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Van eyed Lancelot’s upper lip, which drooped into some magnificent jowls. “Maybe not the stiff upper lip part. Anyway, I could have helped too. In fact, I did, didn’t I? Wasn’t it me who said they couldn’t move her? Without all my research, they might have moved her.” Van thumped his chest.
“Tell me, Lancelot, is it hard being in love? And what’sthislovethinglike?Imean,Iknowithurts.But so many people do it. And dogs. Are you all stupid? Or is it worth it?”
Lancelot declined to raise his heavy head from his paws, but he swiveled his eyes toward Van and whimpered.
“I getcha, pal. Most of the time it’s worth it, but not right now. Not when your lady is hurting, and you can’t do a thing about it.”
Lancelot lifted his head just enough for a tiny, woeful nod.
“Okay, the world contains a whole lot of love-sick saps. If that many people go for it, maybe it isn’t so bad.”
Lancelot snorted.
“What does that mean? I bet you think people — and dogs — don’t have a choice when they go for it. Love conquers all. Love conquers everyone and everything. It’s an overwhelming force that touches us all. Or most of us. Not me, of course. But it’s a good thing. Have I got all that right? That’s the way you see it?”
Lancelot whined.
“Well, I think you’ve got it all wrong, my friend. I think you mess things up when you let this love thing into it. See, there she is, depending on you. Suddenly, you’ve not only got your own problems to solve, you’ve got hers too. And how’s a man supposed to devote himself to his art with all that going on?”
Lancelot growled.
“You don’t need to get nasty about a simple difference of opinion.”
Lancelot stood and shook himself. He turned his backdisdainfullyonVanandtrudgedovertothewindowthatlookedoutonthebackyardandGuinevere’s doghouse. He heaved his front half up, looped his paws over the windowsill, and gazed out longingly. He cocked his head.
Was he hearing something Van couldn’t?
Lancelot growled, mean and low.
Van knew what that nasty rumble would have meant if it had been his throat getting ready to roar. Guinevere’s labor was getting intense, and the fury was aimed at Mother Nature, the wicked witch who condemned females to go through this.
Lancelot threw back his head and gave one, long, anguished howl. Then he pulled himself off the windowsill and flopped back down beside Van. Man and dog sank into separate pools of gloom for timeless moments.
“You know,” Van finally said, “I might have spoken a little harshly a few moments ago. Let me ask, since you’re obviously head over tail in love, how do you do this love thing?”
Lancelot lifted his head and widened his jaws in one of the sappiest grins Van had ever seen. “Huh. Happy together? Is that what you’re telling me? You just go for the happy gusto?”
Lancelot nodded.
“I have to admit, there’s a certain powerful attraction in that thought.”
Van contemplated his navel for a while, but finally had to ask one more question. “You realize what you’re taking on here? Becoming a dad, I mean? It’s a big job. A big responsibility.”
Lancelot sat up and puffed out his chest.
“Well, my friend, I do have to say I think you’re up to it.” For a fleeting moment, Van let himself wish hewere up to it. He wished Lancelot could teach him how. He wished Lancelot could teach him a lot of things.
Suddenly, Lancelot raced back over to the window and jumped to look out. He barked, and it was the most “you go for it, girl” bark Van had ever heard. When the dog stopped, Van heard human commotion outside: yays and yippees, in male and female tones, and Guinevere’s basso profundo too.
The silence was tense, excruciating, for five long minutes. Then Lancelot and the chorus from the backyard erupted again.
Van lost track of how many times that happened, and how long it took. Finally, Lancelot relaxed into the distinct air of a proudly prancing papa. Awright! It was over.
“C’mon, Lancelot,” Van said. “They have to let us in on this now, don’t they?”
Van was still fumbling with the lock on the door whenajubilantMaryflungitopen.“C’mon,guys,join the party! We have six bouncing Saint Basset babies to celebrate.”
“I can tell by the look on your face mother and pups are a-okay.” Van smiled so widely he thought the corners of his mouth might meet his ears. He racedforthebackyard.“Joe,getoutofmyway!”Van roared. “I wanna see what you did to those pups!”
