The Whine of the Dentist Drill

August 25, 1965

Jocie Brooke reporting from Hollyhill, Kentucky, after a grueling day. Can you guess where I was from the picture? Right! The dentist. Do you like going to the dentist? Not me. Sitting in that chair gives me the shivers. I want to put my hand over my mouth and say no thanks. But Dad said I had to go and I was old enough to go by myself.

Of course, I've done lots of thing by myself since my mother split in the middle of the night when I was five. Not that she did anything for me before that. That was always Dad or my sister, Tabitha. I probably missed her more than I missed my mother when she split in the middle of the night with Mom. 

Anyway, back to the dentist. That's where I was, but not where I wanted to be. I HATE going to the dentist. I HATE it when Dr. Herschell sticks that drill in my mouth and it makes that awful whiney sound. I HATE it when he says the drill will be so quick I won't feel a thing. I HATE having a cavity in one of my teeth. No fun. Zella says I wouldn't have a cavity if I didn't want to buy a dime's worth of candy every time I pass the ten cent store. She doesn't know what she's talking about! I don't have a dime every time I go by the ten cent store. 

But today I had to go to the dentist. By myself. I had to march in there and say here I am ready to hold my mouth open and get a filling if that's what I need. Dad usually goes with me for moral support or to keep me from running the other way, but he had to cover the city council meeting. I told him I'd go to the meeting and he could take my place at the dentist. Sigh. Guess it is kind of hard for somebody else to take your teeth to the dentist for you unless you have the fake kind of teeth.

Enough about teeth. Let's see what Bailey is up.  That sounds like lots more fun.


Bailey's Bug - Chapter 4
by Jocie Brooke

    "I must have had a mental lapse." A low growl nothing at all like a purr rumbled through Lucinda. "But I'm here. So yank that crazy leash under the bush before somebody spots it."
    "You're going with me?" Bailey couldn't believe it.
    "Since I'm out here hiding under a bush with you, that's obvious, don't you think?" Lucinda climbed up in the bush without rustling a leaf. "Now be quiet, for heaven's sake. And take care of that leash."
    To Bailey's relief, the leash didn't put up a fight when he jerked it under the bush. Then he hunkered down and tried to be small and not move a muscle, but he was so happy that Lucinda was going with him that his tail began to flop back and forth.
    The bush shook and Lucinda hissed. "Stop wagging."
    Cats didn't understand about dog's tails. Lucinda had complete control of her tail, but Bailey's tail did what it wanted. When it wanted to wag, it wagged. He could tell it to stop all he wanted, but it would keep slapping back and forth. Finally he put a paw on the end of his tail and mashed down hard.
     He was still holding it down when Lucinda climbed down. "The car's past. They didn't see us. Time to decide what next."
     "That's easy." Bailey was in such good humor he didn't even think about supper. "We find Reid."
     Lucinda's sigh shook the bush. "You can't even get out of the neighborhood. How do you expect to find Reid in another state?"
    "How far is it to that other state? Will we be there by supper?"
    Lucinda looked heavenward. "Whatever did I do to deserve this? I could be asleep in the sunshine right now."
    "I'm sorry about your nap."
    She looked down at him. "What's done is done. Unless we go back inside and figure out a way to get back in the Robinsons' good graces." 
    "I'm not going inside. I'm finding Reid."
    "How? That bug in your ear." Lucinda spoke through clenched teeth.
    "It's not a real bug." He was going to say more but Lucinda's snort stopped him short.
     "Whatever it is, it led you in a circle right back to the Robinsons' house. And we both know Reid is not there."
     Bailey peeked out of the bush. Lucinda was right. He had gone in a circle. He tried hard to think of something to say that would make Lucinda stop making those weird growly noises that meant she wanted to swat something. That something might just be his nose.
    He couldn't think of anything but the truth. "I forgot to listen to the hum. Mr. Robinson was yelling and there were cars and a dog barked right in my ear." Bailey swiped his ear with a paw. "And the leash grabbed my neck."He scratched his neck.
    "Are you listening now?"
     Bailey put down his paw and closed his eyes. The hum was steady inside him again. He scooted around under to bush to look every direction until the hum felt warmer in his ears. He was just about to say that way when  Lucinda let out a yowl.
    "This is ridiculous. Forget that bug in your ear and let's go wait on the doorstep for the Robinsons to come back." Lucinda softened her voice to a near purr. "Mrs. Robinson will probably give you a double dip of food."
    The thought of food made Bailey's mouth water. He shook it away. He wouldn't think about food. He had to think about his boy. 
    "Reid's that way." Bailey pointed with his nose away from the Robinsons' house.
   
(to be continued next week) 
(Earlier story can be found on the page link in the menu at the top of this post under my picture. This in the future stuff is weird.)