Sydney just stood there, sniffing the food till Jon's mother told her to sit down. She did not give anything to Jon, who stood there, watching his pet gobble up his dinner.
He tried to indicate to Sydney he wanted her to give him some food. It came out as a soft whine.
Mikey got the message, and slipped his hand under the table with a piece of hamburger, which Jon gobbled up gratefully.
Sydney was pleased. She was getting the special food she didn't normally get. She remembered Jon's mother saying that food wasn't good for her, now she was getting it. It must be only good for people who had hands. She smiled. There were many good things about having hands.
She turned her attention to Jon, at her feet, and reached down to try petting him again. "Let me pet you, it will make you feel good," she told him.
Jon blinked for a moment as she began to do so, the previous objection he'd had vanishing from his mind. She started by stroking the neck under his jaw, and moved to petting his back. He began to feel much more relaxed. Nice Jon mumbled.
"Yes," Sydney agreed, pleased Jon was letting her do it for him. It was nice to do things for him for a change.
