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them,”
I respond, wondering about the type of people who could produce a
being such as Niahm Parker.
    “No, they’re in Egypt. They’ll be home
Friday.”
    “Egypt? What are they doing there?” That was
hardly the response I expected from the daughter of two small town
farmers.
    “Work,” she says. “My dad’s a photographer,
and my mom’s a writer. They write beautiful, interesting travel
books.”
    “Why didn’t you go with them?” I wonder
aloud.
    “Been there, done that. They dragged me all
over the world till I finally dug my feet in and refused to go
anymore.”
    “I can imagine that,” I mumble, well
acquainted with said stubbornness.
    “I haven’t been more than fifty miles from
Goshen since I was thirteen.”
    I stop, stunned. “They left you home?
Alone?”
    “I can take care of myself,” she bristles.
“Besides,” her voice pitches upward, mischievously, “I have a
protector.” She whistles, and a black lab comes bounding in, tail
wagging. I laugh.
    “ That’s your protection?”
    “Get ‘em, Bob,” she says calmly. The dog
immediately crouches forward, snarling, teeth bared aggressively. I
take a step back—he can’t really hurt me… at least, not too much.
But I don’t want witnesses to that fact. The dog, Bob, continues to
move toward me, growling from deep within his chest, punctuated by
threatening barks.
    “Call him off,” I warn calmly, continuing to
back slowly away, my voice as calm and soothing as I used with the
Irish.
    Niahm cocks her head, looking for all the
world as if she is rather enjoying this. “I don’t think I will,”
she says with a smile. I take my eyes from Bob just long enough to
give her a look, letting her know how crazy I believe her to
be.
    “Good dog,” I soothe, clucking, turning my
attention back to the snarling fury in front of me. The dog begins
to back down, giving in to my cajoling, growls becoming
whimpers.
    “Get ‘em,” Niahm repeats. Bob steps up his
assault stance. Just as he gets near me, and I’m wondering how I’m
going to explain the healed bites tomorrow, he lunges—past me,
continuing his growling threat to the tree behind me. I turn toward
Niahm, perplexed. What just happened?
    “Back, Bob,” she says, and he comes bounding
back, tongue lolling, waiting to be praised for his
performance.
    I look at her in stunned disbelief. And
she’s grinning .
    “It’s been a long time since I’ve been able
to pull that trick on anyone since most folks around here know it
by now,” she grins. Anger floods my entire being.
    “Are you kidding me? Is that supposed
to be funny?”
    “It was to me,” she laughs.
    “You’re protection is some… some party
trick ?” I think of all the things that can happen to a young,
beautiful, teenage girl left alone… apparently with the knowledge
of the whole town that not only is she alone, but also that she is
protected by an overgrown puppy.
    She shrugs, and my anger surges dangerously
close to fury.
    “You didn’t know he wouldn’t hurt you. Most
people would’ve turned tail and run. You’re either really brave or
really stupid. Which is it, Sam?”
    “I believe you’re completely insane,” I
half-yell. When she doesn’t respond, my frustration boils over. “I
think you’re Sybil reincarnated.”
    “Who?” she asks, reaching up to tuck a stray
hair behind her ear.
    “You know, Sybil… multiple personalities… it
was a movie… based on a true story… Sally Fields?” I’m holding my
hands out toward her in supplication and, realizing the silliness
of the gesture, I pull them back and tuck them into my rear
pockets.
    She shakes her head, “Sorry, never heard of
it.”
    Her words stop me. Frustration has made me
careless. What seventeen-year-old kid would know about an old
movie? I rock back on my heels, cursing my stupidity.
    “I guess it was an old movie, from the
seventies, I think.”
    “You’re into old stuff?”
    I look at her, trying to push the anger