Memorial Day - Columbus Day Monday - Saturday; 10am-4:30pm Sunday; 10am Worship Service only 20 minutes North of Portland maineshakers.com 707 Shaker Rd, New Gloucester, ME View our calendar of events and workshops: sabbathday lake Shaker Village Museum and Shaker Store Falmouth Shopping Center 251 US Route One Falmouth, ME 04105 (207) 781 4808 bookreviewmaine.com not just books i tio 142 p o r t l a n d monthly maga ine “T he dogman disappeared sud- denly and his dogs were dis- persed into loving homes in town. You can see their descendants in the city parks today. You know this yourself. You grew up with a fascination for these deer-like dogs with their look of furrowed gratitude. As a toddler you would go out of your way to pet one. And you know what? When you did there was that expression on your face again, that fierceness.” “I have no memory of this.” “It almost seems,” my father says, “that the original pack of nine dogs became the origin of a breed of Portland dog. Gentle, worried, grateful, and street-wise. I won- der if it is possible that these future gen- erations of the original nine dogs remem- ber the pain their mothers and fathers felt from the boot of the dogman. I wonder if the dogman is the devil who haunts their dog dreams.” The drop in his tone tells me it’s over. No twist in his ending. A lie below his usu- al standards. “Not one of your best,” I say. “More of an epilogue leaning on Christian imagery. And you never answered the central ques- tion: the diner, is it any good?” My father says, “I haven’t eaten there, yet. I believe that a man who went to the trouble to set small piles of puppy chow around his hot dog cart and bowls of wa- ter will serve no-nonsense food in gener- ous portions.” “Maybe,” I say, “but you don’t really know. Only speculation.” My father’s gray eyebrows move upward. He rises from his chair and walks toward me, smiling. Uh oh. We’re still in the lie. He says, “My scientific son, my biology doctorate candidate, what is it that you spe- cialize in, the field of study?” “You know what I study,” I say. He waits. I give up. “Epigenetics.” “It’s a fascinating topic,” he said, “the way our genes are influenced by what hap- pens to us. The way something we see from our window as a child might have future ramifications.” “Jesus, Dad,” I say. “You went to a lot of trouble to drag me personally into this one.” “No trouble at all,” my father says. “Let’s go get pancakes.” ■