Fruit Treat

                The keys jingled like bells in their ears. Like school bells prompting summer vacation. Like a hot summer day when children, tongues hanging feverishly out of their mouths, hear the ice cream truck.  Mindy and MonaLisa planted their butts on the carpet like statues, watching her leave. Side by side. She took another glance at them and bid them farewell. "See you later, sweeties! Be good while I'm gone!" Both heads hiked to the left in unison as though her language was theirs. A confusion of tongues yet understanding in tones. They watched as the handle of the door jerked around and the footsteps grew more distant.  MonaLisa dragged to the foot of the couch, head drooping as though her best friend had died.

            "What's your issue?"

            "She's always running away--leaving us all alone.  It's not fair!!"  MonaLisa lifted her head up, mouth arched open, howling in agony.

             Annoyed, Mindy scolded her. "Hush all that madness!  She can't hear you!"

             "Yeah she can.  I can hear other stuff outside so she can hear me. I know it!"  MonaLisa's tucked her face under the rug.

             "Stop being such a sap.  Stand up!"

            MonaLisa's legs wobbled, struggling to stiffen like liquid jello in the cold.  "It's nothin to do here."

            "You coulda fooled me!  Look around you! There's tons to do!"

            "But I don't wanna make her mad!"

             "Look at it like this, if she wanted to play with us, she wouldn't have ever left! How do you know she isn't out playing with some stray?!"

            Mindy made a point. No need in sulking.  "I get your drift."  MonaLisa shook off her sorrow and jetted away. Around the couch. Around the table. In the kitchen. And back. On the couch.

            "Hey--hey. MonaLisa."

            In the kitchen and back . In the hallway. And back.

            "MonaLisa. Hey, lemme tell you somethin. HEY! MonaLisa!"

            On the couch, scratching her name into the cushion. Maybe not clearly but, at least, trying.  Back around the table.  Back in the hall. 

              Mindy--Twirling in circles. Around and around. Eyes dizzy from following. "What the hell is wrong with you?  Sit down!"

                MonaLisa gasped with vacuum cleaner pressure.  Inward.  And outward.  "Whew, I feel better now!"

             "Somethin is really wrong with you. What was all that for?"

             "Just makin myself feel better."

              Mindy shook her head in shame.  "Well, I wanna play a game."

            "What kinda game."

               "It's called fruit treats."

             "Fruit treats?"

               Mindy's mouth salivated at the mere thought of the game.  Yesterday, while MonaLisa people watched out the window, missing all the action, she'd planted herself on the kitchen rug, watching it being pulled out of the oven. Peach cobbler,  piping hot. Juices running down the sides.  She'd been teased by the drop that hit the floor that she ran over to lap up.  Pure sugar on her tongue, running down her throat. She could still taste it.  Sucking on her teeth.  Now wrapped in aluminum foil, pushed back on the counter beyond reach.  She knew that her Chihuahua size and MonaLisa's Yorkie size deemed it impossible to get to it--but if they worked together--maybe---just maybe—they could get it--as long as she could keep MonaLisa's attention long enough. 

            "How do you play it?"

             "You see that chair over there?"

            MonaLisa walked over to the abandoned chair.  "This chair?”

             "Any chair, stupid!"

             "Don't call me stupid!"

              "Whatever!"

             "No whatever! Don't call me stupid or I won't play!"

             Frustrated, Mindy abided by her rule, praying that her sister, who was obviously one crayon short of a crayon box, could focus long enough to play the game.   "Okay I promise I won’t call you stupid anymore."

            "Never?"

            "Never."

            "Ever?"

            "Ever!"

            "Okay good.  What do I have to do?"

             Mindy tilted her head toward the chair near the patio door.  "Okay.  You push until your tired.  Then, I push until I'm tired--until we push all the way to the counter.  Then, you get on top of the chair.  And I get on top of the chair—on top of you and I can get on the counter!"

            MonaLisa walked over to the chair and pushed with her all of her 4 pound might.   "What's up there anyway?" 

            "A good fruit treat to eat."

             Between brief pushes, MonaLisa caught a peripheral glimpse of a bunny.  She pulled away from the chair that seemed to be pushing her more than she was pushing it.  She yelped at the glass screen, pushing with more effort than she did with her chair.  As if she could really scare it.

             Mindy shook her head and headed back into the living room, mumbling. "Stupid."