Ingles Icfes

THE CHOKING DOG
“Come on, come on, move it, idiot!”
Joanne beat impatiently on the steering wheel of her Mercedes sports car. How stupid to get caught up in the rush hour She had planned to leave work early this afternoon, at three o’clock, to give herself a chance to relax and have a bath before going out to a méeting of her local tennis club. But just at ten to three a client had arrived, andit was two hours before she had finished dealing with the man.When she carne out of her office, all the other staff in the Highlight Advertising Agency had already left. Now she was stuck in a traffic jarn in central Birmingham at 5:30, and at 6:30 she was expected to be chairing a meeting of the tennis club.There would be no time for any hot bath.

Ahead of ber, the traffic was moving at last,and she swung quickly out into the centre lane to turn right, and raced the last half-mile through the quiet suburban streets to her house. Pulling up on the driveway, she leapt out of the car and ran for the house.As she opened the door, she nearly tripped over Sheba, who was standing behind it. “Hey, Sheba, bello,” she said, bending down to stroke the large Alsatian dog’s head, “l’ve got notime for you now, but l’lI take you out as soon as 1 get back from the tennis club:’ It was then that she noticed something worrying about the dog. Sheba seemed to be coughing or choking, her stomach pumping repeatedly as if she was trying to vomit something up. She was obviously in real discomfort and could hardly breathe; her sad eyes gazed up at Joanne helplessly. “Oh damn, this is aH 1 neeci now’said Joanne to herself, dropping her briefcase and bending down to take a closer look,”a sick dog,today of ah days” On closer examination, Sheba did Iook very sick, anci Joanne reahized she would have to take her down to the vet immediately. Luckily, the vet’s surgery was only a few streets away, and Joanne quickly loaded the dog, stilh coughing and choking, into her car for the short dríve.When she got there, the surgery was ust about to chose for the day. Lucki(y, Dr. Sterne had riot heft yet, and when he saw the state of Sheba, he brought her quickly into bis office. “It looks like something is stuck in her throat’ said
Dr. Sterrie. It shouldn’t take me too long to get it oUt.” “Listen, doctor, l’m reahly in a rush to get to a meeting -- can 1 leave her with you, and go and getchanged? l’ll be back in ten minutes to pick her up, and then Iii take her on to the meeting with me. Is that OK?”

“Sure,” said the doctor.”You get going. (‘II see you in ten minutes:’ Joanne jumped back into her car again, and made the quick trip round to her house in a couple of minutes.As she was once more entering the hahlway, the phone on the table by the door began to ring. She picked it up,annoyed by this additional interruption to her plans. “This is Dr. Sterne’ said an anxious voice. “Is that you, Joanne?”“Of course it’s me’ said Joanne, surprised at the sound of his voice,”no-one else hives here.” ‘1 want you to get right out of that house immedíately’ said the doctor’s voice.”Right now. l’m coming round right away, and the police wiIl be there any time now.Wait outside for us.”The phone went dead.Joanne stared at it. She was confused, but she was also a little frightened by the obvious fear in the voice of the doctor. She replaced the receiver, then quickly backed out of the door and ran into the street. At that momerit, a police car with its lights flashing swung round the comer and screeched to a stop outside the house.Two policemen got out.After briefly checking thatshe was the owner of the house, they ran into the house through the still open door, without exp)aining anything. Joanne was by now completely confused and very frightened.Then the doctor arrived. “Where’s Sheba Is she OK?” shouted Joanne, running over to bis car. “She’s fine, Joanne. 1 extracted the thing which was choking her, anci she’s OK now” “WehI what’s this ah about?Why are the pohice...