My Friend Bobby | Page 3

Bobby was never a bad dog on purpose but I said yes I
guessed so. Then I wanted to ask daddy why mommy was afraid of me
but I didn't dare because I knew daddy liked mommy more than
anybody and maybe he would be angry at me for saying things like that
about her.
That night I heard mommy and daddy talking down in the living room
and I sat on the top step so I could hear them. Bobby sat there too, but I
knew he didn't know what they were saying because Bobby isn't very
smart and can't understand word-talk like I can. He can only understand
think-talk, and he doesn't understand that very well. But now even I
couldn't understand what mommy was saying. She was crying and
saying Ben I tell you there's something wrong with the child, he knows
what I'm thinking, I can tell it by the way he looks at me. And daddy
said darling, that's ridiculous, how could he possibly know what you're
thinking? Mommy said I don't know but he does! Ever since he was a
little boy he's known--oh, Ben, it's horrible, I can't do anything with
him because he knows what I'm going to do before I do it. Then daddy
said Carol, you're upset about today and you're making things up. The
child is just a little smarter than most kids, there's nothing wrong with
that. And mommy said no, there's more to it than that and I can't stand
it any longer. We've got to take him to a doctor, I don't even like to
look at him. Daddy said you're tired, you're just letting little things get
on your nerves. So maybe the boy does look a little strange, you know
the doctor said it was just that the fontanelles hadn't closed as soon as
they should have and lots of children don't have a good growth of hair
before they're six or seven. After all he said he isn't a bad looking boy.
Then mommy said that isn't true, he's horrible! I can't bear it, Ben,

please do something, and daddy said what can I do? I talked to the boy
and he was sorry and promised he'd behave himself. And mommy said
then there's that dog--it follows him around wherever he goes, and he's
simply wicked if the dog isn't around, and daddy said isn't it perfectly
normal for a boy to love his dog? Mommy said no, not like this, talking
to him all the time, and the dog acting exactly as if he
understands--there's something wrong with the child, something
horribly wrong.
Then daddy was quiet for a while, and then he said all right, if it will
make you feel any better we can have Doctor Grant take another look at
him. Maybe he can convince you that there's nothing wrong with the
boy, and mommy said please, Ben, anything, I can't stand much more
of this.
When I went back to bed and Bobby curled up on the floor, I asked him
what were fontanelles, and Bobby just yawned and said he didn't know
but he thought I was nice, and he would always take care of me, so I
didn't worry any more and went to sleep.
* * * * *
I have a panda out in the barn and the panda's name is Bobby too and at
first Bobby the dog was jealous of Bobby the panda until I told him that
the panda was only a make-believe Bobby and he was a real Bobby.
Then Bobby liked the panda, and the three of us played out in the barn
all day. We decided not to tell mommy and daddy about the panda, and
kept it for our own secret. It was a big panda, as big as mommy and
daddy, and sometimes I thought maybe I would make the panda hurt
mommy but then I knew daddy would be sorry so I didn't.
Bobby and I were playing with Bobby the panda the day the doctor
came and mommy called me in and made Bobby stay outside. I didn't
like the doctor because he smelled like a dirty old cigar and he had a
big red nose with three black hairs coming out of it and he wheezed
when he bent down to look at me. Daddy and mommy sat on the couch
and the doctor said let me have a look at you young fellow and I said
but I'm not sick and the doctor said ha ha, of course you aren't, you're a

fine looking boy but just let me listen to your chest for a minute. So he
put a cold thing on my chest and stuck some tubes in his ears and
listened,