Rollo(Melody Kuku) My eyes are the black brown of a Teddy bear's button and my skin is the colour of light coffee. I sit on the porch of the great big house. I can hear the "wuff wuff!" From the extreme end of the building. I recognize the voices. They belong to those Alsatian dogs with their annoying accents.

I want to growl but I restrain myself. Alice advised me to be good and not to get on the nerves of my host. The last thing I want is to be kicked out of the house and sent back to the animal shelter where dogs like I live.

I lick my ear and wait. My Vet, Alice, is finally coming out. She is
smiling but then, she always smiles. I've long learnt not to mistake
her smiling face for good news.

"Oh, Rollo! We've gotten you a home", she says, squatting on one knee
beside me. She rubs my back as she talks.

I cock my head to the side.

"Are you serious?" I ask.

"Yes, yes. But you have to prove yourself worth keeping, if not you will be sent back to the Animal Shelter and I don't want that because a change of environment is what I recommend as your Vet".

What does she mean by 'prove myself'? Is my new master going to put me on trial?

I am about to ask when Alice stands. She rubs my ear and whispers "be a good boy".

Then she heads for the huge black gate. I run to her.

"Wait a minute, what do you mean by prove myself? How am I going to do that?"

She turns and puts a finger on her lips.

"Shhhh Rollo, stop barking. You are going to upset Aunty Beth".

I drop my head and stop in my track. Alice waves to me and shuts the big black gate. I want to follow her, I am suddenly scared of this new family. I don't mind the noisy chatters of the old dogs at the shelter, it seems safe compared to this green house with numerous glass windows.

I think of Alice, she is trusting me to prove myself worthy even though I don't know how. I go back to the front porch and wait. No one comes for me. The minutes stretch into hours, the sun burns my skin. I want to look for shade, I need to lie down but, I do not. Instead, I endure the heat, I stand and wait.

I am almost fainting. My forelimbs hurt. I want to scream. I am about to scream in frustration when the door opens. I look up at the woman who steps outside the house. She is fat with cheeks that look like ripe plums. She must be Aunty Beth. I like her immediately.

She touches her chest with her hands. Her face has a sorry expression. She moves closer to me and pats my head.

"Poor doggie, we almost forgot you here", she says.

I smile but she doesn't notice, no human does. They only know when we are sad or extremely happy.

Aunty Beths calls out to a boy in the house. She tells him to bring a bowl of water.

The boy is short and slim with a curious face. He stares at me.

"He is a local dog Mom and he is so thin!" He exclaims.

Yes but he does have a spirit as strong as Bully and Steam. Can you believe it? He stood waiting here all this while for someone to step out of the house?"

"So he is a guard dog?"

"No silly, he has an enduring spirit".

"Oh".

Aunty Beth walks back into the house while I follow the little boy who leads me to where I am to stay till he brings the carton for me. I want to cry but then, the last thing I need is two spoilt foreign
dogs making me feel inferior.

*            *           *             *             *   

I settle comfortably inside the spacious carton. I do not bother looking at Bully and Steam who stare at me like I am an alien. Steam gets up and moves closer to where he can get a close look at me.

You are a local dog right?" He asks.

"Don't talk to him Steam. He is a low breed. You shouldn't be
associating with such", Bully says suddenly.

"Yes, I am a local dog and who do you think you are Bully?"

"A high class dog worth more than you and your flea bitten ancestors".

I snarl. He is lucky to be behind those iron bars. I've  dealt with his kind before. They had all underestimated me and mistook my thinness for weakness.

I am about to give him a piece of my mind when the little boy walks towards us. He openes their cages.

"We are going with Terry for a walk loser and you are obviously not
invited", Bully says, his tail high in the air.

I ignore him and lick my paws. If I am going to prove myself then, this family at least has to give me a chance at it.

Terry, the little boy, places a steel bowl of nicely cut meat by my carton.

"Eat up Rollo".

I can detect the pity in his voice. I hope I am not as thin as his tone implies. It doesn't matter anyway, he knows my name and I know his'. It is not a bad start afterall.

I am rushing my food, biting through the steak when I see Steam run full speed to where I sit, eating.

His tongue hangs out as he pants. He looks at me helplessly. I stop
working on the steak and speak.

"What happened? Why are you out of breath?"

He is on the verge of crying. I put a paw on his shoulder and look
into his brown eyes.

"It is Terry. We were playing Frisbee in the front yard when the wind blew and snatched his cap off his head and up the almond tree beside where the cars are parked..." He paused.

"And then?" I can feel the panic creep up in me.

"Then he decided to climb the tree. He took his cap off the branch where the wind had hung it. As he was climbing down, he lost his balance and fell to the ground."

I run to the front yard. Terry is lying on his back. His black hair is covered in dust and his hands are stretched out like feeble sticks.

I move close to him and feel for his pulse with a paw. He is still breathing. I drag his hands one after the other to his sides like I see Alice do to wounded animals.

"Where is Bully?"

"He ran away. He is probably hiding, he does that whenever he is afraid".

I want to mock him but I swallow the words. I would be just like Bully if I do. Instead, I move closer to Terry's face. I breathe on him. I can't do a mouth to mouth resuscitation cause his mouth is so small.

So, I hold his lower jaw down with my left paw and then, I pant, allowing the air to flow through his lips and down his lungs. I can see Steam watching me from the corner of my eyes, his tail is raised in confusion.

I am almost giving up when Terry's lips move. I release my grip on his jaw. He opens his eyes. His eyes focus on mine and then he tries to speak but I cannot hear him. His voice is almost a whisper.

"He is awake now Steam, watch him and don't allow him to move his body, it can kill him".

"How do you know all this?" Steam asks in admiration.

"From my vet, Alice. I watched her over the years. Stay here, I'll go look for Aunty Beth".

I stand on my hindleg, my paw can reach the black door knob. I push it down and the door gives way. The house is beautiful with flower pots
adorning every corner of the room but I do not stop  to admire any of it. I scream out Aunty Beth's name, dashing from one room to the other.

I find her asleep on the sofa in the family room. She has an
open book on her laps. I do not want to disturb her but then...

I call her name gently but she doesn't wake up. She is fast asleep. I shout her name and she sits up. Her gaze settles on me and she screams.

"Bad doggie, out! Now!"

I do not listen to her. I continue to shout and turn my face in the direction of the door. I run to it and back to her.

"What is it? What is wrong?" She asks, following my eyes every now and then.

She stands and walks with me outside the front porch. She turns to look at me when we stand on the pavement.

"What now?"

I run to where Terry lies, in front of the almond tree. She hesitates but I run back to her and tug at her dress.

"Okay, but it better be good, whatever it is".

I lead and she follows. I stop where Terry is, lying stiffly on his back. Steam stands beside him. He jumps up in relief, I am relieved
too.

I watch Aunty Beth run to Terry. He whispers to her and she glances briefly at me. I see the smile that flashes briefly across her face. She lifts Terry gently and I can see his right hand clench as he
made a thumb up sign at me.

I look back at Steam who is staring at me with new found respect. I have grown bigger and more important before his eyes. I think of Terry's sign, his mother's smile, and I smile too.

It doesn't matter if I sleep in the carton today, it doesn't matter if I have to wait till next week for better lodging. One thing I know is that I have a new family and now that I have proved that I am worth keeping, I will no longer be the low-breed dog without a name but the dog called "Rollo".

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