The Unwanted Runaway

Buster

Denton’s POV

As I stride through the bustling kitchen, I quietly approach my mother from behind, gently wrapping my arms around her in a warm embrace. "Is dinner ready yet, Ma?" I inquire eagerly, my stomach grumbling in anticipation.

My mother shakes her head, her attention still focused on the bubbling pots on the stove. "Not yet, Denton," she responds with a hint of exasperation. I sigh disappointedly, but my thoughts are quickly interrupted by the mention of Carter.

"Oh, I just ran into Carter on my way in," I mention nonchalantly. "I assumed Anna would be in here. Have you had the pleasure of meeting her yet?" I ask, my curiosity piqued.

My mother's face softens as she turns to face me, her hands resting on her hips. "No, not yet," she confesses, a hint of regret in her tone. "Carter stopped by earlier to say hello before heading off to work. He mentioned that he left Anna at the bunkhouse with Evan and Jason to help her settle in and show her around. They should be back any moment now," she informs me.

nod, my mind whirling with thoughts hoping giving this girl a chance actually works out.

As Mia makes her way through the kitchen from the family dining area, where our large family will be gathering for dinner tonight, I am struck by the sheer size of Ma's house. Having spent 18 years of my life in this very house, it's easy to forget just how expansive it is. Now, living in a smaller house just 400 feet away, I can't help but notice the lack of a luxurious dining area like Ma's.

As I admire the table that Mia has impeccably set for Ma ,

Mia informs me that all that's left to do is finish cooking the food. Mia then asked me to go get EJ and Seth telling me that EJ and Seth are at her house playing video games, so I make my way over to fetch them. Before I leave, I ask about my mischievous niece Lily and where she might be. Mia responds, "Lily is with Evan, showing Anna around. I actually met Anna earlier today and she is such a delight," Mia adds with a smile.

As the three of us stood in the kitchen , the tension palpable as my mother's concerned gaze shifted between Mia and myself. She had asked where Sarah was, and I responded with a deep sigh, "She'll be here. I left her at my house."

But my mother wasn't convinced. "You left her at your house and walked over here by yourself?" Her tone was a mix of confusion and disapproval.

I explained, "Mama, I didn't want to bring her with me. We're not exactly on the best terms right now."

Mia chimed in, her eyes wide with shock, "Wait, you two are still fighting?"

I shook my head, "No, we're not fighting. But I'm not happy with what she did to Buster."

My mother's expression softened, "What did she do?"

I hesitated before answering, "She put a muzzle on Buster."

Mia gasped, "Why would she do that? He's nothing but a big old baby."

I let out a sigh, "Apparently, Buster bit her pretty good in the hand."

My mother's face fell, "Oh no, is she okay?"

I nodded, "Yeah, she's fine. But I don't understand why she would do something like that to him. He's never bitten anyone before." My voice was full of concern for both Sarah and Buster, trying to convey the complexity of the situation.

"Sarah had mentioned to me that she was almost in need of stitches because of Buster's unpredictable behavior. As my pregnant sister Nikki waddles into the kitchen, she comments that Buster has never been fond of Sarah ever since I reintroduced her to everyone during the early stages of our relationship 2 years ago.

Nikki continues, 'Remember when Evan had a group of friends that him and Sarah were a part of Over to the house when they were in high school and my dog, Sparky didn't take a liking to Sarah then either ?' I nod in agreement, knowing that dogs are often good judges of character.

'Well,' I interject, 'Sarah's dad ended up putting a muzzle on Buster before she brought him home . Then after she and Seth brought him home from the vet's office. Apparently, he got loose at the moment she opened the passenger car door and ran off into the field.'

Nikki then mentions that she saw Anna, whom she has yet to be introduced to,

. She shares that she saw how Anna was with Buster playing out in the field by the bunkhouse , Anna seemed to have a special bond with him and Nikki says Buster was showering Anna with love and affection without a muzzle in sight."just happily, jumping all over her and continuously licking her face nonstop.

I laughed and excuse myself from the ladies in the kitchen. I made the decision to head over to Mia and Evan's house to fetch both Seth and EJ. Dinner was about to start, and I wanted them to finish their video game after we all ate. As I strolled across the field, I noticed Sarah approaching me. She greeted me with a kiss on the cheek and expressed her disappointment in Buster having his muzzle off. She had seen Anna, who she referred to with disdain, take it off. Sarah said, "I told her to leave it on because he's a bad dog and might bite her if she's not careful." But Anna had laughed off Sarah's concern, saying that he seemed harmless and wanted the muzzle off. Sarah didn't appreciate her attitude and neither did I.

After the incident, Sarah declared that Buster would be sleeping outside tonight since his muzzle was off. I simply replied, "Alright, dinner is almost ready. If you want, you can go inside and help Ma, Nikki, and Mia finish up." But Sarah chose to wait until they were done and then head inside. I couldn't help but wonder why she never wanted to help my sister, mother, and sister-in-law in the kitchen. I hoped it wasn't because she felt uncomfortable or thought they didn't like her. The thought of her thinking she was better than them made me angry.

I decided to ask Sarah if she wanted to join me in picking up EJ and Seth from Mia and Evan's house. She replied, "Sure, Denton, that's fine." So we walked together in silence across the field to get the boys for dinner.

As I open the front door, I am greeted by the sight of two boys, completely consumed in an argument over a game. They seem completely oblivious to the fact that Sarah and I have just entered the room. We approach them and try to get their attention, saying "hey hey hey hey hey, what's going on?" Startled, both EJ and Seth fall silent. Sarah chimes in, "I see you guys are arguing, what's this about?" Seth quickly responds, "We're just playing Fortnite, but there are older kids online who keep killing our characters." He then goes on to explain that he had suggested to EJ to let him play alone, to avoid being targeted by the older players. EJ chimes in, "Yeah, Uncle Denton, but that was an hour ago. I've been watching him this whole time and he still won't let me play or share the controller. And he's still getting killed by those older kids." EJ, says with a sad look in his eyes, .

Sarah then interjects, "Well, I think you guys are done for now. We were going to let you play after dinner, but if you can't play together peacefully, then maybe you shouldn't play this game at all." I agree with Sarah and suggest that we go have dinner at Grandma's house. The boys happily jump up, their tummies rumbling with hunger. We all walk back to ma's house in peace.