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The Lorraine household could be described with a single word: Average. They live in a not so big house, with a nice garden and backyard, the family consisting of Daniel and Mariella Lorraine, a mixed couple of a red-haired man and a Hispanic woman, and their two kids: Helen and Jake, who were the spitting image of their dad and mom respectively. The family also owns two dogs, both mixed breeds, Skits, a big childish goof ball, and Martha, who happens to be the only reason why this family cannot really be classified as your average household; Martha is a talking dog, something not even her family knew, until one day Helen nonchalantly gave her a full bowl of alphabet soup just to not waste it up. Little did she know that, in a kind of butterfly effect, such a small action would change not only her life, but that of everyone around her.

Martha had certainly been a blessing to her family. Not only did her new communication abilities help her to get closer to those she loved, but also brought so many new experiences to the family that otherwise wouldn't have been possible. Years later, Martha was still at a healthy adult age and had gone through many adventures in her daily life. It was to the point that she repeatedly thought that there probably wasn't anything that could catch her off guard. Yet life always made sure to prove her wrong eventually.

Martha's routine was always the same every morning: wake up early and make sure that Helen didn't oversleep, have breakfast with the family, and occasionally walk Helen to school or just part of the way. After, she was free to roam around town or help Mariella with some errands; usually small things she needed for today's lunch or deliveries at her flower shop.

However, today Martha did something different. She ate her breakfast as usual, but as soon as she was done, without saying anything, she walked straight to the back door. Mariella, baffled by such behavior, pointed it out without a hitch.

"Where are you going this early, Martha?"

Such a question made her freeze in place...She wasn't sure as well.

"I was just going to take a morning stroll. I think I slept in a weird position, and I'm feeling a bit stiff," she lied, not being sure why.

"Well then, te cuidas mucho," said Mariella, still with unsettled expressions on her and the rest of the family's' faces. Martha just walked out of her house and meandered around in the street, with no clear direction in her head. She just felt like taking a stroll. She stopped when she turned around a corner away from her home. She looked up at the store to her side. Not long ago, she got better at reading. 'R-A-M-O-N-S V-I-N-Y-L S-T-O-R-E' "Ramon's vinyl store. . . I think Daniel uses some of those," she thought. She peeked through the store's glass door. It looked empty and a bit dusty with some construction tools inside.

"Ramon is probably doing some renovations," she said to herself.

A sudden bark from behind startled her. She recognized Skits's voice as soon as the scare got out of her system.

"Skits! Don't go around scaring people like that! When did you get here anyways?"

Skits barked again.

"You have been following me? Why?"

Skits barked with a confused expression.

"The park? Hmm, yeah, now that you mention it, I had some trouble sleeping last night. Maybe I'm lacking some exercise. Let's go Skits! The last to get there is cat vomit!"

And just like that, both dogs darted in the same direction as if their lives depended on it.

Martha spent most of her morning playing with Skits and other dogs in the park. She made sure to use up every drop of her energy, believing that would give her the restful sleep she lacked last night. Guessing by the position of the sun, it was almost time for lunch, and Helen was probably back from school already. She was playing tug-o-war with a bigger dog, using a big stick instead of the usual rope, when suddenly a smell hit her nose; a smell that made her let go of that stick all of a sudden, making the other dog roll backwards comically. He didn't lose time lashing at her for it, but she didn't pay attention to his barking. She followed the trail of scent as if she was hypnotized. She followed the smell until she finally found the origin of it, walking on the sidewalk with a bag full of groceries, too distracted with his phone to look at the surroundings.

"You!" She yelled at the top of her lungs, almost making the guy drop everything he had in his hands out of surprise, which eventually happened when she jumped on him, as if she had crossed ways with him after years of not seeing each other. She licked his face eagerly, which made the man blush profusely, as he tried to make her calm down a bit.

"W-wait, Martha! Calm down, you're hurting me! Y-you're stepping on my dick!" He pushed her away gently. She finally regained a bit of sense and got off him, realizing she had been standing with all her weight on his body the entire time.

"Why did I even do that?" she thought. She had seen him just yesterday. In fact, it hadn't even been a full day since they saw each other. Still, she felt considerably excited to see him again. Finally, in full control of herself again, her face blushed behind her fur, as she became self-aware of her actions from mere seconds ago.

"S-sorry about that," she said with a shaky voice, smiling in embarrassment.

"It's okay, I... missed you too..." He mumbled those last words, but they couldn't escape Martha's acute sense of hearing. His words made her feel a strange sensation in her chest and instantly turn her sight away from his face. He did the same in response.

Both of them just avoided looking at each other for a bit while giggling nervously, until they remembered the groceries scattered all over the floor.

"Let me help you with that!" Martha didn't wait for an answer and started picking up things as fast as she could, not noticing that she made several holes in them by pressing a bit too hard with her fangs. Still, she didn't receive a scolding for it. The guy in front of her just kept picking the things up and placing them in his shopping bag, always saying 'thanks' or 'thank you' for each item retrieved. "Back from shopping, I see," she said, trying to break the silence.

"Yeah," he pretended to not be concerned over the punctured juice box that was handed to him and still shoved it in the bag, pleading for it to not spill over everything else before arriving home. "Just today's lunch and dinner. I was planning to have something light."

Lunch. That reminded her it was already time for lunch, and she was missing it! Not only that, but Helen also hadn't seen her since she got off this morning. She would start to worry if she didn't get back home soon.

"That's right!" she said out loud.

"Is something the matter?"

"Sorry, I need to go right now. I'm missing lunch. I hope we meet again soon. I promise not to knock down your groceries next time..." she giggled and took off towards Skits, who was sleeping near a tree, yelling to wake him up and make their way home. He just watched her go with a smile, and eventually made his way home too.

Just as yesterday, she didn't get to spend much time with him, something always got in the way. Either she or he had to leave for this and other reasons, maybe that is why she reacted like before. Martha thought that at this rate they wouldn't ever get to hang out for long, like back then when she stayed at his house. Just then it hit her, she could just visit him at his home anytime.

"How didn't I think about that before?" She said to herself. "Oh wait, right, he has to go to work now."

Martha felt betrayed by her past self, since that job was her doing. Thinking about when it would be a good time to visit was giving her a headache.

"Are you sure they haven't been around since this morning?" The red-haired girl inquired to her mom.

"Si mi niña, I have been here the entire day and neither of them have peeked around." said Mariella while putting away the dishes in the sink.

Just as Helen was considering picking up her bike to go out, Martha stuck her head through the doggie door.

"Hello everyone! I hope we aren't too late for lunch!" She said in a dissimulated cheerful tone, trying to ignore Helen staring daggers at her. "Hmm, the soup sure looks really, uh, lettery today!" She started lapping her soup in tiny bits, still looking at a mad Helen from the corner of her eye.

"Martha!"

"Yes?" Martha said as soup dripped through a forced smile.

"Where have you been the entire morning!? You had all of us worried about you two!"

"We just went to the park, and kind of didn't notice how much time had passed. Because, uhm, we were having lots of fun..." Martha's tone was like whenever she told a lie. Skits knew it better than anyone, as he almost died of boredom back there while Martha took turns playing with every dog like a maniac.

Despite not losing their concerned expressions, both mother and daughter simply remained silent about the matter, for the moment being that's it.

Later that day, Helen was in her room doing homework while Martha rested in silence near her feet, by then she knew how important it was not to make noise, so Helen could concentrate better. Surprisingly, she was the one who broke the silence just a few minutes after she got her books out.

"Martha?"

"Uh-uh?" Martha was on the brink of falling asleep, "What is it? Are you done already?"

"No, I wanted to talk about this morning"

"Oh, that" Martha woke up completely that very instant.

"Yes. You have been acting all weird as of recently. I noticed you have trouble sleeping at night, and now you just go out and wander for hours, even missing lunch, that is not like you at all. The Martha I know would never miss food time even if there was a tornado devastating the town. Are you feeling sick by any chance?" Helen was noticeably worried.

"No, not at all. I am as healthy as a horse" Noticing her owner's concern, Martha stepped up and laid her paws on her lap. "And I mean a very healthy one."

"Are you sure? Maybe we should visit the vet just in case..."

Normally, Martha would shiver at the very mention of a visit to the vet, but right now Helen's well-being was what worried her the most.

"I'm okay, I promise!" She said in a caring tone. "I would never hide something like that from you. I can't stand seeing you so worried about me, you know?" Martha struggled to lick Helen's cheek a few times trying to cheer her up, and much to her delight, it worked.

"Okay, okay, I trust you" Helen said between giggles, in a noticeably more relaxed tone. She held Martha around her neck, gently moving her fingers between her fur. "But if that isn't the case, then what is it?"

Martha looked away, trying to get her thoughts in line.

"I... I don't know," she said, bewildered.

"Huh? What do you mean you don't know?" Helen now shared Martha's confusion.

"I just... Don't know. I really don't know what's with me"

"What do you feel exactly?" Helen decided to put her detective skills to work and try to figure out what was going through Martha's head.

"Well, I think it is sort of like a need. Like I need something, but I don't know what it is."

"Oh my, Martha, could it be that you are in heat already?" Helen dug through her memories for a bit, "It hasn't been long since the last time"

"No! That's not it! This is different. And I'm not saying it just to not wear the diaper, I really mean it." She said as she got back on fours.

"Well then, do you at least have an idea of what do you, uhm, 'need'?"

Both girls remained in silence. Martha was working her head to try to get an answer, and so was Helen as well.

"I guess..." Martha hesitated in her own words.

"Yes!?" Helen could barely hold her curiosity.

"I guess, it is a bit like, I want to be with someone..."

Helen's face blushed a bit and a tiny smirk formed on her lips.

"Martha" She giggled. "I think...I think you might be in love!" Helen instinctively covered her mouth a bit with her hand.

"What!? No, that really couldn't be it, it must be something else... Or maybe not, I-I don't know" Martha was struggling even more to understand her own feelings, being faced with such a hypothesis.

"So, who is the lucky pooch who managed to conquer a heart not even courageous collie Carlo could? Do I know him by any chance?" Helen had a more relaxed approach by then, being aware that at least Martha's health wasn't at risk.

"I'm, not sure myself," said Martha sincerely.

"For real? I thought you could at least have an idea" Helen leaned more towards Martha and whispered as if she was trying to avoid getting heard by someone else, "Maybe it could be Skits?"

"What!? No! Absolutely not. He is like my little brother, you know. That would be so weird." Martha's expression was enough to confirm that she was speaking the truth. "Besides, love between dogs is a bit, different, to say it somehow"

"What do you mean?"

"Eh, I will explain it to you when you are older." Martha avoided the subject swiftly.

Helen looked at her with a puzzled expression. They spent so much time together that she tends to forget that Martha, despite being younger in human years, is indeed an adult.

"Well, whenever I have a 'girl issue' I cannot solve by myself, I usually ask mom. She knows a lot about these things." Helen grabbed her pencil again, ready to continue her homework.

Martha laid down again on the floor, staring into space while thinking of her next move.

"Yeah, I guess I will ask Mariella. Maybe some time we can have a one-on-one talk." She said, as she laid her chin on top of her paws, ready to take a nap.

"I think she is working on an arrangement in the kitchen, you could talk to her right now"

"She probably is busy with it, it's better to not bother her while she is trying to concentrate." Martha rolled on her back, completely decided to take a nap in that very instant.

"Martha."

"What?"

Helen gave her that severe look of hers that screamed 'Stop fooling around', Martha's excuses were too obvious to deceive her.

"Fine, I will talk to her right now" she said as she reluctantly stood up and walked out the room, leaving a more relaxed yet still pensive Helen alone with her chores.

Down in the kitchen, just as Helen said, Mariella was peacefully trimming and positioning the flowers in the arrangement with the same care as a painter profiling the delicate silhouette of a beautiful model. Martha peeked from behind the wall of the living room, making sure it wasn't a bad time to interrupt her.

"Mariella?" She finally came out of her hiding place.

"Yes sweetie?" Mariella placed the flowers and pins she was holding on the table, willing to put all her attention on Martha, ironically, this made her more nervous.

"Uhm, w-well, Helen said you know a lot about 'girl issues'"

"Well, yes dear." Such a topic caught Mariella off guard, she never thought she would have to talk about such things with a dog. "Come here, sit next to me." She said as she patted the cushion by her side.

Martha never imagined Mariella would ever invite her to take a seat at the table, same as she never expected she would want to reject doing so now that it was happening. Being next to her, looking at each other so closely, made her feel more nervous.

"It's okay cariño" said Mariella, trying to appease her evident nervousness, petting her on the back trying to calm her down. "What is it that you want to know?"

Martha inhaled a fair amount of air and let it out, getting a hold of herself. She wasn't sure what made her so nervous.

"You see, Helen and I were talking just some minutes ago about this morning." Martha avoided looking directly at Mariella's eyes. Mariella simply corresponded with nods, as to assure that she was listening. "And, well...We, she, she said I might be, in love." Martha felt as if those words were stuck in her throat and had a hard time making them come out.

"Oh my! Could it be Skits by any chance?" Mariella said with a bit of a teasy tone.

"Why are you two saying that!? Or course not!" Martha's tone was enough to tell that such commentaries made her upset, Mariella recognized her mistake but remained silent. "And that's where I want to get. Love between dogs is, different, you know"

"How so?" said Mariella with genuine curiosity.

"Well, where to begin." Martha said a bit pensive "first thing, we don't do such things like marrying as humans do, if one dog loves another, we just, mate." Martha spoke with a sort of gloomy tone in her voice, yet still said so with such naturality that Mariella couldn't help but to be a bit astonished with such claim, even though she was very aware of such things. "And when we are born only our mom takes care of us, I think most of us don't hold our fathers responsible for our conceiving. So, such things as staying together forever don't hold much significance for us"

'Well, that explains why she didn't care about looking for her dad back in Thanksgiving.' Thought Mariella to herself.

"So, uhm, that's why I don't think it might be love, you know. I don't feel like mating, I'm not even in heat...So, it must be something else not really that important" Mariella never heard such feelings come out of Martha's mouth before. It was like she was trying to deny her own feelings, and it pained her to do so.

She remained pensive. Martha could be a dog, but ever since she learned to speak, she had been involved with humans much more than anyone of her species; she had adopted a lot of behaviors and habits from them too. And even if she remained true to her kind, there was no doubt in saying that she might have grown a sort of 'human' part onto her. Something Martha herself was very likely unaware about.

"Cariño," she said, directing a motherly gaze at a confused Martha, "I don't know how to say this. But maybe you might have learned to love like a human." Martha's expression was still a dazed one, but somehow, she looked a bit more relaxed. As if she was unconsciously getting a hold of her true feelings. "Maybe that one you love might not understand your feelings the same way as you do, but there is no harm in trying."

"B-but I-" Martha got interrupted by Mariella.

"And if things don't go well, we will always be here for you, and we will help you go through it. Because, even if you aren't like us, we are still a family," Mariella embraced her between her arms tightly, just as she would do with any of her kids, "and we love you just as much as you love us."

Such a thing moved Martha enough to make her shed a single tear, which reached its end on the corner of her mouth, shaped in a wide smile.

Martha wasn't a big fan of tight hugs, but she didn't feel uncomfortable by this one, she could remain hours like this and not be bothered by it. After a few seconds, Mariella released her and felt relieved upon looking down to see her smiling as she always does, wagging her tail a bit even.

Now in a more relaxed atmosphere, both looked at each other with more tranquility. Which gave Mariella enough confidence to ask what she wanted to know, after all, the dubiousness was burning her from the inside out.

"So, Martha, if you don't mind me asking. Who is the lucky guy?" She said with a slight cheeky tone.

"I have been thinking about it since Helen asked as well. But I still can't figure it out myself." Martha started moving her eyes around, digging deep into her memories to get a name, or a face at the very least. "Let's see, last week I was just as always...last Monday we went to T.D's house to spend the noon...then I went to visit Kitten after, and Helen had that big project for yesterday, so I went alone, then I went to the park because I smelled Cisco around and then...wait..." Martha gasped in realization, "that's it, that's him!"

"Who? Little Cisco?" Mariella thought about how he and Martha hung out every so and then, "It was just a matter of time" she said to herself.

"No!" Martha said, laughing a bit towards the idea, "It's the new guy who just moved in!" She revealed without losing her smile.

"Oh, there is a new dog in the neighborhood?"

"It is a human actually," said Martha with full confidence, without realizing the sudden change in Mariella's expression as soon as she mentioned such. Thinking that she simply misunderstood, Mariella insisted.

"Oh, and you like his dog?" She inquired, wishing that she had just misunderstood what Martha meant.

"No, I mean him! He doesn't even have a dog... What is it?" Just then, she noticed that Mariella's face was no longer a relaxed one.

"Oh dear..."