Chapter Two Lucy and I sat down together on my bed Pinky do you remember when I said that I really really really wanted a pet Of course You’ve said it a zillion times It’s the thing you want most in the world even more than having a sleepover pizza party with our friends But how did you decide to get a guinea pig for a pet They’re really friendly and pretty easy to take care of explained Lucy She pulled out her phone Here’s a picture of Mei-Mei That’s what I named her 4
Home Sweet Home
Oh she’s so cute I said looking at the picture Mei-Mei had rounded ears short legs and no tail Her fur was brown and tan with patches of white Are you going to take her to the pet show at the library next Sunday No I can’t said Lucy I’m going to visit my auntie next weekend Do you need a pet sitter I’m starting my own pet sitting business You could be my first customer Wow that’s great said Lucy I’ll definitely hire you to look after Mei-Mei How much are you charging I hadn’t decided that yet So I said Since you’re my first client I’ll give you a discount Your total will come to zero dollars Thanks Pinky You can even take Mei-Mei to the pet show if you want I had planned to bring my cat D J but I didn’t think he’d mind missing the show this time You’ll have to show me how to take care of her I’d never looked after any animal except for D J but how hard could it be Don’t worry I’ll tell you everything you need to know And I’ll bring over her water bottle a bag 6
of bedding some food pellets her feeding dish her hiding tunnel her nail clipper her grooming brush and her carrier Wow this was going to be more work than I’d thought I actually have to go to the pet store on Friday after school to buy more bedding for her cage Lucy added Do you want to go with me Sure I’ll just have to ask my parents for permission The door to my room opened again and Avi marched in Pinky if you go to the pet store I’m going with you This is between Lucy and me I said And by the way it’s rude to listen in on other people’s conversations Avi ignored this I’m getting a pet too he announced And you’ll never guess what kind Are you making this up Avi I said Like the time you told me you were entering the hot dog eating contest at Coney Island This is for real Pinky Mom and Dad said I could get a pet because I got a perfect score on my spelling test Come on try to guess what it is I wasn’t sure I believed he was getting a pet at 7
