Jewel starts to say the name of a place filled with warmth and music and yellow, but it’s gone. The door won’t open.

She’s lost the key.

She frowns. She plucks at her hair. She picks up Baby and clutches him to her heart. “I can’t remember.”

Baby smells her confusion.

“Why can’t I remember?”

The angel touches her shoulder, bringing her back.

She blinks. Her heart slows.

“God bless you,” she says.

She watches as the angels pull their empty wagons back across the park toward the parking lot, leaving narrow straight lines in the white snow, their wings barely concealed.

13

No Dogs Allowed

Baby stands next to Jewel waiting

in a line of sounds and smells.

Baby hears the shhh shhh

of restless feet

on concrete.

He smells

sharp black coffee

sweet yellow butter

earthy brown potatoes

salty white cheese

riding on warm waves of scent

from the inside

to the outside

where the line of restless feet

and cold hands

and empty stomachs

wait.

Oh, but he is hungry,

that Baby is!

All day as the sun crossed the sky,

Jewel slept.

She did not eat the bit of food

Ree and Ajax brought them.

She did not answer when Ree asked,

What can I do to help?

Baby knows what will help.

Food.

His feet tap-dance.

His tail wags.

His body wiggles.

His pink tongue licks

his black lips.

Oh, how glorious it will be

to eat! He yips.

Jewel bends down with a groan and picks the little

dog

up

and holds him close.

Baby hears her breath rattle like the plastic they slept

under

the night before,

wrapped up tight together.

Baby hears footsteps behind them.

A newish smell,

a getting-to-know-you smell.

Baby peers over Jewel’s shoulder and sees

the girl, that girl

he has seen and smelled before

in this same line.

He likes the smell of her,

the way she looks directly into his eyes

likes she’s hugging him.

“Hi,” the girl says in a soft voice.

Baby lays back his ears in welcome,

ears that say, “Hey, I like you too.”

Beneath Jewel’s coat, he wags his body.

The girl reaches out one finger.

Baby stretches out his neck to

touch nose tip

to fingertip.

Jewel moves forward

away from the girl.

Close, so close, almost inside

the smell of food!

“Morning, Jewel,” a deep voice says.

“You going to leave your dog outside

so you can come inside today?”

Baby feels Jewel shudder.

He hears her say, “Please, Rick, you know I can’t.”

Baby wiggles against the waves of heat

coming from Jewel’s skin.

“You don’t sound too good, Jewel,” the man says.

“Go on over to the emergency shelter

and get out of this cold.”

Baby smells fear and desperation on Jewel’s breath as

she says,

“I’d have to give up Baby to stay there, Rick.”

She clutches Baby so close, his heart beats in panic.