Marley and Me – Chapter 4 – Changes at Home

Jenny and I worked hard at our jobs. We also worked hard at home. So one evening I said, “Let’s go on vacation, Jenny.”

The next day, I bought two airplane tickets. They were for a three-week vacation in Ireland.

“What are we going to do about Marley?” asked Jenny.

“We can leave him in the house,” I said. “Somebody can stay here with him.”

“Marley is a difficult dog,” said Jenny. “That person will have to be kind but also strong. He or she will have to be his boss.”

“I know,” I said. Then I had an idea. “Kathy loves animals.” Kathy worked in my office. The next day, I asked her and she said yes. Before she arrived, I wrote some notes for her about Marley. There were six pages of notes. I showed them to Jenny. “Did I forget anything?” I asked.

Jenny read the notes, then she said, “You can’t tell Kathy all that. She won’t want to stay with Marley.”

But when Kathy read the notes, she smiled. “Marley and I will be fine,” she said. “Have a great vacation.”

Jenny and I had a wonderful vacation in Ireland. The weather was fine and warm. We drove on small country roads and walked by the ocean. At night, we stayed in the houses of Irish families. We forgot about our jobs in Florida.

When we arrived home, Marley ran outside to us. Kathy stood at the door. She looked very tired. Her bag was next to her.

“I’m sorry,” she said, “but Marley broke a lot of things in the house. He wasn’t obedient and he didn’t listen to me.”

We thanked Kathy, but she wanted to leave very quickly.

I turned to Marley. “All right, Marley,” I said. “Tomorrow you’re going to learn about obedience.”

The next morning, Jenny and I went back to work. But first, I put the chain around Marley’s neck and took him for a walk. Marley started to pull me.

“Sit, Marley!” I said. Marley sat.

“OK, let’s try that again,” I said.

We started to walk and Marley pulled me again. I made the chain very short and pulled him back. It hurt him, but it was the only way. In the end, he learned his lesson. He walked next to me and didn’t pull me.

I felt very happy. “Good, Marley,” I said. “I’m the boss.”

Some days later, Jenny called me at the office.

“John,” she said. “I went to see the doctor. I’m going to have a baby.”

This time, Jenny and I were very careful and we put away every chemical in the house. Jenny looked well. She got up early each morning and took Marley for a walk by the ocean. When we went to the doctor, we saw our baby on the machine.

But I didn’t forget about Marley. I worked with him every day. Marley was more obedient now, but he didn’t listen to me all the time. He came when I called him-sometimes.

In our yard, we had a fruit tree. Marley loved eating fruit, but it went through him quickly. His poop was everywhere in the yard. He ate a lot of other things, too. These went through him and came out in his poop-toys, pens, and bottle tops.

I bought Jenny a beautiful chain for her birthday. She loved it and she put it around her neck. But some hours later she cried, My chain! Where is it? Maybe I didn’t put it on right.”

“We didn’t go outside,” I said. “So it’s here in the house.”

We looked in every room, but we couldn’t find the chain.

Suddenly Jenny said, “What’s that in Marley’s mouth?”

I saw the end of a thin chain. “Oh, no!” I cried. “OK, Marley, it’s all right. Come here now. Please give us the chain.”

But Marley only looked at us. Suddenly, he threw his head back.

“He’s eating the chain!” cried Jenny.

I opened his mouth and pushed my hand down. But I couldn’t find the chain.

“We’ll have to wait,” I said. “The chain will go through Marley and come out in his poop.”

I gave Marley lots of fruit. We waited for three days. I followed Marley everywhere. When he pooped, I looked for the chain. But it wasn’t there.

On the fourth day, I found it. After I washed it, it was very clean. It had a beautiful shine.

“That’s wonderful,” Jenny said. “It shines better than before.”

Jenny wore that chain for years. When I saw it, I always thought of Marley.

Our son was born in St. Mary’s Hospital in Palm Beach. We called him Patrick, an Irish name.

“Things are going to change at home for Marley now, said Jenny. “Maybe he won’t like the changes.”

I brought Jenny and Patrick home from the hospital. Patrick was asleep and we put him on our bed. Then we went to the garage and brought Marley into the house. He followed Jenny into the bedroom, but he didn’t see Patrick on the bed.

Then Patrick made a small noise and Marley’s ears went up.

Where did that noise come from?

Patrick made another noise. Marley held up a paw, and Jenny and I watched him.

“What’s Marley going to do?” I thought.

Marley jumped up onto the bed. I pulled him back quickly and held him. Patrick’s eyes were very wide. But Marley didn’t want to hurt Patrick. He sniffed all around him.

Now Marley had a new best friend. When he was near Patrick, he wasn’t wild and crazy. At night, he slept under Patrick’s bed.

Six months later, Patrick started to move around. Marley lay on the floor and Patrick climbed over him. Sometimes Patrick pulled Marley s fur. But Marley lay quietly and didn’t move.

We were parents now and we were happy. We had our wonderful baby. We had our dog. We had our house by the ocean. Life was good.

Then, when Patrick was nine months old, Jenny said, “I’m going to have another baby.”