All Quotes

"Eva: Don't worry. This is my brother, Jack. Jack, this is Dodger."

"[Eva sets Dodger down in front of Jack, who lets out a big chortle. Eva laughs along with him. Dodger squats in front of them and covers his ears]"

"Eva: Isn't he cute? You see, he's wearing diapers like you. You guys play while I do reading."

"[Eva returns to her desk and sneaks glances over her shoulder at Jack and Dodger. She is bursting to share her secret. Jack is perfect––––he can't warn anyone. Eva smirks as Dodger curls his strong tail around Jack's ankle and yanks. Jack falls down on his diapered butt and gets up grinning. He reaches for Dodger]"

"[Both "babies" are getting into it]"

"[Eva wouldn't have been more pleased]"

"[Over the next few weeks, Eva is glad she has introduced her monkey to Jack. The three of them keep the secret from Amy and Tom, although Tom yet sneezes and wonders if he are suffering from a cold. Together, Eva, Jack and Dodger sneak out in the afternoons, to play in the park, have a ball in the pet store, and try to give Dodger a much-needed bath. If someone has warned Eva a month before that she'll be having so much fun with her brother, she would have laughed in his face. But Jack isn't such a naughty little boy. In fact, he isn't the little monster she has always thought. She changes the sign on her bedroom door from "No Jack Allowed" to "Only Jack Allowed"]"

"[Eva's mum passes side-by-side and does a double take]"

"Amy: Tom! Come here, come see this!"

"[Tom joins Amy and reads Eva's corrected sign. Amy is so touched, she almost weeps. And Tom is impressed as he tries to stifle a sneeze]"

"Tom: Boy! What have we done right?"

"Amy: This is major. Whoopee!"

"[Nonsense is going so well something hard has to happen. And sure enough, the very next morning, it does. The Gregory family is doing breakfast at the dining-room table. Eva has her oatmeal, Amy is reading the paper and a sneezing Tom keeps dialing a number from the yellow pages since he isn't feeding Jack. Eva figures the line is busy because Tom punched in the number over and over]"

"Tom: Oh, I meant to ask you. This guy that you're going out with––"

"[Eva and Amy look at each other in confusion]"

"Tom: I mean your boyfriend. Excuse me, this little pal at school, who you always make the extra lunch for..."

"[Eva stares down at her bowl of oatmeal, her heart beating faster]"

"Tom: Does he have a dog?"

"[Eva gulps hard]"

"Eva: I don't know who you're speaking about."

"[She swiftly gathers her bowl and is getting ready to leave the table until Tom's call eventually goes through]"

"Tom: Hello, is this Pest Terminator?"

"[This is it. This is the moment she has been dreading. Without thinking, Eva jumps up and presses the disconnect lever on the phone, cutting Tom apart]"

"[She stares at Tom in horror]"

"Eva: Why are you calling a pet terminator?"

"Tom: Pest Terminator, Eva, pest. I haven't stopped sneezing in weeks. We must have rats."

"[Eva laughs with relief]"

"Eva: Rats, exactly! I meant to warn you––I wish I saw one, or heard one, in the walls or the ceilings. I certainly think we have rats."

"[Eva thinks about rats throughout the day. She thinks about the men who will come to murder the rats. What if they come to the apartment and figure out that the Gregory family has a monkey, not a rat, problem? It is too eerie to think about]"

"[Eva thinks fast]"

"Eva: He...ah...in the Caribbean––from some pirates!"

"Eva: Well, you know, retired pirates. They have a restaurant now."

"Harold: What's his name?"

"Eva: His name? [She bites her lip] Uh...Dodger! Because he likes the hat!"

"[The newly christened Dodger also likes the woman's earrings. They gleam like gold, and he keeps poking at them. Eva and the couple chat and laugh at the monkey's antics as he hugs the man and then climbs onto the woman's shoulders]"

"[He scampers away for a few seconds to play in the bushes. The elderly couple says a farewell to Eva and go on their road. Eva turns and finds Dodger dragging her knapsack aside. She has to laugh. The knapsack is almost twice his size]"

"Eva: Do you know you look like a monkey like Santa Claus with a sack complete with goodies? [She smirks. What is the little guy up to?]"

"[Just then, two joggers run past. Dodger hesitantly hoots and scampers behind a tree]"

"Eva: Hey, you frightened him! Dodger, are you alright?"

"[Walking slowly around the tree, Eva finds the frightened monkey]"

"Eva: Hey, little dude. You're so cute! Did you run away from the zoo or the circus or something? Why did you come to me like that? My name is Eva. Do you need a friend?"

"[Like a dream come true, Dodger jumps straight into Eva's arms and wraps an arm around her neck. Eva hugs him back, her eyes shut in sheer happiness. This is better than owning a rottweiler any old day]"

"Eva: Alright, now you're mine. [She slips him into the knapsack]"

"[But Eva hasn't counted on so many problems in trying to sneak Dodger into her building. First spaced-out Tessa and Jack brush right past her out front. Jack points straight at the monkey, who has poked his head out of the knapsack. Eva's gum-chewing, magazine-reading cousin doesn't see Dodger this time, but what about the next? And luckily for Eva, eighteen-month-old Jack hasn't yet said his first word. As he does, she prays it won't be "monkey"]"

"[Then the man who owned the bulldog rushes to get in the elevator with them. At any other time, Eva would have loved to play with the drooling dog, but not today. Not with Dodger jumping up and down in her knapsack. As the man and dog hurry to catch the elevator, Eva's knapsack begins to do a tap dance all on its own as Dodger attempts to escape. Just as the elevator doors begin to close, the bulldog sticks his wet muzzle inside. Eva bits her lip and pushes it out. She glimpses the owner's puzzled face as the doors lock shut]"

"[Speak about a close call. But her heart almost stops until she steps off the elevator on her floor. Police officers are walking out of her apartment just as she and her hidden monkey head for the front door. Has her mum or stepfather found out about Dodger?]"

"[No, no one knows, she realizes a few seconds later. The police and her mum don't search her knapsack or ask questions about what just happened in the park. Hurrying into her bedroom, Eva assumes the police are there because of some connection with her stepdad. As long as they don't ask her about that afternoon, she and Dodger are safe]"

"[Eva unzips the knapsack. Dodger instantly peeks out]"

"[It won't be too hard hiding a monkey in her room. Piles of clothes and shoes clutter the floor. Toys, books and stuffed animals cover the unmade bed]"

"[Dodger scoots under the bed a split second before Eva's mum pokes her head in. Eva stands in the center of the room, innocently clutching a bundle of clothes]"