paco!” People chase after her, she barks as she goes further, the sounds carried in the salty atmosphere. Lily and Marriete display their athletic prowess in their polished gowns, the reason they brought home the trophy for South High in the Inter Sports.
Paco leads them right up and into the building where they find a man face down on the floor gasping and wheezing for breath.
“Uh oh!” Marriete says
“Oh my goodness…” Lily exclaims. Paco's barks brings them to their senses.
Lily turns the man to face upward. His face is red and his breathing uneven. He tries to speak just as the chasers left behind, including Damon, enter the scene.
“He’s asthmatic!”
“Find his inhaler.”
“Got it!” Someone runs back a few minutes later after finding it lying on a stool.
“It’s empty!” Lily cries after an unsuccessful attempt to revive him.
“I’ve called the ambulance. Help is on its way.” Someone informs them.
“I have my inhaler.” A young teen speaks up. All eyes turn to the gangly boy with freckles and long hair.
“Well? Where is it?” A woman asks.
“Back at the beach. I’ll go get it.” He says and leaves in a hurry.
“Oh my God. He’ll die!”
“What do we do?”
“Will CPR help?” Marriete chips in.
“Let me.” An older man pushes his way forward and rolls up his sleeve. In the distance, a siren a wails bringing a sigh of relief to the room. Just as the man begins to put pressure on the chest of the passed-out victim, the gangly boy returns.
“Here,” he thrusts the object forward, “the medics are right down.”
“Clear! Everyone. We will need you to clear the room.” The voice of an expert comes as they file in with a stretcher.
Lily picks up Paco, cradling her to the chest, “you did good baby. I am so proud of you.” She drops a kiss to Paco’s forehead. Paco barks and licks Lily.
“Paco is a hero?” The three year old looks at Paco with wonder.
“Yes, my dear. Paco is a hero.”
Adele scrambles to her feet and says, “Come Paco. I’ll make you an outfit.” Paco barks her agreement, and follows the little one out.
“Feels like yesterday huh?” Marriete says
“It does. Now all I want is for those two to round up college and come back home to their responsibility. I should really have emphasized the need for a condom.”
“Lily! You never change.”
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