And he did. For the next week, Jamie woke up early to feed Nibbles, walked him twice a day, brushed him carefully with a plastic grooming mitt they’d found on sale, and even cleaned up when Nibbles had an accident in the hallway. No complaints. No shortcuts.
By the end of the week, his dad stood by the door holding a rolled-up zoo brochure. “You’ve earned it,” he said. “Let’s go show Nibbles the world.” They were inseparable. In the three weeks since they brought Nibbles home, Jamie hadn’t spent more than five minutes apart from him.