Three Pete 3o5a6a

Copyright © 2014 John W. Wayne.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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ISBN: 978-1-4808-1181-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4808-1182-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014917736

Archway Publishing rev. date: 10/30/2014

Contents

Old Three Pete

Dedications

Chapter 1 An Old Man’s Loneliness

Chapter 2 Winter Comes with a Vengeance

Chapter 3 Another Year Begins

Chapter 4 Life Is Always a Surprise

Chapter 5 The Strong of Heart

Chapter 6 Enduring the Assault

Chapter 7 Making a Plan

Chapter 8 Life Begins to Change

Chapter 9 Signs of a New Beginning

Chapter 10 Tim Lends a Hand

Chapter 11 Donavon’s Message

Chapter 12 Tough Times Weigh Heavy

Chapter 13 Tim’s Fears Are Revealed

Chapter 14 Finishing Touches

Chapter 15 Intervention

Chapter 16 The News Comes Home

Chapter 17 Recovery

Chapter 18 Getting Back to Normal

Chapter 19 Everything Moves On

Chapter 20 Regaining Some Freedom

Chapter 21 Getting Some Freedom Back

Chapter 22 Changes Take Place

Chapter 23 Winds of Change

Old Three Pete

This is a story about love, dedication and an inseparable bond that grew between an old man and a dog that came into his life with nowhere else to go. Learn how true friendship and caring mean living each remaining day with someone you never have to doubt. If you have ever taken in a stray dog, or one that had no other home to go to, then you will enjoy this tale of what it means to have one true friend. Follow Bill Potter and Pete the dog on their trip through life and all of its ups and downs. Sometimes the bond between friends transcends all else.

Dedications

I want to thank my co-author, Michael Laughead for ing this story. It is much removed from our usual path of writing. This is like nothing you have ever read before. It will sadden you, infuriate you and bring a smile to your face. We feel all great tales should contain this combination of attributes. We offer you a glimpse into the real world of feelings and emotions for some who have little, but are thankful for each day and what it offers. I also need to thank our unique pets, for they contribute many of the mannerisms I describe in this book. Pets are always capable of coming up with their own personalities. Dewey, our chocolate Lab, is one of those lovable family that seemed to break most of the rules. He seems to keep us laughing, but can open the flood gates for some tears when he has problems. Pets take over our hearts with their love and affection. I dedicate this story to him, so that he will always be in our hearts.

Chapter 1

An Old Man’s Loneliness

O ld Bill Potter didn’t have many friends. His financial means dictated that he restrict almost every lust for anything nice in life. He had worked for the Rail Road during his hay days. He was a quiet, but well respected Engineer. His work ethics were impeccable. He rarely missed a day of work for any reason. Bill just showed up like the sun rising over the cool damp morning each day. When his work day was fulfilled, he simply disappeared in the same fashion. His soft spoken voice was only heard giving orders on the train when it demanded being done. He knew the entire route between Quincy and Chicago. He could tell you ahead of time about each bump and how it would affect the ride. The rails would hum a familiar song giving Bill a mental map as he sat behind the throttle. Bill sat watching each light board along the path to make sure they were correctly lit. He had worked as an Engineer for many years. He simply lacked the total time and age he needed to retire with a full pension. He had a habit of cleaning the cab of every locomotive he stepped into. Anytime the train was waiting at a section of side rail, he would clean the windows until they sparkled. Bill loved getting up each morning to face the day. He took his job so seriously, it was almost annoying to some of the crews he worked with. One cold icy day after a full night of freezing rain, he walked to his locomotive. When he started to climb up to get onboard he failed to notice just how slippery the ladder was. He was nearly at the top where he could have stepped off onto the level platform when his right foot slipped. Bill lost his grip on the top railing causing him to fall off backwards. He landed awkwardly across one rail of the adjacent track. Severely injuring his back, he laid there unable to move, or even get himself off of the track. He was transported by ambulance to a local hospital. The small facility, which lacked any sort of specialized back surgeon, did what they could. Within a couple of weeks after poor treatment and rough handling he had been rendered nearly helpless. Because the surgery had been so badly

botched, he had no chance for a normal recovery. Bill’s stay in the hospital was extended when his condition never improved. The pain of attempting to stand up or walk the slightest distance never subsided. For the first time in his life Bill was at the mercy of everyone around him. Without having any lack of faith in the railroad’s loyalty, Bill believed he would be treated fairly. He was about to become another casualty of the workforce. After several months of attempting to recover at home, he tried to re the work force. It was a pitiful attempt at best. Once onboard and seated in the iron like seat, he was plagued with debilitating pain that refused to subside. Bill Potter was permanently crippled and unable to work any longer. The Rail Road, convinced he was trying to pull off a scam, called him in and informed him his services were no longer needed. He was being let go due to his lost work days and inability to perform his job as he once had. They calculated what they deemed a justifiable settlement and his life changed from that moment forward. At first the meager pension was just enough to live on. To procure a few extra comforts he blended it with some of his savings he had put away over the years. That money soon dwindled to a few thousand dollars and his life style began to greatly diminish. He tried to seek out some simple odd jobs around town to augment his meager income. Bill was aware he had to protect what little he had left sitting in the bank. Unable to perform any sort of strenuous task, this soon became impossible. Riddled with back pain he would have to fall back to his tiny house for extended rest. As the years ed his appearance became like that of an old sea captain. His beard and hair grew to new lengths. Although suffering daily, his eyes rarely showed the discomfort his body was hiding. Even racked with the constant pain, his soft demeanor never wavered from his early days. His neighbors had heard rumors. Mostly lies about the loss of his job. Most never tried to obtain any credible knowledge about what had actually happened. Years had now ed since his tragic fall. He had reached his 70th birthday. His body was now bent and twisted on most days. Anyone who met him assumed he was far beyond that age. His life had been reduced to an occasional trip to the local grocery store a few blocks away. Bill also made a daily trip to the post office where he retrieved his mail. He had no family to assist him. Over the

years, one by one, they ed away until he was totally alone. He cohabitated with his misery and torment like they were live in guardians. His attitude towards a society that had cast him off to a life of modest means and solitude rarely surfaced. Every morning, during the warm weather, Bill would walk to his gate over the sidewalk to get his paper. It was the one tiny luxury the old man allowed himself. An old wooden rocking chair that sat in the corner of his tiny covered porch was about the only thing he could sit in with any comfort. He would struggle to lower his body down into it. On one spring cleanup day in Quincy, while returning from the post office, he spied an old dark blue couch awaiting pick up by the city. Bill removed the center cushion and carried it home. Back on his porch he placed it into his chair. It was worn on both sides so he flipped it each day trying to extend the life of it. This was his one possession that gave him some relief when he sat. Bill would sit with his big coffee cup at the small table next to the railing and read the morning news. Bill often paused while reading to study the neighborhood to see if anything had changed from the day before. Every so often someone would stroll by taking a brief second to cast their eyes his way. Some would even offer a simple good morning to the old man seated on his porch before them. When he had finished his paper on Friday, he would take on the job of trimming any of his yard growth. He performed this each time at a snail’s pace. It was too difficult to do any sort of work which required climbing so his house was sorely lacking in maintenance and aesthetics. The house had been built in the late nineteenth century. It was centrally located on a corner lot facing south. It had four rooms and had been built as a Maid’s quarters for an enormous mansion that once sat to the west of Bill’s place. His was a tiny white bungalow, surrounded by a four foot white picket fence. A small Model A garage sat behind it to the north where Bill stored his tools and lawnmower. One evening he walked to the gate leading into his tiny yard. He reached for the top of the wooden structure to close it when a small boy came up the street. Bill paused as the boy approached him. Seeing the young lad smiling as he was going along his way, Bill couldn’t seem to resist the magnetic charm of this child. Bill deduced the boy couldn’t have been more than 10 or 12. As the child came closer, the old man’s eyes began to twinkle for the first time in years. Bill stood there watching the boy move closer. He felt compelled to say hi for some reason.

“Well, hello there young man. How are you doing today?” The boy stopped a few feet away from the gate. He looked up at the white haired old man addressing him. He replaced his slight grin with a wide smile that used up most of his small freckled face. “Hello. I am fine Sir. How are you? My name is Tim. Tim Morrison, what’s yours?” The old man reached over the gate and offered his wrinkled old hand to the boy. The child seemed somewhat reluctant to oblige his offer. “I’m Bill Potter Tim. It’s very nice to meet you. Do you live around here?” The boy nodded never taking his eyes off of the old man standing somewhat bent over in front of him. He raised his small hand and pointed back to the west before he even opened his mouth to the old man. “I live down this street. We moved here from Ohio last year. I had been here before because my mom has family living here. We used to come in the summer just to visit, but then my dad found a job here so we had to move.” Bill was leaning over to capture each word the young man relayed to him. The old man was smiling in a kindly fashion. “Well now. That’s quite a trip from Ohio, isn’t it? I sure hope you like it here. It’s a nice town and it’s growing bigger each year. I have lived here a long time myself.” The rugged honesty of a child can sometimes be brutal. Tim was about to reaffirm that. “Is this your old house? It looks kind of junky.” The old man turned to gaze back at his tiny structure. He paused for a second to think about what the boy had said. He finally saw the amusement in how honest the boy was and turned back to him. “Well now Tim Morrison. It does seem just a bit run down now doesn’t it? I guess maybe I had better plan on doing some work on it sometime down the

road. Don’t you think?” Tim had begun to think about how rude his comment was. His freckled face turned red and he lowered his head. He had been taught to never make fun of others because of what they didn’t have. “I’m sorry mister. I didn’t mean to make fun of your house. I just meant.” He paused not wanting to have to look back into the old man’s eyes. A rough, but quite gentle old hand reached across the gate and patted the young boy on his head. “No son. I didn’t take any offense with your comment about my home. I know it’s old. It’s sort of like me. I suppose it looks like both of us have seen some better days now doesn’t it?” By now the boy was completely embarrassed and just wanted to run away. He stammered a bit and turned as he bid the old man good bye. Tim hurried off down the street to the west. Bill stood for a moment watching the boy’s legs carry him off like he was riding a summer tornado. Tim barely slowed down to check for traffic before continuing across the street and up the next sidewalk. Bill turned to peer at his old house and its run down condition. He raised his weight off of the rickety gate and slowly returned to his house. When he walked inside he made the short trip down his hallway and entered the living room first. Carefully perusing the assortment of mix and match furniture that adorned his room, he let out a big sigh. A turn of the century side chair with scuffed wooden legs sat in front of one of the windows in the cramped living room. A couch with armrests that shined from years of wear sat on the east wall. The carpeting was light brown and very thin. One old end table sat next to the couch with a small table lamp and radio on it. Last on the list was a makeshift reading table that sat below his book shelves. That was about it. A small black and white television that he had been given by a neighbor sat on the second table. Its antenna was fabricated out of an old wire hanger. The original one had been broken off. A built in book case with six shelves completed the north wall. It housed an extensive hardbound and paperback collection of some of the greatest books ever written. All were books that his travels had yielded over his life time. They weren’t just props, but his pride and joy. Bill considered them his best pieces. He had read each on numerous times over the years. He headed

down the narrow hall way outside of the living room towards the kitchen. He stopped to straighten an old oil painting of a paddle wheel steamer that he loved. The vessel had been painted while it was docked in the old deep water slew in the upper bay of the town. The once natural deep harbor now sat nearly filled with silt caused by a blundering mistake the Corps of Engineers had made. They had made a cut through Quinsippi Island allowing water to flow through it. When it flooded, the once natural deep bay was filled in with silt. It was just another old memory from an ancient past that no longer existed, except in Bill’s mind. He turned the overhead light on in the kitchen. It was nothing more than a single 40 watt bulb encased in an antique glass globe. It wasn’t enough light to allow him to see the dust in the corners of the room. It failed to illuminate the residue of dirt hiding under the table that sat centered in the room. The old man walked to one cupboard and opened it. Looking inside exposed a meager selection of cans of soup and a few more of vegetables. There was nothing more than the simplest of staples. He studied the contents for what seemed like an eternity and then withdrew a can of soup. He placed it on the counter and returned his focus to inspect the remaining samples for something that looked good. He finally chose a small single serving can of peas. After taking that out, he pushed the cupboard door closed. Two old aluminum pots, now severely scarred, stood on the burners of his stove. It was obvious from their condition that they had served many helpings over the years. The old man pulled out his rusting can opener and began the chore of cutting through the tops of the cans. With a shaking hand he began pouring them into the pans. He lit the burners of the two front grates and adjusted the flames to a low setting. Bill walked to his chair at the table to await his dinner. Bill looked around the kitchen and studied the curtains that hung across the two windows in the room. One was over the sink and the other by the back door, centered in the wall. The material in both sets was severely faded and thin. The one on the west gave little resistance to the harsh sun when it shown through. Bill regressed to some old memories of younger and happier days when he was a proud young man, with a handsome stature. He had never really dated too seriously, in opposition to his demanding job. He always felt there would be ample time for him to find just the right woman to build a relationship with. That goal was never achieved. Later on, following his accident, his inability to dance

or take long walks around town caused him to settle into a life of celibacy. His life, after his work ended became one struggle after another. Bill eventually gave up on getting back into the main stream of socializing. A year or so later he eventually gave up driving. The expenses eroded his savings even further. He snapped back to reality smelling the boiling soup on the stove. He walked to it and turned off the burners. He reached up to an open shelve above the stove and grabbed two bowls. They were left from a set he had purchased decades before. They were all that was left from a beautiful set he once prized. The stoneware had been ravaged thru breakage and wear over the years. One bowl contained a small chip in the rim, but it hadn’t started cracking down the side so it would serve his needs for now. He poured the hot soup into one and the peas into the second. He carefully carried them, one at a time, to his place at the table. He opened a drawer and removed one of the small spoons and placed it next to his bowls. He walked to the sink and picked up a glass. Turning on the tap water, he allowed it to run for just a moment until the temperature decreased a bit. Bill filled his glass to the top. He paused to take a small drink. He refilled it again before returning to the table. Settling down into his chair he shook the old glass salt shaker to loosen up the hardened crystals inside. They continually formed from age and moisture that bonded the small pieces together. The pepper came second. He nearly covered the peas with the tiny black specs. This was his only selection of something spicy. Bill crossed his hands and bowed his head to give thanks. Bill never forgot to give a blessing for each of his meager offerings. He had been taught to be thankful by his mother when he was a small boy. He stirred the soup while blowing on it to help it cool. He sipped it, savoring each bite. This meal was another small sample of what he had allowed himself over the years. He carefully spooned up each bite and emptied both bowls down to the last drop. When he had finished, he gathered up his dishes and gently washed them in the sink. It was with nothing more than the hot water from the faucet. After drying them, with a tattered and extremely thin towel, he returned each one to its proper place. They would remain there until his next need for them. He walked to the back door and rattled the cut glass knob to ensure it was properly locked. With his evening ritual completed, he headed for his living room. He turned the light out as he departed the kitchen. He sat down on his couch. He slowly moved his body back and forth and up and down to seek that one spot that fit his posterior from years of use. Once he got

settled in, he switched on a small electric radio. It was previously tuned to his favorite station. It was a news station by day, but at night they switched their agenda to play swing music. Bill sat alone fading into a day dream that they were all popular songs once again. He imagined they were being played at the height of their popularity. He would often sit for several hours allowing his mind to blend with the music. Bill believed listening to the music would help numb the pain in his back that haunted him constantly. It was the sweet and sour of real life for him in general. After several hours of listening to the music, his tired old eyes would start running their own course. They would begin to grow heavier with each song. He knew it was time to head off to his bedroom and try to get some rest. He turned the knob on the old radio until he heard it click off. Everything went quiet in the house and he made his way to his bed. He would cover up with one of two blankets he owned. He would rotate them from summer to winter as needed. The bedroom was always drafty, like the rest of the house. He had tried to help seal the windows up by leaving the old fitted wooden storm windows in place year round. This had little effect against the howling winds that bombarded them during the cold winters of the Midwest. Each day brought a continuance of events like that of the previous. With the exception of his newly found young friend, not much changed. Tim seemed to forget his first comments to Bill concerning the condition of his home. Tim often wandered off taking trips up the street, simply for a visit to see his elderly new friend. They chatted about everything or nothing, if that pleased the boy. Once Tim had even convinced his mother to him in a visit. Bill could sense she was more curious about this old man her son had begun to speak of than anything. She acted like her presence was simply to get acquainted. Her name was Betty. She seemed most relieved after first meeting with the old man. She allowed Tim to wander up his way whenever he pleased. One Saturday, as the old man made his way to the post office, he heard the sound of footsteps running up behind him. He turned to see Tim heading his way. “Bill, it’s me Tim. Wait up please.” The old man stopped and waited for his young friend to catch up. “You certainly are in a big hurry today Tim. What’s up?”

The young man was about out of breath from his run and waited to catch his second wind. “I wanted to see what you were doing today Bill. I thought I could spend some time with you, if that would be OK.” The old man’s wrinkled face began to light up through his white beard with the news delivered to him by his young friend. “Well Tim. I was just on my way to the post office. You are certainly welcome to come along for the walk. You’ll have to slow down for me though. I’ll move too slowly for you.” The young boy laughed aloud. He reached up to take the old man’s hand in his. Bill hadn’t had much with others for many years and the feel of the boys hand in his warmed his heart inside. “OK Bill, I’m ready. I’ll stay with you so you don’t fall behind. I don’t mind walking slow with you Bill.” The old man, now nearly tearing up at the show of affection, held onto his hand tightly when they crossed the streets on the way to the post office. When they reached their destination, Tim was excited. Rather than wait for the old man to tell him where his box was, he rushed up to the clerk standing behind the counter and blurted out his greeting. “Good morning. My name is Tim Morrison and we’re here to get Mr. Potters mail. Can you get it for us?” The clerk was a woman in her 40’s. She had seen Bill come in for years. She leaned out over the counter to look down at the child. Her bright blue eyes peered over the top of her black horn rim glasses. She smiled at the boy. “Let me see. I think I can get that for you Mr. Tim Morrison. If you will wait right here, I’ll be right back.” Tim beamed as he turned to Bill. His anticipation was popping out of him at every point. He hopped up and down waiting for the pile of mail he knew would soon be in his hands. When the woman returned with an ment and a single envelope containing Bill’s power bill, the boy seemed saddened. He

wanted more than this slight showing of mail. “Is this all there is ma’am?” “I’m sorry Tim, but that is it.” Tim walked back to where Bill stood patiently. Tim looked up at him in disappointment. “I’m sorry Bill. I wanted to have more for you, but the lady said this is all you have.” Bill smiled back at the boy. Bill reached out for Tim’s hand and turned to walk back out onto the sidewalk. “Well Tim. What is it I have today? Can you read who it is from for me? I seem to have forgotten my glasses at home for some reason.” Bill made out like he was fumbling for his glasses. They were tucked safely away in his oversize shirt pocket. The boy waited until they got outside and stopped to read the mail. “Well Bill. This is from some company. I don’t know what they want. It says you are supposed to call them for a quote on car insurance. It must be important! The next one says it’s from a company too, but I would have to open it to see what they want.” Bill eased his arm around the boys shoulder. Together they slowly moved back up the street. “I think that is my power bill Tim. I’ll have to pay them, so I can keep my house warm.” “Oh yeah Bill. My dad is always getting one of these too. He doesn’t like it much when they send him one in the winter. He gets mad. Sometimes he uses cuss words to tell mom how much he owes them.” The boy’s chuckle rang out as he described his father’s comments. “Mom gets mad at him for doing that around me, but he still does it.”

Bill raised his head as far as he could and laughed. “Yes, I’m sure lots of people do like your father does when they get their bill. I’ve thought that several times myself Tim.” During the walk back to Bill’s house the boy was a constant source of conversation and questions. Bill tried to answer each one in a way that kept the boys attention. Tim would stop and point at some of the beautiful old houses along the way. He would query the old man about why some had windows and small rooms on top with a walkway around them. Bill explained they were called widow’s walks. They had been built into the top of homes as look outs. Originally, they were prevalent in homes that sat by the sea. It was a carryover from a bygone era when women would go up to them to watch over the sea for returning ships carrying their husbands and sons. Tim asked why some were stone and others were wooden. Bill spent more time talking that morning than he had in years. Sometimes he would pause to allow a back spasm to , but he never complained to his young guest. When they returned to Bill’s house, Tim opened the gate. He walked ahead of Bill to the steps of the porch. He proceeded up to the top step and sat down. Scooting towards the outside, he made room for Bill. The old man looked down and lowered his head and smiled. “Oh no Tim. I am afraid I won’t be able to you sitting there. If you don’t mind though, I will get my chair and move it over closer so we can talk.” Bill reached for his chair and began to drag it over. He felt a sharp pain in his back that nearly buckled his knees from the pain. He paused briefly. Bill tried a second time to pull it across the peeling wood floor of the porch. While he did, he felt a hand grab onto the chair. “Are you alright Bill? I’ll do that for you Bill. I can do it all by myself, if you’ll let me?” The old man’s eyes were red. Not only from the pain in his back, but from the simple act of kindness from this young boy. Tim wanted to help the old man. It had been a long time since anyone had offered a hand to him. He waited for Tim to arrange the chair and flip the worn seat cushion over for him. When the boy had finished, the old man lowered his body down into it. He arched his back to see if he could find any sort of relief from the pain. “Thank you Tim. I really appreciate that. It’s very nice of you to help out like

that.” For the first time in their relationship the boy started to look deep into the old man’s eyes. He was beginning to understand that the old man was wracked with some sort of pain. Without knowing for sure why, he began to realize that his friend needed someone to look after him. Children are often much wiser than we give them credit for. This boy knew he would be there for the old man sitting in his weathered chair. They talked for several hours about what Bill had done over his lifetime. They discussed what Tim wanted to do when he got older. He had so many plans, he could hardly tell them all to Bill. He wanted to drive a fast car someday. He wanted to travel to all the places his parents spoke of that were on their bucket list to visit. Bill laughed when Tim informed him he wasn’t quite sure of what a bucket list was. He wanted to play football and basketball. He wanted to go downhill skiing some day on mountains so high, you couldn’t see the top. Bill knew his dreams were that of a typical boy of his age. His grasp of just what all this would entail was slightly innocent. Bill knew that, but ed all of the boy’s dreams with reinforcement. Bill told him if he never gave up on them, he would eventually realize them all. When 4:30 rolled around a new van pulled up in front of the house. Tim’s mother’s voice called out from inside of the enger window she had powered down. “Tim. You need to come with me now. We’re going out to dinner this evening. We have been waiting on you. Come on now. You tell Bill goodbye and get in. I hope he hasn’t been a bother Bill.” The boy jumped up from his seat on the top step. He started down, but stopped midway and returned to the porch. He reached his arms out for the old man. With a swift motion Tim hugged him and whispered in the old man’s ear. “Thanks Bill. I really had a great time with you today. I’ll be back soon so we can talk some more. You really listen to me. I like that.” The boy let his hug slip away. He turned to dart off. He jumped from the middle step nearly three feet out onto the sidewalk. He raced down to open the gate and get in the car. Bill was stunned by the boy’s actions. He could only stare as the van drove away.

Bill sat in his chair thinking. An overwhelming feeling touched his heart for the first time in years. The old man’s tears were not from the constant gnawing of the pain that plagued his back. He felt a few tears flow slowly down his cheek. He fought to suppress them. He wiped his sleeve across his eyes in an effort to hide them. He stayed in his chair for another hour. He finally reminded himself that he had not eaten and headed into the house to fix something. Bill entered the kitchen and placed the mail on the table. He walked to the cupboard where he kept his compliment of soups and vegetables. It didn’t seem too important that he cooked tonight. He grabbed a box of cereal from its resting place. Then one of his bowls. He carried them to the table. He opened his fridge and reached for the quart of milk. From the weight, after picking it up, he knew it was almost empty. He shook his head and returned to fill the bowl with some of the flakes from the box. There was hardly enough left to fill the bowl up to the first curvature in the body of it. He began pouring the milk out. There was less than a half cup of it left. It would scarcely be enough to soak up the cereal he had poured. With no further thought about it, he spooned it up and ate what little there was. He walked to the sink and ran water over the bowl. Then he ran water thru the empty carton to remove any sediment. He crushed it and tossed it into his trash can. He was still hungry for more. He could have went back and fixed something else, but he decided for that night, he would survive. He headed back for his couch and the radio that awaited his touch so it could come to life once again.

Chapter 2

Winter Comes with a Vengeance

A s the days ed the bite of the crisp cold air began to overtake the warmer evenings of summer. Bill spent less time out on his porch. He began to notice that his visits from Tim were lessening in frequency also. One day he walked to his door to peer out. He saw the young man standing outside of his gate, but hesitating where he stood. Tim waited for a few more seconds and walked off towards his home. Bill couldn’t understand what was going on. He figured there must be something wrong. Why else wouldn’t he have stopped? Bill turned away from the drafty door saddened. He shoved a rolled up towel tightly against the bottom of the door to lessen the cold winter wind. He turned into his living room and walked to his book case. The old man withdrew his favorite book. “The Old Man in the Sea” by Hemmingway. He doubted he knew how many times he had read this masterpiece. It really didn’t matter to Bill one bit. He was going to read it again. He thumbed through the pages to the beginning. It took him away to another place. That was why he loved it so much. He longed for some adventure. His life was beginning to resemble the old man in the book. They both had a young friend who ed them and seemed to understand their plight. It was like his life was aligned with someone who may have never really existed. The January winds brought some of the coldest weather ever seen in the Midwest. The snow fell continuously. Relentless drifting of the snow buried nearly everything around town. Bill barely got out. His food supplies were nearly depleted in the house. His coffee reserve was down to maybe a pot or two. Only a few can goods remained in the cupboard. He would have to walk to the store and carry some things home. He knew it would take a toll on his back. He sat at his table in the kitchen scratching out a list of things he would like to have.

Thinking about the walk, he crossed off the ones he could do without. He knew he could only carry a light load at best. It was quite a walk to the grocery store for him, in that kind of weather. The next morning the snow crunched under the weight of his boots while he walked away from the house. His gloves were warm, but his summer weight ball cap did little to block the wind and cold. His ears and cheeks were bright red when he finally reached his destination. Inside the store he paused to warm his ears with his hands. He grabbed a large wheeled cart that was left discarded by the door. He could not see any of the small baskets he normally used for shopping. He began to search for his needed items. He was finished with the first isle where he had gotten his crackers. He had started down the second isle for his soup needs when he happened to look up. It was Tim and his mom. Their cart was brimming with endless items, from seemingly every isle. Tim ran up to him and gave him a hug and said hi. “Well hi there Tim. I haven’t seen you for a while. I wondered what had happened to you. I just figured with this winter weather you weren’t getting out much these days.” Betty pushed her cart up to where the old man was standing. She noticed the soaking wet legs of Bill’s pants where he had walked through some heavy snow. “Hello there Bill. How have you been? We have been wondering about you with this weather.” Although Betty had clearly seen his soaked pant legs and knew the cause, she acted like she had no clue. She spoke to the old man about his trip there. “This weather sure makes it tough driving around town doesn’t it?” The old man adjusted his hat. He felt to make sure his gloves were still in his pocket. “Well Betty. I don’t do any driving when it’s like this. To tell you the truth, I don’t even have a car to drive. But if I did, I sure wouldn’t want to be out much in this and that is a fact.” Betty looked into his cart and tried not to stare. She was forming a plan. She

looked at Tim. “Tim. Do you think we should give Bill a ride home when he’s finished so he doesn’t have to carry his things in this cold?” “Yeah Mom. That’s a great idea. I could help him carry them in while we’re there.” The old man began choking back an excuse. He looked ahead to the cans of soup and then back to Betty and Tim. “I sure don’t want to hold you up Betty. That would be nice if you would be willing to wait on this old man for a few minutes while I pick up the rest of my things. I promise I won’t be long.” Betty smiled at the old man and leaned over to pat him on the shoulder. “Bill. We would love to give you a ride. We certainly don’t have any more errands to run. You take your time and get all you need. After we get our stuff loaded, Tim can wait and help you. I’ll warm the car up so it’s not so cold going back home.” The old man stepped right along and began loading up on extra supplies. He wanted to take advantage of this gift of a ride. He returned to the first isle for additional selections. He walked briskly up and down each isle picking up everything he could that he had crossed off the list. The last isle contained the ice cream. Although he normally never splurged on such things, he just had to have some of the chocolate. He threw in a small single serving container and smiled to himself. When he rounded the corner to unload his groceries he saw Tim coming his way. The boy ran up to the cart and began setting each item out in a row onto the checkout counter. The old man watched as the clerk rang up each item. Another bagged them all up setting them back into the cart. When they were finished the clerk called out his total. The old man reached into the worn billfold he had produced from his back pocket. He counted out the money and waited for his change. Tim was behind the cart waiting for Bill to him. Bill pulled out his gloves and slid them onto his wrinkled hands. He assisted Tim in pushing the load out to the parking lot. Tim ran ahead at the last minute and opened up the tail gate of the van. He began lifting the bags out of the cart and into the back of the vehicle. When he finished,

he ran to the back enger door of the van and opened it for his old friend. Tim waited while Bill worked his way in and sat down. Tim closed the door and jumped into the front seat with his mom. Bill let them do all of the talking on the way to his house. He gazed around the streets looking at the cars, still buried up to their hoods in snow. Tim was focused on watching for oncoming cars as his mother had asked. The trip was pretty quiet for the most part. It wasn’t long before they arrived in front of Bill’s house. Betty pulled over as far as possible without driving into the snow that was piled up. The street had been recently plowed. There was a three foot drift separating the street from the sidewalk. Betty looked over the situation. “Tim honey. You help Bill down to the corner and come back. I’ll hand these bags over to you so you can help him get them inside.” “So it’s OK if I go in Mom?” “We can’t get them inside without you helping Tim. So get a move on.” Tim cradled Bill’s right arm in his. They made their way the few yards down to the corner and up the sidewalk. Bill and Tim each grabbed two bags from Betty. When the pair got up on the porch Bill drew his key out and unlocked the door. Tim swung it open. There was no glass storm door on the outside. The old felt that was tacked to the outer most edge of the door was missing in several spots. The two walked into the kitchen and Tim set his bags onto the table. He paused while he looked around. He was seeing how shabbily the room was decorated for the first time. The single light in the center of his 10 foot high ceiling showed the age of everything in the room. Tim never said a word. Instead, he rushed back out to gather another load of the groceries before Bill could get out the door into the hallway. Bill pushed the entry door open to walk outside. Tim came up the sidewalk with a load of bags, nearly as heavy as he was. The bags were swaying back and forth in sequence with each step. The young boy struggled with the heavy load. He made his way up the steps where Bill began to lighten his load by relieving him of some of the bags. “Easy there young man. You’re about to hurt yourself carrying all that at once.” Bill turned and they both walked in. Tim again hurried down the hallway to the kitchen. Bill arrived shortly and set his bags down. He listened to the cans of

soup rattle as they moved apart inside the bag. Tim was gone in a flash. He ran out the front door slamming it behind him. The boy made two more trips away from the van before his mother closed the tailgate and got in to shut the engine off. She walked towards the corner and back up the sidewalk. She appeared on the front porch while Bill and Tim were making their way out to ensure everything was unloaded. Bill just stared at her as she turned her collar up against the chill of the cold air. “Bill. As long as we’re here we can help out putting things away. That’s if it’s OK with you?” Bill didn’t know quite what to say. For the first time he was self-conscious about the shape of his home and its contents. He hesitated momentarily. Then he nodded and opened up the door going inside. Betty could see the felt missing around the door. It was black with small nails holding on what was left. She could see several spots where it had fallen off when she walked inside. Inside, Tim leaned against her and grabbed her hand. He dragged her off towards the kitchen. Betty loosened her coat and removed her gloves. She arrived at the table holding the sacks of groceries. Her first glimpse of the room set her back. She knew from the outside of the home it couldn’t be good, but this was more than she expected. She held back any sign of surprise. “Now that we are here, let me help you put these things away. I’m sure you would like to sit down and rest that back of yours anyway.” Bill figured Tim must have said something about his bad back and the pain he put up with. Bill walked to the cupboard where he kept his soup and can goods and opened the door. He opened another one to show her a couple of boxes with some pasta and a few other things. Betty went to work in the blink of an eye. She began stacking the soup and vegetables up in a row. After that, she proceeded to walk across the kitchen. She saw Bill pouring some coffee grounds into an old percolator he had taken off the stove. “It isn’t very good coffee Betty, but I would sure make us a cup if you’d like.” Betty had never tasted boiled coffee thru grounds. She had only heard of how strong some old people made theirs. She wasn’t quite up for that much of a new adventure.

“Oh Bill. Thank you anyway, but I had coffee this morning. Too much of it makes me jittery. Thanks just the same though. You have yours though. I’m sure a good hot cup will help warm you up about now.” The old man placed the pot on the stove and lit the fire underneath it. He noticed that Tim had vanished from the kitchen. He looked around and saw him coming in from the living room. “Mom. Bill is reading The Old Man in the Sea. I’ve seen this book at the library Mom. It’s supposed to be good, isn’t it Bill?” “Yes, it’s my favorite to be honest Tim. I’ve had that book for years. I pick it up every now and then and read it again when I’m bored with winter.” Tim’s face changed to a puzzled look. He gazed first at his mom stacking the groceries into the cupboard shelves and then at Bill. “You’ve read this book before? Why would you read it again if you have already read it once?” Bill laughed and lifted his head. The light danced off of the pure white in his beard. Tim could see the twinkle radiate from the old man’s eyes. Bill smiled looking back down at him. “Well now Tim. Just because you have read a good book once doesn’t mean you can’t ever read it again. Besides, it gets better each time I read it to tell you the truth. That’s what makes some books so great Tim. No matter how many times you read them, they never get old.” “I don’t like to read that much Bill. It takes too much time and some of the words are real hard to pronounce. We have to read in school. Sometimes my teacher makes us write about what we read. I don’t like to do that either. I’d rather be outside playing.” Bill continued to tell Tim how a great book never goes out of style to read again. Bill indicated he might actually learn to enjoy more books, if he would just give it a chance. Betty was finishing up with her offer to put things away. She began buttoning up her coat when she finished. “Well young man. We need to get going so we can get our things home and get

them unloaded.” Tim was still taking in what the old man had told him while they walked towards the door. The smell of the freshly brewed coffee was now filling the small house, clear out to the entry door. Bill was anxious to get a big cup and sit down to enjoy the hot culinary treat he had made for himself. “Thank you Betty for all of your help. I really appreciate you taking time out of your schedule to do that. Can I pay you something for all your help today?” Betty looked at the old man, then down to Tim. She had found a part of the old man she did not know from visiting with him after seeing how simply he lived. All of this without help from anyone on the outside. She decided that down the road she would offer this service again. She wanted to help the old man out and see to it he had plenty of healthy things to eat. “Absolutely not Bill Potter. You don’t owe me a dime. Now you quit with all this about paying me.” Betty smiled and nodded. She and Tim headed back out into the cold air. Bill closed the door behind them and watched while they made their way back to the corner and out to the van. When they pulled away the moisture from the warm exhaust filled the air behind the van. It swirled around like a billowing cloud before disappearing into the freezing clear morning. Inside the van Betty was wondering to herself how Bill could live in such a horrendous condition? “I just don’t know how he can live in that house like that. It was so cold in there. I could feel drafts coming in from everywhere. It’s a real shame old people have to reduce their living standards like that.” Tim chimed in about the house after hearing what his Mom had said. “Mom. Bill doesn’t have much does he? I see all the other houses around and his looks pretty old compared to all the rest. Do you think he doesn’t have any money Mom? I think he’s poor.” “Yes Tim. Bill doesn’t have much at all. No car to get around in and not much of anything else either. I’m glad we stopped to help him. Old people like that don’t

have much to be thankful for when it comes to money and comforts son. He used to work for the Rail Road many years ago. He got hurt on the job and lost it because of being hurt. Mrs. Stevens, who works at the bank told me about that when I mentioned him. I guess they didn’t pay him much from what she heard from a couple of people in town.” “Mom. Why would Bill lose his job just because he got hurt? That doesn’t seem to be right, does it?” “Well Tim. It’s the way life treats you sometimes. People like Bill don’t have anyone to fight for them, so they get taken advantage of. It’s just too bad. I think we should go by now and then and check on him. We can offer to take him to the store with us so he doesn’t have to carry all his groceries home by hand. I think we can help him out a little more often. What do you think about that?” “That’s a great idea Mom. We can help Bill and maybe he will tell me about some of his books when we go over there again.” “I thought you told us you didn’t like to read very much. Why the change in attitude little man?” “Well Mom. If Bill says it is fun, maybe I should try harder at it. I know my teacher says I need too. She makes us read books about history and stuff and all of that is boring.” Betty looked across the seat at her boy. She smiled while she listened to his problem with what they were attempting to make him do. They continued on home and parked the van inside of their heated garage. When the door lowered behind them, Betty assigned Tim the task of unloading the back of all the groceries and getting them inside. Tim worked to carry all the bags inside of their home while his mom put everything away. Tim snatched up a package of cookies they had bought. He began to head up to his room with them. Watching this unfold, Betty interceded. “Now wait just a second young man! You’re not taking that whole bag with you. Take a couple out and leave the rest right here. You’re not filling up on sweet stuff before dinner.” The boy lowered his head. He carefully opened the package and removed two of the chocolate treats from one of the rows. He grinned sheepishly and sat the

package back on the counter. “Sorry Mom. I promise I’ll eat all my dinner.” The relentless weather, with its cold and snowy days, continued that year. It made everyone around miserable. Betty and Tim would stop by the small house to check on Bill. Betty learned from her first visit that he didn’t have a phone. Tim would reach out farther each time to quiz Bill about some of his books. Bill began loaning a few of them to Tim to read one at a time. He offered up Treasure Island first. Tim declined that story. Bill gave him Tom Sawyer, because Tim had heard other kids in school talk about reading it. He would bring each book back and ask hundreds of questions about the authors and why they would write about such things? Bill always laughed and tried to explain how some people liked telling a story their own way. The small boy was beginning to explore the world of reading. Each one would take him on a new adventure and fuel his quest for knowledge. He would later grow to love reading.

Chapter 3

Another Year Begins

W hen spring finally arrived the slowly warming weather began to thaw everything out. The grass began to turn green again, shedding its drab brown appearance. The Robins showed up before the snow was even off of the ground. Birds began to sing in the early mornings again. The trees started going through their process of budding and growing new leaves to fill the branches out. The bushes sprang back to life after being dormant for months. It began to warm up enough for Bill to spend a little time outside sitting in his rocker again. This of course, was only with the aid of his coat. A couple of hours in the afternoon sun made him feel better. He soaked up the rays of sunshine, although still wearing his jacket. He had to fend off the slight chill that remained from old man winter’s grasp. Bill enjoyed the walks to the post office again, once the sun came up. The exposure to the sun was felt against Bill’s face when he walked from the building after picking up his mail. It was coming up on May. One day Bill got a letter from the Rail Road marked personal. He started to open it right away, but put it with some other junk mail and returned home. He was very nervous. He stared at the letter sitting on the table. What could they want with him now? It had been years since he had been booted out with a pittance of a pension. He worried that they might want to cut his money off all together. This thought scared the old man nearly to death. Without that pension, he would have to move and where in the world would he go? A state run nursing home would most likely be his new residence, if this happened. His hands shook. He carefully tore open the letter and began reading.

Dear Mr. Potter,

This is to inform you that due to a new policy implemented through contract negotiations within the Rail Road retirement system, you monthly allotment is subject to change. The amount of change will be calculated as of May 1st and therefore, your amount of pension will be subject to this calculation. We will notify you of just how this will affect your monthly entitlement. We will also inform you what you should do if you disagree with our findings. This letter is to inform you of these changes. This is not a statement of intent or liability. Should you have any questions concerning these changes once you receive them, you can call your pension authority or notify them of your concerns or comments by mailing them to the above address. As always, we are glad to assist you in any way we can. We look forward to speaking with you and answering any questions you might have. Our office hours are 8 am to 5 pm Monday thru Friday. Sincerely, Raymond Simmons

The old man sat quietly. He dropped the letter onto the table. His eyes began to fill with tears. He was a tough old bird, but this letter probably meant certain disaster. Bill knew it could devastate him. No phone, no car and little else to show for his life. Now, he was certain they would take what little respect he had left. He sat at the table and cried. He clasped his hands in front of him and silently prayed to God for an answer to his fears. After reading the letter his body was completely drained of all energy. His mind was running wild with questions he simply had no answers for. He wasn’t ready for this kind of mental stress. The weight of all of this fell hard onto his shoulders. How could he go on with less money than he had now? It was the first time he contemplated something he had never given a thought to, suicide. He walked to his bed room and opened the tiny closet in the corner of the room. He pulled the chain which was connected to the light in the ceiling. It was an old porcelain fixture with a bare bulb screwed into it. It lit up the shelf above his collection of old and worn out clothes he saved for an emergency. He spotted the wooden box he was looking for. His shaking hands grabbed the box and lifted it. He pulled it down in front of him. He walked to his broken down bed. It sagged

in the middle from years of weight being exerted on it. He sat down and raised the lid on the box to expose an old hand gun. He pulled it out of the box. It looked right at home in his weathered and wrinkled old hand. The age spots that decorated his skin matched the spots of rust that adorned the old gun. It was a .45 caliber pistol. It was an antique six shooter that was dated 1881. It was an authentic Colt Peacekeeper that his father had given to him right before he ed away. The gun was a priceless heirloom. To Bill it was the only thing left in his family that had been ed down to him. He studied the gun resting in his hands. Looking inside of the box he counted 11 shells. They were still loaded with the original loads that had been put in them so many years ago. The old man couldn’t even guess how old they were anymore. He had possessed the gun for over 40 years. With trembling hands he released the cylinder catch. He rolled it out to reveal 6 empty chambers. He spun the cylinder around like an old western gun fighter might have done. It barely turned without exerted force due to the guns condition. He picked up one of the shells and slid it into the cylinder. Bill closed it covering the shell and its primer end. He worked the cylinder around and around in an effort to free it up. His mind was a thousand miles away to an earlier time when things were different. He didn’t seem to notice the guns weight, or that he was still holding it tightly in his hands. His day dream became reality. His eyes closed and he began to hear voices and noises. He could hear the sound of a locomotive coming to life. He heard the squeal of the huge iron wheels moving across the tracks. He heard laughter and orders being called out. It was as if he was back in the seat running the train at that very moment. He ed how wonderful things were at one time. The voices seemed like ghosts talking to him from far away. They spoke to him clearly in his mind. How long the old man sat there lost in his vision went unnoticed to him. It was like a spell had been cast over him. He was powerless to break it. Time elapsed before Bill finally opened his eyes. He was wondering what had happened to him. All at once he felt the presence of the revolver in his hands. His clouded mind bounced back to the letter he had received. He sat motionless for several minutes longer before placing the gun back into the box. Slowly he closed the lid back up. He stumbled to the closet and reached upwards to the shelf. He placed the box back into the same place. When his hands released it to make with the shelf, years of dust came pouring off when he moved his hands away. He felt the years of powdery grit come falling down onto the front of his shirt. He looked at his hands, now covered in the same dirt. He clapped them together

trying to remove it from his fingers. He wiped them against his pants to finish removing the remainder of it all. He was so tired now. He needed to rest. He walked back to his bed and unfolded the blanket he kept at the foot. He lowered himself onto the bed and swung his feet up onto the mattress without removing one item of clothing. Once he was lying down, he closed his eyes and faded off to sleep. The mental exhaustion had just simply drained him of all energy.

Chapter 4

Life Is Always a Surprise

W hile the days ed the old man dreaded each trip to the post office. He knew the letter would soon arrive changing his life forever. His gate was a crawl and each movement was a struggle to keep going. His back had been acting up again, but the old man seemed to forget about it as he shuffled along though his days. One by one the hours ticked away. He had lost interest in listening to his beloved radio station and the songs from his past he had so cherished. His weight had fallen lower than before. His pants barely hung onto his waist, even with the coaxing from his worn belt. It lacked a hole to fit snugly or take up the slack of his weight loss. His hair grew out to the point it was becoming a nuisance. It fell around his shoulders making him look even rougher than before. He starred into the mirror in shock. Equipped with an old pair of shears, he worked away at it until he got it back up just under his ears. That would have to do he told himself. He carefully picked the mess out of the sink and tossed it away into the trash can next to the stool. He cupped his hands and splashed water over the hairs still stuck to the sides of the sink. He coaxed the remainder of it down the drain until it was all gone. The third Saturday in May arrived. No further word had been forwarded to the old man on his status. He dreaded going to his mail box to retrieve his mail, but mostly out of habit, he continued to do so. Each day was stretching into a millennium for Bill. He knew it was only a matter of time and he wanted to get it over with. He wanted to find out what was going to happen. The week ed at a crawl. The temperatures kept getting warmer outside with summer approaching. He had been prepared for some time now and the thought of closing this issue out was all that he lamented on. Tim had showed up several times, but Bill usually turned him away telling him he hadn’t felt well.

On the following Saturday he left his yard on his way to the post office. Bill was barely to the end of the block when he saw Tim running at the fastest speed he could. He was yelling all the way down the street. Bill couldn’t make out one word. Tim was mostly blabbering. When he got closer the old man he began to pick out certain words. “Bill, Bill come quick! There’s a dog and he’s hurt real bad. Please Bill. Hurry, I think he’s going to die.” Bill walked to the corner and looked both ways. He began crossing the street. “Hold on Tim. Tell me exactly what is going on? What’s this about some dog?” The boy was completely out of breath. He was trying to gulp air back into his lungs and talk at the same time. Then the old man could see tears coming from his eyes. “Please Bill, come quick. There’s a dog and he’s hurt and I think he might die. You have to do something Bill. Please!” The boy reached out for the old man’s hand. While dragging him along the path, Tim kept running although the old man was walking at a slow rate. The child’s feet were simply bouncing up and down he was so excited. He kept rambling on about a car hitting this dog and then speeding off. About two blocks up the street the boy made a turn to the right. Like a shot, he headed towards the alley. Bill stumbled along with him. All at once Bill spotted an animal lying on its side. It was bleeding badly. When they arrived the dog was gasping for air. Its right rear leg was nearly torn off. It was a medium sized dog. It was pure black with a couple of white spots on it. It appeared to old man to be a lab mix of some sort, but smaller. Its hair was a bit longer than that of a lab. The blood was everywhere around the animal. With the exception of its chest raising and lowering as it attempted to pull in some air, there was little movement. The boy bent over it and the tears streamed down his cheeks. He tried to pet the dog, but the sight of the leg nearly torn off was sickening and the boy cried more. “Please do something Bill! Don’t let him die. I don’t want him to die Bill!”

The old man’s heart sank when he looked at the right rear leg, or what was left of it. The dog had apparently been hit by a car. The rear leg must have caught on something during the impact. The bone was exposed just below the hip t. Almost no flesh remained below there until it reached the lower end of the leg. The blood was everywhere. Bill tried to wrap his handkerchief around what was left of the once muscular leg. He tied it off, but it was merely a way to cover up the massive wound. It did little to stop the bleeding which was now subsiding. The old man had seen animals hit by cars and trucks before and this was no exception. This poor animal would most likely soon expire. Bill knew there was nothing he could do. The child was crying out of control. He was holding onto the dog’s head, petting it like it was his own pet. The sobbing was pitiful and the young boy was absolutely beside himself. The old man tried to comfort the poor animal and this young child. He felt so helpless that he couldn’t do more for either one. “Is he going to die Bill? Please tell me he’ll be ok, please. You can’t let him die Bill.” The old man, now with tears in his eyes for the poor animal dying in front of him, responded. “I’m sorry Tim, but it’s not up to me now. I’m afraid I’ve done about all I can.” “No Bill. You have to do more. You have to save him Bill. I don’t want him to die. I can’t let him die.” “You need to understand things like this happen Tim. Sometimes it’s no one’s fault they can’t do more.” “We have to do something Bill. Call someone to help him Bill. Why can’t you do that?” “Why don’t you go home Tim? I’ll stay here with him. You need to go. There is nothing more we can do.” The boy began crying loudly again. He was begging the old man to perform a miracle. He kept asking him to please do anything he could. It was just tearing the old man’s heart right out of his chest knowing he was powerless to do anything. He patted the boy on the back trying to take some of the pain away while he watched helplessly.

All of sudden a squad car drove by. Seeing the two knelt over the dog, the officer decided to stop and see if he could help. He had a dog of his own nearly the same size and color. He stepped out of the car. After seeing the injury he had to compose himself. Saddened by the aftermath, he walked towards them. “What happened here? Are you two alright?” He bent down to look at the poor animal. The young boy with tear filled eyes caught his attention. “A car came from that way,” Tim pointed down the street, “and just hit the dog. They didn’t even slow-down or anything. They just hit him and kept going like nothing happened. Why would anybody do that Sir?” The officer, now visibly engulfed by the boy’s sadness, looked up and shook his head. Bill was rushing to think of anything he could say to get Tim away from this. He knew he must try something, even if it was wrong. “Officer. Would you take me to a Vet with this animal? We can put him in the trunk so he doesn’t get blood on your seat. I don’t own a car and I just can’t carry him. Would you please do that for me Sir?” The officer hesitated for a moment. He could see this old man probably didn’t have a real thing of value from the way he was dressed and looked. His kindness overwhelmed him at that moment. He nodded to the old man begging for his assistance. The Officer walked to his squad car and pushed the mic button on his radio. He called the office to tell them he would off duty for a few minutes and why. He stuck the key into the trunk and it popped open. He moved several things around in the trunk compartment to make room for the dog. He unfolded a jacket he kept in the car and spread it out. He assumed the dog would have to be put down, but he could see the boy was so shaken he didn’t want to be a part of making it worse. Bill gently worked his wrinkled hands under the dog. It whined pitifully and yipped. Bill tried to quiet the dog by talking to it as he lifted it from the ground. Lovingly he cradled it in his arms. Its head rolled to one side. It opened its eyes

and stared at Bill. It was as if it knew the old man was trying to help. It kept whimpered while the old man walked it to the waiting vehicle. Bill eased it down onto the jacket and removed his hands. He turned to Tim. “You go home now son. I’ll go with him to the Vet. We’ll take care of him until they decide what to do with him.” The boy, still crying, reached up and hugged the old man and squeezed his neck. He whispered to Bill. “Please make them fix him Bill. I don’t want him to die. Promise me you’ll make them fix him, PLEASE!” Bill patted the little boy on the back. He hugged him tightly. The tears returned to his eyes in helplessness. “I’ll ask God if he will help us Tim. It’s all up to him now. Now you go home and I’ll get in touch with you later.” The little boy loosened his grip from the old man’s neck and turned away. He headed home still wiping his eyes. Bill got into the front seat of the squad car and it pulled away. On the way there Bill thanked the Officer many times for his act of kindness. He told him he was sorry he didn’t have any way to repay him. The officer said he understood and assured Bill he owed him nothing. He just didn’t want the boy to see the dog die in the street. They pulled up in front of the Vet’s office within minutes. The Officer popped the trunk lid button while the old man worked his body out of the front seat. Bill walked to the trunk and began to reach in. The officer offered to carry the dog in for him. The old man refused and told him he would take care of it. Bill again worked his hands underneath the bloody mess and lifted him out of the trunk. Bill walked towards the door while the Officer walked ahead of him. He opened the door for Bill and they both stepped inside. They approached the desk in the reception room. One of the Doctors was walking out of a room where he had just given a dog some vaccinations. He ran up to the desk. Looking at the trio he saw the old man with blood running down his jacket and dripping onto the floor. “Bring him back here Sir.”

Bill walked around the desk and followed the Vet into one of the rooms. The Vet was calling out to others in the office. Two women ran into the room behind them. The old man carefully eased the wounded dog down onto to the table. The Vet began removing the handkerchief from the injured leg. Once he had removed it, one of the women grabbed some heavy cloths and pressed them down on the leg. She began mopping up the blood. The Vet was bent over the table studying the injury. Without looking up he spoke to Bill in a gentle manner. “This dog has lost a lot of blood Sir. I’m not sure we can do much for him now. What do you want me to try? I can work on him or just give him a shot and we’ll let him go. He’s hurt pretty bad you know.” The old man now seemed obsessed. He looked down at the dog and then to the Vet. “Could you at least see if you can save him? It would mean a lot to me if you would at least try. I know he’s in bad shape, but I can’t tell you to put him down without at least trying something.” The Vet looked into the old man’s eyes. They were filled with tears. The Vet gazed over to the Officer who stood silently by Bill. “All right Sir. I’ll see what I can do for him. Please let me examine him a bit more first to see if he’s broken up internally. Why don’t you wait outside in the reception area and let me see what I can do. Give me some time and I’ll let you know what I think we should do.” The old man reached down and touched the dog’s head. Slowly the animal’s eyes rolled back, then they closed. The old man was fighting back a full flow of tears. He slowly pulled away and turned to walk out. His instincts told him it would be futile to work on him with the massive amount of trauma he had taken. He would pray that maybe his faith would be enough and maybe they could save him. Bill was about to cave in when he reached the chair in the office area. His back was killing him from carrying the dog. The Officer received a call on his radio and moved towards the door to report in. He turned to Bill when he was finished. He offered to assist the old man down into his chair. He could see the old man was about to collapse. He helped Bill down into the chair before he walked to the desk. The front of the old man was covered with blood from carrying the

dog. He asked the women at the desk if he could get a towel to clean the old man up. She disappeared out of the office and soon came back with two bath towels. She handed them to the Officer. He turned and walked to Bill. He was sitting with his head hung down. “Let’s see if we can get you cleaned up just a bit.” The officer gently wiped as much of the blood off of Bill’s jacket as he could. He handed the remaining towel to the old man. He returned to the desk to deposit the bloody towel on the corner of the counter. The old man made some feeble attempts to wipe most of the blood off of his shirt. Bill folded the second towel back up and held it in his lap. All the time he kept staring blankly into midair. The officer was summoned into the office just next to the reception desk by one of the women. “Do you know if that’s his dog? He looks so sad, it must be.” “I really don’t know ma’am. I just came across him and a young boy trying to help the animal. I don’t know him, but you can tell he sure doesn’t have much. I guess if it is his dog, it’s probably about all that he does have.” “The Doctor will do what he can. That animal is pretty badly torn up so I certainly wouldn’t want to call this one either way right now. I guess we’ll just have to wait. Thanks for your time Officer.” The uniformed man returned to the reception area. He finally leaned over to Bill and introduced himself. “I’m sergeant Donavon. I’m sorry about your dog. I hear this guy and his partner are top notch. If anyone can pull off a miracle, they can.” He asked if the old man needed a ride home. Bill simply shook his head. The Officer told him that he would have to get back on duty and left. Time crawled by. The old man sat in his chair motionless and silent. One of the women who worked there came out with a glass of water for the old man and offered it to him. He took it and sipped on the water, but he continued to stare out into space. By the time afternoon arrived, the first Vet had ed the work to his partner and he took a break. He ed thru the hall way and gazed out at the old man.

Bill was still sitting quietly in his chair. He reached his office and sat down to take a badly needed brake. One of the women walked in and quizzed him as to whom he wanted to make the bill out to for the surgery and work? The Vet sat for a moment finally looking up with a kind look on his face. “Did you see that old man and how he is dressed? I doubt he has two pennies to rub together Sara. Just don’t worry about making out a bill. I’ll eat this one. Hell, I doubt that dog is going to make it thru the night anyway.” The women returned to her chores. The Doctor opened a small fridge and took out his sandwich and fruit cup that his wife had packed for him that day. He sat munching on his sandwich and returned to thinking about this old man waiting to hear something. He got up and walked to the door. He went into the reception area to get the old man and bring him in. “Sir, would you come with me please. I’d like to speak with you about your dog.” For the first time since they had arrived, Bill snapped back to reality. He pushed on the arm rests to raise his old body out of the chair and he got to his feet. He followed the Vet down the hallway into his office. The Vet offered him a seat across from his chair. Bill sat back down and looked into the Vet’s eyes. “Sir, I did what I could. My partner is still working on him, but I hope you realize that he is in pretty bad shape. He seems pretty busted up inside too. He was in lots of pain before I put him under. I’m not sure how he is going to do. The next 24 hours will tell us something. We’ll keep him here and monitor his condition, but I wouldn’t get my hopes up too much.” Bill sat and listened to what the Vet told him. He raised his hand as if he were a child in school room wanting to ask a question. “I don’t know just how much all this is going to cost, and well, I don’t have much of anything of value if this is going to run into lots of money. But I promise I’ll pay you. If you could let me pay a little each month. I know you probably don’t do business that way but,” The Vet broke in on Bill as he was trying to explain how he would make sure he got his money.

“Sir. Let’s not worry about the money right now. I normally don’t charge if an animal doesn’t make it. Right now I’m not real sure if he is or not. We’ll take care of him for now. You just forget about what this is costing. I wasn’t that busy today anyway so I can donate a bit of time to try to save him.” The old man sat looking into the Doctor’s eyes. It was with a certain redness in his that always leaves a telltale story of someone about to break down. The Vet saw that clearly. It tore him up to see this poor old man in such a painful way. He suddenly ed that he had arrived with a policeman. “Sir. Do you have someone you can call to come get you? You might as well go home for now. We’ll call you later to let you know if he made it or not.” Bill shook his head and continued starring down at the floor. “No Sir, I don’t. I don’t drive myself and you wouldn’t be able to call me either. I don’t have a phone at home. I can manage getting home on my own though. I will be fine. I will come back tomorrow to check on him.” The old man stood up and started walking to the door of the office. The Vet looked at him first and then down to the floor. He felt sorry for the old man. He knew what he must do. He couldn’t stand the thought of throwing the old man out with no ride home. “Sir, I’m sorry. I guess I didn’t even catch your name.” Without turning back Bill spoke. “It’s Bill. Bill Potter.” “Well Bill. Would you at least let me take you home? It’s no trouble really. I’d be happy to do so. I need to get out of here and run a couple of errands anyway while I’m out. My partner is finishing up with your dog so we won’t know anything for some time anyway.” The old man paused and turned to the Vet. “I thank you for that Sir. I would appreciate a ride home.” The pair made their way to the parking lot. The Vet pointed to his pickup truck

parked in the corner of the lot. Bill opened his door and climbed inside. The Vet started the truck. While he was pulling out he asked the old man just where he lived. Bill gave him the address. There wasn’t much conversation on the way to Bill’s house. When the Vet pulled up he was shocked to see this tiny house in such a condition. He pulled up to the curb and reached over to grab Bill by the arm. “Look Bill. If it’s OK with you, I’ll stop by in the morning after checking on the dog so I can give you his status. I really don’t think he’ll make it through the night, but if he does, I’m sure you will want to know. It’s really no trouble. I would be happy to do that for you.” Bill turned to him and nodded. He couldn’t speak with the giant lump in his throat. It was hard on this old man to feel like a charity case. With his situation, he simply had no choice. He walked around the back of the truck and headed to his gate. He pushed it open and walked through. The Vet nodded his head and smiled when Bill looked back as the Vet pulled away. Bill entered the eerily quiet house. For the first time he actually studied his shirt and jacket that were covered with all the blood. He removed each one and placed them in his kitchen sink. He filled it with cold water. He doubted it would remove the massive blood stains, but he would let them soak anyway. He took a hot shower and cleaned himself up. He walked to his couch and collapsed onto it. He switched his radio on low. Although there was noise coming from it, Bill never really paid attention to any of it. He thought about the dog and Tim and wondered how he was holding up by now. He regretted not having a phone. By now in their relationship, he would at least have Tim’s number if he did. He could call to let him know the dog was still alive. It’s all just part of being unable to pay for such things he thought. He laid his head back on the cushion. The old man closed his eyes to take a much needed nap.

Chapter 5

The Strong of Heart

S ometime around 4 am Bill woke up. It was one of those times when he wasn’t completely sure of where he was at. He sat momentarily trying to get his bearings as he figured out for sure where he was. When the cobwebs finally cleared from his mind, he focused on the room. It only displayed dark outlines of the windows and furniture from the bit of light creeping in from a street lamp across the street. Bill’s back was killing him from sleeping in an upright position on the couch. He pushed himself out of it. Following a quick trip to the bathroom, he returned to his kitchen to make a pot of coffee. He sat at his table in the kitchen smelling the aroma of the coffee fill the room. He wondered what news he would hear concerning the dog. Even though he had heard every word the Vet said about him most likely not making it, for some reason Bill maintained some hope. If he did make it, what would happen to him? He didn’t have a collar on when they found him. With all of his injuries, who would take care of him? Bill knew he could hardly pay to keep himself, but the thought of letting that dog go to some shelter to be put to sleep was unthinkable. Maybe he could take him if he survived. Suddenly the cold thought of that letter from the damn Rail Road came flooding back in. Bill had completely forgotten about it yesterday during all the turmoil that went on. It now returned to him with a vengeance. The coffee was boiling on the stove. Bill pulled the pot to the side burner. He lifted the lid to pour a cup of cold water down into it. It would help take the grounds to the bottom so he didn’t get so many of them in his cup when he poured it. He returned to the table. He sipped the hot liquid enjoying the strong dark taste. By the time daylight arrived Bill had moved outside, even though it was a chilly morning. For some reason he didn’t seem to mind it. He pulled his only remaining clean jacket closed to help keep himself warm. The heat that radiated

though the side of the cup into his hands felt good. His arthritis often made it hard for him to hold onto things. The ts in his fingers and thumb hadn’t started swelling yet, but he knew it was only a matter of time. The increase in pain he had experienced in the last couple of years had warned him of that. When the sun topped the houses to the east, the warmth from its brilliant rays hit him like a gentle blanket being pulled around him. He figured he needed one more cup of coffee and returned to the kitchen to retrieve it. Outside it was a beautiful morning. The old man looked around at his little world and wondered if that dog had made it through the night. By the time Bill went in to empty his coffee pot and clean everything up it was going on 8 am. He was getting nervous. He knew he needed to get to the post office to see if that letter had arrived yet, but he wouldn’t leave because the Vet had promised to come by and fill him in on the dog’s condition. Bill wasn’t the most patient man when it came to waiting to get to information he wanted. Now he had two important outcomes that he wanted answers to. For now, he couldn’t have either one. It was now going on 10 am. There was still no word about the dog from the Vet. Bill was beginning to think that the worst had happened. He speculated that they were just hesitating to let him know. His stomach was churning with nerves. His fragile hopes were growing dimmer by the minute. He was wondering if this would also be the day the Rail Road would yank the rug out from under him and hand him some news of a cut in his pension. Both possibilities rested hard on the old man. He would just have to wait for both. He wondered how he would react to both possibilities if they were bad. He returned to his couch. About 10:15 he heard a knock at the door. He was listening to the combination of static and news on his radio. Bill shuffled to the door to open it. He saw the Vet standing outside on the porch. He opened the door quickly and stood there awaiting the final news. The Vet looked at him. He didn’t seem to show too much emotion one way or the other. “Well Bill. When I checked on your dog this morning I really expected to find him gone. But, for some reason he is still with us. My partner worked on him until late in the evening cutting and sewing him up. He put him on a couple of IV’s before he left. By the grace of God he’s still breathing this morning.” Bill broke out into a relieved smile for the first time since he had taken the dog

in. He lowered his head and nodded. “Thank you for that news Doc. I was certainly expecting something way different from that. Do you think he might make it now?” “Oh time will tell Bill, but that was the best sign he could give us right now. If he can hold out for another day, I think he could make it. We have him sedated. We’ll keep him on a light sedation in order to keep those IV’s in so he can rest. He might prove me wrong and come through all of this. I don’t know how he’ll be able to get around if he does though. There was lots of damage to that hip and his back. I guess you never know about an animal. Well, I just wanted to let you know Bill.” The old man thanked him and shook his hand. The Vet turned to walk down off of the porch. “When can I come see him?” The Vet turned back to the old man. “Oh, let’s let him have another day or so for that. He wouldn’t respond to anyone now anyway. We need to keep him as quiet as possible for now. I’ll let you know tomorrow.” Bill closed the door. He felt somewhat relieved. He now had at least some hope for the animal. He wanted to go see the dog and sit with him, but he knew the Vet was right about keeping him as quiet as possible right now. He would have to bide his time. Once the news had settled in and lifted his spirits, he decided it was time to go to the post office to check his mail. There would be two days of mail now. That letter from the Rail Road would surely be there. He pulled his jacket on and headed out. He was in the process of closing his gate when a black SUV pulled up to the curb by him. He didn’t pay any attention to it at first. He did not know who it could be. Then the enger window rolled down and a man’s voice called out to him. “Bill. Can I trouble you for a minute? I’m Tom Morrison. Tim’s dad. You are Bill Potter aren’t you?”

The old man turned and walked to the vehicle. When he looked in he didn’t have to be told who this man was. He could see the resemblance to Tim. Bill knew right away it was his father. He rested his hand on the door as he looked in. “I can see where he gets his freckles from now.” The man laughed for a second. He looked back at the old man starring into his vehicle. “What happened to the dog, if you don’t mind me asking? Tim has been pretty upset with that whole ordeal. He is pretty emotional when it comes to things like that. Betty and I were glad to know you sent him home when you did. I suppose they had to put him down didn’t they?” Bill stuck his other hand in crossing it with the right. He smiled a bit before he spoke. “Well actually Tom, he’s still alive. The Vet worked on him for quite a while. He stopped by here this morning to let me know he made it through last night. I figured he wouldn’t make it by the way he was torn up, but at least he’s still breathing. The Vet said he would let me know again tomorrow how he is.” Tim’s dad had been playing with his keys on the ring while Bill explained the dog’s condition. “Well, I’m glad to hear that. I’ll let Tim know so he won’t be so upset. What are they planning on doing with the dog if he does make it? From what Tim said that back leg won’t be of any use.” “They had to cut that off. I have been thinking that I might take him in. I don’t go much and I could probably look after him alright. I haven’t quite made up my mind just yet. I have to find out about some business issues first I guess. But, you tell Tim he is alive and he did a real good job coming to get me so we could get him some care. He wouldn’t have lasted the day where he was and in the shape he was in and that’s for sure.” “I will do that Bill. OK, I guess I should get moving. I’ll be late for work. I only wanted to stop and find out what happened so Betty and I could deal with Tim on this. They’ll both be relieved. Thanks.”

The old man watched as the SUV drove down the street and headed off in the direction of the old business district. Bill shuffled slowly down the street towards the post office. He began to dread this trip because of what might be waiting on him. The morning was alive with birds dancing along the ground everywhere. They were pecking away at anything they could find that moved. Some of the yards were starting to green up. The clean spring air filled Bill’s nostrils with the fresh scents you only get on a spring morning. When he came to the corner and started across the street, he hesitated to go on. Shaking his head he continued across the street knowing it would be better to get this over with. He walked to his box and placed the key into the lock. He turned the key and pulled the door open. He could only see three pieces of mail waiting for him. He reached in and removed all three with a shaking hand. He began to read the first of the trio. It was from the newspaper. He figured it was time to renew his subscription. He flipped it over to expose the second piece. It was some junk magazine ment. He flipped up the third. It was from the Rail Road retirement system. He stopped moving and started to tear the corner of the flap off. He started to slide his finger through the side of the envelope to tear it open. Then he paused. He stared at it allowing the first two pieces to fall back on top of the letter. Gripping them all in his hand, he turned to walk out the door. He didn’t want to stand there and read what they had to say. He was afraid it was most likely the final nail in his coffin. It would cost him his independence if it was bad. He would wait until he got home for that news. The trip back home was tiring for the old man. His worries spiraled out of control anticipating the bad news. He gripped the mail tightly in his right hand several times along the way. He kept wondering how he would handle the news. His life style wasn’t much to begin with. Any further loss of money in his meager pension would about do it for him. It was a long walk home that morning. The closer he got the heavier his feet became. It was nerves and he knew it, but he couldn’t help it. When he crossed the threshold of the front door his hands were shaking. His heart was racing inside of his chest in anticipation of the possible bad news. He could feel the pounding of blood going through the vein’s in his neck. He hurried to the kitchen table and sat down. He laid the first two pieces of mail down and

held the third one for some time looking at it. He finally slipped his finger under the closed flap and slid it across the length of the envelope. He listened to the paper tear apart. He pulled the folded letter out and opened it up to read its contents. He tried to swallow the lump in his throat.

Dear Mr. Potter, We have been working on your case due to a change in your pension benefits. We assigned a specialist to do this. They have come back with their determination. After reviewing the conditions of your retirement and all the circumstances surrounding it, we have determined the following facts exist. First, your employment was full time with the Rail Road at the time of your accident where you claimed your back injury occurred. Secondly, we have also determined that the accident report was filled out completely and the allegations of you injuring your back on duty time have been established and determined to be factual. At that time, the investigator attempted to show cause that your claimed injuries might not have been totally related to your fall. Therefore, it was decided that your entitlement was diminished due to that fact. No further conditions applied to the overall case. We have now reviewed your case in its entirety. We have determined that the award of pension had been incorrectly calculated for purposes of pay. Therefore, after review of this case, we now find in your favor for an additional award of money and pension increase due you from this incident. You will soon be notified as to the amount you can expect to receive and what your new calculated monthly amount will be. Please allow us time to go back and figure this amount. We have several other cases pending also. We wish to handle this in the most expedient way. We seek your patience in this matter while we complete the audit. If you feel our findings are incorrect or wish to challenge them, please send all correspondence to the address listed below as soon as possible. We will attempt to remedy your concerns once we receive them.

By now the old man had about swallowed his tongue. His heart raced and his hands shook violently. He could not believe that this was happening. All the time he had anticipated the worse scenario. Now, he was in shock that they were actually going to give him more money and some back pay also. He tried to force back the tears of happiness, but they simply flowed out on their own. Maybe the good Lord had heard him and decided he had suffered enough. Maybe he decided Bill needed something nice in his life. He felt like pinching himself to see if he was dreaming, or really awake. He read the letter two more times. He was still in shock. The old man had to make sure he had read it correctly. He folded it back up and put it in his desk drawer in the living room where he kept his assortment of important papers. He hadn’t begun to consider just how much he would get, but at that moment it really didn’t matter to him. He only knew that he was going to get a badly needed raise. That was all that counted to him at that moment. The tears still trickled down from his cheeks. He tried to brush them away thinking he was simply being unmanly. It did little good. His relief from all of the worrying was simply too overwhelming. He walked around the rest of the day in a daze. Time flew by because he had no concern over what hour it was. He cooked a larger meal for himself than normal. When he finished, he actually felt good all over for a change. He had even forgotten about the constant pain in his back that seemed to be too far out of reach that day for him to think about. He turned his radio on with a smile. He tuned into another station and listened with glee to anything they were talking about. His demeanor had changed for the better. For the first time in years, the old man carried a smile on his face. It would last the rest of the day. It was going on 4 pm. Bill had done some cleaning in the house. He barely heard the knock at the front door due to the radio. At the last minute, his ear’s separated the noise from the radio and the knocks at the door. He briskly stepped into the hallway and headed for the door. He peered out through the sheer curtain that hung over the glass. He could see Tim standing there. He opened the door with a smile on his face. “Well hello there Tim. What can I do for you?” Tim walked in and headed for the living room without speaking. He took a seat in the straight back chair.

“Bill, I couldn’t wait any longer to come see you. My dad told me that the doggy was alive and will live. Have you seen him Bill? Can you tell me how he is?” “Hold on now cowboy. He made it through last night, but they still don’t know how he will do over the next couple of days. We need to give him some time before we jump to any conclusions.” The boy seemed undaunted by the answer. He kept quizzing the old man. Bill kept him at a safe distance by telling him he intended on bringing the dog home to his house, if he got better. That way Tim would be able to help him with his recovery. That seemed to appease the boy for the time being. Bill tried to change the subject several times, but a boy at that age has a one track mind. His conversation just kept going back to the dog. They continued talking for the better part of an hour before the boy informed the old man he should be going home. His mom had told him not to be late for dinner. Bill gave the young man a gentle hug. The boy smiled up at the old man. After leaving the yard he ran up the sidewalk and towards his home. Two more days ed. The Vet returned on the third morning. Bill had done more cleaning and his attitude had changed completely. The Vet stood outside on the porch when Bill opened the door. Bill was happy to see this man who was smiling openly. “Good morning Bill. I have some great news for you. I was going to tell you, but I thought if you had some free time I would take you down to my office and show you instead.” Bill grabbed his jacket from the hook on the wall. He hurried down to the pickup and got in. While they drove towards the office the Vet explained that the dog had gone through the last couple of evenings just fine. He was now awake and being affectionate while they cared for him. The old man’s smile widened when they approached the parking lot in front of the building. Bill was hurrying now. They both headed for the main entrance. The Vet led him past the desk and into the back room where a large steel cage housed the wounded dog. He didn’t get up, but laid there looking up at Bill wagging his tail. He still had a needle in one of his front legs that was wrapped with gauze. He looked to be a bit thin. When he saw Bill he barked and then whined for the first time since being hit. The old man slowly opened the door to his cage. The dog poked his nose out to

smell the hand extended out to him. He sniffed it all over several times and began licking it. Bill was so happy. He felt himself welling up with tears. The entire rear of the dog up to his lower rib cage was wrapped off with gauze and bandages. Even with his injury, Bill could tell the dog was recovering. The Vet backed away and left the room. He soon came back with a small bowl of food for the animal. He gave it to Bill. He told him to try to feed him something. The old man was down on the floor, which is something he rarely did because of his problems getting back up. He didn’t seem to care about that at the moment. He eased the small bowl of soft food into the cage within the dogs reach. The dog smelled it several times. He began a very slow process of sampling the smallest of bites. The old man was stroking the dog’s head and talking to him in a low, but truly gentle voice. He encouraged the dog to eat. Bill rewarded him with a stroke after each morsel was consumed. The dog finished about half of the food. He lowered his head back onto the pad where he was laying. He would look up at the old man and momentarily close his eyes, only to open them up again to make sure the old man had not left him. Bill could see this happening. Without caring why, he knew the bond between him and this dog was forged forever. His legs were cramping up from sitting there by his new friend, but the old man didn’t seem to care about the discomfort. He was too happy to see this dog and to know that he was actually going to make it. Each time the dog would open his eyes, he would move his nose closer to the old man’s hand to make sure he was still near. Bill stayed with the dog until he had gone back to sleep. Bill edged his way towards the upper ledge of a counter next to where he sat. His legs didn’t want to cooperate when he pulled to straighten his body upright. He held tightly to the counter for a moment getting the full use of his legs back. He softly walked out of the room into the Vet’s office. He found him on the phone. Bill stood outside until the man had hung up before he peeked in. “I can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done Doc. It really means a lot to me. I don’t know how I can ever repay you for your kindness.” “Bill. I think most of that was paid in full this morning when I watched that dog with you. Most people will never know how smart some animals truly are. That one showed me that he was about as happy to see you as you were him. We’ll stick together on this Bill. Maybe between us we’ll get him back up and running.”

The Vet smiled at the kindly old man. He offered to take him back home. Bill nodded and they walked out into a sunshine filled morning. Bill hesitated for a moment. He took in the beauty of it all. Looking up, the old man mentally thanked God for his favor to him. The next few days were filled with anxious pacing. The old man would await the arrival of the Vet who drove by each day to pick him up and take him to see the dog. With each ing day the dog improved. One morning when Bill opened the cage to pet his friend, Bill was astonished to see the dog wobble to the door. For the first he time stood on his own. He tried to walk out of his cage to the old man. His balance was off and suddenly he fell to his right side. He yipped a bit, but attempted to get back up again. Bill was overcome with emotions. The dog worked as hard as he could. Inch by inch he moved until he reached the old man. Bill was on the floor and pulled the dog’s face up to his. It licked him repeatedly while he wagged his tail. This was truly a match made in Heaven. The old man knew for sure when he felt that cold nose against his own for the first time. The Vet told him if he would allow them two more days to ensure there was no infection, he could take him home. Bill was elated with the news. When Bill reached home again he started looking around for where he would put a dog bed. He surveyed the tiny house. He finally decided on a spot next to his couch. He rifled his closet for his winter blanket. He found it in a box he had stashed away. He washed it by hand and hung it outside to dry in the spring air. When it was dry he carried it in and folded it up into quarters. Bill placed it right by where he sat. He entered his kitchen to find any bowl suitable for the dog. Not finding one he deemed appropriate, he took his own cereal bowl and placed it by the blanket. He was so excited. No one would have known all of the pain he had endured over the years from not having anything nice. He was now giving up his best possessions for this dog he would welcome as a King. No one would have given it much thought as to the importance of doing this, unless they knew his entire story. Bill would offer whatever he had to his new friend for his first homecoming. The next morning the Vet stopped by early. He regretted to tell Bill he was going to be completely tied up all day with livestock. His visit would have to wait until the next day. He told Bill that he could take him home then. The old man, although disappointed, understood and showed no outward sign of being put out over the ordeal. He acted fine with the news outwardly. Inside he was devastated. Once that was decided, Bill asked him about food for the dog? The

Vet assured him they would put together a supply package for him before they sent him home. After the Vet pulled away Bill went back into the house and refolded the blanket on the floor. He fluffed it the best he could. He wanted to make the dog comfortable once he got him home. He was relieved to know he only had one more night thinking about that dog being penned up. He was delirious with glee. Having finished cleaning around the house he decided that he should head to the post office and pick up his mail. Once he arrived he opened his box and found one letter sitting in it. He pulled it out to read it. It was from the Rail Road retirement system. He walked as briskly as he could to get home and open it. Back at his kitchen table he ripped it open and began studying it. This time he only had one thing he was really looking for. The final numbers to tell him what was going to take place. He was nearly through the front page when the first figure popped into view. He carefully focused on that line. It read his monthly benefits would be going up $880.00 a month. His mouth dropped open as he stalled on the figure. He wasn’t expecting anything like that. His entire body tingled all over with his new found excitement. He kept staring at the figure over and over again. He realized he still had another page to read. He quickly turned to it. He had read down a couple of lines when another figure came into view. His steel blue eyes dashed to it. It read he would be getting a single check for some $78,000.00 after taxes were withheld. It would be within a week or so. He dropped the letter onto the table. The old man rocked back in his chair in disbelief. Scooping it back up he held it away from his face at an arms-length to ensure he was seeing it correctly. He was absolutely flabbergasted. Bill went weak all over from the shock. He turned back to the first page and started reading again from the beginning. He continued to the very end to see what they had to say. One statement explained the back pay. According to new rules, they could only go back so far, or he would have gotten more. His mind was alive with thoughts running through it. What would he do with such a windfall? How would he act with that kind of money in the bank? His meager checking had never had more than a couple of hundred in it at one time that he could . In the winter months it was literally down to a few dollars. At the end of some of the colder months he skipped meals and kept his thermostat set down to 60 degrees. Now that situation would never happen again. His life was about to change in a big way.

The old man felt like he was back in his thirties again. His joy was so profound that he smiled thinking of how wonderful it would be. He could even get a few new things for himself and the home he had so long neglected due to having little money. The remainder of the day was just a blur to the old man. Hours ed like minutes for him. He had gone outside numerous times to look at the sky and smell the fresh air. Somehow it smelled better than ever before. It seemed it was filled with new smells he had never noticed before. That night he sat and listened to his radio with a broad smile on his wrinkled face. The music filled the room with the sounds of horns and pianos and drums. His mind danced along with the beat of the tunes while his head swayed back and forth to the music. The next morning Bill was up at dawn, excited to meet the new day. He trimmed his beard and put on his best shirt. He stared at the figure in the mirror and thought he looked rather handsome. He paced the floor waiting for the Vet to show up. Bill moved outside to sip his strong coffee and wait there. It was nearly 8 am when he looked up and saw the pickup coming up the street. Bill didn’t take time to return his coffee mug to the kitchen. He hurried down the steps and out to the street to meet his ride. The truck wasn’t completely stopped when the old man grabbed the door handle and opened it. He climbed in beaming all over. The Vet seemed very amused about Bill being so excited. “Well Bill. Today’s the day. Let’s go get that dog of yours and get him home so you two can start spending some time together. I told one of the girls to put some food and things together. That should get you through for a spell until you decide what all you will need.” As they drove along the old man explained that he thought he should have a bill for the dog and all the care he had provided. The Vet, having no idea of the old man’s new windfall, just blew it off. He told him not to worry about it. Bill however, had other plans since he knew he would have some money to pay with. He had never accepted charity from anyone for anything. He felt really good knowing he could continue to take care of himself with far fewer worries than he ever had. The truck pulled into the lot and they both got out. Bill left the Vet behind to

hurry inside to see his friend. When the old man walked inside, the office was empty. Bill could only hear the voices of two of the women coming from the back. “Come on boy. You’re doing it boy. That’s a good boy. Your friend is here. He is really anxious to see you.” The old man froze in his steps when he saw the dog hopping along on his only back leg. Bill could see the dog was getting excited and trying to hurry the best he could. His walk was still very tipsy. He wagged his tale looking directly at Bill as if no one else was there. The dog barked several times greeting his friend. The old man’s eyes filled with tears. He knelt down to meet his friend. When the dog reached him, he cuddled up next to the old man and sat down. He leaned against Bill and nuzzled his nose against his hand. His tail started wagging even harder. Bill stroked his coat around his head. He murmured a few words of love into the dog’s ear. Everyone in the office was taken back a notch by the show of affection from Bill and this dog. The reunion was emotionally moving and memorable. Once the initial hellos were over with, the old man led the dog outside and across the lot to the waiting truck. He opened the enger door and then the back half door of the club cab pickup. He reached down and tenderly hoisted the dog into the trucks jump seat. The dog worked himself around in the seat unsure of just what to do. The old man told him to sit. He gingerly lowered his rear end down onto the seat and leaned his upper body against the seatback. He peered out of the back window of the truck with his head resting on the back of the seat. The Vet climbed in after loading the large box. Off they went towards his new home with Bill. The dog casually inspected the scenery while they drove along to Bill’s house. A couple of times he would catch sight of a squirrel romping through a yard. He gave out a small growl and then a bark. As a dog, he simply couldn’t approve of them being there. Bill visited with the Vet along the way. The Vet told him to keep an eye on the wounded leg. Bill was to try to keep him from chewing or biting on it because there was still a chance for infection. Bill assured him he would do his best to keep him quiet. The Vet informed him that in the box with the food and treats was some ointment that he would like to see used on the dog with each new dressing. There were also several sets of bandages so Bill could change them when he needed to.

When they pulled up to the curb the dog looked out at the tiny little house. According to his looks, he was fully expecting it. Bill lifted him out of the truck and walked him to the gate. The Vet followed right behind him. They reached the steps of the porch. Before Bill could think about it, the dog attempted to jump up the first step. He slipped falling down across the edge hitting it with his stomach. He pushed back and his ears lowered. He acted like he would be in trouble. Bill held his breath for a second. He began to talk to the dog to tell him it was OK. “Wait a minute boy. Let me help you. I guess it’s going to take a while for you to negotiate these damn steps.” He picked the dog up. Straining his muscles, he made his way up under the weight of him and the dog too. When he reached the top step he put the dog down. Wagging his tail he nosed the door. It was like he was impatiently waiting for the old man to open it for him. Bill opened the door and the dog walked right in. He began smelling everything along the way to the living room. The Vet sat the large box down and assured Bill that he would be fine. Bill thanked him several times. The Vet was only trying to get back out onto the porch. He paused momentarily and turned back to Bill. He reached into his shirt pocket. “Oh. I almost forgot Bill. Here is his record of his rabies shot. You will need this to get his license. I just went ahead and brought all his shots up to date, so he’s good for another year.” The old man took the piece of paper in his left hand and shook the Vet’s hand with his right, thanking him one additional time. By the time he closed the door and started to turn he felt something at his leg. Looking down, the dog was standing right next to him wagging his tail. His tongue hanging out. He was panting mildly. Bill picked up the heavy box containing the food and supplies and walked to the kitchen. He didn’t have a cabinet large enough to put the bag of food in so he propped it up in the corner. Bill retrieved the best one of his cereal bowls from next to the blanket. He filled it with food and sat it down. Next he took an old aluminum pan with no handle and filled it with water. Both of them now rested next to his table. He took a seat on his chair to watch. The dog inspected his food and water before sampling a bite of food and then lapping up some of the water. He paused and then burped loudly. The old man broke out laughing at this simplest of gestures from the animal.

“Well, excuse you my friend.” Once the dog had established his bearings of the small kitchen, he stopped in the doorway to the hall and waited. He acted like he couldn’t move without the old man ing him. Bill got up and walked to the living room and took a seat on the couch. Leaning over, he patted the blanket trying to let the dog know this was his spot. The dog slowly walked from item to item smelling every inch of the room. Bill could see how he was not accustomed to the loss of his right leg. This saddened the old man when he watched his new friend wobble with each step. His right hip flexed like the leg was still there. Once the dog had assured himself that all was acceptable with his new surroundings, he came to the end of the couch where Bill was seated. He checked out the blanket and seemed happy to enjoy his newly found home. Onto the blanket he stepped. He sat down and leaned his head onto the old man’s knee. He peered up at him with those pitiful eyes only a dog owner can understand. A million words being spoken to Bill at that moment couldn’t have broken his concentration. He would not have heard a single one. He laid his hand onto the dog’s head began scratching his ears. Bill now understood how a dog could simply take over your affection. Bill drifted away to a warm thought for his guest. “Well boy. What am I going to call you? I guess I’m going to have to work on a name for you. You won’t know you should come without a good name now, will you?” The dog continued to stare into the old man’s eyes. He was melting away years of hardness from living all by himself. It was like the dog knew exactly what Bill was saying all along. The old man continued to speak to the dog. With each kind word, the dog nudged closer and closer to him. He was wanting all the attention he could get. Bill continued to mull names around in his head, but just couldn’t think of anything proper for his new house mate. “Let me see now. Champ? No that won’t do now will it? How about Quincy? That’s where you are from aren’t you boy? Oh, I guess we’re just going to have to come up with something else.” The old man continued to throw out names. He couldn’t get his mind wrapped around any of them. He sat thinking of more while he was petting the dog’s head. Occasionally Bill would look into those closing eyes. The dog was

growing weary and needed some rest. Bill patted the blanket next to the couch and finally the dog moved towards the center of it. He kept sniffing all of it while working his movement into a smaller circle before he laid down. He continued to study the old man. He took a big breath and let it out. Bill kept patting him and the dog dropped off into a much needed sleep. The old man’s hand slowed down on the petting and stroking. It finally came to rest on his upper back. Bill leaned his head back onto the couch and his eyes closed too. He was also worn out from the whole ordeal. Soon both of them were snoring lightly as they rested together. The urge to sleep seemed to right through the dog into Bill. It was like they were connected by some strange force controlling both of them. The afternoon ed steeped in dead silence throughout the little house while the old man and the dog both rested. It was about 4 pm when Bill woke up to the sound of the dog barking at the front door. Bill started to come around slowly. His mind was clouded with the dreams he had experienced. They were just the normal stuff and the kind when you’re fully awake, you can scarcely . The old man pushed himself off of the couch and headed for the door. The dog stood barking with his tail straight up and the bristles on his back raised like a porcupine ready to unload his quills. The old man made his way to the door speaking to the dog. “It’s OK boy. I’ll see who’s here. You be nice now.” When the old man peered out he could see Tim’s face. He opened the door with a smile. The dog immediately went from a guarded stance to a tail wagging and barking mode. It was within the span of a couple of seconds. Tim rushed inside where Bill waited. His eyes lit up when he saw the dog come rushing to him. He began circling him and sniffing his legs and feet. “Oh Bill, he’s going to be fine isn’t he? You brought him home Bill and he’s going to be alright.” “We still have a ways to go Tim, but yes he seems to be getting along fine. Would you like to stay for a little while?” “Can I take him outside Bill and play with him?” The boy’s eyes were glued on Bill’s face. Bill knew his young friend wasn’t going to sit with this dog around. He looked at his watch realizing how long the dog had been in the house.

“Why don’t you take him outside and walk him around the yard Tim? I think he probably needs to go take care of some business anyway. He and I have been napping and the time has gotten away from me.” The boy opened the door. The dog seemed to understand it was fine to go out. The boy rushed off of the porch and turned when heard no more footsteps from the dog. He saw the dog hesitate to negotiate the steps. He would start and stop each time he went to head down. By now Bill was on the porch too. “Why won’t he come down Bill? Is he scared to?” The old man looked down at the dog. He rested his ear against the old man’s leg. He reached down to pet him and talk to him. “It’s fine boy. We’ll help you.” Bill looked at Tim and spoke. “Tim. I think he doesn’t know for sure how to get down with his leg missing. I’m sure he’s going to need to have some help for a spell, until he gets the hang of it. Why don’t you see if you can help him? Be careful when you do. He’s still got lots of stiches.” The boy returned up the steps in a flash. He led the dog to the first step. He lifted up on his chest and upper stomach. The dog wiggled against the movement. The boy lifted him down the first step and then the second, all the way to the bottom. Once he was down the dog turned to look back. He barked loudly while he wagged his tail, seemingly to tell Bill he was fine. Off he went around the yard sniffing and stopping to smell each item of doggy interest. He hadn’t gone far when he paused and relieved himself for what seemed like forever. Once that was accomplished, off he went to continue his adventure around his new yard. “Why is he smelling everything Bill? There isn’t anything there for him to smell is there?” The old man laughed at his young friend’s comment. “Well Tim. He can smell things we don’t even know are there. Dogs can smell the trace of where a bird walked, or anything else. They have great keen nose. It’s just a dog’s way of inspecting his area.”

Tim rushed to the dog’s side while he continued to check out every nook and cranny of his new yard. They walked around the yard 3 times before they returned. The dog walked to the gate and poked his black nose through one of the 3 inch openings. He seemed to be checking everything outside of the yard too. Once he finished that he returned to the base of the steps and worked his way around in a circle. He sat down leaning onto his good hip. He was sitting there taking turns watching the old man and then the boy. Tim jumped up with that look Bill knew would come with more questions. “What are you going to name him Bill? He has to have a name. Have you thought of one yet?” The old man stroked his heavily bearded chin and studied the dog. He began to think about a name again. Tim waited in anticipation for his response. “Well Tim. I’m still working on that. I tried a couple out, but they just didn’t seem to fit. Maybe you can help me with that. As long as we don’t have to decide right now.” The boy sat on the lowest step next to where the old man was standing. Bill could tell Tim’s mind was running wild. The boy began blurting out names one after the other. None of which seemed to excite the old man right off. “How about Spot Bill? He has those two little white spots on him. No wait. I have a better one Bill. How about Willie? Do you think he would like that?” The boy continued to rattle off names so the old man stood silently and listened. He knew the boy was so excited about the prospect of helping to name the dog he wasn’t about to stop anytime soon. The next twenty minutes consisted of Bill hearing every name the young boy could throw out. Throughout all of it, Bill never said a word. He continued stroking the dog and looking into his eyes. They would melt the meanest of hearts. After about a half hour outside the springtime sun was beginning to flee. It began to drop behind the trees, which were starting to fill out. Bill could feel that distinct temperature drop you feel when you go from standing in the sunshine to being in the shade. It was there to remind him it was still early in the year. A

very gentle breeze ed all around Bill. It hinted to him the sun was no longer there to warm him. “I tell you what Tim. Let’s take a rest for today on naming him. Maybe we can come up with a name later. I think he’ll understand if we don’t get it done right now.” The young boy looked at Bill with some displeasure in his eyes. The old man showed no sign of allowing it to bother him. “OK Bill. If you say so. Is it alright if I try to think of some names tonight? We just have to give him a name don’t we?” The old man smiled and patted the young boy on the head. Bill looked at both him and the dog. “You bet Tim. We’ll think of a good name for him. Now can you help me get him back up those steps so we can go in? I’m getting a bit chilly out here. Plus, your mom is probably wondering where you’re at by now.” The boy worked the dog back up the steps. He seemed to go up a bit easier than when he had been heading down. When he got to the top of the steps he turned and licked the young boy’s hand. He walked slowly back to the door and stood in front of it. He seemed patient enough as he waited to go in. Tim told him and Bill goodbye and opened the gate. He ran up the street with wings on his feet. Bill watched for a few seconds shaking his head in disbelief at the boy’s speed. He opened the door and allowed the dog to head in. Inside the old man led the dog to his food and water dishes. He watched with some amazement as the dog ate nearly all of the food in his bowl. He drained the water in his pan to the bottom without stopping. Bill refilled the pan and returned it. Although the dog sniffed the fresh water, he only stood by it while the remnants of water dripped onto the floor from his mouth. Satisfied the dog was filled up, Bill began fixing something to eat for him too. A good sandwich and maybe glass of milk would do the trick. He sat at his table nibbling on each small bite. The dog sat and watched him intently without begging openly. He returned to his bowl a couple of times to munch on some of the hard dog food that remained. Bill could see he seemed to be more concerned about what he had rather than enjoying his bits of flavor. One last bite was left of

Bill’s sandwich. The old man was about to engulf it when he noticed the dog’s anticipation. He wanted it so much more than Bill did. The old man handed it down. The dog gently took it from his fingers and swiftly swallowed it without taking time to chew it. Bill laughed and headed towards the living room with the dog glued to his leg. The dog seemed to be way ahead of Bill when he reached the blanket. He turned his circles and lowered himself down onto it. He was curled up before he began to lick around the bandages. He seemed to be careful not to disturb them, as if he knew not to. Bill watched while the dog cleaned all around the area where his right leg had once been. It saddened the old man to watch him. Then he cleaned his paws and front legs as far back as he could reach them to lick. When he was finished he drew in a large breath and eased it out and lowered his head. His eyes looked back at Bill and stayed trained on him. The old man reached down to pet him and began talking to the dog in a loving voice. “Yeah, you don’t like that bandage now do you old boy? I know it’s probably hurting you, but you need to keep it on for several more days. I’ll change it tomorrow for you my friend. You’ll be just fine boy. Old Bill will take care of you from now on. I’ll make sure you don’t ever have to go through anything like that again buddy.” The dog’s eyes were glued to the old man. Suddenly, like an act of magic that he couldn’t explain, it overtook the old man. He was positive the dog was listening and understanding every word he was saying. The old man never even went to bed that night. He slept leaned back in his old couch. For some reason he wanted to let the dog know that he would be there for him, no matter what. Occasionally the dog would rise up and look around. To his comfort, he could sense the old man’s presence. Satisfied by his find, he would soon drift back into his slumber. The following morning the old man got up slowly. Followed by his new best friend, Bill shuffled into the shower. He trimmed his beard up and got dressed. He walked to his washing machine, which had become a bit of an antique, and tossed his dirty clothes in before starting it up. It was noisy and it rattled as it labored to churn the clothes against the agitator. His dryer was also old and the tub knocked against the relentless wear on the bearings that held it in place. Bill never seemed to notice it. He simply went about his business of the day. He paid

no regard to the vibrating and clanking that always accompanied the machines when they seemed to rage against their infrequent use. Bill had gotten ready to face the day and the dog seemed anxious to in. Bill poured his usual hot cup of strong coffee and walked to the sidewalk to retrieve his morning paper. It was usually clad in plastic on the days it turned nice, yet it was left naked and mostly wet on the days when it should have been encased in the thin plastic wrapper. The dog waited, but couldn’t resist barking at the old man because he left him inside to go for his paper. Bill would have to get used to the fact that the dog was going to have to go out when he first got up. His bladder had slowly filled up from all the water he had drank the previous evening. Bill opened the door and assisted him down into the yard. He watched as his buddy walked directly to the gate. Raising what once had been a complete right back leg, he let loose with a steady stream which trickled down the gate and onto his concrete. Bill stared while this was going on. He was completely taken by surprise. “Hey you! That’s my gate you’re peeing on. Now that is going to have to stop right now old boy.” The dog casually looked back and continued to relieve himself all over the gate. It almost appeared to the old man that the dog was smiling. Bill was sure his comment would be, “Yep, that’s what I’m doing alright.” The dog walked away onto the grass next to the side walk. He hopped right up to the old man, wagging his tail as if he had just done something wonderful. Bill scratched his head and continued to explain to the dog why he should not do that. The dog looked like he understood, but didn’t care. They returned to the house so Bill could retrieve one more cup of his beloved morning coffee. He returned to the porch where he sat reading his paper and sipping his strong black brew. When he had finished that cup, he returned inside and walked to the box the Vet had provided. He began looking for a treat as he searched through it. He came to a bag of treats which were supposed to help improve the dog’s coat. Bill tore it open and produced one of the two toned treats. It was similar in size to a small piece of bacon. He leaned down to give it to the dog. In turn he gently reached up and took it. He stood like he was waiting to be told he could eat it. The old man assured him it was his. He walked out of the kitchen and towards his blanket to eat the meaty treat. Bill could see he was getting accustomed to his new surroundings. That assurance brought a smile to

his wrinkled face. The old man walked to his coffee pot for a refill. He poured another steaming cup of his coffee and headed in to his buddy. Bill sat on the couch sipping the scalding hot liquid. His mind turned again to thinking of names for his new house guest. That day seemed better for some reason to resolve his problem. Bill was clicking off potential names right and left. Muggsy, Brutus, Waldo all ran for a first thought, but fell by the way side. Nothing seemed to fit. Finally the old man’s mind came across Pete. Pete the dog or perhaps Petie might do. No. Pete seemed to fit. The old man sounded out the name to the dog for his approval. “What about naming you Pete? Old Three Pete. You only have three legs now. But, calling you Three Pete would sound like I’m making fun of you, wouldn’t it boy? I think plain old Pete will fit you very well.” The dog sat by his feet wagging his tail as if he approved completely of his new moniker. The old man kept telling the dog he would call him Pete. Each time he said his name he would entice him to do something, so the name would become familiar to him. They both went on with their day. The old man would get up and walk from room to room calling out his name. Although the dog never left his side, Bill knew the name hadn’t stuck yet. It would simply take some time to work with him. Bill knew he would get it soon enough. On one trip outside for a run and a pee break for Pete, the old man looked up from his side yard to see a uniformed officer heading towards the gate. He paused for a moment and then spoke to the old man before he caught sight of the three legged dog hopping along with him. The officer paused and opened the gate and closed it behind him. In amazement he looked down at the dog. “I’m Officer Donovan. I drove you two to the Vet. Do you me? I asked the Vet where you lived so I could come see you.” Bill stuck his hand out to the man clad in his neat blue uniform. The policeman could see the smile in the old man’s eyes. It warmed him all over to know that they were both doing OK. “My God he made it. I drove by several times hoping to catch you out here so I could ask you what happened to him and now here he is. I can’t believe he came through all that. I figured for sure they would lose him or have to put him down after seeing him that day. How is he doing?”

Bill looked down at the dog and patted him as the officer knelt down to do the same. “Well, he was pretty lucky that day when you came by to help. He likely wouldn’t have made it otherwise. I never did get to thank you enough for all you did. I can’t imagine what would have happened if you hadn’t come along that day.” The dog was licking the hand of the officer and wagging his tail. It may have been he liked the officer, or could he actually have ed him from the ordeal? “What did you name him?” “Pete. It just seemed to fit, so I named him Pete. We’re still working on that though. It’s because I just thought of it today. I suppose it will take a little while for him to respond to it, but I’ll keep working with him until he does.” The officer stood up and gazed at the old man’s house and its outwardly poor condition. He assumed the old man couldn’t have much, yet he could see the love in his eyes for this three legged dog sitting by his leg leaning into him. He instantly thought about his brother and how he had several items for a dog this size. His family had recently lost their collie and did not plan on getting another dog. “My brother’s family lost their dog last fall Bill. They aren’t getting another one. The kids are nearly all grown now and they are too busy to train another one. I’m sure they would be happy to gather up some of the stuff for old Pete here, once I tell them about him. I would be more than happy to drop it by for you, if you think you would want it. There are a couple of leashes and several collars. Plus they had lots of toys for their dog too. What do you say Bill?” The old man was clearly moved by the gesture of kindness from this man he barely knew. He looked down at Pete and then back to the officer and nodded. “If it’s not too much trouble for you to do that, we would be happy to have some of those things. I could even take him for walks with a leash. Just don’t go too far out of your way now. We wouldn’t want to impose on you if it’s too much to ask.”

The officer reached out and shook the old man’s hand and smiled. “Bill, I would be more than happy to do that for you and Pete. Let me get with my brother in a day or so and I’ll have him gather up those things. I’ll bring them by for you in a few days.” The officer bid Bill and Pete goodbye and turned to walk back to his squad car. The old man watched as he pulled away and drove off down the street. Once he had gone from sight he turned to Pete. He took both hands and rubbed Pete’s head. “Well how about that boy? You’re going to get some presents and it’s not even Christmas yet.” The old man returned to walking Pete around the yard. He kept calling his name out frequently to work on training him for his new name. After about 20 minutes he headed back up to the porch while Pete followed him. Once there the dog hesitated as he looked at the steps. He was clearly scared of trying to make the trek up them without some assistance. The old man gently reached down to lift and guide him along each one until they made it back onto the porch. The dog wagged his tail and stood by the door waiting for his best friend to open it for him. Bill knew it would take a spell before Pete was confident enough to do the steps on his own, but he was in no special hurry to rush his friend.

Chapter 6

Enduring the Assault

S everal days ed and there had been no sign of Officer Donavon yet. Bill began to wonder if maybe his brother’s family had possibly gotten rid of the list of items he had given to Bill that day. He wasn’t worried if that was the case. Soon his check would show up and he could purchase everything that Pete needed to complete his world of doggy necessities. Bill had only left him alone one time to go to the post office. Pete had clearly voiced his displeasure in Bills audacity to have had the nerve to leave him alone. He barked at him loudly when he was told no and couldn’t go with the old man. Bill assured him he would be back. Upon his return the dog acted like he hadn’t seen him in weeks with his show of affection. It was the fourth morning since seeing Donavon. It was barely 9 am when Bill opened the door to let Pete out for his second run. He assisted his friend down the steps, although this time, Pete seemed to be Hell bent on ascending them on his own. Bill still helped him down, but he knew the dog was about ready to accomplish this on his own. It made the old man happy to see yet another step in his overall improvement. They walked together through the yard while Pete performed his daily ritual. Bill had removed the last bandage from Pete’s leg that morning to give it some air like the Vet requested. The healing was coming along beautifully and Pete had begun to pull on them after Bill had redressed the stub of his leg. Things were getting better and the weather had turned off really warm to make it a gorgeous day. Bill and Pete were walking back to the porch when the old man spotted a large man dressed in bib overalls coming up the street with a strange look on his face. Bill watched him as he stopped at the gate and looked in at him and Pete standing there. He was a hulk of a man. His expression was a tale of pain and

anguish. His face was unshaven and his hair was greasy from the scalp to the ends of his somewhat curly brown locks. He was breathing out of his mouth as if his crooked nose would not work. Between his lips were the remnants of snags, where once a full set of teeth had sat. All at once, as if he knew the stranger, Pete began to growl. Snarling loudly Pete exposed his teeth. He stood directly in front of Bill to shield him. Bill was still trying to quiet him down when the man pushed open the gate uninvited and began walking towards Bill. The old man was frozen with fear when he looked into the man’s eyes. “Hey old man. That’s my God damned dog. What the Hell do you think you’re doing stealing my dog? I was going to shoot that mutt and put him out of his misery. Damn dog was always running off. Then he got hit by that car. I left him there to die and what did you do? Apparently you came along and picked him up. He wasn’t your dog to pick up old man. I’ll just take the worthless mutt with me now so I can finish the job.” When the stranger reached down to grab Pete by the neck, the dog snapped at him catching the tips of three fingers and drawing blood. Before the old man could move the stranger’s right leg went back. Rocketing forward his heavy booted foot caught Pete right in the muzzle knocking him backwards and down onto the sidewalk. The dog cried out loudly and blood started trickling from his tongue and mouth where the boot of this man had connected. Bill couldn’t believe his eyes. Pete yelped and whined in pain. Bill suddenly turned towards the man and grabbed him. He had to do something to stop this. “You get the Hell off of my property now. You don’t come onto my place and abuse my dog you son of a bitch. Get out of here now!” The man was clearly not one bit frightened of the old man. With one swift uppercut he rocked the old man’s jaw and knocked him down onto the sidewalk edge where Bill struck his lower back. The old man cried out in pain as a feeling like fire raced up his spine. It had rendered him nearly paralyzed. He could not move. Now the man was coming back towards him and Pete again. The dog was still crying out in pain, but was now trying to make it to Bill to protect him. Before he could get to him the stranger kicked Pete even harder than the first time. Again the brute force knocked him backwards and down. The injured dog was now reeling with pain in his side where this bruiser had kicked him again. He began to move away crying and limping even more from the brutal assault. As the mauler walked past where Bill was now lying, he kicked him as hard as

he could in the stomach and continued towards Pete. “I’ll teach you not to bite me you worthless mutt. I’m going to kill you for biting me!” Bill’s back was hurting so badly he could not even get rolled over to try to get up. He was in tears. The pain raced up his spine each time he tried to move. Bill was trying to look for Pete. Out of the corner of his eye, like lightning, he caught the site of a blue uniform running up the sidewalk. Then he heard a shout. “Stop right there! Get away from that old man and that dog! You’re under arrest.” It was Officer Donavon and he was moving towards the stranger with his right hand holding a night stick. The stranger seemed hardly phased by the warning. He continued heading for Pete. He was moving away with his tail down under his stomach. He was limping from the kicking. The blood continued to run from the corner of his mouth. The officer lost his cool and lurched forward grabbing the stranger by the back of his bib overalls. With a mighty yank he jerked him completely off his feet backwards. It barely slowed the man for a brief second. He jumped back up and turned with his fists raised towards Officer Donavon. “Take your God damned hands off of me. I came here for that dog and by God I’ll get him, even if I have to go through your ass to do it.” By now Officer Donavon had completely lost his cool demeanor. His face turned to stone. The veins rose from the muscles in his neck and protruded outwardly. His face reddened with his anger. He was livid. When this happened, he was no one to mess with. His muscles tensed up. He felt a rage burning inside of him that he had never felt before. He switched the night stick from his right to his left hand. Unbuckling the snap, which held his service piece in its holster, he drew his Glock handgun from his side. With a stare that would have burned right through a steel vault door, he raised the gun and took a stance. “I sure wish you would try that.” His years of service had trained him to remain cool in every situation, but at that moment, his fury had sured any sort of restraint he would have normally displayed. The man only had to look at him for a brief second to know he was in perilous danger. His blood began to run cold through his veins. Fear for his life

over ruled his stupidity. He suddenly froze. “Now. Get down on the ground and put your hands behind you or I swear I’ll shoot you right where you stand. You have three seconds to get down and by God if you don’t, I’ll drop you cold. Now get down you son of a bitch.” The man lowered himself down, but kept his back raised. His position was more like a crawling stance. The man slammed into the ground as Donavon placed a well driven knee right into the center of his back. At the same time his hands moved like lighting snapping his cuff’s on one wrist and then the second. As he ground his knee into the man’s back, the mauler heard his words in a low commanding voice. It was giving him a chilling warning. “Now. You better pray that old man isn’t hurt. If he is, I’ll personally see to it the next time you see daylight, it will be when the light at the end of the tunnel leads you thru Hell’s gates you son of a bitch.” Officer Donavon quickly moved towards the old man. Bill was calling out for his injured dog. His tears were streaming down his face. They almost blinded him. Once the officer knelt by Bill, he clicked his radio mic on for assistance to come to the scene. Almost immediately the sounds of two sirens coming from two directions pierced the morning air with their screams. Two squad cars came flying down the street. Both arrived simultaneously screeching to a halt in front of Bills. The old man strained with all of his might to get to his knees. He searched the yard for Pete. “Pete, come here boy. Pete are you OK boy? I can’t see him Donavon. Where is he at? Please go check on him and leave me here. I’ll be OK.” Officer Donavon walked down the side yard and found the dog sticking his tongue in and out to try to dislodge the fragment of meat dangling from the edge of his lacerated mouth. He knelt down to Pete and began trying to reach for him. The dog hunched down thinking he was going to be hit again. The officer heard the steps of his partners on the concrete. He jumped up to meet them. Bill had regained his feet and was stumbling towards the back of the yard to find Pete. He was hurrying as fast as he could. When he saw Pete all hunched down, he lost sight of the edge of the sidewalk. Bill went tumbling down just missing a

full landing right on top of the dog. His face slammed into the ground. He tried desperately to break his fall with his frail hands, but they were no longer capable of performing that feat. They simply gave out. It knocked the wind out of him. He mustered up every ounce of strength to reach out for his buddy. “Oh Pete, I’m so sorry boy. Please forgive me boy. I tried to keep him from hurting you Pete. Please be OK buddy. I love you very much.” By now a fourth officer had arrived on the scene. Donavon and the other two had already hoisted the man in cuffs to his feet. Yanking him up, Donavon nearly pulled both arms out of their sockets. The man yelled out in pain and cursed the officers. He verbally threatened them if he got loose. The second officer, who knew Donavon and worked out with him, had never seen that look on his face before. They man handled the despicable human towards the entry gate of Bill’s yard. When they crossed through the gate, the fourth officer attempted to secure a grip on the man. Officer Donavon stepped in front of him and grabbed the cuffed man by the throat. “Keep running your mouth you bastard and I’ll take care of you myself.” The other officers struggled to free Donavon’s iron grip from the man’s neck. They pushed him towards the rear door of the first squad car and shoved him inside. One of the officers slammed the door. The second officer headed for the driver’s door so he could get this guy away from the scene. They had to before Donavon lost his temper and made good on his promise. Two squads pulled away together. It was none too soon for Donavon. Pete had now curled up next to the old man lying on the ground. Pete was shaking so violently he began peeing all over himself. He nuzzled in closer to Bill and just whimpered. He sought the protection of his friend. Bill was still stunned by the pain in his lower back, but he simply put it out of his mind the best he could. He pulled Pete closer to him. He cried openly because he knew there was nothing he could do for his companion at that moment. When Officer Donavon got back to Bill and Pete, he turned to the other officer. “Help me get him up, but watch out for his back. He went down hard on that concrete when that son of a bitch hit him. He may be hurt pretty badly.” They both worked their hands around the old man’s frail body to secure a good

hold on him. Together they hoisted him up in their arms. Pete was clearly confused as to what was going on. He watched, but didn’t move. Officer Donavon spoke to Bill in a calm voice. “Bill. Listen to me. I think we need to get you to a hospital. I’ll call for an ambulance so they can get you in and check you out old timer.” Bill summoned all his strength and declined that offer. “Just get me inside to my couch, but please check out Pete for me. Please bring him in too. He doesn’t do those damn stairs very well so you need to help him up. Be careful with him, please.” Officer Donavon suspected that the old man wouldn’t leave that dog behind. He reluctantly agreed to do as Bill had asked. They helped Bill up the stairs. Donavon left to go get Pete to bring him in too. When he reached Pete, he knelt down and talked to him for a few minutes trying to assure him that he wouldn’t hurt him. He reached out and stroked the dog’s head. Pete finally worked his way up to Donavon. He pushed against him in a display of guarded trust. The officer coaxed him along to get him back to the porch and up the stairs. He gently hoisted him along his way. Once up on the porch, Donavon opened the door. He brought Pete to the couch where the old man was resting. He scarcely noticed the poorly furnished room as he knelt down on one knee to check on the old man. “Bill, are you sure you wouldn’t let me call an ambulance and at least let them take a look at you? If you’re hurt they really need to check you over.” The old man looked down at Pete. He was now lying directly across his feet. His tongue was swollen from the impact of the blow he had taken. He worked his way back and forth to try to get more comfortable. He continued to cling to the feel of the old man. Bill bent over, although his lower back pain was nearly unbearable. He reached out for the touch of his pal. “Why would that bastard do something like this? He didn’t have any reason to hurt him like that.” The second officer had produced a small note book and pen from his pocket. He needed some notes to try to make some sense of what had happened.

“Sir, can you tell me exactly what you about all of this. Did the man come onto your property on his own or did you allow him to come on. I need to file a report on this so we know how to charge him.” Donavon turned to him shaking his head. He announced that he had seen the initial attack. He told him the man clearly attacked the old man and the dog for no reason. He described how he had been coming down the street to give Bill some items that his brother’s family had kept after their dog had died. While he drove up, he saw the entire incident. He continued to fill the second officer in. Donavon told him he would file the report himself once he got back to the police station. The second officer offered a kind word to the old man, an apology for being attacked. He dismissed himself and returned to his vehicle. Donavon told Bill he would be right back. He went to gather up the sack full of the gifts for the old man he wanted him to have for Pete. He was gone no time at all when he came back inside. He sat on the couch next to the old man. The dog was quiet now, resting against the old man’s feet. Donavon began laying out the items one by one. About half way through the bag he pulled two bandanas out. He placed them in Bill’s hand. They were both clean and folded neatly. Both looked to have never been used. Officer Donavon looked at them for a moment. He ed how his brother had taken it when his dog ed away. “This isn’t much Bill, but my brother said he hoped these things would be useful to you. He really loved his dog too. You know Bill, they just become family don’t they?” The old man looked at the remaining items and picked up one of the bandanas. He clasped it in his hand. “Please let your brother know how much Pete and I appreciate his generosity for all of these things. I’m sure Pete will get lots of use out of them. One of these around his neck will make him look quite handsome for going out. We’ll just have to keep an eye out if we do go outside of the yard. Just in case that bastard ever comes looking for us again.” “Now Bill, don’t you worry about that ever happening. You and ole Pete will never have to see that guy again. If I have anything to do with it, I’ll make sure of that.”

The officer stayed with the old man a while longer to make sure he was going to be alright. He told Bill he was going to head back and file the complaint for him, because he had witnessed the entire assault. He assured Bill he would come back and check on Pete and him later that evening. Just to make sure nothing more had come up. An hour of sitting on the couch had put Bill’s back into spasms. The pain was too much for him to be in a sitting position. Bill kept a bottle of aspirin in his bathroom for emergencies. He slowly made his way to it. He dropped three of the old tablets in his hand. He needed to walk to the kitchen to get a drink. That trip wasn’t going to happen. He cupped his hand under the faucet and drank from it. He had to get the aspirin into his system for any kind of relief they might render. Pete hopped along following the old man’s every step. Bill tried to coax him into remaining on his blanket to no avail. Once they had returned to the couch, Bill noticed the smeared blood stains on Pete’s blanket. He reached out to touch them to they were real. He turned around and headed back for the bedroom with the stained blanket in his hand. Bill pulled his best and only remaining blanket off of his own bed. The old man needed it to help himself keep warm because the room was normally very chilly to sleep in. For now, that wouldn’t matter. His friend was his first concern. He gave no thought to the fact he might need it for himself that night. He walked back to the couch. Pete watched him while his wrinkled hands carefully unfolded the clean blanket. Bill laid it next to the couch for his friend. Pete stepped onto it and sniffed it finding Bill’s scent already on it. He seemed more assured after his close inspection. He slowly worked his way down onto it. For the first time since the beating he had taken, he wagged his tail a couple of times. Pete looked up at the old man with a look of love in his eyes. Bill sat back down and reached out to rest his right hand on the dog’s neck area. After a series of small whines and whimpers, Pete closed his eyes for some badly needed rest. Bill continued to touch his friend long after the dog had drifted off. The aspirin did little to relieve the old man’s pain, but he kept his mind off of it as much as he could. He reached over to turn on his radio, in hopes that would help occupy his mind. He kept the sound low while he sat thinking about what might happen. What would he do if this man who attacked them got out for some reason? Bill was extremely frightened of him. He clearly wanted no part of him again. He worried even more for Pete. He was hardly capable of fending off any attackers with only three legs.

When 6 pm rolled around Pete was stirring and nudging Bill’s arm with his nose. The old man slowly stood up and walked him to the door so they could go out. Pete walked right out. Although he hesitated at the first step momentarily, as soon as he saw Bill coming up behind him, he eased himself down onto the first step slowly. He hopped down each one on his own. His landing off of the final step was less than acrobatic, but he had made it on his own none the less. He turned to the old man. Bill was working his aching body down the steps behind him. Pete barked at him, telling him to hurry up. The old man looked at him with a small grin. “Now Pete. If you have to go pee that bad, you don’t need me to get that done. Now go out there and go potty.” The dog seemed less bothered about his swollen tongue. He wagged his tail and walked around in a circle waiting for Bill to follow him. When Bill touched the sidewalk, Pete was off into the yard. He only walked a few steps before squatting down and relieving himself in the grass. With his right front paw he made a slight attempt to scratch out some of the grass and throw it back under him to cover his spot. He was making his way to the back corner of the yard where some very thin bushes grew. He walked along them making several trips back and forth until he found the perfect spot. He began to take care of his more pressing business. The old man chuckled to himself while waiting for him to finish his job. Pete seemed somewhat revved up from his relief. He walked around the entire yard. He needed to loosen his sore muscles. The old man watched from his spot next to the porch. Bill was about ready to go in because the cool spring air was descending down around him. Bill shivered when he felt it around him. Turning towards the house, Bill saw a pickup he did not know driving up to the curb. He went into a panic. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Officer Donavon step out and walk up to the gate. Bill was still shaking when Donavon reached him. Pete barked at first, but once he identified the officer’s presence with a couple of sniffs, he wagged his tail and welcomed him into the yard. “Let’s go inside and talk Donavon, if you don’t mind. I seem to be getting a bit chilly out here.” Donavon casually nodded. When they approached the steps, Pete hesitated

momentarily. With both men watching him, he hopped up onto the first step all by himself. He fidgeted for a second like he couldn’t find just the right spot to push off on. Then he hopped up again onto the next step. Donavon and the old man watched while the dog made his way back onto the porch all by himself. It was his first time without assistance. Donavon saw it put a smile on the old man’s face to see his friend making his first sign of headway on his own. Pete walked in like he owned the place when Bill pulled the door open for him. Bill went to his couch, while Donavon took the chair across from him and sat down. Not seeming to care about the worn arms of the chair, he sat back. He cleared his throat and pulled himself up to the edge of the cushion. “Well Bill. I think you’re going to like what I have to tell you about that guy that attacked you today. It seems he was on probation. He had been for over two years now. He was in prison for child abuse before that. It involved his granddaughter sometime back. He was charged with molesting her, but they pleaded the case down to abuse and he got 7 years for it. He was out on parole after about 4 years, on the condition he would be on probation for the remainder of his sentence. At any rate, with this charge of aggravated battery and criminal assault now hanging over his head, he’s finished for some time. Plus, I filed an animal abuse charge and an intimidation charge on him also. He is going to go back to jail for a long time. You and Pete shouldn’t ever have to worry about him again. We will be holding him until his trial. One of the other officers is working with the District Attorney on filing the intimidation charges for threatening a police officer in the line of duty. That’s just to ensure he doesn’t get out for some time.” The old man sat listening with Pete at his feet. Both looked directly at Officer Donavon as he explained the situation to the old man. Donavon looked down at Pete and spoke to him also. “What do you think about that Pete? You’re going to be safe now. No one is going to hurt you or Bill ever again.” The dog cocked his head to one side. His ears perked up. He seemed determined to make both men believe he completely understood the entire conversation. Donavon reached into his jacket pocket and withdrew a small bag of beef snacks for dogs. He had bought them on the way over to Bill’s. He tore the bag open to expose the smell of the treats. Pete was suddenly riveted to its scent. Donavon had no more than produced one when Pete walked over to him. He sat in front of

him and raised one of his front paws tapping Donavon’s leg with it. Donavon smiled at Pete, petting him gently on the head. He pushed the treat out within the dogs reach. Pete smelled it momentarily and then softly took it out his hand. He began chewing it up. In the process of eating it, some slobber dripped down onto Donavon’s left shoe. Bill saw what had happened. “Oh Donavon. I’m sorry about that. Let me get you a dish rag to wipe that off.” The old man was attempting to get up when Donavon lifted his hand and shook his head. “Don’t worry about that Bill. He’s just being a dog. I don’t mind one bit. It certainly isn’t going to hurt these shoes.” He stood up and walked to the couch. He placed the bag of treats on the table next to Bill. He patted Pete on the head. “Now you be a good boy Pete. You take care of my friend Bill for me until I get back to visit you both. I’ll stop by every now and then to make sure Bill isn’t spoiling you too badly.” The old man got to his feet and extended his hand to the officer. “Officer Donavon. Old Pete and I sure appreciate all you’ve done for us. I don’t know how we’d have made out if it hadn’t been for you coming to our rescue today. I can’t thank you enough for saving us.” The officer was clearly moved by the old man’s display of appreciation. Just before letting the old man’s hand slip from his grasp, he smiled and spoke. “You’re both very welcome Bill. I am just so glad I happened to be there when I was. Now you two take care of yourselves. I’ll stop by for a visit with both of you real soon.” Once the officer had left Bill took the bag of treats into the kitchen. He placed them in the cupboard along with the rest of Pete’s stuff. The old man hadn’t eaten all day so he was really beginning to feel the hunger pains that were creeping into his stomach. He searched through his collection of canned food for something to eat. He stopped looking when he saw the can of beef stew. He studied it for a moment. He decided it would do the trick. He poured it into one

of his small pans and lit the stove. Bill sat at the kitchen table opening a box of crackers and removing one of the sleeves. He watched the stove for a sign of steam to appear from within the pan. He placed an old pot holder on the bare table top to keep the pan from leaving anymore marks in the finish. He calmly waited for his dinner to warm up. Pete had possession of his best bowl so Bill would just eat from the pan. He wouldn’t mind that in the least. Pete sat by his feet watching with his curious look to check out every move the old man made. He seemed content with being along the old man’s side. Even when Bill removed the hot pan from the stove and placed it onto the ragged pot holder, Pete didn’t beg one time. Bill had poured a large glass of water from the faucet. Although it was nearly room temperature, he took a drink like it was some fine wine being served to him at some fancy restaurant. He plucked his first cracker out of the sleeve and dipped it into the hot thick juice. He stirred up small pieces of meat and vegetables. He took his first bite. The hot liquid nearly burnt the roof of his mouth, but he seemed not to notice it. Pete sat by him on the floor watching. The old man worked his way down farther into the pan until there was about an inch left in the bottom. The old man moved the pan away and went to get a hand full of the hard dog food out of Pete’s bag. He gently scattered it into the pan making a circular motion. With his spoon, he stirred it all in. He placed his finger into it and began blowing into the mixture to cool it off. Pete seemed to know something tasty was coming his way. He began raising his hind end off of the floor in anticipation. He remained in the same spot not wanting to move away from Bill. Bill stirred the crispy nuggets into what was left of the stew, until he knew it was cool enough for his friend. He leaned down and placed it on the floor for Pete. He smelled it cautiously. Pete looked at the old man waiting for his invitation to dig in. “That’s yours buddy. Go ahead and eat it.” Bills coaxing did the trick. Pete poked his nose directly into the pan and began eating. His tail was swinging back and forth like a flag in a wind storm. Bill could hear the occasional crunching of the hard food as Pete devoured the hard morsels along with the meat and veggies. Once it was gone, he began to lick the bottom and the sides of the pan. He slid it across the floor with each lick of his tongue. He had nearly reached the wall before he gave up on searching out any

additional goodies. He stopped long enough for Bill to pick it up off of the floor. Bill placed it in the sink along with the glass he had used to wash the stew down with. He ran some hot water over them. He sprayed a bit of dish washing liquid into the sink water. He watched as it covered the items with a tiny mound of white bubbles from the soap. Pete stood next to him patiently waiting for Bill to finish his cleaning chores. Now that supper was over with the old man thought he would go get his radio tuned in and see what was on the station. Accompanying him on his trek back to the couch, Pete took his place next to the old man on his blanket. The soft sound of the swing music began to fill the room with the hits of by gone years. The gentle notes flowed from the horns and saxophones. They augmented the perfectly tuned piano in the background. Wisps of a faint nature were being emitted by the brushes being drug across the snare drums following along. The old man felt like the music had a better tone to it for some reason that evening. Its sweet sound was better than ever before. Although he had heard the same music played a thousand times over the years, it sounded fantastic that night. Pete had now gotten up to stretch a bit. He turned to look directly into Bill’s face. He arched his head to loosen the muscles in his neck. The old man looked back at him. All at once, a large burp rolled out of Pete. He returned to his position back on the blanket. The old man began laughing as he stared at the dog. “Well, excuse you again old boy. I guess that means that your meal meant with your approval huh?” Pete laid there peeking upwards at the old man. It was as if to say, “Don’t bother me now Bill.” After his session of listening to the radio, Bill turned it off and headed for his bed room. Pete was hot on his trail. The old man sat on the edge of the bed undressing. Pete stood with his nose resting on the mattress, watching his every move. The old man was going to tell him to lie down next to his bed, but decided he didn’t have the heart to tell him that he couldn’t get up on the bed. Pete stood fast. His eyes appeared so sad, the old man gave in. Bill hoisted him up onto the bed. Pete walked around in a circle and took his chosen spot next to the old man. They both closed their eyes. With only a light bedspread to cover up with now the room seemed chilly. With a soft old wrinkled hand resting on Pete, they both

drifted off for the night. The next morning Bill awoke with a strange shock. He was startled at the sight of a large black nose stuck directly into his face. The dog was standing there motionless. He looked at the old man while wagging his tail. Suddenly without any indication, Pete sneezed blowing the spray all over Bill’s face. “Oh fine Pete. Thanks for the shower.” The dog seemed undaunted by the old man’s comment. He continued to stand over Bill’s face. Bill threw the covers back and rolled over to sit up on the side of his bed. His back cracked as he rose up and the pain emerged, radiating from his lower spine upwards. He reached his hand as far back as he could and began rubbing it to see if he could lessen the stiffness and pain. It had no effect. Bill worked Pete off of the bed and gently helped him back onto the floor. Pete seemed completely rested and raring to hit the day with all he had. Bill, on the other hand, made his way to the shower. Once it warmed up he let the hot water run down across his back. It eased the stiffness of his sore muscles. When he had finished cleaning up he worked his way to the kitchen to fill his old coffee pot. Bill lit the stove and placed it on the burner. Pete seemed bored with that entire operation. He kept pawing the old man with his foot to let him know he simply wasn’t moving fast enough for him. Bill kept looking down and finally spoke. “Now listen you. We are going outside in a few minutes, but I want some coffee if you don’t mind.” The dog turned his head in curiosity. He began to bark at Bill in a very low tone. Bill ignored his impatience until he had poured the cup of cold water down into the hot coffee settling the grounds. He poured his mug full and dawned his jacket. It was time to go out to gather up his paper. Pete was waiting at the front door when Bill opened it. He felt the fresh clean air blow through the screen. When they walked out Pete went right for the steps. He hesitated slightly and then made his way down the steps and out onto the damp grass. He began sniffing his territory as he searched out that perfect spot to relieve himself. Bill headed down the sidewalk to get his paper. Pete, now finished with his morning chore, hurried over to where Bill was bending over to pick up his paper. Pete watched him pick it up. He seemed to catch on right away what needed to be done. Bill handed it to him out of curiosity. Pete grabbed it

between his jaws and clamped down. “OK. You can carry that up to my chair if you want to. Now let’s take it up boy.” When the old man turned to walk up the steps Pete hesitated. He lowered his front legs to indicate a playful gesture. He stood fast and wouldn’t come up the steps. “Pete. You come on up here and give me my paper. Come up here boy.” Without realizing what he had done, Bill watched as the dog lowered the paper down onto the ground. With a swift bite, Pete ripped the entire front page off of the folded paper. The old man came back down the stairs in somewhat of a flurry. He began to call out to Pete. “Hey, hey, hey. Don’t rip my damn paper. What do you think you’re doing? Give me that.” Bill was all the way back down the stairs. He reached down to snatch the paper up before Pete could do any further damage. Like a streak of lightning, Pete grabbed it up by the corner and took off around the yard. He held onto the corner of it while he ran. The paper unfolded and began coming apart sheet by sheet. Pete, now considering himself in doggy heaven, was ready to up the ante of the game even more. Bill was heading for him trying not to show his amusement with his buddy. “Pete! You give me that paper now. You’re ruining it damn it. Let me have that paper.” Pete was thoroughly convinced this was a game and a fine one at that. He grabbed another mouth full of the wet paper and headed towards the back yard. While he ran, his front paws were landing on sections of it tearing them off in shreds. Bill was hot on his trail. Shuffling along faster than he had moved in years, he tried to corner his playful friend and reclaim what was left of his paper. Finally he reached Pete. He was now rolling over onto the paper. With his tongue hanging out of the side of his mouth, Pete looked up at the old man. He seemed satisfied that he had enjoyed his new found game. Bill tried desperately to collect the wet fragments of his paper without doing any more damage to them. He placed the partial sheets one on top of the other.

Meanwhile, Pete was twisting back and forth while still on his back. He was thinking his day so far had simply been splendid. The old man was trying to be mad. A flow of curse words came out of him like a drunken sailor, under his breath. He retraced the path Pete had so playfully taken to gather up what was left of his paper. Pete had gotten back up. He was following closely along. A look of complete satisfaction on Pete’s face told Bill his friend was pleased with the events. The old man reached down to pick up the last parts of his paper. He stood up and gazed at this Chinese jigsaw puzzle. He would have to reassemble it, if he expected to read any of it what so ever. He was completely unaware that anyone might have witnessed the entire show in silence. He felt like you do when you suddenly realize that someone is watching your every move. He gazed around to see Donavon standing outside the gate nearly in tears from laughing so hard. “I’m sorry Bill. I really don’t mean to laugh, but that was about the funniest thing I have ever seen in my entire life. Oh my God! If you could have only seen that from where I’m standing. It was absolutely hilarious.” He was wiping his eyes and holding his sides from the pain of laughing so hard. He opened the gate and walked in. Pete met him right away and seemed to forget all about his rampage of terrorizing Bill’s unread paper. Donavon reached down to pet him. He walked towards Bill and the steps to the porch. Bill was heading up the steps with the soaked remnants of his favorite source of entertainment. Bill, finally seeing the hilarity in what had just happened, smiled at Donavon. Bill asked if he would like to him for a cup of coffee. He nodded he would. Bill entered the house while Donavon remained on the porch with Pete. He was sitting and panting like nothing had happened. Donavon was trying to piece some of the old man’s paper back together when Bill returned with a hot cup of the strong coffee. He handed it to Donavon. “I hope you take yours black. I don’t have any sugar or creamer.” Donavon accepted the cup. He was still laughing to himself. He assured Bill black would be just fine. “Well, I see you two are getting along this morning. I just wanted to stop by and check on both of you and make sure everything was OK. I guess Pete must be

back to normal, from what I just witnessed down in the yard.” “Yeah. I guess him and I are going to have to work on getting that paper a little more before he gets it figured out. Otherwise, I’ll be all day finding enough parts to read anything.” Donavon broke out into laughter. He nearly choked while taking a sip of his coffee. He continued drinking the hot liquid down until he had reached the bottom. He sat the cup on the small table next to Bill’s chair on the porch. “I should get going Bill. I guess you two are going to get along fine from what I saw this morning. I do think ole Pete here is going to give you a run for your money for a while. You two have a good day. I’ll have to stop by again sometime to see how this paper thing all works out.” He was still laughing as he patted Pete on the head and turned back towards the stairs. When he drove off Pete sat watching the car pull away. He barked at it all the way up the street. Bill continued to search for the matching pieces of his paper. He tried to read what was left of his news. He fought the nearly impossible task for another hour. He returned for a second and third cup of his morning coffee before he finally gave up. Bill wadded it all up. He looked at Pete, shaking his head. He carried it inside to toss it into his trash. Around 10:30 the old man decided it was time to head down to the post office. He had decided to take Pete along with him for the walk. He placed one of the collars around his neck. Pete acted like his day had suddenly been ruined. Bill snapped the leash onto it. Pete sat stubbornly, not wanting to move. Bill looked down at him. Pete bit the lease and pulled at it. “Now look here old boy. If you want to go with me, you’re going to have to wear this collar and get used to this leash. You can’t be walking off on your own or deciding to run off because you see some critter. Now let’s get this over with. We’re not going to have a fight about it.” The old man paused for a moment. He was thinking, if anyone had heard him talking to this dog, they would think he was completely nuts. He brushed it off. Finally with some gentle coaxing, he convinced Pete to walk with him. Once they headed out the gate Pete was content to pull gently on the leash. He didn’t really raise too much of a fuss. They strolled along the street looking around the neighborhood. By the time they had reached the post office, Pete seemed to get

the message that his job was to stay close to the old man. He found out it would do him no good to try to venture out on his own. He remained by the old man’s side constantly. Once they had arrived at the building, Bill wrapped the leash around one of the poles in front of the post office and tied it off. Pete sat silently taking this all in. He didn’t know he was about to be momentarily abandoned. When Bill walked away, Pete barked two times. When the old man continued on his path inside Pete started whining and pulled at the leash. He wasn’t real happy about this new prison he was being confined to. Bill came out looking cheerful. His eyes twinkled with joy. A broad smile covered his face. He was holding the letter telling him his check had been deposited in his bank, along with his increased pension check. It was going to be great day indeed he thought. He untied the lease and told Pete all about their good fortune during their stroll back home. When they reached the gate Pete waited patiently for the old man to open it and let him off of the leash. Pete went about his business of checking the yard over like he needed to make sure nothing had been removed, or been labeled by some other animal. Pete walked to the small bushes near the back and relieved himself. He turned to head back to the steps. Inside the living room Bill began to look around. He studied the badly worn furniture and scant furnishings around him. He had grown accustomed to them from the years of poverty he had endured. He walked through the room checking each item. Pete took his place on his blanket, never taking his eyes off of the old man. Bill’s mind wandered in and out of thoughts of some new updates he might get. He realized his wants were few and any attempt to upgrade would be minimal, due to the space he had to work with. When he finished he called to Pete. He headed for the washing machine. He opened the squeaky lid. He tossed in all of his dirty clothes and the blood stained blanket he had originally put down for his friend. Bill closed the lid and punched the buttons on the washer. It sprang to life filling itself with the warm water. Bill could hear the water trickling in to it. He walked to his kitchen to inspect his meager assortment of utensils and cook ware. He picked up the old soup pan that still had a handle. Reminding himself that it was his only one, he placed it back on the counter. “You know Pete. I think we need a few new things around here. I think we’re going to get some new stuff, so we don’t have to use these anymore. Not too

much mind you, but enough to make life a little more comfortable I think.” Pete sat and listened to the old man as if he understood every word that had been spoken. He wagged his tail whenever the old man would look down at him and speak of his plans. He knew he would have to take a cab or find another way to get to one of the stores in town, but that could be worked out without too much trouble. Bill returned to one of the drawers in the cabinet. He pulled out an old tablet and pen. He kept it there to make himself notes for certain things. He carried them over to the table and sat down. Scratching Pete on the head he pondering his wish list. Bill began going over what he wanted in his mind. He wrote down the list of things he most wanted to change about his life’s situation. New pots and pans were a must. Some new dishes and perhaps some much needed silverware to accent all the rest of it. He returned to the living room and surveyed his ragged and badly worn furnishings. He sat down on the couch and began to list his replacements for that room. A new couch would sure be nice. One without sagging cushions and shiny arms. He might even splurge for a new chair and a real floor lamp, rather than have to use the single bulb in his ancient light fixture. It had always seemed totally out of place sitting in the center of his ceiling. His hands trembled from the thought of actually being able to buy something without thinking of what he was going to have to give up, like he had done for years. He was happy, but he couldn’t get the thought out of his mind how long it had been since he had went to any store for a simple luxury for himself. He placed his precious list down on the small table next to his couch. He leaned back to let this all soak in. His days of pinching every penny he had might actually be over. He lowered his hand down to find Pete. He suddenly felt the dog licking his weathered hand. It was a softness that related how the dog loved him very much. He spoke softly to Pete, although his head was still leaning back resting on the top of the cushion. “You know something Pete? We are actually going to be able to live like real folks do for a change. I’m even going to get you a real bed. One with a thick cushion, like they had down at the vets. Yeah Pete, a real nice one so you can always be cozy when you want to take a nap.” The next few hours seemed to get lost somewhere between a short nap for the both of them and some daydreaming that kept the old man occupied during his

time of consciousness.

Chapter 7

Making a Plan

A bout 4 pm Bill’s mind came back to life when he heard Pete bark. Bill saw him jump to his feet and head to the door. Still in a confused state, the old man tried to focus his eyes and his mind on what was happening. Pete barked again before Bill heard a rapid knocking on his door. He was up and moving, but still sleepy when he reached to open the door. It was Tim and his mom standing on the porch with two bags. Bill watched Tim and Pete proceed to greet each other with some licks from Pete and some hugs and strokes from the young boy. Bill was still scratching his whiskers trying to wake up. “Hi Bill. I hope Tim and I aren’t bothering you. We brought you and Pete some things. We wanted to drop them off for you. Is it OK if we come in for a few minutes?” “Why yes indeed. Come right in. I guess Pete and I must have dozed off for a spell. I didn’t hear you knock the first time. I’m sorry about that.” Betty assured him they had only knocked once. She apologized for waking them both up. Bill explained they both had been a little bit lazy since being assaulted by the man who used to own Pete. They had not heard about the attack before. Tim was visibly upset to hear even the slightest details of the attack. Of course, Bill left most of it out. He didn’t want to seem too lengthy in his story. Tim was continuing to shower Pete with the love only a child can give. Bill walked to the kitchen, carrying one of the bags he had taken from Betty. She sat her bag on the table and began unloading some of the surprise treats she had made. “Now Bill. These are for you and I’m not going to take no for an answer. I baked you a sheet cake and some brownies that I frosted. You don’t want brownies unless their frosted. Take my word for it.”

She removed an aluminum pan and set it on the table. It was wrapped tightly with foil. She explained that there was some meat loaf in another pan. She was sorry, but Tim and his dad had eaten all of the mashed potatoes, so she didn’t have any left to bring over. Bill was absolutely flabbergasted to think this woman, who he had only met briefly, would think of an old man and do this for him. At the bottom of the sack was a plastic bag with meat scraps. She indicated they were for Pete. “Now I hope you don’t mind Bill, but I just love baking. If I leave all this stuff around I’m constantly piecing on it. I don’t need all of it so you enjoy this stuff. Tim has been saving meat scraps for the last two nights. He wanted to bring them along for Pete.” The old man heard the sounds of Tim’s feet running across the floor. The second sound was Pete’s toe nails making with the wooden floor in the kitchen. Bill looked on while Tim and Pete made their grand entrance. Betty looked at Tim and lowered her brow. “Tim. Aren’t you even going to tell Bill hi? You didn’t say a word to him when you came in.” The boy shrugged his shoulders. A sheepish grin that only fits a child’s face began to show. “Oops. I forgot mom. Hi Bill. Sorry I didn’t speak when I came in.” Suddenly, without a hesitation the boy lifted the foil on the brownies. He lifted one out and handed it to Bill before the old man could think. He reached in and took a second one for himself. When he bit into the frosted brownie his mom wacked him on the back and started to sound off. “Now see here young man. Those are for Bill, so quit eating them. Understand?” The old man watched in amusement. The boy giggled and tried to engulf what was left of his treat in one single bite. Bill took a bite and smiled at Tim. “My, these are good, aren’t they Tim? You go ahead and have all you want now. I think there will plenty for me.” Betty started unloading the second bag they had brought. She set three dish

clothes out followed by three dish towels. She withdrew four dark brown coffee cups made of stoneware. They were trimmed in light tan around the rim. Next she reached in and produced a heavy walled plastic pitcher with a screw down lid. It was white and insulated. It had a relief plunger on the top to prevent the screw type lid from sticking. “Now Bill. I know you like to drink your coffee out on the porch. Tim said so. We had this one that we never use, so we want you to have it. You can take your coffee out with you and not have to come in each time to get a refill.” The old man could hardly believe his eyes. These simple gifts looked like treasures from the Gods to him. He picked up the insulated coffee pot and looked at it while unscrewing the lid to peek inside. “I don’t know what to say to you folks. You really didn’t have to do all this for me. I am very grateful for everything Betty. I sure will get some use out of this when I go out to read my paper in the morning.” Tim grabbed for the second bag. He pulled it over in front of him. He stuffed his right arm down into it. His eyes were gleaming when he pulled out a rolled up rubber newspaper dog toy. It read “Doggy Gazette” on it. He showed it to Bill and smiled. He was so excited when Bill started busting out laughing. Tim thought he had done something wonderful. The old man began laughing harder. He reached out for the dog toy and held it in his hand. The look on his face was worth a million bucks. Bill turned to Pete, who had placed himself between all three of them. “Now Pete. You take a good look at this. Keep in mind this is yours and the one outside in the morning is mine.” Pete growled and barked. He wanted his toy. He tried to jump up to reach the rubber toy and take it from Bill’s hand. The old man teased him a bit and released it to the dog. Pete knelt down and barked. He began to chew every inch of the toy. “Yeah old boy. You chew that one because you’re not getting that other one, that’s for sure.” Betty and Tim both got a questioned look on their face. They watched Pete shake

and bite the toy as the squeaker began to sound off each time Pete sunk his teeth into it. Before either one could ask, Bill spoke up. “Oh, it’s a private joke between me and him folks. I’ll save that one for some other time. Let’s just say him and I had a slight difference of opinions this morning when we went outside to get my newspaper.” Pete seemed content to rough up his own doggy paper, at least for the moment. He walked away and headed for his blanket. Tim followed along to watch Pete play with his new toy. Betty reached for the dish rags and towels and walked to the portion of the cabinet with drawers. She quickly surveyed the first one and closed it back up. Opening the second one she saw the ragged old cloth that Bill had been using as a dish rag. She quickly placed the matching sets of new ones in the drawer and closed it back up. Flowing right over to the table she picked up the meat loaf pan. She walked it to the fridge and set it inside. The pan with the uncovered brownies came next. She replaced the foil over the remaining brownies and took them to the counter along with the cake. She sat them down while speaking to Bill without turning around. “I do hope you like yellow cake with chocolate frosting. I do so love to bake I can’t stop myself. If you don’t get it all eaten don’t worry about it. I have two more in our freezer that we haven’t had time to work on eating.” Tim came into the kitchen carrying the pad that Bill had been writing his wish list on. He looked puzzled. He placed it on the table in front of Bill. “What’s this for Bill? Are you going to buy a new couch and chair? You listed some pots and pans and dishes. That’s a lot of stuff. Where are you going to get all this stuff Bill? How are you going to carry all this stuff home? You don’t have a car.” Betty returned to the table and tried to stop Tim. “Timothy Allen. What are you doing with Bill’s tablet? You know better than to snoop into other people’s things like that. Now give that to Bill and quit asking him all of those questions.”

The old man turned the note pad over on the table. He looked at Tim, not wanting to get into it right then. “Oh, it’s just some things I am thinking about replacing around here Tim. Don’t you think old Bill could use a few new things? Some of mine are getting pretty worn out you know.” The boy reached and flipped the pad back over. Now Betty could see it clearly too. “Yeah Bill. That would be swell, but how are you going to get all of this stuff back home after you buy it? Won’t that be too heavy to carry all the way home when you get it?” The old man smiled at his young friend. Wanting to defuse the conversation for the time being, he pointed at the brownie pan on the counter. The old man asked Tim if he would like to get them each one more. The boy smiled and dashed over to the pan lifting the foil. His mom instructed him to put it back on when he finished. His attempt was a slight push on the foil leaving the edges curled up again. Betty met him half way, with a mother’s stern look. She replaced it one last time. When she returned, Tim was standing next to the table where Bill was setting. Betty had already thought of a way to pry a touch of information out of the old man. “You know Bill. My husband has quite a list of shopping to do for the house and garage this weekend. I’m sure it would be fine if you wanted to ride along. You could get some of your things while we were out. He could bring them home for you in the truck. He has been anxious to visit with you. Tim talks about you and Pete all the time. What do you think Bill?” The old man sat quietly, knowing he had no excuse to decline the offer. They knew he didn’t have any other way to get items like these home. He hated to ask for help, but felt it would be fine, as long as they would accept some payment for doing it. “I guess you have me there don’t you? I’ll accept all of this as long as you will let me pay you something for all of your help. I promise I’ll do my shopping right away so I don’t hold your husband up. I don’t know for sure where to go to be honest with you. I haven’t done much of this sort of stuff for a while. Would you know a good place to go for some of these things?”

Betty looked over the list. She read off each item. She removed a blank page to make a copy for her own memory. She wrote down each item while pausing long enough to think about what stores would be best for the old man to shop in. She continued to study the list before she asked him another question. “Bill, is there anything else you might need while you’re out? I don’t mean to pry, but if we are out already, we can take you around and get anything else you need too.” The old man sat looking down at the table. He suddenly ed he had forgotten all about a bed for Pete. He really needed another blanket too, now that he would have Pete’s bed to cover also. It had been a bit chilly sleeping without the one he had given to Pete. He looked up at Betty. Scratching his beard he named off several more items including a bed for Pete. He had scarcely muttered his name when he felt that cold black nose probing his bare arm. Pete was standing patiently wanting some attention. Betty continued to write down Bill’s list of items. She paused and looked down at Pete. “Well Pete. It sounds to me as if you’re going to get a new bed to sleep on.” Pete moved over to her. She stroked his fur. Looking at him she was drawn to his swollen and injured tongue. The line of the laceration was definitive where Pete had been kicked. She looked at it and back up to Bill. “Are you sure you and Pete are OK Bill? If this was done by that man who attacked you both, they ought to string him up by his toes and beat him to see how he likes it.” Bill figured he might as well get some of it out in the open. He relayed the story of what had happened in general and how Officer Donavon had come to their rescue. He insisted that he was fine and that Pete would be fine also. The man would be facing prison time, according to officer Donavon. Betty and Tim were in a state of shock to find out how close they had come to serious injury. “Oh Bill, I’m so sorry about that. I can’t tell you how worried we would have been had we known. I can’t imagine anyone wanting to abuse Pete, or you. Some people should be locked up and have the damn key thrown away. That is all I can say.” After venting about Bill’s attacker, Betty continued to assist Bill with his

shopping list. She never once asked why he was about to spend all this money, or where it would have come from. Bill never imparted any information to her. It wasn’t because he thought it shouldn’t be any of her business. It was simply because he was just a very private man, whether he was broke or had come into a windfall. It was the way he had become. Keeping his business personal suited him fine. Once Betty and Tim were about to go she promised the old man she would send Tim down with the time to be ready on Sat. morning. Tim already had plans on assisting Bill with some of his selections. The old man knew that from his look. He had no problem with it. The young boy seemed to enjoy his company and value his friendship more than anyone Bill knew. The boy had actually started to bring out a side of the old man that had remained hidden for nearly 40 years. For some reason he was getting to appreciate that quality in the youth. Bill and Pete spent the remainder of the day talking to one another. Bill would speak to Pete and he would respond with a little growl or a subtle bark. Sometimes a pitiful little howl erupted, which Bill didn’t quite understand. Both were convinced the other one was completely tuned in to what each one said. When dinner time rolled around the old man made a large meatloaf sandwich from the leftovers Betty had brought. He cut it in half and served it alongside of some peas he had heated up. He washed it down with a cold glass of milk. He finished the first half feeling almost full. Pete seemed content to set by his side watching the bites disappear one after another. There had been no sign of him begging. Bill knew he was waiting though. After two bites into the second half he tore it in two. Bill handed the first half to Pete, who promptly made some attempts to swallow it whole, until he choked on the large bite. Bill sat talking to the dog, explaining to him he had to chew it. Bill continued like Pete was a child learning to eat his first solid food. The second bite went down a bit slower. Pete did at least bite it into a few small pieces before swallowing it. Bill placed the bowl of peas down for his friend. He watched him lap up some of the liquid, but refuse to make any attempt to sample the sweet green balls. He turned his head when the old man tried to coax him into doing so. It was apparent Pete hadn’t been too excited about the peas that had been offered to him. Bill again tried coaxing him to eat some of them. Pete simply ended up flipping most of them out onto the floor, in an apparent bid to hide them. Giving up on the pea experiment, Bill finished the dishes and cleaned up the

kitchen floor. He took his note pad with him and returned to the living room. Without his cheaters he strained to read the entire list of items he wanted to purchase. The dim light and combination of failing eye sight didn’t mix well. He tossed his list back onto the table. He turned on his radio for some evening entertainment. Pete stood by his left side with his head resting on the cushion of the couch. His pitiful eyes rolled from side to side looking directly at Bill and then to the unused portion of the two cushions next to him. Bill tried to ignore him, but before long, he fell for the dog’s pitiful looks. Bill got up to move Pete’s blanket onto the couch for him. He was shaking his head as he refolded it to cover the second and third cushions of his couch. He had barely finished when Pete began wagging his tail in approval. Pete began figuring out how he would attempt the leap up onto his blanket. The old man was still tucking the edges of the blanket into the cracks between the cushions when Pete made a move to ascend the short distance up onto his blanket. It wasn’t pretty to see him struggle when he landed on the blanket. Realizing it was his first attempt, the old man praised him for being a good boy. Bill returned to his seat next to the dog. Pete was doing his usual turning around routine. When he turned to face the old man, he plopped down. His nose was right against the old man’s leg. Pete took a huge breath before nuzzling in as close as he could get to his friend. The old man reached down with the loving touch of his left hand. He stroked Pete’s neck while his favorite music played. Pete had conquered one more of the old man’s restrictions of trying to keep him a dog. Pete had melted away one more block in his wall of solitude that Bill had thrown up early on. While they shared the touch of each other, the bond of love flowed though each of them cementing their commitment even tighter. Bill let Pete out for the last time prior to bed time that night. Pete seemed to know his next landing spot would be the bed of the old man. Pete wasted little time taking care of his business. He returned for his much anticipated luxury of sleeping with Bill. The next few mornings were a combination of seeing which one could trick the other into dropping their guard long enough to fight over Bill’s paper. Bill would let his friend out and pretend that he was headed for the back yard, until Pete was occupied with his morning pee. Then the old man would rush as fast as he could to snatch up his paper before Pete could get a hold of it and maul it again. It became a comedy of errors to see the old man so determined to outwit Pete. Each day the dog was picking up on his intentions. He just refused to buy into

any phony act that had hoodwinked him the previous day. Pete began to hop along just fast enough to keep his owner behind him. Pete would hurry to the paper and grab it while trying to reestablish a new game of fighting over it. Sometimes Pete would just stand there until the old man reached for it. Sometimes he would dash off biting and chewing it up before Bill could remove it from his mouth. The dog seemed to be training Bill instead of being taught by him. Bill would laugh and smile at his antics. Pete teased him with a near miss before he would begin the chase and run off again. They would return to the porch when play time was over. Bill would come out from the kitchen with his insulated pot to sit and drink his coffee, without any concern of finding it had cooled off from neglect. He really enjoyed his gift. He was so happy now. He could top his mug off and enjoy another hot cup without any interruption of going back and forth to the kitchen for more. He would bring a treat out for Pete on his first trip. The dog would drop it onto the porch between his paws. He might hesitate to eat it while he lay watching the world go by. He would occasionally sniff it to make sure it was still fresh, before bolting into action and devouring it like it was the first one he had ever had. The old man would watch him and shake his head. He laughed while watching Pete finish the last crumb before he would begin licking his paws and legs to clean every shred of it up that might have fallen onto them. When Saturday arrived Bill was up at dawn waiting on his ride. Pete seemed to be under the impression all was normal. He didn’t show any concern until the pickup arrived. Bill went to the door and told Pete no. The old man made sure he had his check book and the list tucked neatly away inside of it. He bent over to let Pete know he had to stay home. At first the dog looked at him as though nothing was wrong, until Bill pushed him back into the house when he began to close the door. Stunned by this flagrant change to his routine, Pete began barking loudly in general appeal of his denial to go. Bill felt bad, but knew Pete was fine at home. With each step across the porch, Bill’s departure became less audible. Pete really started voicing his displeasure. He even hoisted his front legs up onto the door raising the nearly transparent curtains with his nose so he could see out. He watched as the old man opened the gate and walked towards the truck. Bill could still hear Pete barking, but now it was turning to a terrible howling. That mournful cry would have indicated a heart break so intense, the dog was about to die.

Bill felt guilty about leaving his bubby, but he knew it was a necessity on this trip. When he climbed into the truck Tim could see he was somewhat put out. He asked him if he was alright. The old man told him about Pete’s nose being out of shape from being told he could not come along. Tim seemed to get a chuckle out of it. Once the general greetings had been dispensed with between Bill and Tim’s dad, he offered to delay his stops if Bill would prefer to get all of his errands ran first. Bill declined saying he would enjoy the ride, since he had not been out for one in some time. They cruised the streets and made their predetermined stops along the way. Bill did quite a bit of window shopping at each store. Inside he would pick various items up and study them before replacing them ever so gently. He didn’t want to damage anything or bring attention to his actions. Once they had run all the errands on Tim’s dad’s list, they headed for the furniture store. When they arrived in the parking lot Tim bolted out of the door of the pickup. He headed in before his dad and Bill could get past the front of the truck. Once inside Bill began to look around. He spotted Betty standing with Tim near some couches. He moved to them with a curious look on his face. “Sorry about this Bill, but I thought since everyone would be here anyway, I would come to look at some new lamps. I figured we could shop together. They have a big sale going on right now. The more we spend, the bigger the discount on everything. I figured why not combine our purchases and see if we can both save some money.” The old man smiled while clasping his hands together in front of him. “Well let’s see what they have that Pete and I would like.” The old man walked slowly through the store, stopping to sit on every chair and sofa in the showroom. He checked out floor and table lamps along the way. He even spotted a nice little reading desk that had a dandy lamp setting on top of it. He walked through the store at least three times before finally selecting one couch. It was medium brown in color. Bill figured it would show the dirt the least of any of the colors he had looked at. It had three large plush cushions across the seating area. Each end doubled as a recliner. The arm rests were packed with padding. It came with two throw pillows that blended with the color of the cushions. Bill was amazed how nice and comfortable the piece was. The next stop was at a large swivel rocker that had a pillow you could remove by

lifting it off and placing it behind the backrest. “Well, will you look at this? Now who would have come up with some idea like that?” The old man sat down in it gently rocking back. He ran his wrinkled old hands up and down the arm rests to feel the material. Betty leaned over to whisper something in his ear. “Now . Don’t say anything until you’re sure of just what you want. Then we can add it all up at one time. Just let us pay for all of it and you can reimburse us later.” The old man mistook her comment and pushed himself out of the chair. He looked at Betty and bent over to address her comment. “Betty. I’ll be paying my own way here. I have my check book so you don’t need to be paying for this stuff. It’s for me and Pete.” The woman straightened up and began to shake her head. “Oh Bill. I wasn’t trying to say we would buy it for you. I only meant, if we pay for all of it and you give us a check for your items, we can both save some money.” The old man seemed to calm down once he understood her meaning. He nodded that he knew what she was attempting to convey to him. Bill settled on one new table lamp and a new floor lamp to put next to the chair he had picked out. He opted to purchase the small desk for his reading. He found the chair that went with it was very comfortable. He told her he wanted the brown couch also. For now, that would finish his shopping at that location. They summoned the manager over where Betty jabbered back and forth with him trying to cut any prices she could. Betty seemed determined to get the best deal possible. She finally agreed to an additional 15% off the bulk discount prices. She shook hands with the manager. Tim’s dad pulled out his check book and wrote a check for the full amount. He instructed the manager that he wanted some items delivered to his address and the remainder of it to Bill’s address. When the manager began to look puzzled, Betty got right in his face while everyone stood back watching.

“He’s my uncle. We’re buying it for him, so we need his delivered first before you bring the remainder to us. I would also prefer a morning delivery time too. I’d say about 9 am would be sufficient. Oh yes. You do haul away old pieces don’t you?” The manager hesitated while he looked at his schedule. Without looking up he answered her. “Yes ma’am. We can take care of that for you too. Anything else we need to know before we close this deal?” Once Betty had delineated which items were to be delivered to Bill’s house, she told him the old man would let them know what had to go. “Is that all ma’am?” Betty nodded her head indicating that would be fine. She turned to leave the store with the other three behind her. Outside Betty instructed Bill to her in her vehicle. She explained they could get everything else finished up faster if she went along to help him pick out the remaining items on his list. The next few stops went like clockwork. Betty inspected the various styles and brands for quality and pricing. She had talked Bill into the most rugged and long wearing pots, pans and dishes that were available. Next came the blankets and sheets and new towels. Although they weren’t all on Bill’s list, he said nothing. The old man got such a kick out of her mothering, he allowed her to indulge her personal whims on him. The last stop that Bill knew of was for a new bed for Pete. The farm and home supply store had a nice selection in several different sizes. Bill found one he really liked and demanded that one. It was large enough for a small pony. The cushion was at least five inches thick with a raised padded edging covering over half of it. Tim struggled to carry it up to the counter without tripping over it. Bill and Betty couldn’t see him behind it as he moved along the isle. Betty helped Bill push the cart carrying several bags of dog treats and one large bag of food that Bill wanted to get while they were there. Once all of this was loaded, Bill was about all in to his shoestrings. Settling back into the seat he indicated that he had certainly had his fill of shopping for one day. Betty asked if he would like to hit the grocery store on the way back. As tired as he was, the old man knew it would probably do little good to argue. He simply agreed to get along. At the grocery

store he gathered up enough food to completely restock his cupboards and top off his tiny freezer. He paid the clerk at the checkout counter and they all walked together to the vehicle. When they had reached Bill’s place Tim and Betty flew into action hauling the bags and boxes inside. Bill carried a couple of the heavier ones up before his back said no more. When the front door opened Pete came strolling out of the living room where he had been snoozing on his blanket. He barked at the old man to let him know he still wasn’t happy about being left. Satisfied his chastising was effective, Pete nuzzled up to him and waited for some petting. Bill patted him and scratched his ear before he walked in. In the kitchen Bill had placed the two heavy boxes on the counter. He turned to go for more. Betty told him they would get the rest of it. He was too tired to argue so he took a chair at the table and settled down into it. His back was beginning to tighten up on him. Pete was running wild trying to figure out which one of the three he wanted to bug most. Finally he decided on the old man and rested his head on Bill’s thigh. He enjoyed the touch of those weathered old hands. Tim was racing in and out of the house like he was possessed. On one trip Pete followed him out. Bill asked him if he would watch and make sure Pete didn’t get out of the gate. Tim hollered back his acknowledgement and they both disappeared out onto the porch. Betty worked like she was in her own kitchen sorting and stocking Bill’s shelves with the fresh new selections of food. Bill was too tired to try to slow her down. He allowed her to take full command of the mission she seemed to be on. Within a few minutes Tim came in with Pete. He called to Bill and his mom. “Come look at Pete you guys. He knows this is his bed.” The sound of the child’s laughter filled the tiny house. Betty and the old man followed Tim to the living room. On the floor, Tim and Pete were rolling around on his new bed. Pete was going from side to side. Tim was rolling around while his arms ran up and down Pete’s body. They were playing like there would be no tomorrow. Pete was making every sort of sound a dog could make, without speaking English, in an attempt to show his pleasure for his new bed. Bill was thrilled to see his young friend and Pete frolicking around on it. Pete seemed to be in doggy heaven with his new gift. This continued for a few minutes. Betty called out to Tim to tell him it was time to go. He reluctantly got up and stated

that he and Pete weren’t quite finished playing. Betty held firm on her insistence. The boy got up and readied himself to leave. Pete and the old man walked them to the door. Bill thanked Betty for all they had done. She leaned over and gave the old man a hug. Afterwards she looked down at Pete and told him to enjoy his new bed. Once they had left Bill tried to find the right spot for Pete’s new bed. It was so large it didn’t seem to fit right anywhere. Bill was about to give up on its exact location when Pete seemed to take it upon himself to decide where it should go. He grabbed a mouth full of his new bed and began dragging it around until it lodged against the corner of the couch. Finding he could move it no closer, he proceeded to get comfortable on it by lying down. This gave Bill a very narrow ageway to clear it. The dog had placed it in the most impossible spot he could have stopped at. Bill looked down at Pete. He was rubbing his face into it like he wanted his scent all over it to break it in. Bill took a few minutes to relax after his long day. He was about to doze off when he felt Pete lift his hand. He was standing in front of the old man wagging his tail, indicating he needed something. “Do you have to go potty buddy?” The dog barked and began to move back and forth. The old man got up off his couch and headed for the door. When he opened the door he noticed the front gate was swinging open. For a second he froze, worrying Pete might bolt out of the gate. Holding his breath he watched. Pete never attempted to walk through it. He merely walked to the opening and gazed out as he ed it. Bill was relieved he didn’t have to run after him. He closed it and secured the latch. He pulled on the gate to make sure it was properly secured. The old man stood on the sidewalk waiting. Pete went about his normal routine of sniffing out the entire area before finding the right spot to take care of his business. “I’m going to have to get my shovel out and start cleaning up after you at this rate Pete. You’ll have this entire yard covered before long and I’m going to have to start mowing soon. I sure don’t want to be stepping on any of your land mines when I’m doing that.” Pete seemed to care less about listening to any of what Bill was telling him. He simply walked up looking up at the old man. Bill led his companion back into

the house and into the kitchen. He looked at the boxes and bags he still needed to unpack and put away. Walking past them, he decided there would be plenty of time in the morning for that. Bill made himself a ham sandwich to eat. He twisted a knife full of Boetjes mustard around on one slice of the bread. He covered every bit of it before he placed it on his plate. He poured a cold glass of milk for himself, which over the years, had been a rare treat for him. He normally byed it due to the weight and bulk of it when he had to walk to the store. The finishing touches to his meal included some chips. He would indulge in a piece of Betty’s delicious cake to top the meal off. He sat eating his meal while Pete sat silently by his side, watching every bite disappear into the old man’s mouth. His ears were up and his anticipation for some sort of a morsel was vivid in his eyes. The old man stopped eating when he had about 1/3 of the sandwich left. Bill began breaking it up to allow his buddy to share in his staples. Seeing the first piece heading his way, Pete gently took it and swallowed it whole, making his eyes water. The old man looked at him in amazement. “Now was that due to the mustard, or did you about choke yourself trying to be a hog again? You chew this up now or you won’t get any more.” The dog looked at him with that look. “Yeah, yeah, yeah, just give me that sandwich and make it quick. I’m starving down here.” The old man gave in to the fact that any attempt to change Pete, was going to end in a standoff. He handed him the last fragment of his sandwich. Pete inhaled it as quickly as he did with the first. Bill looked at the remainder of his milk in his glass. He took one additional sip out of it. He moved away from the table to pour the final few inches into the bowl for Pete. The dog walked up to it cautiously like he didn’t know whether or not to drink it. That only lasted until he lapped up a tiny amount in his first taste. Then he sucked it down as if it were the only drink he had ever had. He licked the bowl several times after it was empty, to make sure there wasn’t a single drop left. He backed away from the bowl and looked up at Bill. The old man reached down for the bowl. Pete raised his head slightly. Another one of his signature burps rolled out cracking the old man up. Pete seemed very pleased with his action. He just stared up at the old man with his head cocked, trying to figure out what the laughter was all about. Bill finished up in the kitchen with his cleaning chores and headed to the bed

room. He removed one of his new blankets from its zippered bag. He ran his rough old hands across it several times feeling the softness of it. It was royal blue in color, edged by a darker blue border made of a silky material. It bonded each end. The old man spread it out onto the bed not caring if it hung over on one side more than the other. The amount of overhang also differed from the top to bottom. Bill didn’t seem to notice it hung crooked over his mattress. It was good enough for him tonight. Pete just sniffed it as he inspected the new covering. Bill retrieved the blanket that Pete normally slept on. He placed it on the far side of the bed making a place for his friend. “Now this is your spot Pete. You sleep here.” They returned to the living room where Bill looked around. He started thinking of how the new furnishings would look when they brought them. He pushed down onto the cushion of his old couch. Seeing his wrinkled hand sink deeply into it, he spoke to Pete. “I sure will be happy when they bring us our new couch Pete. I guess I didn’t realize how bad this old one was. We can both enjoy some comfort when they bring the new one boy.” Pete crawled onto his bed facing the old man. He would make sure he didn’t move or get up without him taking notice. This dog was growing so attached to this old man he couldn’t stand the thought of him being anywhere without him tagging along. Bill turned his radio on for the evening. Once again the music filled the room, like it was a grand old night club with a big band in it. Bill sat listening to song after song. He drifted in and out of memories of times long since lost to the past. A time when opulence and sophistication ruled. The station also played some of the old radio broadcasts that announced these ageless hits. There would be some of the old ments, never heard these days, that broke in during the short pauses. A narrator trumpeting the great taste of Camel and Lucky Strike cigarettes and how they satisfied with full flavor. Bill ed how he had once smoked, but gave it up when his money got tight as he could no longer afford 50 cents for a pack of them. The broadcast was still going strong when the old man shut it off. Having trouble keeping his eyes open, Bill got to his feet and headed off to bed. Pete naturally followed right behind. Once the old man had settled himself into his bed, Pete worked his way up too. He took his place on his blanket.

Bill suddenly felt the urge to gas and let it go without restraints. When he finished, Pete raised his head. He looked first at his own hind end before turning to Bill. He suddenly jumped up sniffing the stifling smell that filled the bedroom. He turned around and pointed his nose away from Bill. He dropped his head over the end of the bed, in an attempt to escape the horrendous odor. Bill was laughing. His belly shook so violently it vibrated the entire bed. Even with both of them in it. The dog’s actions were comical. They definitely indicated his total displeasure of Bill’s apparent disregard for his bed partner. Now much more comfortable since his release of pressure, the old man rolled over onto his side and drifted off to sleep.

Chapter 8

Life Begins to Change

B ill awoke the next morning about 5 am, which was his normal time. For some reason he seemed more rested than he had been in years. Pete seemed to be a bit lazy and hesitated to get out of bed when the old man did. He was lying on his side with his three legs stretched out. While Bill stirred around the bedroom, Pete raised his head momentarily to check out what was going on. Then Pete lowered it back onto the bed. He couldn’t seem to push himself to get going. The old man talked to him as he went to the shower to get ready to face the day. Pete finally rolled up onto his stomach. After several huge yawns, followed by some mild dog talk of small moans, he finally got up and jumped down off of the bed. He waited for Bill to move out of the room. The old man filled his coffee pot with the tap water. He scooped the aromatic grounds into the strainer on top of the tube inside the pot. It brought the boiling hot water from the bottom and spilled it onto the grounds, rendering his hot culinary pleasure. The coffee brewed filling the kitchen with the smell of the strong roasted blend. Bill could hardly wait for it to finish. He set his insulated pot next to it. He knew that once it was finished, he could go outside and try to outwit Pete for possession of his prized paper. Bill had a new plan that morning that he just knew would work. He gathered up Pete’s rubber toy newspaper before heading outside. When Pete walked onto the porch, Bill sat his pot and mug down on the table. Bill started down the stairs holding Pete’s toy in his hand, waving it around to get the dog’s full attention. When he finished ascending the stairs, he swung the toy wildly to keep Pete’s concentration long enough for him to throw it. When Pete bolted after it, Bill would make his move for the real paper. Pete crouched down ready to spring. Bill tossed the rubber dog toy far into the side of his yard. He waited for Pete to lunge out after it. Pete simply fooled him. He watched the toy land in the yard, but made no effort to retrieve it. Without

hesitation, Pete looked down the sidewalk and readied himself for Bill to move. “Now go get your toy Pete. Go on and go fetch it. Fetch it boy.” Pete wasn’t buying into any such deception. Looking down the sidewalk, Pete bolted away running to his prize before the old man could take two steps. He snatched up the paper. Then with several more bites, he seemed to get it just where he wanted it in his mouth. He lowered his front legs ready for a run. “Now you stay right there damn you. Don’t you chew my paper! Pete, don’t you do it!” Bill began to think he might really get to it this time before Pete bounded away. That thought quickly faded with his first few steps. When Bill got to within a few feet of Pete, he was off like he had been shot out of a cannon. The old man was bringing up the rear hollering at him. Around the yard they went with Pete staying just out of reach. It seemed Pete was delighted with his ability to keep ahead with little effort. He would bite down on the paper, each time leaving his teeth marks along with some of his slobber to soak in to it. This went on for several minutes until the old man couldn’t trot around anymore. Finding this all too maddening, he finally gave up. Cursing under his breath and gasping for air, he stumbled up the steps to his small table and his rocking chair. He sat down to pour a cup of his coffee. He concluded it simply wasn’t worth it. When he finished pouring that first cup he saw Pete’s head crest the top of the steps with the paper clutched tightly in his mouth. The dog walked right up to him. Bill refused to beg anymore and looked away. He took a drink of the hot coffee. As he sat his mug down onto the table he caught Pete out of the corner of his eye. He dropped his head and released the paper. It plopped down onto the floor of the porch. Bill looked at it and then to Pete. “Now why couldn’t you have done that before now? Thank you.” Pete wagged his tail like he was getting a medal. The old man reached for him and began to pet him for dropping the paper. Pete seemed pleased. He found his spot right next to the old man’s feet and quietly laid down watching the world go by. Bill began to unfold his morning news. Bill was on his third cup when he was stirred by the sounds of brakes squealing right in front of the house. Now distracted from the final few pages of the paper,

he saw two large young men jump out of the furniture truck and walk to the back. One lowered the lift gate while the other turned to come into the yard. Pete seemed to be on guard at first, barking in a loud tone that Bill hadn’t heard since the attack. He reached for the dog’s collar to calm him with some soothing words. He told him it was fine and that they were alright. Pete seemed to lower his growls when the first of the two men walked up onto the porch. Bill allowed Pete to go smell the man standing there. He reached down to let the dog smell his hand. Once Pete had decided he was OK, he stood at the edge of the steps wagging his tail. He kept emitting some non-threatening rumbles from deep within his throat. “Good morning. You must be Mr. Potter. My name is Dave. We are here to deliver your new furniture. If you can show me what is supposed to go, we’ll get that out of the way first before we bring in your new things.” Bill led him inside with Pete marching right along. The old man pointed to the articles that would go. He told the young man to put the new things where the old ones now sat. He waited for both of them to return. They hauled the chair out first and then moved to the couch. When they hoisted it up, Bill saw the remains of years of dust and dirt exposed where the old couch had sat. “Well gentlemen. You had better give me a minute to go get my vacuum out and clean this up a bit before you bring in that new one. It will only take me a minute.” The men had seen places like this before. They gave no indication of shock. Bill shuffled off to the closet and came back with his old vacuum cleaner. It was an old upright that Bill had bought years ago. It didn’t even have a paper bag inside the sack that hung from the handle attaching it. Bill plugged it in and began to vacuum up the years of dust bunnies that remained determined to stay on the carpet. The old man ran it back and forth several times. He concluded that some of the discoloration around it was simply from years of sun fading. Next he moved to where the chair had been. With some effort, he cleaned that spot to his satisfaction before moving the sweeper away and shutting it down. Pete was barking during all of this operation. He did not like the sounds the sweeper made while it labored to pull the dirt and dust from the carpet. In what seemed like no time, they had unloaded all the new items and carried

them in for the old man. When they finished, one simply walked back outside. The other man pulled out some paperwork and asked the old man to sign it, showing he had received all the furniture. Bill obliged him with a signature and he was gone too. Bill could hear the truck roar to life after they had loaded the old worn out couch and other things up. Finished with their task, they disappeared as quickly as they had appeared. The old man arranged and rearranged the floor lamp by the chair. He adjusted his table lamp on his newly acquired desk. He smiled to himself. He was pleased at how they made the room look so much better. He restarted the vacuum and did the remainder of the room before putting it back to rest in his closet. He went from the couch to the rocker, sitting in each one for a few minutes before moving back to the other. Bill was enjoying the new comfort of each. Pete watched for several minutes. He grew tired of moving from one side of the room to the other. He returned to his bed and simply watched the old man take turns resting in each one. “I think we did good Pete. I really like this chair and I love this couch. What do you think boy?” The dog, lying on his new bed all curled up, just raised his head. He tilted it in that doggy way indicating he just wasn’t sure of what was going on. Pete would wag his tail periodically to indicate his pleasure in the whole move. Bill was ready to inspect his new reading desk. He placed his favorite book down on it. He switched on the light and sat in the new chair that accompanied the desk. After he sat down, he unfolded his cheaters. He only used them for his books or when writing a check out. He slipped them on. The chair had a rigid metal frame, but the stretchy perforated cushioning on the seat and the back were soft. It fully ed his back. He slid the desk lamp around until he seemed to find the right spot. After tipping up the green oblong shade on the lamp, he leaned backwards and allowed the chair to cradle his spine. It was the first time he could not having to constantly raise up and twist around, to keep his back from reminding him of the pain he suffered from for so long. He sat gazing at the words in the book. He never even noticed they were ing through his mind without even ing. The newly found comfort of this simple office chair was the only thing he was thinking about. After several minutes he realized he was simply going through the motions and not even knowing what was on the pages.

He placed his old ribbon marker in the book and closed it. The marker had been a gift from his Grandmother when he was a boy. He was no older than his young friend Tim was now. She had taught him to read before he ever attended a school. She had taught school as a young woman. It was in a time of one room school houses and poorly supplied class rooms. He ed her telling him about “Blab” classes. It was when everyone had to read from a book aloud at the same time, so the teacher would know everyone was actually reading. He had found this was funny as a child. She spoke of having boys 19 or 20 years old still attending school. He had loved her in a very special way. She had instilled in him her love of reading. He had never lost it. She had read to him at a young age from her selection of fine books. She prized all of them and later left them to him when she ed away. He had come to realize if he closed his eyes when she read aloud to him, he could actually see the story come to life. He could feel the cold winter’s wind against his reddened face. He could watch the leaves drop from the trees in the late fall. She painted each picture in eloquent visions through the written words. He reached down and felt the marker between his thumb and index finger. It brought his memory back to a special time, when the world was new and wonderful in his eyes. Bill snapped back to reality. A single tear ran down his cheek. He didn’t have many good memories of anything in his life, except her. He longed to be a child again in her company. He wiped the lone tear away and cleared his mind. He turned to watch Pete snoozing on his new bed. He got up as quietly as possible and crept to the kitchen. It took no time for Pete to sense he was on the move. It could have been the slight vibration sent through the floor from his footsteps. Whatever it was, Pete was now awake and right by his side. The old man threw a couple of things together for lunch. For some reason he couldn’t get his mind off of all the things he still needed to put away from his shopping trip. When he finished with his small meal, he shared the remainder of it with Pete. He seemed ecstatic about anything the old man fixed. A dog’s way of showing total appreciation for any tiny scrap given him was always a lick to the hand, or a continuous wagging of the tail. This time he filled his sink with hot water and a spot of dish soap. He began removing all the new dishes and cook ware from their packaging. Quickly swiping them all once or twice with his new dish rag, he cleaned each one. He rinsed them and sat each one on his old faded blue rubber strainer. He was running out of room for everything prior to finishing up. He began wiping them dry and putting them away. He removed his few remaining old things to make room. Pete sat by his side watching the old man.

“You know something Pete my boy? I don’t even how old some of these things are now. I didn’t think they looked that bad, until I see them next to my new stuff. I guess these will last us for some time Pete. Yeah, I’d say you and I are pretty well set.” The old man leaned over and showed the dog some of the old things, as if he were some real person Bill was speaking with. When he finished, he faced the decision of what all to throw away. He had little storage room in his kitchen for anything not absolutely necessary. He walked to the basement door. Opening it he watched Pete cautiously walk up to the steps going down into the darkness. Bill switched on the lights and headed down to look for a box to load his old things up in. Later he could carry them out for trash pickup. Pete wanted nothing to do with that basement. His whining and barking did indicate his displeasure of the old man’s absence. Bill heard him barking and raising cane the entire time he was down there. Bill rummaged through one of the three rooms of the dusty basement sizing up some empty boxes. The foundation of the house was made of soft brick. The walls came down from the sill about 2 feet and then turned out to a secondary level where they again turned down reaching the floor. It was a step foundation not used anymore in construction. Only the very old houses had been built that way. He walked through the clutter and maze of things that he would never again use. He came across the right size box for his needs. He banged it against the wall to knock some of the years of dust off of it and headed back upstairs. When he reached the kitchen doorway, Pete acted like he had been gone for a week. He wagged his tail and nuzzled up against the old man’s leg. Bill stopped long enough to shut the lights off and close the door. He placed the box onto the table and began loading it up with his mix and match remnants of what had been a complete set so long ago. That collection no longer existed. Although the box wasn’t heavy, the old man strained to lift it up as he shuffled his feet along the way to his back door. He sat the box down next to it. He decided to wait before taking it to the old one stall garage that sat behind the house. He would have time to break up the load and make a couple of trips, in order to keep it from causing any agitation to his back. Pete inspected each item in the box with a sniff. He was careful not to touch anything. He seemed determined to make sure he knew what every item was.

It was another beautiful day in this colorful river town. Although the old man wanted to get everything into its new location inside the house, he couldn’t resist taking time for a walk with Pete. He snapped the leash onto Pete’s collar. Together they strolled out of the gate. This time he would see just how much Pete had learned from his previous outing. Bill slowed his walk to a crawl every so often. Pete began to take notice and slow with him. As soon as he would speed up, the dog would follow. He stayed right by the old man’s side. About two blocks up the street Bill saw a woman heading their way. She was a tall handsome woman with shorter brunette hair. She was very neatly dressed. She wore a dark blue business suit and a pale yellow blouse. Both of which hugged her tall slender body. Her shiny black high heels made her seem much taller yet. She was carrying a brown leather briefcase in her right hand. A large gold bracelet on her wrist glittered as she swung the case back and forth. Pete immediately saw her heading their way and began tugging at his leash. He was wanting to go meet her. Bill had to coax him to restrain his gate. They grew closer to each other. When she was within a few feet of Pete, she looked at the three legged dog and at the old man who was walking him. She stopped and sat her briefcase down. She apparently wanted to meet this curious pair. Pete was the first to announce his arrival and barked at her. Bill proceeded to stop short to keep Pete from having the ability to jump up on her. She reached out with both hands to show she wanted to pet him. Bill edged closer so Pete could touch her. She seemed pleased to greet him. “Well how are you this fine day? And what is your name boy?” “That’s Pete ma’am. We just decided to get out for a spell, to enjoy this beautiful weather.” The woman rubbed Pete’s neck and scratched his side. She couldn’t help herself about inquiring about his missing hind leg. “What happened to you Pete? It looks like you have had it pretty rough at one time.” The old man explained how he had come to have Pete. He told her he had been hit by a car, causing his injury. He told her about how the dog had overcame the incident and that he was now doing just fine with the loss of his leg. The woman seemed totally engrossed by Bill’s story. She showered Pete with all the affection

he pretended to need. It seemed Pete had won the heart of yet another person. The old man was highly pleased with that. The woman seemed to forget about any time table she might have had, or any of the pressing issues awaiting her at her work place. She just couldn’t tear herself away from this dog who seemed to be elated with life itself. She continued to make over Pete and visited with Bill. She appeared to be overwhelmed just to meet them. After several minutes, she gazed at her wrist watch and stood up. “Well Pete. I really need to get to work, or they won’t be very happy with me. It’s sure been nice to meet you. I sure hope I get to see you again sometime. Now you be a good boy and take care of yourself.” She stood up to continue on her way. Pete stood wagging his tail. He bid her farewell with a small series of barks. He looked up at Bill as if to say, “It was time for them to go.” Bill headed off his own way, pleased with the meeting. Pete walked along side of him. They both seemed content to enjoy the beautiful day and all the wonders the Lord had offered up on this trip. They arrived at the post office shortly after the meeting. By now, Pete understood his post was outside of the building. He walked right up to the pole where the old man looped his leash around it. Pete no longer barked in protest to being left outside. He sat patiently waiting for the old man to return for him. Once released from his bondage, he instantly headed back home without waiting to be led away. Bill was about half way back when he noticed Pete nudging the hand that held his small bundle of mail. The old man hesitated for a moment, but then asked Pete if he wanted to carry it for him. The dog carefully reached up with an opened mouth and took the mail from his master. He began wagging his tail the rest of the way home, pleased with his new responsibility in life. He would get to help out by pulling his duty carrying the mail for Bill. That job seemed to make him feel important. During their walk back a few more people strolled past them. As soon as they saw Pete with the mail in his mouth, they smiled and pointed at him in their amusement. This would become one more of Pete’s attributes that brought more attention to his neighborhood presence. Once they had arrived back home, Pete released his burden into Bill’s hand and they went inside. Bill went to Pete’s treat bag and handed him one of the long beef flavored snacks. Pete held it, waiting for the old man to get back to the couch. With Bill’s mail now on the table, Pete settled in on his bed to savor the tasty bit of doggy heaven. Bill went through his mail, as if everything was of

some importance. Most of it was simply junk mail. His bills were few. With no relatives to keep in with, the lack of cards or letters didn’t seem to influence Bill’s fervor of excitement about going to the post office. He simply liked to get what was there. Finished with the little that came, he went about his daily routines. That involved some simple cleaning and sometimes a bit of laundry. Pete would assist him by staying right by his side inspecting each task and watching every move the old man made. The noon meals became the primary ritual of their day. Bill began to cook a few items because of Pete’s needs. Hamburgers and pork chops seemed to be his favorites. The old man always cooked one extra for his pal, who waited patiently for his serving to be cut up and placed in his bowl. Bill now had the means to keep some of the items on hand he once considered luxuries for some special occasion. His weight began to increase a bit with his ability to purchase more and more food. He had gained about 10 pounds back. It helped him look better than he had looked in years. His pants didn’t sag quite as much and his shirts didn’t hang on him, making his clothes look like hand me downs from some larger person. The days ed as the warmer temperatures of spring gave indications of an early summer. Bill began to inspect his house for needed repairs. He walked around it, seeing the real condition it was in. He could see the paint was peeling badly. It would have to be repaired. The inside windows were covered by old storm windows that rested on curved hanger brackets at the top. The storm windows were held in at the bottom on each side by small butterfly clips. He had no gutters on the home. The constant beating of hard rain dripping from the roofs edge had left a distinct canal around the sides of the house. He hadn’t had any water problems in his basement, so he decided they would have been of little use to put on. The back door was hardly ever used for any reason. The wooden storm door which covered it was nearly frozen in place. Unless Bill occasionally forced it open, it was just there for looks. It was begging for some attention too. One pain of glass had worked loose from the lack of putty holding it in place. The old man began to think about having some minor work done there also. Maybe he would have someone come and scrape and paint the place. They could even redo the glass panes in the rear door. Of course the front porch would need painting too. Bill gave some fleeting thoughts to attempting it on his own, but he knew his back would never allow that much physical activity in a bent over position. The payback of pain he would have to endure for doing something like this would keep that from happening. He looked through the following morning paper for an ad covering this type of

work. He came across one that boasted free estimates and professional workmanship. He circled the ment. He later decided to give them a call from the pay phone a few blocks down the street. It was by the main thoroughfare. He could at least check on what it would cost to have some of this work accomplished. Later that afternoon Bill and Pete headed for the phone booth. Bill ed their office for an estimate. They assured him someone would come by in a couple of days to give him a written estimate for whatever work he needed completed. Bill decided that was enough for one day. Returning to the house, he sat on his porch watching the world go by with Pete at his feet. Pete loved lying on the porch because of its height. In the late afternoon when the sun’s rays poked through the small opening in the trees, it warmed him. He would snooze away while stretching out on his side. If some strange noise succeeded in waking him up, he would watch every movement of each car or maybe someone who was walking by. The old man began to notice how much more people would actually look at him, now that Pete was there. Pete was an absolute people magnet. It was almost like magic that each one started waving and speaking to him as they ed by on their way. Just before heading in for the evening a car with a familiar sound pulled up. Pete turned to bark at it. Bill was almost at the door and had to turn to see who it was that Pete was so excited about. The old man caught site of Donavon opening the gate. He was carrying something in his hand. He walked up the sidewalk where Pete met him half way. Donavon paused to greet the dog and knelt down to pet him and rub his ears. “Well hi there Pete. How’s my buddy doing today? You look like you’re getting along just fine, don’t you boy?” Bill walked over to the top of the steps. He waited for Donavon’s arrival on the porch. Pete led him up onto the porch and sat between the men wagging his tail. “Well Bill. I was thinking about you two today. I found something I thought you might be able to use.” He reached into the large bag and pulled out an electric radio. He had used it when he was working outside in his garage. It was a rather expensive set. It had weather bands and an emergency scanner on it. He handed it to the old man for

his inspection. Donavon stood there watching Bill’s eyes. The old man studied the set carefully. It was decades newer than his old set. All the buttons on it confused him. “I don’t know what to say Donavon. It sure looks like a nice set. Don’t you want to keep it for yourself?” “Listen Bill. My wife bought me a new one last year for my birthday. It does about everything, so I don’t need this one anymore. I know it’s not new, but I thought you might get a little better reception on this one than your old radio. I’d be pleased if you would take it and use it. Otherwise it will just sit on a shelf if I keep it. It really pulls in the stations well and the speaker system is great.” The old man was visibly touched with the gift. Bill headed inside to plug it in. Pete and Donavon followed along. The old man headed for his living room. When he arrived at the end table he reached down and unplugged his old radio. Next Bill plugged in his newly delivered treasure. He studied it for a brief time trying to figure it all out. He pressed a button which brought the radio to life. Bill twisted the control for the dial, scanning the stations until he found his favorite old standby. The sound coming from it overwhelmed anything that had ever been produced by his old set. The tone was perfect and it made the room sound as if they were sitting right there with him. The old man smiled hearing the greatly improved clarity from the speakers on this newer set. “Wow! I didn’t know a radio could sound this good Donavon. I just don’t know how to thank you for it.” Donavon sat in the chair across from the couch. Bill lowered himself into the plush new cushion on the end of the couch. He reached over and lowered the volume so they could visit. Donavon checked out the newly acquired furniture and complimented Bill on each piece. They sat and chatted about nothing specific for several minutes. The old man relayed that he and Pete had decided to have some work done on the exterior of the house. Bill explained that it was way past time to get some fresh paint on the home. He informed Donavon he was expecting someone from the painting contractor to stop by within a couple of days to give him an estimate. Donavon could see the excitement in the old man’s face as he described his plans to spruce the place up. He allowed Bill to continue with all of his thoughts before he spoke.

“You know Bill. Two of the guys on the force do some carpentry work on the side. They also do painting and remodeling too. I sure don’t want to tell you what to do, but if you’d like, I’ll send them by so they can take a look too. I think it might save you some money if they do it. They are pretty reasonable and they both do excellent work. I have talked about you and Pete around the station and they know your story. They might just cut you a fairly good deal. What do you think?” The old man paused long enough to turn the radio down even more. “Well. I guess it sure couldn’t hurt none to let them give me a price anyway. I suppose, since I’m going to get it done, I should get more than one estimate before I decide. If it wouldn’t be too much trouble I’d really appreciate that.” Donavon stood up getting ready to depart. He smiled at the old man and then down at Pete. “Why Bill, I’d be happy to do that for you and Pete. Let me ask them when they could come by. I’ll see to it they get by here and let you know what it would cost. Plus, they won’t charge you any mark up for the materials either. They just do the work for some extra spending money.” Donavon walked out of the living room. Pete and Bill followed him to the door and bid him goodbye. Pete barked when Donavon walked out. He kept his eye’s trained him until he drove off. Bill closed the door and returned to his couch. “Well how about that Pete? We got us a new radio to listen to and maybe we can get this old house fixed up just a bit, so we look like we belong in this neighborhood. It sure seems to me since you came along, my whole life has gotten better. I should have gotten you a long time ago. You must be my good luck charm Pete.” Pete stood looking into the old man’s eyes like he understood every word coming out of his mouth. He moved closer to the old man, resting his head on his knee, keeping eye to eye with him. Bill reached over to turn up his newly acquired radio. He sat back and continued to pet his furry friend. Pete gazed over at the empty cushions next to Bill. With a pitifully sad look only a dog could get away with, Pete melted the old man’s heart down even further. Bill got up and walked to his closet. He brought back the blanket he had removed from the old couch. He spread it out across the two empty cushions of his brand

new couch. He offered the spot to his friend with a pat of his hand on the cushion. Pete showed little hesitation. With one clumsy jump, he landed on the cushions sinking into them. Pete took his spot next to the old man. While Bill settled in, Pete worked his way closer until his nose was resting against the old man’s leg. Bill stared at the dog who had literally taken over his house. Not only the property, but his heart too. The dog was becoming an extension of the old man. He knew they would be friends for life. Watching Pete, as he lay next to the old man, Bill began to wonder just how old the dog was. He really didn’t know for sure. Then a frightening thought flashed through his mind. What would happen to Pete if something would happen to him? Who would take care of him? Who would take this old three legged hound as their own? Bill pondered that thought, but only wanted to relish in the love and affection he was getting right now. That alone seemed to make him feel younger than he had felt in years. In the back of his mind, he would continue to worry about Pete. The sounds of the big band music filled the room with its beat. The old man rested on his side of the couch. With his head tilted back on the upper cushion, he drifted off to another world. His mind lapsed into another time when youth fueled his moves and his body was solid, not racked with pain. It was late when the program ended for the night. Bill woke Pete up so they could head out to make one last trip for a potty call. Pete hurried off to the back yard and soon reappeared on the porch ready for his bed time. They walked to the bed room together. They positioned themselves within close proximity of each other and fell off into a deep sleep. Having so much on his mind had worn Bill out. He needed a good night’s sleep to recover from all of it.

Chapter 9

Signs of a New Beginning

M orning arrived on the second day since Bill had called the contractor. He was enjoying his paper and coffee on the porch. Pete had decided to give it up without his normal mauling of it. Bill had his coffee pot sitting on his small table on the porch. He was about to pour himself another cup when a van with painting ments on it pulled up in front of the house. The man who got out wore white painter’s pants and a white shirt. Both were blotched with different color paint remnants of the various jobs he had been on. His boots were covered with dried paint also. He looked like an abstract painting in the ruff. He carried a clip board and a large tape measure in his left hand. When he opened the gate, Pete jumped up and headed down the steps to meet this man in white. The man stopped dead in his tracks and yelled at Bill. “He won’t bite will he? Down boy, down.” Bill called out to let him know Pete was harmless and eased himself out of his chair. The newly poured cup of coffee was in his hand. He walked down the steps where Pete stood at the man’s feet wagging his tail. Pete looked back and forth at both men. “Hi there. My name is Bill. Bill Potter. And who might you be?” The man stood in a guarded position, still unsure of the three legged dog between him and the old man. “I’m Don Preston, with Preston Painting Services. I’m here to take a look at what all you want done around here.” His eyes were now trained on the tiny little house and its shabby condition. Walking towards the porch the old man tried to offer the man a cup of his coffee,

but the man seemed little interested in any offer. Bill told him he wanted to get the house and the porch painted. He also explained he had a back door and wanted some work done to it before the porch was worked on so he and Pete would have a door to use, while the porch was being painted. They continued around the tiny house. The man stopped to displace some of the large flakes of loosened paint from the siding. He was muttering as he walked and measured the small house and its dimensions. He reached the back door and grabbed the handle. Without asking anything, he attempted to yank it open. Bill told him it was locked from the inside. Bill’s warning seemed to make little difference to the man. He yanked harder on it. The loose pain of glass fell from its opening striking the first of the three steps leading to the door. It shattered all over the step. “I told you that door was locked from the inside. Damn, now I will have to go get another pane to replace it.” The man seemed unmoved by his actions and just gazed down at the broken glass. He stepped backwards to get back off the steps. He moved to the east side of the house. When he had finished measuring the dimensions, he walked up onto the porch. He peered around not seeming to look at anything in particular. He walked back down the steps and jotted some figures down. His questioning was gruff to the old man. “What color did you have in mind and how many coats do you want?” The sound of his irritating voice just rubbed Bill the wrong way, but he tried to remain calm. “Well son. The house is white. I guess I want it to stay white. The porch is grey, so I guess that means I want it to remain grey. As far as how many coats of paint it needs, I figured you’d know how much it would take to make it look right. Anything else you want to know?” The rude contractor cast a demeaning look at the old man. He removed a calculator from his shirt pocket. He began punching in numbers and writing on his clipboard. When he appeared to be finished, he began rifling off bitches and excuses to Bill about the work he wanted done. “Well, you know this house is really in bad shape. It’s going to take a lot of work to get all this old paint scrapped off of it. Plus that back door really needs to be

replaced. That will mean getting a whole new frame too. God only knows how much work that will entail. I’d have to remove all those old storm windows, if you want the frames painted. They are probably all rotten from what I see. That porch would most likely have to have all new deck boards put on it before I would paint it. You’re talking about quite a bit of money to even attempt a job like this. Are you sure this old dump is worth that kind of effort?” By now Bill had lost his patience. He could easily see what was happening. He stroked his beard as he reached down to pet Pete. “Son. It appears to me like you really don’t want to do this job. I’ve heard more whining out of you then answers. If that is your attitude, I think you can just move on down the road. As far as I’m concerned, you don’t want this job. I expected an estimate from you on the work, not a bunch of complaining.” The man snapped back at the old man. He moved closer and raised his voice as if the old man was deaf. “Look here old man. You called me. I’m just informing you of what all has to be done. This house is a shambles. I would have to charge you a lot of money before I’d want my name going on this job. I’m not sure if it’s even worth putting that much money in it, to tell you the truth.” The man’s tone with Bill had now gotten the attention of Pete. His bristles slowly raised up. He growled getting right between the man and Bill. The man looked down at the three legged dog and backed up a couple of feet. “I think you need to call your damn crippled mutt off of me before I put him in his place. As far as this job goes, I’m too busy to take it on anyway. You need to find someone else to fix this mess.” Bill stiffened and erected himself totally. He moved towards the man. His eyes were now glaring and his wrinkled hands started becoming fists. “Son. You’re about to let your alligator mouth overload your mosquito ass with me. You threaten that dog again, I’ll take you to the street myself. Now get your butt off my property before I forget myself and Pete decides to take a big bite out of you!” The man quickly walked away heading for his truck. Pete was barking so loudly

he was raising his front feet off of the sidewalk. The door slammed and the van roared away up the street. Bill stood there trying to compose himself. He tried to toss the whole thing out of his mind. He was still shaking a bit when he turned the lid loose on his pot and poured another cup of his coffee. He leaned back in his rocker resting his coffee on the table. He took several breaths to slow his heart rate down. He was shocked that anyone in business could be such an ass, but it hadn’t cost him anything. Bill thought it best to put it aside and go back to enjoying his morning with his paper. By the time Bill had gotten to the fourth page of the paper, he was about back to normal. He pulled his reading glasses off. He turned them towards the bright daylight and pulled his head back in wonderment. “Pete. It’s no wonder it takes me so darn long to read this paper. Look at these glasses would you? See how dirty they are? I guess I better start cleaning them a little more often. Don’t you agree?” The old man dabbed a bit of his coffee from his cup onto the lenses. He pushed it around on each one. He took the front of his paper, which he had already read and wiped them off. It wasn’t a smash up job, but for Bill it would have to do. He wasn’t about to interrupt another cup of his precious coffee for anything. He finished his paper and stretched in his chair. He sat watching Pete snooze away by his feet. One squeak of the chair would arouse Pete from his doggy nap. He would look at Bill to make sure he hadn’t moved one inch. The old man would talk to the dog as if he were speaking to an old friend. His words ed through the dog’s ears. Pete would look at him with expressions of curiosity, raising and lowering his ears, puzzled by some of the conversation. When the coffee was gone the old man got up and carried his items back into the house to rinse them out in the sink. He stood at the sink carefully drying them off. He gazed out at the back yard to see how tall the grass was getting. He hadn’t noticed it much in the front. Bill decided this would have to be taken care of today. He went out in the tiny mud room and unlocked the door going out the back way. He stopped Pete from following him by telling him to stay in the house. Pete was now sure something was afoot and he was going to miss out on whatever it was. He wasn’t having one bit of it. With some barking in a very loud tone, to voice his displeasure, he would sound off and then listen to see if he could hear Bill coming back in. When several minutes of that failed to gain his release from this solitude, he began howling mournfully. It sounded like he had been beaten nearly to death. The entire sound show had been heard by the

old man. He was finished picking up the broken glass from the door pane. He walked to the trash can and tossed the pieces in. He headed for his garage and pulled the mower out. It had sat silent all winter long. Bill always drained the gas before storing it away. It normally helped him get it running each spring. He was in hopes this day would be no different. He turned the gas on. With several yanks on the rope the mower finally coughed and sputtered to life. The blue smoke rolled from the small round muffler on the side of the engine. With the choke still engaged part way, the engine labored as it attempted to clear any of the old bad gas that had sat in the carburetor all winter. Bill listened to the sound grow smother. He moved it over by the edge of his fence and pulled the handle in to engage the self-propelled mode. The old man made his way back and forth across the yard. He danced out of the way of each one of Pete’s landmines he had deposited along the fence. Bill knew he should start picking them up, but for today it would just have to wait. The yard was hardly big enough to get the mower warmed up before it was completed. With the side walk down one side and the old driveway that ran from his tiny old garage under the fence to the street, it was completed in less than 30 minutes, even at Bill’s slow pace. Bill pushed the throttle back down to the idle position and rolled the mower back towards the garage. Shutting it down and pushing it back inside, Bill closed the old wooden doors and slid the hasp back into its hole securing them. When he entered the rear stairs Pete was still sitting right in the middle of the doorway. He began to bark again. He moved around to the old man’s leg and stopped him. “Yes, yes, yes! I’m done Pete. Now that didn’t hurt you to have to stay inside while I did my chores. You can’t come out when I’m mowing boy. You might get an eye put out or something. I would feel terrible if that happened to you. You have enough problems for one dog.” Bill continued into the kitchen to get a drink of water. Pete followed right by his side. The dog watched the old man taking a drink. He went to his bowl and drank for the longest time to get his fill also. Bill was finished with his water so he proceeded to pick up Pete’s bowl and refill it from the sink. When he sat it down the dog sniffed it several times. He took one single lap of the water. Pete seemed to be satisfied it was OK.

Bill walked into the bed room. He opened up his closet to reveal his meager selection of shirts and pants hanging on his few hangers. He slid each garment back and forth inspecting the lot. It seemed to him that he might need something new to wear. He had never been one for any vivid colors or anything that faintly resembled an up to date fashion statement. He had just relied on his old standard grey uniform pants and shirts. All of them had faded from years of wear and the washings they had endured. Next he rummaged through his drawers inspecting some of his underwear and socks. They also needed replaced. Bill was about ready to close the drawer when Pete aroused his attention. Pete barked and headed for the front door. The old man closed the drawer and headed out to see what had made Pete turn from the bedroom to the front door. He arrived there to hear Pete barking and turning circles in excitement. Looking out of the faded curtains Bill noticed Betty walking across the porch. Before she could get to the door to knock on it, Bill was swinging it open. Pete rushed out all excited to see their company. “Well hi there Pete. Did you come out to greet me today? That’s very nice of you.” The old man smiled at their guest. “Well good morning young lady. How are you today?” “Oh Bill, I’m just fine. I was getting ready to go pick up a few things today and wondered if I could pick anything up for you while I’m out shopping?” The old man invited her inside. They walked to the kitchen and both took a seat. Bill informed her that he had indeed been looking at purchasing some new outfits, because some of his were getting rather frayed around the collars and edges of the sleeves. Betty seemed very pleased to find this out. She offered to take Bill with her on her trip to the Mall. The old man was beginning to think this woman had some sort of ESP when it came to helping him out. “Well Betty. It would be nice to go to the Mall so I could see about some new clothes. I doubt I would need much time, if they have them in stock. Pete and I were just talking about that sort of stuff, weren’t we boy?” Amused at Bill’s insinuation that he and Pete had been discussing Bill’s needs, Betty agreed to take the old man with her. He shuffled off to get his check book

and a ball cap that was also rather well used. They headed out to the front door. Bill asked her if it would be OK for him to take Pete out, just in case they happened to be gone a bit longer than planned. He took Pete out and the dog seemed to know something was up. He almost refused to go take care of any sort of business. Finally he gave in and took a short break to renew his marking of the bushes along the back of the yard. When he had finished he immediately walked to the front gate and sat down. Pete was informing Bill that if anyone was going to leave, he had plans on attending any such excursion also. Bill called to him and he finally gave in. With his head lowered like he had just lost his best friend, he reluctantly drug himself to the stairs and made his way up them. Bill told him to go inside and that he would be back. It was like a scene from saddest movie you had ever watched. Pete was sure his neglect was totally uncalled for. He wanted no part of his imprisonment. As Bill closed the door they heard those mournful cries and whines that only Pete had perfected to voice his displeasure. Betty tried to keep from smiling, but gave in and looked at the old man as he moved off the porch. “My God Bill, that dog is sure attached to you. He just doesn’t want you out of his sight, now does he?” The old man shook his head and walked to the curb to get into the van with Betty. When they pulled away Bill asked if he could roll the window down to get some fresh air. Betty pressed the switches backwards and rolled both Bill’s and hers down. The fresh warm spring air flowed through the vehicle. Bill took a long deep breath. He rested his arm on the rail of the open window. He watched as the cars and trucks went whizzing by them in both directions. He seemed engrossed by the entire scene and enjoyed the ride on the way to the store. Betty pulled up and parked close to the main entrance. She told Bill if he wanted to go on his own while she made her runs, she would meet him in the center of the Mall when he was done. Bill nodded and headed off into the door with her. They split up once they got inside going their own directions. Bill shuffled along the court pausing at each store to watch the people moving about searching for their products they wanted. Bill took his time and kept patting his shirt pocket to make sure he had his check book. Most people were using credit cards or debit cards. Bill had never seen much use for them. He was old school. The thought of using some piece of plastic to do his shopping with just didn’t excite him. He had spent many years alone. Doing without the normal things that most people took for granted never bothered him. Bill knew he could

now afford most of those items, but he just couldn’t bring himself to making the changes that would bring him into the new era. He slowly entered the men’s clothing department at his destination. He walked through the seemingly endless assortment of clothes and accessories that hung on each rack. He would stop and feel the material of some of the items and marveled at their softness. He approached the uniform pants and shirts he was looking for. He looked at the grey ones first and then to the dark blue ones sitting on another rack next to them. He was searching for his size when a young woman walked up beside him and offered her assistance. “Is there anything I could help you with Sir?” Bill was thinking about all the things he needed. The thought of having some young woman assist him with his purchase embarrassed him. He stood calmly studying the shirts and pants. He answered her in a very low voice. “Well. I would like to try a pair of these on if that would be OK? Then I think I can manage on my own.” The young woman nodded realizing the old man’s reluctance about her assistance. She simply asked what size he needed. Removing one of the shirts and a pair of pants off of the rack, she pointed back to the door where the fitting rooms were. Bill smiled politely and headed off to try them on. He closed the door in the fitting room behind him. He carefully undressed himself feeling somewhat nervous. He hung his old clothes up on the hook in the room and eased into the new ones he had brought in to try on. He tucked the tail of his new shirt inside the pants. He noticed that the shirt was a bit loose on him. He looked in the mirror trying to coax the sides into his waist area to see if it looked better. It was no use. He hadn’t bought anything for so long his weight loss, in the recent years, had rendered his old things too big. The pants would be fine as long as he had his belt. He didn’t seem to notice the extra room in the legs and seat. He removed them and zipped the pants up. He buttoned the shirt back up like he had never tried it on. He dressed back into his old things. He walked out and headed back for the rack. When he approached it, the young lady quickly returned and asked him how they fit? “I guess I’ve lost a bit of weight since I bought these. I think if you have a smaller shirt, they would be fine. It was a little baggy on me.”

The young woman removed the next size smaller shirt and offered it to Bill. He walked back to the fitting room and tried it on. This time it was a much better fit. It made him look much neater than before. He smoothed the shirt out while he looked in the mirror. He could feel the stiffness around the collar when it rubbed against his neck. It bugged him because his old things were so worn, they had no stiffness left in them. He removed the shirt and headed back to the rack again. When he arrived, the girl was sorting the garments on the rack lining each one up by their proper size. Bill stood with the shirt in his hand. The sales clerk turned back to him. “How was that one Sir? I hope it fit well.” “Yes, this one will be just fine. I think I would like to get two of the grey outfits and two of the blue outfits, if you have them in my size?” The young woman rapidly plucked the sets off the rack. Laying them across her arm she asked if he would like anything else. Perhaps he would like a new belt. Bill nodded indicating he could use a new one. She led him to the rack where a wide assortment of sizes hung. Bill went to the waist size he needed. He finally chose a simple black one with a silver buckle. Pulling it off the rack he noticed the price. Bill about fell through the floor thinking he had misread it. $39.95 for a damn belt he thought? What kind of nonsense was this? He studied the remainder of the selection looking for something far cheaper. He soon found they were all nearly the same price. Actually, the one he was holding, was nearly the cheapest of the lot. He shook his head as he handed over the belt to the young woman. She had seen his look when he became shocked by the price. She said nothing to agitate the situation. She just folded it over the clothes and told him she would take them to the checkout counter while he continued to shop. Watching her as she walked away, Bill about swallowed his tongue. He gazed back at the belts in disbelief before walking away mumbling to himself. Bill found the underwear department and combed through the selection of colors and styles. Not realizing just what style he was looking at and being afraid that the young woman would return to assist him, he grabbed up three packages and headed for the socks. He had always worn a heavy work type sock due to the drafty conditions at home. He suffered from cold feet most of the time. The heavier socks seemed to help keep him a bit warmer. He grabbed several bundles with three pairs to a pack of the heavy black socks. He headed for the cash

to settle up his bill and get moving. When he placed the items on the counter the young woman rounded the area into the back. She asked if he had everything he needed and if he would like to put his purchases on a credit card today? “I would like to write a check if that’s OK? I don’t have a credit card.” “Well Sir, would you like to apply for one? I could save you an extra 10% on your purchase today if you will simply fill out an application. It won’t take but a few minutes.” The old man continued to remove the check book from his shirt pocket. Bill shook his head informing her that he wasn’t interested in any such card. The young woman began ringing up his selection. She reached for one of the packages of underwear. Looking very sheepish after checking it out, she tried to restrain her amusement when she spoke to Bill. “A Sir. Are you sure these are the ones you want?” Bill was now looking down, not really studying them. He asked why she would have a question about them. “Well Sir. These are bikini style. I just wanted to make sure that they were what you wanted.” The old man’s face turned red with embarrassment. He looked at the picture of the model wearing them on the front of the package. It had been hidden by the shelving on the rack. He was speechless at that point. “I will gladly wait for you to go back and pick out some different ones. It’s no problem Sir.” The old man turned as quickly as he could walking away from the counter. He was thankful that there was no one else around it when she pointed out his error. Bill went back and studied the front of the packages. This time to ensure he had the right ones. He picked up four packages. He did not want to come back anytime soon. He arrived at the counter, still red in the face. The young woman seemed unmoved by the entire ordeal. Although she tried to make the old man as comfortable as possible, he was visibly upset with his own actions. He wrote the

check out and penned the check number and amount into his ledger. He never uttered another word. He stood silently waiting for his sack to be handed over. Bill was still reeling from the mistake he had made. He was shuffling out of the main entrance in a hurry to depart this store. He was moving as rapidly as he could when Betty came walking up to him. She gave him a bit of a curious look. She could tell the old man was bothered about something, but she said nothing about it. She simply asked if he needed to make any additional stops while they were there. “I think I’ve had enough shopping for one day Betty. If there was anything else, I guess I have forgotten it now anyway.” They headed back towards the van and placed all the sacks into the back. Both of them climbed in to head out. They had only gone a few blocks up the street when Betty suddenly turned her signal on. She darted into the outside lane and began slowing down. “Oh sorry Bill, but I completely forgot. I need to stop at this shoe store and pick Tim up a new pair of sneakers. He plays and does everything in his favorite pair. They are supposed to be his dress ones. He has nearly worn them out. If you don’t mind? I won’t be too long. I know what style he wants. I called them yesterday to see if they had them in stock and they do, so I can get in and get right out.” Bill was beginning to get himself settled down after his incident at the last store with his near miss on clothing. He decided he had nothing to be in a hurry about. “Well, let me go in with you Betty. I haven’t had a pair of tennis shoes since, I don’t know when. Maybe I’ll look at some if you don’t mind waiting on me.” Betty assured him she was in no hurry. He could take all the time he wanted. They parked the van and walked into the store. Betty headed for the sales counter while the old man walked down the wall. Literally dozens of different styles of shoes were on display. Bill felt really outdated as he gazed down at his slip on Wellington boots he had worn for so many years. There were running shoes and basketball shoes and everyone was a different color and style. Bill was about to pick up a walking shoe that caught his eye when a young man in his early 20’s came up to assist him.

“Is there something special I can show you today? We are having a great sale on some of our stock in this area. If there is a style you like I can get it out of the back for you to try on.” The old man studied one particular shoe. He happened to turn it over to inspect the soul. He noticed the price tag on the bottom. He pulled his glasses out of his shirt pocket. Bill slid them on to make sure he was seeing right. The price read $120.00 on sale. Bill about fainted when he knew he had read the price correctly. He stood there in silence. “Could I ask what size you wear? That is a really great shoe. Everyone who has bought a pair of them tells us they are the most comfortable shoes that they have worn. If you’re interested, we are offering that shoe for 30% off right now. It’s a really good buy Sir.” The old man set the lone shoe back on the small shelving platform it had rested on. He turned to the young man. “Well. Size 11 might be right. It’s been awhile since I bought any. I guess I’ll just have to try one on to make sure.” “Oh that’s no problem Sir. I’ll bring out a half size smaller and larger. You can try them all on to make sure. If you want to take a seat right there, I’ll be right back.” The old man took his seat. He slipped his boot off and waited for the new shoe to try it on. The young man came bounding out of the back room with three boxes in his hands. He came to a stop by Bill. “Let’s try the 11 on first and see how it fits.” He inserted all the lacings and opened it up a bit. He handed it to the old man. When Bill slipped it on, it was like wearing nothing. He tightened up the laces and added the bowtie knot at the top. He stood up, rocking back and forth, going from heel to toe in the shoe. He took several steps down the floor and returned to the bench. Bill was wondering how it would feel with both shoes on. He asked if he could try the second one on. The young man nodded and prepared the second shoe for him. Bill quickly slipped it on and tied it up snuggly. He got up and walked through the store enjoying the new found comfort of these wonderful shoes. He felt younger with them on. They were so comfortable. The

they gave him over his old boots was astounding. He continued to walk around in them. He didn’t even want to take them off. They felt so good on his feet. They seemed to help ease the slight pain he had been feeling in his lower back. He returned to where the young man was standing with a smile on his face. He announced that he would take the shoes and asked if they might have a second pair in his size also? “Why yes. I’m sure we have another pair of those in size 11 in the back. Would you like me to get them for you?” Bill nodded. The young man rushed off to search the back for them. When he returned Bill told him he would just wear the ones he had on. He wanted the second pair also. The young man was very pleased since he saw the face on this old man light up. Bill worked his feet back and forth in the new shoes enjoying the comfort. Bill indicated to him he would take the old boots with him. They began to walk towards the sales counter. The salesman stopped by where they had men’s socks. He wanted to see if Bill could use any of them with his new purchases? The old man looked down at them. He paused only briefly. He shook his head and continued to the counter to pay for his purchases. The young salesman rang up the total. He watched while Bill made out one of his checks. Bill was looking around for the name of the store to write it in. The young man announced the total to Bill and continued to watch him finish the check. When he had finished writing it out, he handed it to the salesman who studied it briefly. The sales clerk stood holding it out and looked back at him. “Have you purchased anything from us before Sir?” “No I haven’t son. This is my first trip to tell you the truth.” “Well then Sir. I need to see a driver’s license or credit card if that is OK with you.” The old man looked down at his check book resting in front of him on the counter. He paused for a second. “Well son. I don’t drive and I don’t have any credit cards. I haven’t ever had any need for one, so I’m afraid I can’t give you either.” The young man was completely puzzled. He stuttered and stammered, not

knowing what he should do. “Well I’m sorry Sir, but we can’t take your check without some other form of ID. It’s our store policy you understand. You don’t have anything to validate your address or maybe a phone number?” By now the old man was beginning to feel some slight anger from this situation he was in. “No. I don’t have a phone either son. I can assure you that check is good. If you’re concerned about it, why don’t you call my bank and ask them if you don’t believe me.” “Well it’s not that Sir, but we have our rules.” Bill was about to blow up when Betty walked to the counter with her purse open. When she arrived, she reached into her wallet to withdraw her credit card. Handing it to the young sales clerk she spoke. “Look. I have a pair of shoes to pick up. I called about them yesterday for my son. Just put everything on my card if there is a problem.” Her voice was stern and direct. She had been listening to the young man’s conversation with Bill. She knew how embarrassing this must have been for him. She wanted to defuse the situation as soon as possible. The young man looked at the card. He laid it across the upper part of the cash drawer. “Yes ma’am. That would be fine. What was your order now?” “I called in here yesterday about a pair of shoes for my son. My name is Betty Morrison. They told me they would be here at the counter today so that I could pick them up.” The young man began searching around. He found a box under the counter with her name across it and a bill attached. He pulled them out and set them on the counter next to the old man’s shoes. “Yes ma’am. I have them right here. Now you want me to ring all of these up together, right?”

Betty watched as Bill tore up the check he had been writing out. She didn’t have to announce what he needed to do. Bill immediately began to write another one out for his purchase. This time he was making it out to Betty for the same amount. “Yes, just ring them all up together and put them on my card. Do you need to see my driver’s license also?” She had already opened her billfold to the window which secured her license. Flipping it out rather quickly, she starred at the young sales clerk awaiting his response. By now he was embarrassed from the apparent hassle he had given the old man. He certainly didn’t want to inflame any further wrath from this woman standing before him. “Thank you ma’am. Everything is fine. I have all I need.” Bill had completed his new check for Betty and was waiting patiently for his bag. Betty moved over to the center of the counter. Bill moved to the side so he could give her more room. When the sales slip popped out of the for her to sign, she quickly scribbled her name across it and handed it to the clerk. The second copy emerged from the machine. He asked her if she wanted it or if he should put it in her sack. She stuck her hand out for the receipt. Tucking it away in her billfold, she grabbed the sack. Her and Bill departed the store. Betty was upset, but not with Bill. She knew the old man was proud and had little to boast about. She also knew he was incapable of meeting the standards that most found baseline formalities. It hurt her to see the old man struggle with such a simple task as paying for some shoes because life had thrown him a curve many years ago. She tried to keep it all inside so that the old man would not see her temper flare. Bill could see her anger. With him being mad too, any attempt at chit chat would simply add up to a conversation he wasn’t prepared for. They drove away and Betty quickly changed the topic of the conversation by asking Bill if he would have time to her for some lunch somewhere. Bill took in a deep breath. He fumbled for an excuse to deny her any sort of control. “Well Betty. To tell you the truth, I hadn’t given it much thought. I suppose I had better get home and check on Pete. He hasn’t been out for a few hours. I should be there to make sure he’s doing OK.”

Betty smiled and looked down at her wrist watch. She decided to push the issue until Bill gave in. “Now Bill. You know Pete is just fine. He’s most likely sleeping right now. Dogs seem to want us to believe that we are there just to see to all of their needs. I think you have taken great leaps in doing that for Pete, but trust me, he’ll be fine for another hour or so. I’m really hungry for a good salad bar. I know just the place to go this time of day. Now before you say anything Mr. Potter, hear me out. This is my treat today. So no arguments.” The old man looked around the street as they headed up Broadway. The drive was short when Bill saw the sign for Kelly’s. He had heard about the great food they served there and the diligence of the owner. Bill had heard he worked relentlessly to keep everyone who ate there happy. He decided that maybe just this once, he would take Betty up on her offer. They entered through the west side door. Bill noticed how the tables ran around the entire outside of the room. The bar sat in the middle up one step. Most of the tables were already occupied for lunch. The aroma of all the different dishes sitting on the tables filled the old man’s nose. He looked at the carousel horses mounted on the poles between the booths. Continuing on around to their left, Bill spotted the salad bar. It was filled with numerous selections. They all looked like they had just been prepared. There was everything from soup to salads. At the end of the salad bar was a selection of fine desserts, including sweet rolls. Bill was so caught up in the wonderful display of treats, he paused to check them all out. Betty had to stop and come back for him. Once seated at their table, Bill started taking in the wonderful aromas. He began to sneak a few peeks at what others had already gotten. This was to see how delicious they looked. When their menus arrived Betty scanned hers, already knowing most everything that was on there. Bill fumbled for his cheaters so he could make sure he read everything on it. There was a fabulous selection to pick from. Bill could hardly make up his mind on just what sounded best. Everything on it seemed special to him. Betty seemed amused just watching the old man studying the variety of items to select from. She offered some ideas. “Now Bill. Everything on there is simply scrumptious. You take you your time and pick out what you want. I always have to take some home because I end up eating too much at the salad bar. Plus, I usually sneak some of their desserts in.

That always fills me up until I’m stuffed. I think I’m going to have the chicken breast myself. It is really good and it’s just about the right size for me. What looks good to you so far?” The old man looked up from his menu. With little hesitation he lowered his eyes back onto the pages listing all the entrees. “Well. To tell you the truth Betty. It’s been so long since I ate at a nice place like this, I’m not sure of what I want to try. I guess if you say that chicken breast if good, then that would be fine with me too.” Betty smiled at the old man and closed her menu. The waitress moved towards the table. Betty gave her their orders. That included the salad bar for both her and Bill. The waitress wrote down the orders and picked up the menus. She told them to help themselves to the salad bar. Betty led the way back to the salad bar. Bill followed right behind, eager to try it all. Betty picked up two of the chilled plates out of the cooler and handed one to Bill. The old man stood silently until Betty made her way to the lettuce. She topped it off with some tomato and croutons and dressing. Next came the potato salad and a couple of radishes finished off her selections. She moved over to pick up a cup and ladled out some of the cheese soup. Everyone in town knew it was the best around. Bill was busy piling his plate up with anything he had room for. It all looked so delicious. Since he seldom got all of these kinds of goodies, he wasn’t leaving anything out. He caught up with Betty at the end of the salad bar. She handed him the cup of soup she had drawn for him. Reaching down for hers, she made her way back to the table. Bill was doing a juggling act just trying to keep everything on his plate from toppling off onto the carpet. A few people glanced up while he slowly shuffled by. Every ounce of his attention was directed on his balancing act. Back at the table Bill loaded his selections up with some salt and pepper. He dove into it like it was the last meal of a condemned man waiting on execution. His eyes lit up more with each bite. Betty was tickled to see the old man get so excited about his selections. Bill was munching one bite after another in rapid succession. Looking away from his plate for the first time, he caught sight of a taller handsome man approaching the table. “Well hi Betty. How are you doing today?”

“Oh hi Rod. I’m doing just fine. Bill, this is the owner of Kelly’s. Rod, I would like you to meet a friend of mine. This is Bill Potter. He lives down the street from us. Bill has become a good friend of ours. I was taking Bill along with me to do some shopping today. We decided to stop here for some lunch.” Rod stuck his hand out and gave the old man a warm friendly smile and welcomed him. He asked what they had ordered for lunch. Rod told them that was one of his favorites also. Bill was surprised to see the owner come to the table and greet him and Betty personally. It was a lost art that most owners had quit doing years ago. Rod ran several great eating establishments. His attention to detail was impeccable when it came to making people feel welcome and at home. Bill was impressed watching him. After he bid them good day, he continued on around the place greeting everyone table by table. At that moment Bill decided he would have to come there again to enjoy the friendly atmosphere and the great food. Bill was finishing his salad bar selections when he paused for a drink of water. He took several swallows before he looked at Betty. “Well, I have to it it Betty. This is pretty darn good food. I haven’t had anything this tasty in a long time. Everything is so fresh and good. I’ll bet he does a real good business in this place. I know I would sure like to come back sometime. Maybe I’ll even order a burger today to take home for Pete.” Betty grinned at the old man. She pushed her plate to the side and leaned over. “Oh Bill. I’m so happy you agreed to have lunch with me. I just love coming here. It’s my husband’s favorite place, besides the Tower. Rod owns a pizza place almost right across the street called the Tower. It is the best pizza you’ll ever eat. Maybe you can us and come along sometime when we go there. I’m sure Tim would love to have you come with us.” “Now let’s not get too excited all in one day. I would love to do that sometime, but we’ll make those plans later, if that’s OK with you?” Betty simply nodded. Their lunch showed up promptly after she had finished. Without hesitation, Bill dove into his. He devoured it before Betty had time to get a portion of hers down. When Bill finished he began to turn back towards the salad bar. Betty could see his anticipation. She told him to go get some dessert if he wanted it. Bill shot out of the booth heading straight for the huge sweet rolls

covered with icing. He studied each one carefully until he found the one that appeared to have to most icing on it. He lifted it away from the plate with the tongs and set it squarely on his clean salad plate. It looked so delectable, he could hardly wait to bite into it. Retaking his seat he grabbed his fork and cut through the delicate pastry. It was so fresh, it cut like a cloud. The strong fragrance of cinnamon was almost intoxicating to the old man. He slowly raised his piece of heaven up placing it in his mouth. Closing his eye’s he drifted off into his own little world. It was the greatest tasting cinnamon roll the old man had ever eaten. It melted away in his mouth while the sweet frosting flowed over his taste buds. Bill thought it was a helping of pure bliss. They both sat quietly while Bill savored each bite. Betty had decided to go for one of the smaller treats. She managed to finish it before calling it enough. She pushed herself back into the seat. Lifting her head upward she exhaled one large breath. “I’ll tell you something right now Bill. I’m as full as a tick. I don’t think I could force one more bite of anything down if I had to.” Bill was stuffed also. They concluded that neither one of them should need anything else to eat for some time. Bill was watching for the waitress to come by. He finally flagged her down. He asked her to bring him a plain burger on a bun. He indicated it should be medium rare. She asked if he wanted that for here. Chuckling at her comment, he told her that it was to go because it was for Pete the dog, who was waiting for him at home. Bill and Betty chatted while they waited for Pete’s burger to arrive. By the time it had shown up, Betty had paid their bill. Wanting to express his satisfaction, Bill gave the waitress the money for the burger and left her a sizable tip on top of it for being so nice to him and Betty. When they arrived back at Bill’s place he gathered his bags out of the van. He thanked Betty for all her kindness and headed for the porch. Before he could stick the key into the door he heard Pete raising cane inside. Pete gave the impression he had been unjustly locked in solitary confinement for at least a year. Bill was still talking to him through the door when it opened. Pete came rushing out, but only as far as it took him to get to the old man. Bill moved to the

small table setting his bags down. He lowered himself into the chair holding the container with the burger. Pete was right there pushing against the old man’s leg to get his rewards of petting and scratching he seemed so deprived of. “Oh Pete, you’re something else. Now you haven’t been abused so quit the neglected dog act. But, since you have been a good boy, look what I brought you home.” Bill opened the Styrofoam container exposing the bun and patty. Pete’s nose was completely glued to the inside. He smelled the burger and his tail went wild. Whether or not it was intended for him, he was totally focused on it. He had his own plans for it once it was released from the wax paper it was setting in. His tail was going 90 miles an hour. He was barking to tell Bill he just couldn’t stand the wait any longer. The old man removed the burger and began tearing it into portions. Pete’s nose was all over Bill’s hand. Bill lowered the first bite down to him. Pete took it gently, but with all the conviction of a dog on a critical mission. He barely made an attempt to do any chewing and swallowed the piece whole. “Now you take your time Pete. You don’t have to gulp that down like you’ve never eaten before. Chew this up now and I mean it.” Pete was in doggy heaven now. He couldn’t care less about his manners, or how appropriately he approached this job. It was dog verses sandwich and he had every intention of coming out on top. The second bite disappeared as rapidly as the first. Knowing there was still more to come, his attention was focused on the remainder of his treat. Bite by bite the burger disappeared from Bill’s hand as Pete engulfed each portion. When he had finished, Bill had to lower the container down for Pete’s personal inspection. This was to assure him that it was all gone and nothing more remained. Sadly convinced of the fact that no more remained, Pete began licking the old man’s hands to clean up any residue of the burger that might have been left on them. Bill laughed at him. Pete seemed focused on cleaning up every remnant, including the smell. He continued to wag his tail while he left the hands that fed him soaking wet with doggy slobbers. Bill didn’t seem to mind. He removed the napkin from the bag that held the burger to wipe his hands. Pete sat in front of the old man wagging his tail. He looked directly into Bill’s eyes. Bill reached down to pet him and talk to him. Pete’s upper lip exploded as both sides of his mouth went straight out from his tremendous burp. He stuck his tongue out swiping it all around his face. He was cleaning up any secondary mess that might have escaped during the process. Bill

was rolling his head backwards laughing, thinking how hilariously funny Pete was. Inside of the house Bill began removing all the tags from his new clothes. He stuffed them all into his washer for a quick rinse to remove all the creases from the shirts and pants. He was folding his new socks to put them away while Pete sat watching his every move. With each piece of clothing prepped for washing, Pete would have to get a smell of it before he was satisfied to allow Bill to continue. Bill was nearly done when Pete’s ears perked up. Pete walked to the bedroom door way and began to bark. Thinking he was simply hearing something that wasn’t there, the old man continued with his task. Pete continued barking and headed down the hallway towards the front door. Bill set the remaining garments down headed to the front door. Prior to reaching it he heard a loud knock coming from outside. He peaked out of the curtain to see two men standing on the porch. He did not know either one. Grabbing Pete by his collar, he opened the door. The first man smiled while looking down at Pete. He was trying to get to the men standing in front of him. “Hi there. I sure hope we’re not disturbing you? You are Bill Potter aren’t you? This must be Pete the dog. Donavon sent us over to talk with you about doing some painting on your house. I’m Todd Wilson and this is Gene Tonney. We work with ole Donavon on the police force. I hope he informed you coming by today.” Now somewhat relieved at finding out just who these men were, Bill stepped out onto the porch. He allowed Pete to go and greet their new guests. Pete was all excited about making new friends and spent little time waiting to be told he could approach them. He wagged his tail and began sniffing first one then the other. They both responded by petting him and scratching his ears. Pete ate it up. “Well you boys kind of took me by surprise to be honest with you. Donavon said he would talk to you about giving me some idea what you might charge to do some work around here. I guess he missed us, or didn’t get here to let me know you were coming today. But please, feel free to walk around with me and I’ll kind of give you an idea of what I would like to get done.” The two men followed the old man down off of the porch. Bill, accompanied by Pete at his side, headed around the house. They headed towards the side yard to the west. The old man stopped and raised his right hand pointing towards the

badly peeling exterior. “Well guys. This is what the entire house looks like. It’s pretty bad isn’t it? I know it would take a pretty fair amount of work, but I’d sure like to see it with some new paint on it.” Bill continued to lead them on around the house. He stopped at the back door. “These steps might need some work too I guess. Plus, this old door is just about ready to fall apart. I suppose it would have to be replaced with a new one as bad of shape as that glass is in.” Todd walked up onto the steps and began a closer inspection of the old door. He ran his hand over the panes of glass and then felt the thickness of the overall depth of the wood in it. He asked if he could open it to get a closer look. Bill told him he would go right in and unlock it. The old man disappeared around the corner. Pete was seriously concerned as to who he should stay with. He seemed reluctant to leave his new friends, but Bill had gotten out of his sight. He bolted around the corner and headed after the old man. He gave in to his spoiled nature of having Bill near at all costs. Bill appeared at the back door sliding the bolt back to open it. Pete popped his head out looking at the men. Wagging his tail he barked, as if he were now giving the orders. Several barks later both men were still laughing at him. “Well Pete, your right about this door. I didn’t see that before, but I’m sure glad you pointed that out.” Bill was now looking directly at Pete. He continued to make his doggy presentation to all of them. “Now you hush up there young man. These boys don’t need your advice. You just let them do their job.” Pete stopped barking and sat down. With his tongue hanging out and panting, he took turns looking at all three of the men. He had said his peace and was now ready to listen. Todd swung the door back and forth and checked the frame and the hinges for any sag or deterioration. Everything seemed really solid on the door. Although it was in ruff shape paint wise, it seemed very sturdy and still sealed very tightly on all four sides.

“Well Bill. To be honest with you, this door was built pretty well back in its time. It does need some new glass, but actually I could order a single of double pain glass and redo it. It would be fine. You would have one big pane instead of these six small ones. I don’t think this a big deal at all. Plus, it would keep the place looking original, if you would want to do that.” The old man was running his fingers through his beard while he pondered Todd’s suggestion. “I guess if you think it can be fixed. I wouldn’t see no problem with that. I just want to get some of the worst of it fixed before it goes all to pieces.” The three men continued around the house. Todd and Gene loosened and checked a few of the storm windows. They checked the inside window trim for any damage. When they readied themselves to turn the last corner, the three men looked up after hearing sounds. They saw Donavon heading their way. He looked at Todd and Gene and then to Bill. “I guess you met these two hoodlums already. I’m sorry Bill, but I simply forgot they told me they were coming by today. I sure met to let you know. I got so busy around home I lost track of time. I hope they’re not giving you any trouble. Ole Pete and I’d have to straighten these two yard birds out if that happened. Wouldn’t we Pete?” Pete barked at Donavon to fully agree with his assessment. Donavon’s grin widened. Todd and Gene were now laughing at Donavon’s attempt at some comedy. Pete was licking Donavon’s hand in a doggy greeting. They all headed for the porch area to finish up. Gene started checking out the wood on the steps. The remainder of the brood stood below on the sidewalk. Todd began figuring up some paint amounts and labor to give to Bill. He would then know what all the costs would be. Gene figured the door on the rear would have to be separate. Having to purchase a custom pane to replace the smaller ones would be an unknown for today. Gene was still working his way across the porch when the other three walked up the stairs. Bill was in more of a listening mode than a talking one. He wanted to know what the estimate would be once Gene and Todd finished their calculations. Bill was about to sit down in his rocker when Donavon approached him. “Don’t worry too much about this work. Like I told you before. These guys are

honest and hard-working. They’ll take good care of you on this.” The prompting for a calm attitude seemed to sooth the old man. He flashed back to the thought of the jack ass that had been so rude to him concerning the first estimate. Bill really wanted to get this done, but he wasn’t about to spend thousands and thousands on something that really didn’t seem to matter much a few short months ago. He would wait to see just what they had to say. It wouldn’t take long. They were finishing up at that moment. They walked over to where the old man was sitting and began to break the ice. Todd was first. “Well Bill. I want to warn you ahead of time. If I have to work with this guy on the whole job, I will most likely go crazy. He can’t hold up his end up at all. He’s like ole Donavon and only gives orders.” Gene stepped up and began to counter Todd’s ribbing of him. “Now Bill. Don’t you worry about him one bit. Hell, we most likely won’t even see him here with the exception of the last day, when we get paid!” Bill was loosening up now. It had been some time since he had heard men tease each other and take some fun jabs for their own satisfaction at their friend’s expense. Then Todd got down to business. His mannerism became totally professional. “Bill, I guess we’ve had enough playing around. You’re most likely wanting to find out what all this would cost. I think we can scrape the entire place down including the porch. We’ll remove all the storms and putty all the glass while we’re here. We’ll paint the frames inside and out. It should cost you right at $1800. Now keep in mind, I won’t know about the glass for that back door until I check on how much they would charge to build one custom for you. But, I would guess about $150 should cover that completely. The old man sat silently wondering how they could do all that work for such a small price. He looked down at the porch floor. That led them to think they had reached beyond his ceiling of affordability. They both began to feel bad, not knowing his new financial situation. Bill looked back up and began to smile and his eyes twinkled. “Well boys. I think you have yourselves a job here. Ole Pete and I would really be pleased if you could do this for us. I’d say we have ourselves a deal. When do

you think you might get after all this?” Todd was shoving his calculator and pad back into his shirt pocket. He reached out for the old man’s hand to shake it. “Bill, we’ll get started this weekend, if that is OK with you. Oh yeah, and of course Pete here. We wouldn’t want to take this on without his blessings too you know.” All of the men laughed. They looked down at Pete. He was trying to snooze next to Bills leg. “I think Pete would agree with that all the way. I think I can speak for him, since he’s so busy with his dog business right now. Let’s get this job going.” Donavon followed Todd and Gene out of the gate. Pete watched with somewhat of a sleepy eye. He must have been worn out from all of the excitement. He never even followed them to the gate. The relief was now flowing into Bill to calm his nerves. He took a giant breath to relax himself. He clutched the arms of his rocker and arched his back to try to unlock some of the discomfort that had it nearly in knots. He was really going to get his little home turned back into something that looked good again. It had needed this work for so long. Now Bill was going to be able to watch it happen day by day until it was finished. A feeling of both relief and excitement filled the old man.

Chapter 10

Tim Lends a Hand

S aturday morning arrived and Pete had been out for his usual run for the morning. He had actually given up Bill’s paper without too much of a fight. A short run with it tucked tightly in his mouth seemed to be all he had in him that morning. He seemed to sense the old man’s good mood and bright outlook. He was full of it as usual. He seemed more determined to get some additional attention while Bill sipped his strong coffee on the porch and read his paper. Bill focused on the highlights and read thru them quickly. He kept scanning the street for any sign of Todd and Gene. Around 7:30 he saw a truck coming his way. It pulled up right in front of the house. Gene jumped out of the enger side. With a huge wave of his arm and a big smile, he greeted Bill. “Good morning Bill! How are you and Pete this beautiful day? Are you ready for us to get started on the house?” Bill jumped up from his rocker. Pete began to bark and wag his tail. Pete kept looking back at Bill. He wanted to head to the gate in the front of the house. He couldn’t decide whether to go on his own or not since the old man was holding his ground. “Now you go welcome our guests Pete. I’m going to get some extra cups so they can have some coffee.” Pete hopped down the stairs with all the speed his three legs would allow. He headed for the gate. He had his nose stuck through it while he watched the two men unload buckets of tools and supplies. Pete was literally wagging his entire butt he had so much anticipation. He was happy these two had come for a visit. Todd and Gene opened the gate. Pete sounded the greeting alarm to them both. They walked in and sat their buckets down close to the lower step. Both men began petting and scratching Pete’s ears. He was in heaven as he turned first to

Todd and then to Gene. He went from one to the other until Bill arrived back on the porch. With the sound of the front door clacking against the wooden frame, Pete left them. “Come on guys. I have some fresh coffee here and it’s mighty good this morning. Even if I do say so myself. I hope you guys like it black.” The two men continued up on to the porch. Pete made it step for step with them. He was excited and was going for all three men one at a time. He wiggled and turned his head like he couldn’t decide which one to stay with. The old man poured the hot black coffee into the two additional cups. The strong aroma filled the morning air. It caught the attention of both Officers. They were about to be baptized into the world of real coffee. They were about to get the surprise of their lives. Bill handed each man their cup. The warmth radiating through the stoneware cups immediately soaked into their hands. Each one took a sniff. Then both of them tried a taste. Gene was a slender, but muscular man standing about 6 foot tall with large hands. His reddish blonde hair was shortly cropped. Although he was only in his thirties, he looked well beyond that range of years. The deep cut lines in his face and crow’s feet around his eyes told a much lengthier story than his birth certificate. When he sipped his first taste, he nearly lost his ability to swallow. The strength of the brew he had been given had taken over. He finally mustered enough bravery to get it down. Standing silently with a blank look on his face, he waited for a look from Todd. Todd was just shy of 5-10. He was built like a bruising linebacker. His forearms and biceps jumped out of the sleeves of his shirt giving him a bouncer’s appearance. His eye’s pierced through your soul like daggers sharpened to a razor’s edge. His short thick neck looked way larger than his head. He had a crew cut with only traces of coal black hair sticking up. His hands were rugged and showed signs of nicks and scratches on the backs. He was the second to take a large gulp into his mouth. Before he could attempt to swallow it, the realization of just what he was drinking became apparent. He thought it was about to remove the enamel from his teeth. At least it felt that way. The strength of this concoction finally ed with his taste buds. He hesitated momentarily not wanting to spit it back into his cup. He was reluctant to try to swallow it either. Finally he forced his throat open and allowed the harsh elixir to trickle down on its way to his stomach. Now both men were beginning to look for a way out of

drinking anymore of this, without offending the old man. “Wow Bill. That’s real coffee all right! Kind of strong isn’t it? I mean, you surely don’t drink it like that everyday do you?” The old man was sipping his brew and stopped to smile. He gazed back at both men. “Pretty good isn’t it? It ain’t nothing like that stained water you get at most restaurants is it? I don’t know what I’d do without my old pot. I never start a day out without this stuff. Kind of makes you appreciate the morning now doesn’t it?” Gene looked at Todd wondering just how they would get out of finishing anymore of this snake venom before it ate a hole in their stomachs. Gene was first to formulate a plan in his mind. “Well Bill. I suppose we’d better get to work. You wouldn’t mind if I just take the cup with me would you? It’s a tad hot right now for me. I can sip on it as we go once it cools off a bit.” Todd spoke up next to Gene’s false claim. “Yeah Bill, we’ve got a lot of work ahead of us. We’ll just take this with us and get started on the west side.” The two departed the porch carrying their cups in a way to make you think they were carrying treasures. They headed around the corner of the house still wanting to choke. Todd set his coffee down on the sidewalk and headed back for his tools. Gene did the same before retrieving the second bucket filled with scrapers, screwdrivers and hammers. After they had agreed on where to start scraping, they were whispering to each other about the coffee. Todd began first with his description. “Good God Gene. I’ve never had any coffee like that in my life! I thought it was going to dissolve my teeth. What in the name of blue blazes is that made from?” “Todd, I have no idea, but we need to figure out a way of persuading him we don’t need any more when we show up tomorrow, or someone will find us poisoned back here. What are you going to do with yours?”

“Hell, I’m thinking about splashing it on the house to remove the rest of this old paint. I probably shouldn’t though. It might eat the siding too. My God that stuff is strong. How could anyone drink that every morning and still be alive?” “I don’t know, but I’m bringing my own thermos tomorrow. I can’t take one more swallow of whatever that is. That old man’s stomach must be made of cast iron if he drinks it.” The two men went to work at a feverish pace. They began scraping and chipping at the old flecks of paint which were barely hanging onto the surface. Even the remaining paint that appeared to be attached came loose with little effort. They also checked for any loose nails popping out of the wooden siding. Todd hammered each one tight to make sure any cracks were closed up. Each man took a section and continued working until about 10 am when they decided it was time to take a short break for some water. Gene returned to the truck for a water jug filled with ice and cold water. The temperature was still cool enough that neither one had really broken a sweat, but a shot of cold water would take the edge off for sure. The cups containing the coal black coffee were now cold. Todd dumped each one out onto the ground and placed the cups together. Todd looked up the street while taking a long pull off of the jug. He saw Bill being led by Pete on his leash. They were coming back from the post office. Pete was taking enough time to inspect each tree for any sign of a new scent which might have been left from another dog. If he did find any trace, he quickly deposited a fast squirt on it to redefine that it was his turf. Bill would slow down and wait for Pete to complete his job before informing him that it was time to keep moving. When they rounded the corner of the house the old man began looking at the piles of paint chips building up on the ground next to the foundation. “Well now. It looks like I’m going to have some serious raking to do when you boys get finished here.” Todd was trying to let Bill know that they would clean up most of what they could with a big shop vac. The sound of the front gate closing again made them stop and look to the front. They turned to see this small boy come running up into the yard at full speed. He hadn’t gotten stopped before the questions began pouring out of his mouth.

“Wow Bill, they’re working on your house. Can I help too? I’m a good worker. I’ll be real careful too Bill. I promise.” The old man took time to introduce Tim to Gene and Todd. Although the boy seemed interested, he was busy roughing up Pete with some playful antics while the introductions were taking place. Todd looked at Gene and walked over to the tool box. He was bent over digging around in it when he hollered back at Todd. “What do you think partner? Can we use another man on this job? It seems we’ve gotten a new hand here looking for some work.” Todd reached into his bucket and pulled out another paint scraper. He handed it to the young boy. They walked up to the side of the small house. Todd showed Tim how to use the scraper to dislodge the failing paint. Tim dug right in working as hard as he could to remove the large flakes of old paint from the siding. The three were working along the bottom of the siding and making their way upwards as they moved along. They had been working nearly a half hour when Tim struck up a conversation with the two men. “Bill’s house is really going to look nice isn’t it? I’ll be so happy for him when it’s all done. He’s really a nice man and he treats me really good. He even talks to me a lot. I mean, like I’m a real adult. Some people treat me like a little kid, but Bill makes me feel grown up when we talk.” The two men were working away while listening to this young man talk about his old friend. Todd hesitated for a few seconds working his arm around to relieve the tension from straining against the siding. “How did you get to know Bill anyway?” “Oh, I saw him walking to the post office quite a few times when he went past our house. He just seemed like a nice man. I came by and introduced myself to him. He was really nice to me, so we became friends. Then when Pete got hit by that car, Bill came with me to see what had happened to him. He helped Pete. He’s really taken care of Pete since he got him. Now they live together so I get to come and visit both of them. Bill even gave me a book to read. He said I could read all of his books if I wanted to. You guy’s should see all of them!” Gene worked his way over to Tim. He gave him a hand with some of the area Tim was working on.

“So what kind of books does Bill have for you to read? The boy stopped scraping. He turned with an excited look only a young child could possess. “He has everything. At least I think he does. He’s reading “The Old Man and the Sea” right now. At least, I think he still is. He might be done with it again. He’s read it more than once. I told him I had a hard time reading a whole book even once. I really don’t know why anyone would read a book that big more than once.” The two men listened as Tim conveyed how he was reading more now because of the old man. He explained how his mom had been helping out once and a while by taking Bill shopping. He was brutally honest about telling them what he had said about Bill’s house and how he felt bad once his mom had scolded him for doing so. Tim seemed engrossed in bringing them up to speed about everything he knew about the old man’s past. Tim was still rattling off stories when they heard the screen door close on the front porch. Pete came bounding around the corner and let out a couple of sharp vocal barks announcing his presence. Bill came following up the rear carrying his cup of his coffee. “How are all of you men doing out here? It looks like you’re really getting a good start on it from here. What do you think Pete?” Todd spoke up when Pete approached him. He reached down to pet him. “Bill, we’re doing just fine. I think we’ll get most of this side finished today, if we stay at it. Since we got an extra man working with us it’s going great. I think he’s going to be a good hand.” The boy looked up at Todd and then to Bill smiling at both of them. “Yeah Bill. Your house is going to look great when we get it all done for you. You and Pete won’t have to worry about it anymore. We’re going to do a good job too.” The old man walked over to the boy and patted him on the head. His eyes twinkled.

“Tim. You need to make sure your mom knows where you’re at while you’re here. I don’t want her worrying about you if she can’t find you.” The boy turned back to the siding and began working. “Oh don’t worry Bill. She won’t care if I’m here.” The boy had barely cleared the words from his mouth when Bill turned around. Pete began barking and heading to the gate. It was Betty coming into the yard. She walked to where all of them were standing and focused on Tim. “Tim, I thought you were coming right back home. Your dad and I are heading to Hannibal. We’ve been waiting on you young man.” The boy displayed an embarrassed look. He turned to his mom with the scraper in his hand. “Uh, sorry Mom. I was helping here. I didn’t think you would mind. They needed my help and I wanted to work with them on Bill’s house. Can’t I stay here while you and Dad go out? I promise I’ll be home later to take the garbage out and do my other chores. Please Mom?” The woman cocked her head. She looked at the old man standing with Pete by his side. She murmured something to herself. Bill could not hear her, but he had a good idea of what she was saying. “Well Bill. I guess you’ve got another worker for today anyway. Would you make sure he gets home by 5 for me?” Bill assured Betty he would send him home promptly before 5. He thanked her for allowing Tim to stay. Betty turned and walked back to the gate. Into the van she went. While she drove away Bill turned to Tim. He didn’t want to make eye with the old man. “Now listen here young man. Don’t be late getting home tonight or your mother will skin us both alive. You need to let her know when you plan on staying somewhere. Even when it’s here. She worries about you and you need to respect her by letting her know what you are up to. Do you understand me?” The boy seemed embarrassed and simply nodded and answered the old man,

“Yes Sir.” Todd and Gene never interrupted Bill when he onished the boy for his actions. They both knew it was for Tim’s own good. Bill was simply placing one of the laws down all children needed now and then. If it soaked in, it would make him a better man later in life. Lessons on responsibility and courtesy needed to come from all the influences a young man shared. Bill was just another source for that. Bill called out to Pete. They both headed back towards the porch. He was about to go out of sight when he stopped and turned around to address the three of them. “How about me and Pete fixing you guys some lunch here in about an hour? I’ve got stuff to make sandwiches. I’ve even got some cookies inside if you want some?” Todd turned and looked down for just a second at where he had been scraping. He slid his hand over the roughened surface. “Well Bill. I thought we might go down to McDonalds for lunch today. We don’t really want to put you out and Tim might like doing that too. What do you think Tim?” The boy got a huge grin on his face at the thought of being considered one of the crew and getting to go out for lunch too. “Yeah that would be great.” He stopped speaking for a moment ing that would cost money. Feeling his front pocket he lowered his voice. The boy slipped into a more meager demeanor. “Uh, maybe I shouldn’t go. I think I’ll stay here with Bill. I probably won’t be that hungry anyway.” All three men knew exactly what Tim’s problem was. He had begun to search for any sign of money in his pocket. He knew there was nothing to find. He was embarrassed to say he couldn’t buy anything for himself. Bill felt a sadness in his heart for the young boy. He knew all too well how it felt to be without money

to spend. He also knew how utterly terrible it made one feel. He could see Tim was trying to disappear from view so no one would know he was there. Bill decided to remedy this situation. “Now if you men are going to go out to eat, then I guess I had better see if Pete and I can help you all out.” He reached for his billfold and pulled out several bills. Walking towards Todd, he reached to hand them to him. He winked at Todd as he placed the bills into his hand. Todd knew exactly how to handle the situation to help save face for Tim. “Tim. Since we’re getting paid now, here is your share of the pay for today. You know a man needs his wages when he is working hard. Now are you sure you aren’t coming to lunch with us?” Tim stared at the money Todd had given him. He folded it over and stuck it into his front pocket. His eyes began to light up. He responded as only a boy would. “Thank you. I guess I forgot to get some money when I left, but I left in a hurry. I guess it would be OK if I spent some of this on lunch. Is it alright if I change my mind and go?” Gene peered down at the young boy. “Why sure Tim. We’d like to have you come along with us. I’ll bet you’ll be hungry by noon. We’ll just go when we decide we’re all ready to eat.” Tim went back to work taking long strokes with his scraper. He was still reeling from the embarrassment of the predicament he had been in. Not wanting to reopen the subject, the two men followed suit and went back to work also. Bill looked at the child. Tim began to sweat from working so feverishly. Bill knew he was such a good kid. For a moment, he drifted off thinking about what a great person this boy would grow up to be. It saddened him a bit to think about never having a child of his own. He was borrowing this child’s youth to relive his own younger years through. It was a feeling he had never known until now. He realized what was happening right before his eyes. Being all by himself had been a hollow feeling throughout his life. Bill’s heart now felt empty. He fought back the sentimental tears. He was becoming so attached to this young man and it was beginning to show.

Bill didn’t hear them leave for lunch, although Pete perked his ears up when the truck had started up. Bill knew from Pete’s action that they must have left. He was sitting at his desk, deeply engrossed in his book. He had gotten to the part where the old man had hooked the giant fish and was desperately fighting to bring him in. That part of the story always seemed so vivid to Bill. He imagined it was him sitting in that tiny boat, all alone facing that insurmountable battle. His hands tightened to form a fist when he read the lines relating to the pain this old man was suffering from the cuts and burns in his palms. He wondered if this was just a story, or had this tale been relayed to Hemmingway by some real fisherman? Bill thought it was better not to know. He would simply allow himself to be carried away in the tale. Bill had made himself a ham sandwich that sat on a small plate next to him at the reading table. It was now going to waste while he continued to read. The crumbs from the two small bites he had taken lay scattered around the plate. They were mere reminders of his original intentions. Pete was snoring on his bed where he laid curled up in a ball. Every so often his legs would jerk and faint growls and yips would carry across the room to Bill’s ears. Pete was enjoying some doggy dream. Possibly of chasing a squirrel or perhaps a bird. Bill would peek at him over his shoulder and watch him sleeping away. Bill returned to his book and continued to read on into the afternoon. Time had simply escaped him before he heard the sharp knock at the door. Pete jumped up and headed to the hallway on his way to intercept anyone who might have been outside. Bill pushed his book back and headed out also. He opened the door to see Todd and Tim standing there. They both had hundreds of tiny paint chips covering them from head to toe. He looked at his watch not realizing what time it was. “Bill. I guess we’re going to call it a day for now. We got the west side nearly finished thanks to Tim. I guess we’ll see you tomorrow if you don’t mind the noise. We’ll be moving onto the back so I can get that door disassembled and find out about that glass.” Tim was clearly worn out from all the work he had accomplished. It showed in his face. He was simply there for some sort of small verbal reward, which meant everything to him from the old man. Bill bent over and gazed into his eyes. He rested his wrinkled old hand on Tim’s shoulder.

“I sure don’t know how to thank you enough for helping out today Tim. It looks like your about worn out there young man. Why don’t you get on home and get cleaned up? I’m sure your mom is expecting you by now.” Tim looked at Bill first and then to Todd. Pete was standing between all of them wagging his tail with his tongue hanging out. He was stretching his neck and body muscles by arching his back and lifting his head. “I’m not sure if I can come back tomorrow. I have to check with Mom. She makes me go to church on Sunday and sometimes we have a big dinner afterwards. I’ll be back if it’s OK with her and you still need me to help. Would that be OK Bill?” The old man smiled down at the boy and nodded. “Sure Tim. That would be just fine. You can help out whenever you want, but you make sure your mom doesn’t mind if you come. I’m just happy to see you whenever you stop by. Even if it’s only for a visit.” Todd told Bill they would give Tim a ride home. He explained they wanted to get an early start in the morning so they were heading out for the day. Todd and Tim left the porch walking towards the gate. Bill and Pete followed along. Pete watched until they walked out of the gate. He headed for the side yard looking for a spot to relieve his full bladder. Bill walked to the side of the tiny house. He gazed at all the paint chips covering the ground adjacent to the foundation. His eyes moved upwards to inspect the bare siding. It looked like some of the siding had never been painted. The small spots of paint that were still adhered to the old wood siding, seemed almost nonexistent now. The dark grayish color of the neglected wood jumped out and made the house look like something ready for demolition. Bill reached his right hand out. He felt the roughness where all the scraping marks remained. He knew the house would never again look fresh like it had when he moved in, but he knew the new paint would cover those scars from sight. Pete was standing looking at Bill and sniffing some of the chips. Bill reached down to pet the dog and offered up a reassuring quote. “Well Pete my friend. This old place won’t look like this much longer. We’ll have a nice house soon boy, real soon. Are you about ready to head in Pete? I think I am. Let’s call it a day.”

On his way back to the door, Bill spotted the two empty coffee mugs sitting on his small table. He stopped to pick them up and continued inside of the house. It wasn’t that late, but for some reason Bill was tired. It could have been the nonstop reading he had done or maybe it was just his age catching up with him. Bill had decided he was ready for his trusty radio and his couch. Pete seemed to be in full agreement. He wasted little time hopping up next to the old man once he had reached the couch. The music seemed to be a part of the evening now for Pete too. It soon coaxed him into a gentle sleep while he waited for Bill to finish up his time listening to his songs.

Chapter 11

Donavon’s Message

S unday morning was simply beautiful. The sun rose over a huge dark bank of clouds to the east. The sky was a brilliant red just above the rolling landscape. It was warmer than usual. Although there was no foul weather in the forecast, it looked like the solid line of cloud cover would roll over Quincy and swallow it completely up. Bill had been up early. Pete had interrupted his sleep with some strange behavior and growling. He had stood up on the bed and looked at the window to the east as if someone or something had been in his yard. Bill, still half asleep, went to see what Pete might be barking and growling at. He could see nothing at all. The morning was as still as a valley hidden deep within some mountain range awaiting some outside intrusion of sounds to fill it up. Bill showered since he was already up. He decided to trim some more off of his white beard. He began hacking away at it with Pete sitting patiently by his side. He made several attempts to even it all up, but eventually started chopping away at it removing a good part of it down to within an inch and a half of his chin. It actually made him look several years younger. He stared at his reflection in the smudged mirror. He used his towel and rubbed it in a circle while he tried to clean it up. When he finished, Pete was ready for his morning outing. He let Bill understand there would be no further delays. Bill calmed him down enough to start his coffee first so it would be ready once Pete had gone for his morning jaunt. Opening the door onto the front porch, the old man stepped out into the early morning radiant sunshine. It was now knifing its way through the limbs and branches of the trees to the east. There was a small hint of a breeze that brought the smell of the bakery from several blocks away. It was the bread and whatever else they were cooking. Bill filled his lungs with the fragrance that was so pleasing. Pete stopped by the lower step. Barking loudly he seemed to be insisting that

Bill him on his travels to the side yard. Bill smiled and began heading down to see what he could want. “Oh my God. What’s gotten into you this morning ole boy? Now you tell me why I have to go with you just so you can pee? I think you’re perfectly capable of doing your business all by yourself.” Pete continued to insist. He moved step by step turning back frequently to make sure the old man was still behind him. Once he was sure Bill was close, he headed towards the back area of the fence. He never stopped to pee on anything. Once he had arrived at the bushes he stuck his head into them and began barking and backing away. He went ahead once more sticking his nose back into them. He turned to Bill to let him know it was really important that he check this out. The old man worked his way over to the bushes obliging the dog. He leaned down to see what the heck Pete was raising so much cane about. He crept right up to the bushes sliding his hands in between the growth. Bill parted it to get a better look inside. When he did something moved inside of them. Then like lightening, a frightened animal jumped straight up nearly landing right on Bill. It startled the old man scaring him completely out of his wits. It was a full grown wild rabbit. There was now no doubt in Bill’s mind that the rabbit was no happier to see him than he was to see it. The old man rocked back in fright and tried to remain upright to no avail. He tripped going backwards and went down. The rabbit’s legs were already at full speed, even though it hadn’t touched the ground yet. Pete was going bonkers barking at it. This scared the poor rabbit even more. Bill continued backwards towards his landing. He thrust his hands out to catch himself as his reflexes took over. When he went down the rabbit darted over his chest with Pete hot on its trail. Now Pete’s growls and barks had changed to mournful whines and yips. He hit a new speed Bill had never witnessed before. Around the front side of the house Pete and the scared rabbit went. Bill was trying to get his heart back down his throat with a big swallow. He attempted to get his legs underneath him. He reached back to push himself up when he felt something slippery and wet under his right hand. He hesitated to inspect the cause. Pete and the rabbit were now entering their second lap around the yard. The rabbit was now in hyper overdrive with Pete closing in. Nearly losing his footing, Pete tried to take the same path around the back of the house. This only caused him to lose some advantage. His rear leg slid out on him taking him down. He didn’t appear to care. Pete righted himself, dug in and kept going.

By this time Bill was turning his hand over to see what this slimy deposit was covering his palm and fingers. It became quickly evident with a single glance. He had landed right on one of Pete’s land mines. His hand was now totally decorated with the entire deposit of fresh doggy dung. “Damn it. If this isn’t real nice to wake up to first thing in the morning.” The old man slid his hand across the grass attempting to remove the majority of the smelly excrement. Pete and the rabbit were now making one more trip past him. Bill simply watched the show. The rabbit now held a commanding lead on the three legged dog. He was bound and determined to make his escape good, regardless of what Pete thought. Back up on his feet the old man watched as the rabbit headed from the side yard to the front gate. There was only a slim chance he could make it through the narrow opening between the end board of the gate and the beginning of the fence. Apparently the rabbit was about to find out if he could. He was growing weary of the pursuit. He rammed his body full speed at the narrow crack. He stopped suddenly as his head banged into the wood on both sides. Undaunted he kept wiggling his way through it while Pete closed the gap within seconds. Pete was nearly close enough to take a big bite out of the rabbits butt when it exploded through the opening. He left Pete behind to his entrapment. He headed across the street in a blur and disappeared between two houses. Pete was whining and smelling every inch of the fence and gate to see if anything remained. Bill reached the gate and tried to calm Pete down. The determined dog continued to go from side to side, barking and whining with his tail stuck straight up in the air. The old man finally caught his attention by clapping his clean hand against the fence. This finally called him off of his endeavor. Pete seemed to dispute any such assurance from Bill that the rabbit was now gone and most likely wouldn’t be back. Bill studied his soiled hand. He decided he would need to go in and wash up before getting any of his coffee. Pete was reluctant to follow him in. He knew in his dog logic that the rabbit might just come back. He was not about to allow that to happen without him being there. Bill finally gave up and headed in while Pete stood guard at the front of the house. He would be ready for any further assaults on his domain by this unwanted vagrant. Bill came out in a few minutes with his pot in his hand and a cup to hold the fresh brewed liquid. He sat down at his table and filled his mug. The first taste was heaven to him. The strong aroma danced around the table on some gentle

whiffs of air moving across the porch. Bill had completely forgotten about his paper. It was still lying next to the sidewalk, only inches from Pete. His attention was still focused on the possibility of that rabbit returning. Bill picked it up and returned to his chair without Pete even noticing. This was a first. Bill was about thru his first cup of coffee when the pickup containing Todd and Gene returned. They were dressed in blue jeans and tee shirts for the warm day. Bill noticed them both moving ever so slowly. Unknown to Bill, they had been out most of the night. Pete was quick to greet them with a series of barks and some hand licking when they made their way into the yard. Bill could see they were moving like their feet were made of lead. “What’s up with you two? You guys look like you’ve already worked 8 hours someplace else.” Gene was stretching and yawning. He carried his pail with the tools like it was a ball and chain. Todd hardly looked up at the old man ignoring his comment. “Good morning Bill. We had a cook out last night at one of our buddies. Somehow it got late real quick for some reason. I guess we just had a few too many beers. We’ll be OK once we get going.” Bill was about to get up and get two more cups so he could offer them some of his fresh coffee. Both men anticipating his intentions broke their silence. “No coffee for me this morning Bill. I’ve got to let my stomach settle down from last night. I appreciate it if you were going to offer some, but no thanks, really.” “How about you Gene? would you like a cup? It’s fresh and I just brought it out so it’s nice and hot.” Gene shook his head mumbling no. The two walked on around to the side of the house. Pete was following them so he could see what was going on. His nose was trained on both of them. He must have thought they were about to do something that would have to have his assistance for it to succeed. Bill sat back down in his rocker. Casually reading his paper, he turned the pages one by one. He was intent on taking in all the news of the prior day. The national news never really meant too much to him. His world was set apart from so much of it that it didn’t matter to Bill. Wars in foreign countries and unrest in some

third world government didn’t interest him. Weather predictions and local news were his main focus, although he couldn’t do anything about either one. Once in a while there would be some baseball article about his Cardinals that caught his eye. He never listened to any of their games, but enjoyed reading about how they were doing. Having his paper delivered so he could keep up locally was his one staple. That alone made him feel like a real person. It was a small luxury, but he never rested until it was read cover to cover. Pete came prancing around to the lower step of the porch. He acted like he couldn’t make up his mind whether or not to come up with the old man or stay on the sidewalk. He looked up at Bill and then raised his nose in the air, sniffing for signs of Gene and Todd. He had to make sure that they were still located where he had left them. After some decision making, that only a dog would understand, he headed up the steps and walked over to Bill. He placed his chin on the old man’s knee and stared up at him. Bill sat his paper down. He poured another cup of coffee and took a long drink. He reached down to pet Pete on the head and tell him what a good dog he was. Pete seemed to understand each word. His eyes hung on Bill’s words. He began to fuss a bit and raised his front paw up to Bill’s hand. Locking onto it with his toe nails, he pulled at it making it impossible for Bill to resume his activities. He was informing Bill of something he had apparently overlooked. The old man was puzzled trying to figure out what he wanted. Finally he got up and reentered the house with Pete leading the way. “I’ll bet you want a treat, don’t you ole boy? Let’s go get one so you will settle down and let me finish my paper.” Bill entered the kitchen and reached into the bag of large dog bones he called cookies. Pete was barking and wiggling his entire body trying to tell Bill to hurry up. Bill grabbed one of the 4 inch long brown treats and handed it down to Pete. He gently took it leaving the majority of it hanging directly out of the center of his mouth. He turned to head outside again. Having returned to the porch Pete made several trips around in a circle trying to find that perfect spot to plop down on to enjoy his treat. After numerous trips he found it and dropped down. He placed the treat between his front paws to hold it secure. Ignoring Bill for the moment, he turned his head and took a small bite off the end and began chewing it. He chomped on the small pieces he bit off while the slobber formed around his lips and dripped onto his front legs and the porch.

He was truly in doggy heaven. The pieces falling out of his mouth continued to drop all over the place. Once he had finished the large pieces he proceeded to lick up all the tiny ones from the porch and his front legs. He cleaned every scrap of it up and washed his legs and paws. When he completed that they were soaking wet. He held his position and scanned the neighborhood to make sure everything still met with his approval. His customary burp followed the downing of the cookie causing his lips to protrude out to the side. Bill paused just long enough to peek around his paper so he could comment on his rude manners. After about an hour the old man nodded off. The sound of a truck door slamming woke him. Pete had been snoozing, but was now up on his feet barking at someone in the street. It was Officer Donavon heading their way. He lacked his normal wide smile. His pace was slow. He stood for a few seconds at the gate, hesitating to move inside. When he did open it to enter the yard, his head was still down. The old man was concerned by his apparent lack of a joyful look. Donavon raised his head once on the way up the porch. Pete charged out to greet him. After some hesitation he reached down to pet Pete. He spoke to him in a soft and gentle way. “Well good morning old friend. You look happy today. It’s really good to see you Pete.” Bill was focused on Donavon’s lack of his charismatic attitude. He was about to pick up his coffee when Donavon looked up. Bill knew something was seriously wrong. Donavon briefly stared into Bill’s eyes. He had such a sad look on his face. “I uh, have some bad news Bill. You might want to sit down. My wife and I were having breakfast when we heard the scanner go off for an ambulance. I didn’t realize what place it was at first, until they gave the address once the ambulance got there. It turned out to be Tim’s house. I guess I just thought you should know Bill. Tim’s dad had a stroke this morning. He’s not very good.” The old man dropped his cup down onto the table spilling the coffee and startling Pete, who dashed from under it to avoid the dripping liquid. It was running across the porch in a stream. “Oh my God Donavon. Are you sure it was Tim’s dad?”

“Yeah Bill, it was him. I drove by the hospital to make sure. Hell, he’s so young you would never expect something like that to happen at his age. He’s only 41 years old. I guess he just dropped over this morning at the breakfast table while they were all eating.” “Oh my, that poor boy. That will just devastate Tim. I don’t know his dad all that well, but that family has been so nice to me since I met them. They have helped me with so many things. I just don’t know what to say Donavon.” “Bill. I guess that there is nothing either one of us can say right now. I heard at the hospital he wasn’t in very good shape when they brought him in. Betty and Tim are there now. Until I can find out more, that’s about all I can tell you. I knew you’d want to know so I came by as quick as I could.” Donavon sat down on the brick wall ledge of the porch next to Bills chair. They chatted about nothing in particular. They were just ing the time. Bill was talking, but his mind was on Tim and Betty and how devastated they must be right now. Finally he couldn’t take it any longer. “Do you think you could drive me to the hospital, so I could see Tim and Betty? I wouldn’t ask Donavan, but I think I really should go and at least see them.” “I was kind of thinking that way on my trip over here Bill. I figured you’d want to go if you could. I’d be more than happy to take you over there. Maybe I can be of some help too. Why don’t you get ready and I’ll wait here.” Bill left the porch and headed around the house with Pete by his side. He reached the rear of the house where Gene and Todd were busy working on the scraping. They were getting ready to tackle the door frame glass. Bill interrupted them long enough to tell them what had happened. He politely asked if they would mind watching Pete for him while he was gone. They were very gracious and told him not to worry. Gene assured him Pete would be fine with them. They promised Bill they would not leave until he returned from the hospital. The old man thanked them and headed back to Donavon. Donavon parked the truck in the front lot of the hospital. Bill seemed reluctant to get out. He hesitated and stalled for time, trying to composed himself. Donavon could see the old man wasn’t used to taking the part he was about to play. He knew Bill would need some help with all of this. Bill reluctantly pushed himself out of the truck. With each step he slowed his pace heading towards the door.

His feet felt like they were encased in concrete. He wanted to go there for Betty and Tim, but this wasn’t the kind of thing he had prepared himself to do. His life of being alone had left him with few emotions for what others had going on. It was going to be very hard on him. Bill wished it didn’t have to be the way it was. Donavon inquired at the desk where Tom would be located. He was told he had been itted to ICU, but no one except the immediate family would be allowed to visit. Donavon knew where to go to locate the waiting room. He decided they could at least get word to Betty and let her know they were there. Bill stepped into the elevator and began to shake all over. Donavon could see he was visibly upset. “Kind of hard, isn’t it Bill? I mean, coming to these places for the reasons we have to do it. It never seems to make any sense when it’s because of something like this. I guess we’ll have to pull it together and stay strong for them right now. Are you going to be OK?” The old man tried to swallow. Nothing happened. The lump in his throat canceled any probability of that happening. He felt a little puddle form under his tongue. Bill knew it meant he was about to get sick, if he didn’t snap out of it. His eyes reddened. “I haven’t been to a hospital since my accident at work. That was nearly 40 years ago. I laid in one of these places for months trying to get straightened out. I endured some pretty rough times. Each time I think about it, my heart begins to pound. I get very angry thinking about the outcome that waited for me afterwards. I’m sorry Donavon. I just don’t like these places. I guess I never will.” The elevator bell quit dinging when they reached the floor where the ICU was located. The doors slowly opened. The smell of the medicine and anesthetic remnants flowed inside of the elevator. It was the smell everyone knows if they had ever been to a hospital. It hit Bill like a brick wall. His stomach churned and knotted up, filling him with sour memories. He forced himself into the hallway. The sign pointed left for the waiting room. They headed for their destination. The waiting room was deserted except for one old lady sitting quietly by herself. She was reading a thick paperback book. It was sitting propped up against her

purse. She was very elderly. Her snow white hair looked like it had just been styled. Her blue print dress was adorned with a huge broach on the left side. She had a fine selection of costume jewelry about her fingers and wrists. Her glasses were round and the frames were tiny gold wire construction. Her face was heavily powered and made up. She took a mere second to look up at the two men. She returned to her book and said nothing. The waiting room was bland. It seemed harshly cold with its sandy colored wall paper and dark brown and beige carpet. The chairs were all wooden. They looked terribly uncomfortable with their skimpy cushioned backs and seats. They were lined up, touching armrest to armrest in three rows. Bill headed for the side away from the old woman. He took the first seat on the end. Donavon looked around checking for any of the staff. He pointed towards the nurse’s station and headed down the hall. Bill sat staring blankly into the dead space in front of him. The room was deadly silent. The only thing that jumped out was a small flat screen TV that hung on the front wall. It was tuned into some weather channel. There was no sound. Bill felt the room closing in on him. He began to sweat and his muscles tensed up. Donavon had been gone about 5 minutes when Bill heard footsteps coming down the hall. One set was quick. The other set was heavy. Bill looked towards the hallway past the wall. He saw Tim running towards him. When he approached, the old man could tell the boy had been crying for some time. His eyes were bloodshot and swollen. He arrived at Bill’s chair and began to cry again. He dove into the seat next to the old man. He reached over to grab Bill’s arm, burying his head into Bill’s side. The boy sat crying openly. His entire body shook with each mournful outbreak of renewed crying. Bill raised his arm up and placed it around the boy. Tears filled his eyes too. He didn’t want to cry because he knew it would upset Tim even more. At that moment, Bill couldn’t help himself. Donavon came into sight next. Betty followed a few steps behind. She was wiping her eyes, trying to compose herself. Donavon stopped and swept his arm out, indicating to Betty to take a seat also. She folded up going into her chair next to the old man. She grabbed his old wrinkled hand with hers and squeezed it. Betty looked down at her son, sobbing uncontrollably on Bill’s side. Bill was speechless. “Thank you for coming Bill. I can’t tell you how much this means for us to see

you here. We haven’t had a very good day Bill. Tom had a stroke this morning.” Her tears flowed, streaming down both cheeks. They trickled down onto her chin. She tried to wipe them off with a badly soaked handkerchief she had been using all morning. Bill reached out for her hand gently squeezing it. Donavon pulled one of the chairs out of the center row. He placed it next to Bill’s. Donavon pulled out a fresh hankie from his rear pocket. He handed it to Betty. Her lower lip curved down, rendering her unable to speak. She accepted it from Donavon and clutched it tightly in her hand. Donavon had been the source of strength in too many accidents and tragedies during his career. He couldn’t let this go on much longer. He knew, any conversation would help everyone involved. He wasn’t going to allow the sadness to continue without some sort of intervention. “Betty, we know Tom had a stroke. Is there any word from the Doctors about what his condition is? Have they got him stabilized yet?” Betty forced her tears back, welcoming any change from the silence around her. She straightened up in her chair. She wiped away some of the tears. “Well actually, we don’t know a whole lot right now. They did come out and tell us that he was stable and the stroke was not as bad as it could have been. I mean, they don’t think he is going to be paralyzed right now. He can’t talk to us, so I just don’t know. I think he knew me when I went in to see him. At least I think he knew who I was. Oh God, I don’t know anything for sure.” Her tears began to flow again. Donavon looked at his watch to see what time it was, but only out of nervousness. “Bill. Why don’t you take Tim down to the cafeteria and see what they have to drink? I could sure use something cold right now. I’m sure Tim is probably thirsty too. I’ve got some ones here you can use for the machines.” The old man stood up. Tim was still clinging to his side. Bill reached out for the dollar bills. He asked Donavon what he would like. “Let me see Bill. How about a coke or something like that? As long as it’s cold, I

really don’t care. I’ll stay up here with Betty while you and Tim go down.” Tim hung onto Bill’s arm. They headed down the hallway. Bill wasn’t sure where the cafeteria room was, but he could ask once they had left the area. The two walked slowly down the hall way. Tim tried to stop crying long enough to speak. “I’m sorry I’m crying so much Bill. I don’t want to act like a baby, but I’m really worried about my daddy. Mom says not to worry and let her and the Doctors worry about him. I’m trying real hard Bill. I don’t understand what happened to him. We were just having breakfast and he fell out of his chair. I couldn’t wake him up. I tried real hard too Bill. It was like he fell asleep or something.” The old man felt the boy tremble against him. He wanted to console him. He drew in a deep breath and composed his thoughts. “I don’t know what’s happening for sure Tim, but I’m positive the Doctors are doing everything they can to help him. The most important thing right now is for you to be strong for your mom, until your dad gets better. She really needs your help. Can you do that for me?” The boy tried to inhale some air into his lungs. It was a jerky kind of breath that one displays when they were trying to keep from crying. Tim looked up to the old man for any kind of strength he could siphon from his words. “Why would this happen to dad Bill? I just don’t understand.” The old man continued to lead the young boy down the hallway to the elevator. Bill pushed the down button on the wall. The lights flashed above the doors as each floor was ed by on the way up to them. When the door opened, there was a doctor standing inside. Tim and Bill entered it and moved to the side. The doctor could see the boy’s frightened look. Bill spoke softly. “Could you tell me where the cafeteria is Doctor?” The doctor punched the basement floor button. He instructed them to get off when they arrived there and follow the sign. Bill thanked him. The doors closed against each other. They rode the rest of the way in silence. When the doors opened in the basement, Bill led the boy out. They walked

together to the cafeteria. Tim began to look around. There were several machines with sodas and sandwiches displayed through the glass. They headed for them. Bill took the dollar bills that Donavon had given him and began sliding them into the machines slot. Tim waited for Bill’s approval and punched the button for a Pepsi. It dropped down behind the Plexiglas shield. Bill pointed to the nearest table and asked Tim to take a seat. The old man selected a soda for Donavon and one more for Betty. He moved to the coffee machine for himself. He punched in the number for a black coffee that was labeled strong. He carried them to the table where Tim was already sipping on his drink. Bill sat down next to him and rested his shaky hand on the boy’s shoulder. “You know Tim. Sometimes we don’t have any answers for the tough questions that confront us. I can when I got hurt at work years ago. I couldn’t find one single answer for why it happened. Sometimes things just happen and that’s life. I know you don’t want your dad to be sick. It really hurts you doesn’t it?” “Yeah Bill, cause I love him so much. Dad is never sick. Dad and mom always take care of me when I get sick. They don’t ever ask me to take care of them. Did I do something wrong Bill to make my dad sick?” The tears welled up in the young boy’s eyes. Bill leaned over and hugged him tightly. “No Tim, you didn’t do anything wrong. This doesn’t have anything to do with someone doing something wrong. Your dad got sick and that’s all there is to it. It’s kind of like when Pete got hit by that car. It wasn’t really anyone’s fault that it happened. It just did and we have to live with it. Sometimes life throws us a bad deal. That’s when we have to pray for everything to get better.” The boy seemed better after the old man’s talk. He sipped his pop and his face regained some color. Bill felt like he had muffed the conversation, due to the fact he didn’t have any kids of his own. He had never been forced to explain anything like this. He knew that whatever he said would have to do for the time being. Several minutes ed. Bill and Tim sat in total silence. Bill kept touching the boy’s back and rubbing it, to reassure him he wasn’t alone in this ordeal. Bill told Tim they needed to go back to check on his mom. Tim got up out of his

chair slowly. He began walking towards the elevator. Wanting Bill by his side, he stopped to wait for the old man to catch up. Bill was still trying to drink some of his coffee. It tasted like dark colored water to him. He simply couldn’t take any more of it. He made a face while he took one last sip. Bill dumped the remainder of it into the trash can. Tim reached up for the old man’s hand and together they headed back. The picture of the old man walking with this young boy made a grim display. They both suppressed a horrible feeling of helplessness. Bill’s steps were short and Tim’s were uneasy. Together they worked their way up the hall. The ride on the elevator seemed like it took forever. Bill kept squeezing the boy’s hand for reassurance. Finally they reached the correct floor and stepped off. When they got to the waiting room, Donavon was sitting by himself. This seemed to upset Tim. Donavon saw this and tried to produce a weak smile. “Tim. Your mom went back in to see your dad. She said to tell you she would be right back. Why don’t you have a seat here by me until she comes back out? I’m sure she won’t be too long Tim.” Tim was visibly concerned when he took the seat next to Officer Donavon. His long gazes down the hall way revealed his need for his mother’s return. Bill handed Donavan the soda he brought back. Bill walked to the window at the end of the hall to kill some time. He looked across the town, but never noticed anything that was there. He needed to clear his mind up a bit and regain his composure. Once he had checked out the view, he turned and began pacing back and forth. Tim was staring at the floor with a blank look on his face. The minutes seemed like hours to all three of them. Bill had been so tense his back began to knot up. He strained to twist and move into any position that might help reduce the pain. Nothing did that for him. He resolved himself to putting up with it for the time being. About 20 minutes had gone by before Betty appeared in the hallway heading in their direction. She seemed to be a shade better than before. She walked to the chair by Tim and took her seat. Tim’s eyes were glued on her. “Tim. Your father is still unable to talk, but he was awake and he squeezed my hand while I was in there. I couldn’t stay very long. The doctors talked to me afterwards in their office. They said he is doing better, but he will have to stay

here for some time. They said they think he will be OK in time. It will simply take him a while to get back on his feet. They are running more tests now to see how bad it is. They said the next 24 hours are the most critical for him right now.” Tim looked at his mom. He lunged over to her breast and hugged her with both arms. The tears began to flow down her cheeks as she cradled her young son. She gently rocked him back and forth. Bill watched with reddened eyes. He felt utterly helpless. All he wanted to do is take some of their pain away. He knew that was impossible. He clenched his fists, closed his eyes and shook his head. Little was spoken by anyone over the next couple of hours. Tim had finally caved in from exhaustion and was sleeping, still cradled by his mom. Betty never stopped rocking him the entire time. Donavon and the old man knew it was a mother’s way of reacting. She needed to cling to her only other source of love for the moment. Her eyes never wavered from staring at the wall ahead of her. She was far away in another world. She began to close her eyes now and then, exhausted herself. Most likely she would have fallen asleep if the nurse hadn’t come back to get her. “Mrs. Morrison. Would you and your son like to come with me? The doctor’s would like to give you an update.” Betty shook Tim gently. He seemed confused as to where he was at. He got up rubbing his eyes. Betty led him away without speaking a word. Donavon looked at Bill and then back to the hallway to watch Betty and Tim disappear into the doctor’s lounge. The door closed slowly behind them. Bill arched his back. The pain was severe from sitting in those hard chairs. He reached around to rub the lower portion of it while he continued to twist and squirm in the chair. “Is your back acting up Bill? I’m not surprised. Mine is getting pretty stiff from these damn chairs too. They sure don’t make them very comfortable do they?” Bill shook his head and continued to try to loosen up the stiffness. The clock on the wall ticked away. The sound of it grew louder as a reminder of how long seconds could take to . Both men waited without any sign of Betty and Tim’s return.

Thirty minutes later they heard the door open up. Both men looked up to see Betty and Tim coming back. Betty was holding onto Tim’s hand tightly as they came down the hall. When they reached the two men, Betty gave out a big sigh. She began to fill them in. “Well, the doctor’s seem to think he will recover, but it’s going to take some time. The stroke wasn’t considered massive, however it did cause him to lose his speech and most of the feeling on his left side. They said he will be in the hospital for some time. They are still worried about the swelling in his brain. He will have to go to a nursing home later, until he fully recovers. I don’t know how long that will take, but at least he’s going to make it.” Donavon folded his hands across his lap. He gave Betty an understanding smile. “That’s great news Betty. At least the doctor’s say it is promising. It could have been much more serious. Just to know they are encouraged about his recovery means a great deal. If there is anything I can do for you folks, please don’t hesitate to let me know.” He handed Betty one of his police cards and squeezed her hand as he placed it in there. Bill was moving around trying to regain his feet. His legs were almost asleep now. He leaned on the arm rest to help hold his weight up. “Betty. If it would help, I can watch Tim anytime. If you need to run errands or do something while Tom is recovering. I mean, if you need to get stuff done here or when he goes to the nursing home. I would be happy to keep Tim with me. I would enjoy having him around and Old Pete would sure be happy to have someone besides me to play with.” Betty’s face indicated she was about to cry. Not from sadness, but from the gestures of kindness from these two men. She reached out to shake Donavon’s hand. When she reached out for Bill’s, she pulled him close and placed her cheek against his. It just about melted the old man. “Thank you Bill for being such a good friend. I will be sure to let you know if I need you to watch Tim. I promise I’ll ask you if I need you to.” Bill pulled back from Betty. The feeling he was having inside was something new to him. He felt he was really needed for once. It erupted into a special tingling he felt all over. No one had ever told him they needed him, for any

reason. Now this family, who had gone out of their way to help him, needed his help. Bill was ready to do whatever was requested of him. Betty turned to Tim. She knew it was time to get away for a break for all of this. “Tim. We should go somewhere and get a bite to eat. We have to wait a couple of hours before we can go back in and see your dad. He needs to rest right now. Sitting around here is beginning to wear on my nerves. What would you like to eat son?” Tim seemed torn that they were about to leave. Donavon and the old man knew they could both use some air and a change of atmosphere. Tim looked up at the old man. “Can I come visit you whenever I want Bill? I’d like to see Pete and you both.” The old man nodded. He drew from his last once of strength producing a smile for the boy. “You sure can Tim. Old Pete would be happy to see you anytime you want to come over. He really loves you a lot you know. We will look forward to having you come by anytime you want to.” The four walked slowly towards the elevator. Donavon pushed the down button. When the doors rolled back and disappeared into the walls, they all stepped in. The ride down was silent. Betty walked off first leading Tim away from the opening. Donavon and the old man followed. They said their goodbyes for the day. Donavon and Bill headed back for his truck. Inside the cab, Bill arched his neck and inhaled a giant breath and blew it out. He lowered the enger window and gazed across the parking lot in deep thought. When they pulled out onto the street, Donavon began to speak. “Sure does make you wonder why such things happen to a young person. Betty’s going to have her hands full for quite a while. I sure wish there was something more we could do for them.” Bill looked at him and nodded. “I see something like this happen and I have to ask myself, how someone so young can have all these problems? Yet here I am, still healthy. I could see if it

happened to someone like me at my age, but I sure don’t understand why it had to happen to a family that young.” The two men made their small talk the rest of the way back to Bill’s place. When they arrived, Pete made a bee line for the gate as soon as he knew Bill was home. They opened the gate and Pete met the old man with his wagging tail and his usual licking of his hand. Bill was walking up towards the steps when Gene and Todd appeared from the east side of the house. Bill didn’t care to look at what work had been accomplished while he and Donavon had been gone. Donavon began to fill them in on the rest of the details of why they had been absent so long. Bill stood looking around the neighborhood, trying to get his mind off of the Morrison’s dilemma. Todd reached over to place his hand on the old man’s shoulder. “Bill. Gene and I are real sorry to hear about your little friend’s dad. If there is anything we can do to help out, we’ll be glad to do it. We’ll have ole Donavon here keep us posted. If you need us, just tell him what it is you want and we’ll get it done for you. I think you’ll be happy with the house and the way it’s coming along. We should have it all scraped and ready to paint within a couple of days for you. We’re both working third shift these next few weeks so we’ll be back in the morning to get after it again.” The old man smiled and thanked them. Donavon was kneeling down playing with Pete’s ears. Pete was so tickled to see everyone at one time. He figured they were there for his pleasure. He couldn’t have known how upset Bill really was. Somehow, he would be the friend the old man needed for the future ahead. The men said good bye and Bill took Pete and headed in, without so much as a glance at the work that had been done to the house.

Chapter 12

Tough Times Weigh Heavy

I t was the third morning since Tim’s dad had fallen ill with his stroke. Bill had refrained from going to the post office with Pete, thinking he would be called upon to watch Tim. He certainly didn’t want to let Betty down if she needed him. Pete knew something had been up. The old man spent little time playing with him in the yard. Gene and Todd had finished the scraping, but the previous day a steady spring shower had blown in and stalled over the town. That meant no painting could be done. Bill had inspected all the work and was pleased with it. He chatted briefly with the two men who would finish the rehab of his tiny little home. They knew that the old man was sad and felt helpless to do anything constructive for the family. Bill sat in his rocker on the porch with Pete lying up against his feet. He watched and listened to the gentle rain drops from a second storm now plaguing the area. Rain drops falling from the roof of the front porch landed on the steps. They would dance upward and outward as they splashed against the old wood. The rhythm of the sounds they made varied depending on the size of the droplets. Some were so light they were nearly undetectable, while others made a pronounced thump on their arrival. Pete would look up occasionally and twist his head, thinking something or someone was coming. When no one showed, he’d lower his head back onto the deck of the porch and close his eyes again. Bill was about to get himself all worked up again. He had done it each day from not knowing what was going on with the Morrison family. He had finished his third cup of coffee and needed to go inside to the bathroom. Pete had decided to watch the rain, rather than follow him in. He was getting used to the old man’s frequent trips inside for a couple of minutes at a time. Bill was about to flush the stool when he heard a faint bark from Pete. He jiggled the handle of the old stool. It often hesitated to flush due to the linkage being out

of adjustment. He headed back out to find Donavon standing on the porch in his uniform. He was petting Pete while they greeted each other. “Hello Donavon, how are you doing today?” “Hi Bill. I just thought I would stop by and give you an update on Tim’s dad. I stopped up to the hospital this morning to check on him. They have moved him out of ICU and into a private room. The nurse was with him when I went in. They had him sitting up on the side of the bed this morning. I introduced myself to him and told him I was a friend of yours. He tried to speak, but I really couldn’t understand him. But, he is up so they must think he’s getting better. Betty wasn’t there at the time. The nurse told me she had been there nearly every hour of every day since his stroke. I asked about Tim also. She told me Betty’s sister was here from Ohio. She is helping take care of Tim while Betty is tied up. I guess she has been watching him, trying to keep him occupied.” “Well that’s good that she has some family who can help out with all of that. I thought I might see her or Tim before now, but they must have too much going on right now.” Donavon could see right through this old man’s sadness. He wanted to assure him it was all going as good as it could be. “Look Bill. I know what that boy means to you and the family as a whole, but you need to give Betty a chance for now. I’m sure Tim will be by to visit with you and Pete. He’s only a boy and this must be real hard on him with all that’s happened. Do you want me to stop by there and give them any messages or anything?” The old man lowered himself back into his chair. He poured the last cup of hot coffee into his mug. He stroked his white beard and then raked his fingers through his thinning hair. “No. I guess there isn’t anything I could say right now that would make much of any difference. I just feel so bad right now, I let it get to me. I’m sorry if I’m acting a bit like an old worry wart.” Donavon smiled at the old man and assured him that his concern was a normal feeling. He also felt some remorse concerning the dad’s condition. It didn’t seem to do much for Bill, but it was all that Donavon could do at the time. He bid the

old man and Pete goodbye and returned to his squad car. Bill decided to take Pete and head to the post office to get his mail. He knew it was piling up in the box. He snapped the leash onto Pete’s collar and they headed out. During their walk along the street Pete was doing his usual sniffing of everything along the way. Bill was lost in a daydream about what if and how he wished things could be good for Tim’s family again. He reached the post office and retrieved his mail. It was quite a hand full. Pete seemed to be determined that he would carry it home. The old man caved in and handed it to the impatient dog. Pete took it between his teeth. They crossed the street and stepped up on the sidewalk to head home. There was one squirrel out and about digging in the grass for something. Pete spotted it on the way home. He couldn’t resist announcing his presence with a muffled bark. He strained at his leash to go after it. Bill tugged away against his pressure. Pete was whining and figured he had to go after it. Bill tried to calm him, but it was of no use. Pete began growling and his slobber ran down onto the letters and ments. His barking was still muffled while he continued to cry out an alarm for his release. “Now just knock it off old boy. You are not going after that squirrel. You stay here beside me and hang onto my mail, if you don’t mind.” Pete turned to look at the old man. He begged for one second of freedom to pursue his prey in vain. Taking the warning, the squirrel scurried up a tree next to the side walk. It took a perch on the lowest limb, its tail twitching rapidly. He began chattering at Pete to tease him. Pete continued to watch him while they proceeded on down the street towards home. Inside the yard Bill relieved Pete of his somewhat soggy burden. He opened the front door to carry his mail in. He laid the wet assortment of bills and junk mail on the table in the kitchen and sorted the piles. His light and water bills were the first to be removed. His bank statement followed next. Bill fingered through the rest of the pile, finding nothing of importance. He picked the junk mail up and tossed it into the trash can. He was about to get his check book out when he heard a banging against the side of the house. Pete erupted into a doggy fit. He barked loudly wagging his tail to let Bill know he was now on the job. Bill told him it was fine and they both headed for the door. Going out onto the porch, Bill saw Todd’s pickup sitting in front of the house. Pete had disappeared around the

corner of the house to catch the intruder. Todd was climbing up a ladder. Bill did not see Gene anywhere. He scanned the area looking for him. He approached the ladder to greet Todd. “Good morning Todd. You alone today?” Todd turned and spoke to Pete and Bill. “Hi there Pete my boy. I heard you coming all the way from the porch. Yeah Bill. Gene had some honey do’s this morning. He should be here around noon, if he gets them all finished. I figured since it was so nice today I would get started on this side.” Bill offered him another chance at some of his coffee. Todd politely declined not wanting to endure the over powering brew Bill was offering. “No I’m fine Bill. I just wanted to get to work on this. I’m sure you’re anxious to see it done. We’ve already lost a few days because of that rain. If I need anything I’ll be sure to give you a holler.” Pete seemed content to sit and watch Todd while he pried the lid off of the paint can and began spreading the new white primer paint over the badly faded and scared surface. Bill tried to call him off to go back inside twice. Pete ignored the invitation. He was folding his legs up to take a ring side seat to watch Todd work. Bill went back into the house to finish up his mail. A few minutes later the old man heard the whining and scratching at the front door. Pete had decided that without Bill, he wasn’t ready to be outside by himself. Bill got up and went to the door to let the dog in. Pete barked once lifting his front feet off the floor. He walked by Bill after chewing him out. Making it to the kitchen, Pete stood at his water bowl panting. Bill noticed him and looked down to see the bowl was nearly empty. He had forgotten to fill it from the night before. Bill took it to the sink to fill it. When he sat it down Pete buried his nose in it. He lapped up the cool fresh water splattering it all over the floor in the process. Bill had no more than sat back down when Pete’s attention went from his bowl to the fridge. He was pointing at the door when Bill turned around the second time. He placed his pen down on his checkbook knowing Pete wouldn’t let it go. “Now what do you want old boy? Are you hungry this morning? You have food

in your bowl if you are.” Pete pointed his nose back to the door. He started raising more cane. Growing weary of all this fuss, Bill opened the door. Pete got closer and stuck his nose inside. “Now what is it you want boy?” The old man fumbled through the selection of pleasures Pete might be begging for. He called off each item one by one. “Do you want some lunch meat? Well that’s for me. What about some of this left over chicken?” Bill continued to work though the list until he grabbed the carton of eggs. When he removed them from the shelf, Pete lit up with excitement. He began barking rapidly and jumping up and down. “Is this what you want, eggs?” The dog had been giving him so much grief the old man knew what he was up to. Pete knew every item by name and wasn’t going to settle for anything less than what he wanted. Bill removed the carton and walked to the stove. He sat the eggs down on the tiny counter next to it. Pete watched as the old man carefully broke two of the dark brown eggs into a bowl. He poured a touch of milk into them and blended them together. He took his smallest skillet from the shelf and sat it on the burner. Dropping a small pat of butter into it, he turned the burner on. He continued whipping the eggs together with a fork while Pete sat watching each move the old man made. When Bill poured them into the skillet he allowed them to begin cooking before he tossed them about with the fork. When they were finished, he turned the burner off and poured them into Pete’s bowl. He walked to the small window over the sink and pushed it open a few inches. He placed the bowl on the sill allowing the fresh air to rush over it cooling the contents off. He returned to the table to work on paying his bills. Pete sat below the window looking at the old man first and then at the window. His nose was as high up as he could push it. Smelling the aroma of the freshly scrambled eggs kept his attention. He was waiting for them to be served up.

“Now you wait a little bit Pete. Those are going to have to cool off before you can have them. You’ll burn your mouth if I give them to you now.” The conversation between them would have led some to believe they could understand every sound the other made. Bill was talking to this dog like he were a child. Pete was twisting his head around giving every indication that he fully understood. It was comical, but scary. Once the eggs had given up all the steam rising from them, Bill walked to the window. He stuck his finger into them checking for any sign of hot spots. When he was sure they were cool, he carried the bowl laden with the billowy yellow pieces to Pete’s eating area. He placed them on the floor. Pete approached them with caution. Pete was worried they might be too hot. Bill assured him that they were fine and Pete dug in. He gobbled the eggs down bite by bite, only stopping to allow a few swallows. Bill was finishing up the last check for his bills when he felt Pete’s lower jaw come to rest on his thigh. He peered down to discover some small remnants of the eggs on each side of Pete’s mouth, stuck in his whiskers. He reached for his hankie to wipe the dog’s mouth. Pete stretched his head up as a loud burp erupted from his lips. The old man laughed while he wiped the dog’s mouth off and replaced his hankie in his pocket. “I guess that means you’re finished, right?” I swear you are a piglet old boy.” Bill was satisfied he could now get some peace and quiet. He headed for the living room and removed his book from the desk. It was such a lovely day. Bill decided it was too nice to remain inside. He headed outside to sit on the porch. He opened the book revealing his page marker. He removed it from the book and began to read from where he had left off. It was another of his favorite parts of the story. The hungry shark had come to collect his bounty from the huge fish the old man had fought to bring in. The shark kept returning again and again to steal his choice of the sections. Bill could feel the rocking of the tiny boat with each attack. A couple of times he would close his eyes and envision that mighty dorsal fin coming at him, knowing what it brought. He could smell the fresh salt air. It was mixed with the rank odor from the remnants of bait that were lying around on the inside of that boat. He clenched his fists thinking about the pain the old man must have gone through, trying to fight off this relentless attack on his prize winning catch.

Pete was comfortably asleep by his feet. Bill paused to scan the neighborhood, while giving his eyes a much needed rest. He noticed his eyes tired more frequently now. Even his cheaters didn’t seem to give him the focus they once did. Could it be that his age was robbing him of some of his wonderful sight? Whatever the reason, he would give them a rest for a few minutes. He closed them and laid his head back onto the top of the back rest of the rocker. In no time, Bill ed Pete for some nap time. Bill had been snoozing for some time when a tap on his shoulder startled him. He opened his eyes into the bright day light. He squinted as he looked back to see who had woke him up. “Sorry to startle you Bill. I was wondering if I could use your bathroom.” The old man looked at Todd. He saw Pete was up and demanding some attention from their guest. “Why yes. Go ahead Todd. You need me to show you where it is?” “No. I think I can find it OK Bill. Pete can show me around.” He smiled at the old man. He opened the door disappearing inside. Pete went right along with him. Bill was still half asleep from his nap. He got to his feet and stretched and yawned to regain his alertness. He walked to the edge of the steps looking around the neighborhood. He focused on one of the houses across the street and down a couple of doors. He noticed the dark burgundy color of the entry door. For some reason, it caught his eye. He had probably looked at that house a thousand times, but guessed he had never noticed it before. It stuck with him as a nice touch. Bill started to think about having his front door painted a different color, since he was having everything else done. He would have to give it some thought about what color he wanted. He knew he was tired of the black door that adorned his entrance. Todd returned, followed by Pete with his rubber newspaper in his mouth. He was wagging his tail in anticipation of some play time. Todd looked at him and smiled. He headed down the steps to go back to work. Pete remained standing there, wondering why Todd hadn’t wanted to play with him. Bill looked at Pete and walked down the steps. He began summoning Pete for some play time. “Come on boy. Let’s get that pee and vinegar worked out of you.”

When the old man reached for the rubber newspaper, Pete lowered his head and began to let out some low growls. They were all in a playful manner. He held tight to the toy when the old man tried to pull it from his mouth. As soon as the old man would cease pulling on it, Pete would drop it to the ground and wait for Bill to try to reach it. Before that could happen, Pete grabbed it up again. “Now do you want to play or not Pete? I’m not standing here all day if you won’t give that to me.” Pete dropped it holding his muzzle slightly over the top of it. He growled even louder. Bill reached down to pet him and snatched the toy up in his hand. Pete began jumping up and down barking. He wanted it back. Bill tossed it into the side yard about 30 feet away. Pete lit out to gather it up. Once he had gotten a firm hold on it, he raced around the yard and back to within a few feet of Bill. He dropped it onto the ground and waited for the old man to try to sneak it out from under him. This contest proceeded for several minutes. Bill would try to lure him away with any hoodwinking he could think of so that he could grab the toy. Bill and Pete were determined to outwit each other. The playful dog allowed him to steal it away, only for his own amusement. With a throw from Bill’s tired old arm, Pete would dash off and grab it up. Sometimes Pete was on a dead run while other times he would simply stop and bark at it, gently scooping it up in his jaws. Todd was working applying the new coat of paint. He would gaze over at this comical pair and laugh when Pete would firm up, refusing to give his prize up. He knew Bill was upset about Tim not coming by. It warmed his heart to see them playing together as a deversion. Bill was like a child with a puppy. They continued to wear each other out for another half hour. Bill finally ran out of steam and called for Pete to go in.

Chapter 13

Tim’s Fears Are Revealed

T he rest of the day Bill sorted thru some of his prize books. He cleaned the covers and dusted the edges of the pages. He carefully removed each one from its shelf to clean it. He’d replace it in the order of where he thought it should be. He dusted the shelves off prior to returning the books. The rags he used amassed the endless amounts of dirt that had accumulated over months of neglect. Bill was sneezing from the clouds of small particles that floated out into the living room from his dusting. Pete was resting on his bed. He would open his eyes whenever the old man had a sneezing fit, but returned to his doggy nap when the outbursts subsided again. When he had finished, Bill carried the rags to the washing machine. He placed them inside along with some of his towels he had let pile up. He added the detergent and turned the machine on. Pete stood by investigating what he knew must be something he would have to oversee. They were heading to the kitchen where Bill would begin to think about something for dinner. A small knock came at the front door. Bill hesitated and looked around redirecting his attention to the door. Pete was performing his usual role of investigator, guard and patrol dog. He barked like Bill hadn’t gotten the message yet that someone was calling. Bill calmed him with his low voice telling him it was OK. Bill opened the door to see Tim holding his book in his hand. He was standing with a blank expression on his face. It took the old man back to see the boy waiting to come in. He was surprised, but relieved to see him and couldn’t wait to invite him in. “Hello there Tim. I was wondering when you might come for a visit. Pete and I have sure missed seeing you. Would you like to come in and sit for a spell?”

Tim walked past Bill expressionless. He gave Pete a half-hearted pat on the head. He headed directly to Bill’s reading table. Standing in front of it, he placed the book onto the desk. He did so like it was a fine piece of art. He rubbed his hand across its cover. He stared up at all of the freshly cleaned books aligned on the shelf above him. Bill stood behind, watching him and waiting for him to speak. Pete stood by his side wagging his tail. He was waiting on some sort of acknowledgment of his presence. Tim didn’t turn, but spoke while looking across the assortment of books. “I wanted to bring your book back Bill. Mom said I needed to get it back to you, so you wouldn’t think I was keeping it. I finished it last night. It’s a real good book Bill. Thank you for letting me read it.” The old man approached closer to the young boy. He made by placing his wrinkled left hand onto the boy’s shoulder. “Why you’re welcome Tim. I would never think that you were going to keep it. I want you to enjoy any of my books, if you would like to. I just finished cleaning them all up today. If there is anything you would like to read next, please just ask.” “I, uh, don’t know which ones would be fun to read Bill. What book did you like when you were my age?” Bill eased up closer. He hugged the boy with his left arm. While he pulled him closer, he scanned the rows of books, although he knew where each book sat and the title of each one. “Let’s see here young man. How about a story about two boys who exchange places? One is a poor boy with nothing to his name. The second boy is a Prince. It’s called “The Prince and the Pauper.” It was one of the first books I ever read all on my own. It tells you how different lives can be for two boys who look just alike. If you’d like, you can take it home and read it. You can keep it as long as you want.” Bill reached up for the book, sliding it out. He sat it on the desk in front of Tim. He picked up the newly returned book that Tim had brought back. Taking a small piece of paper from a pad he kept on the desk, he placed it inside the book. It stuck out from the top about a half an inch. Bill placed it back on the shelf.

Tim was watching him. Suddenly he got a very curious look on his face. “Are you putting that paper in it so you know I brought it back?” The old man chuckled and looked down at Tim. “Nothing like that Tim. I am just marking that one for your benefit. As time es, you will know exactly how many of them you have read. When you come back to get another book, or return one, you can count up how many you have read. That way you won’t lose track of how many you have finished.” Tim seemed satisfied to understand what the old man was doing. He picked up the new book Bill had chosen for him. He opened the cover and scanned thru the first page before closing it back up. He placed it on the corner of the reading table. He walked to the recliner across from the old man’s couch and took a seat. Bill watched and then proceeded to his couch. “Well Tim. Do you have any news for me about your dad? How is he doing now? I hope he is getting better. Officer Donavon stopped by several days ago and told me he was sitting up now.” The boy seemed to be shy. More so than he had ever been around the old man. He looked down at the armrest and kept rubbing his hand against it, like he didn’t want to discuss the subject. “I don’t really know Bill. I guess he’s doing better. Mom says he is making progress, but he still can’t play with me or walk by himself. Some of the kids at school point at me now and I don’t like it. I think they must be making fun of me, or something.” The old man was hiding his emotions, trying to contain them so Tim wouldn’t notice. “Now Tim. I really don’t think anyone would make fun of you. You know kids sometimes don’t understand when something happens like this. They are most likely pointing at you because your dad is having a tough time right now. Some kids don’t listen half of the time when their parents tell them what has happened. I think things will be a lot better when your dad comes home again.” “I really miss him Bill. Mom cries a lot now. She always tries to hide it from me,

but I see her sometimes and I get real scared. I don’t tell her when I see her crying.” The boy got up out of his chair and walked to the couch. He took a seat close to the old man and leaned over onto his side. Bill, still lost for words, just hugged the child and tried to comfort him in the only way he knew how. Bill was trying to think of something he could do to change the boy’s mood. He finally decided reading to him might be the answer. He walked to his book shelves and began scanning the collection for something appropriate. He racked his brain trying to find just the right story. He came across Treasure Island. Bill thought this should do fine. He removed the book from the shelf thinking about the story. He rubbed the cover with his wrinkled hand savoring the feel of it. He carried it back to the couch. He took his seat by the young boy. Bill asked him if he would like to hear about a young man similar to him and his adventures. The boy nodded. Bill opened the book, put on his cheaters and began to lay the ground work for the tale. “Tim. This story is another one of my favorites. It is a pirate’s adventure story that takes place a long time ago. It’s about a boy who makes friends with a poor man. The boy’s father is sick also. Unlike the boy in this story, your father is going to get well. The poor man was a pirate and claims he has knowledge of buried treasure. He has all kinds of tales to relate to the boy.” When the old man began reading, he thought Tim was there in spirit. In reality, his mind was far away. Bill re-adjusted his glasses frequently so he could see without the reading lamp he normally used. The more the old man read, the more it seemed to lure the young boy into the story. Bill had read it many times before throughout the years. He knew much of it by heart, once he started into it. Tim finally relaxed and began to be engrossed in the story. In between reading the ages, Bill spun the tale in his own words. Although Bill never had a full formal education, he was a great story teller. His words were articulated like that of a great orator. He allowed the story to unfold in scenes. He took his time to emphasize certain words and sentences. Tim was being drawn deeper into the old man’s words as if they were his own creations. Each scene came to life with Bill’s dramatic descriptions. Bill continued to read to the boy. Pete snoozed on his bed, taking intermittent

breaks to stretch his legs. He ed into a dream now and then twitching and jerking. His yipping and barking was a muffled background for Bill’s rendition of this famous story. Tim began to feel the part of young Jim Hawkins. Every now and then he would interrupt the old man for an explanation of the circumstances surrounding the time period. Bill explained how different things must have been in that time so long ago. He explained how money was a scarce commodity. He relayed how people worked long and hard for everything they had. Except for the Pirates, who lived off of anything they could steal. Time ed with Tim falling into a trance. His imagination carried him away into the story. Bill made the smell of the salt water and the sounds of someone walking on a wooden crutch come to life for the boy. He was beginning to tire from the constant reading when Pete perked up. He looked around the couch into the hallway. It was like he knew someone was coming. It was only a second or two when a knock came at Bill’s front door. The old man placed his book marker between the pages to mark his spot. Bill headed for the door. Pete was barking and looking back at Bill. He stood guard as the old man approached the door. Bill pulled it open to see Betty standing on the porch. “Hi Betty. Please come on in. I guess you’re probably looking for Tim, aren’t you? He has been here with me. We have been reading a book.” Betty proceeded down the hallway. Pete walked along side like an escort. Wagging his tail, he kept touching her. When she reached the living room she walked to the chair across from the couch and sat down. Bill returned to the couch knowing a report was forth coming. He slid the book aside and awaited her comments. “I thought I might find Tim here. He said he was coming down this way. I figured he would stay if you weren’t too busy. I hope he hasn’t been too much trouble Bill.” The old man looked down at Tim and back to Betty. He hugged the boy around the shoulders pulling him close. “Not at all Betty. We have had a good time. We’re reading Treasure Island together. I thought it might help to do something different. Tim tells me his dad is getting better?” “Well Bill. I guess that’s what you would say. He still can’t walk by himself yet,

but his speech is beginning to come back a little bit each day. The doctor thinks he will be able to get around with a walker within a few weeks, if he continues to improve. It sure seems slow right now. My sister is here helping out and God what a gift she has been. I have been up to my ears in insurance papers and forms. I really don’t know what I would do without her help.” “Well, that’s good that you have someone to help you out right now. I have been thinking about you and Tim all the time.” They continued to talk for nearly 45 minutes. Bill could tell Betty really needed someone to vent to. He knew she had to get some of that heavy load off of her chest. Pete walked between the couch and Betty. She would reach down to pet him for a time. Then he would return to Bill’s feet and get as close as he could. Tim sat listening and said nothing. He knew he needed to remain quiet so his mom could have the floor for her conversation. Betty would soon run out of topics with her report on Tom. Bill allowed her to continue to sit and vent about life in general. He knew she needed that right now. Although it depressed him significantly, he never allowed his helpless feeling to show through. She stood up when it seemed she was finished. Bill could see she was completely exhausted. She took Tim with her and they bid the old man goodbye as they headed back home. Once they had vacated the house, it seemed lonesome for Bill. He had run out of encouragement nearly an hour before they left. He didn’t know how to help out and doubted there was anything he could do anyway. The pain the family was going thru would have to run its course on its own.

Chapter 14

Finishing Touches

T he next morning went pretty much as usual for Bill and Pete. Pete was just a bit more ornery for some unknown reason. He wanted to test Bill on his skills of tracking the paper down before he could. Of course, Pete won that battle once more. He was actually getting past wanting to rip it to absolute shreds. Bill allowed him his playtime to encourage this. Bill was getting wiser now. He would carry the rubber newspaper with him and use it as a distraction when Pete would refuse to give up the old man’s morning treasure. Bill would take it out of his back pocket and act like he was going to chew on it, which really set Pete off. No one was going to chew that toy unless it was him. His attention would dwindle concerning the real paper, while his ion focused on his toy. Bill would take the toy up onto the porch and sit in his chair playing with it. Pete would soon show up with the real McCoy in his mouth. He finally gave it up in a reluctant exchange. He would take his spot on the porch, chewing his toy, making it squeak over and over again. Bill was enjoying his first cup of coffee when Gene and Todd made their appearance for the day. The house was moving along nicely. They were getting as anxious as Bill was to see it come to fruition. Pete bounded down the stairs to meet his guests. Gene had brought a large rawhide rollup for him as a surprise. He reached into his bucket of tools and removed the wrapper as he showed it to Pete. He had apparently never had one before. He sniffed it repeatedly, not being quite sure of what it was. Gene stopped short of the steps. Bending over for Pete, he let the pale ivory tube slip out of his hand. Pete secured his grip on the treat. Without hesitation Pete made his way back up onto the porch with his new prize. Bill watched him carry his new present. Pete made his usual trips around in a circle finding that perfect spot. He became mesmerized by the new taste he had never had. “Now what do you say to Gene for bringing you a new doggy treat. Tell him you

appreciate it.” Pete listened while he repositioned the chewy for an all-out assault on it. With a quick motion he sat it across his paws and barked loudly. Gene and Todd laughed and Pete returned to the rawhide, with no further intentions of being interrupted. Todd spoke as he walked up the steps. “Now Bill. You and Pete should see some real progress today. I think we can pretty well wrap up the worst of it and be finished by tomorrow with the windows.” The old man’s eyes were gleaming with joy. He held his mug of hot coffee tightly in his right hand. His mere looks were enough of a thank you for both men. “You boys certainly have done a bang up job for old Pete and me. We sure do appreciate all the hard work you guys have done. I’ll have a check ready for you two tomorrow whether you finish up or not. I want to get you two paid for all of this.” Todd looked down at the porch floor. He slid his foot across the peeling paint. “Now you let us finish the porch up before you go paying us. We aren’t in any hurry Bill. You paid for the materials already so don’t worry . We want to make sure we finish everything you asked for before we go taking any of your hard earned money. Isn’t that right Pete?” The dog had transformed himself into a chewing machine. He paid absolutely no attention to the old man or Todd. His eyes were nearly closed. He gnawed away on the end of his rawhide. The noise from his repeated chomps was like a saw going thru some wood. He was clearly in doggy heaven with his endeavor and wasn’t about to be interrupted again for any reason. “I guess Pete is in some other place right now Todd, but I’m sure he’s in agreement.” Todd left the porch and disappeared around the corner of the house. Bill went back to his coffee. It was now colder than he normally liked it. He unscrewed the lid of his insulated pot and dumped the black brew inside to allow it to remix with the remaining hot liquid. He refilled his cup and pressed the mixed batch to

his lips. The strong brew was now acceptably hot. He started reading the front page and lost himself in his own pleasure. He carefully read each word from start to finish while he absorbed the information. Taking time to enjoy his morning brew in between each article, he worked his way thru the first three pages. Nature began to call so he got up to head in. Pete seemed unaware of his movement. Being crowded in, Bill stepped over Pete’s front legs on his way to the door. When he reappeared, Pete took a brief moment to watch his return to the chair before going back to his job. Pete was busy ripping off the small pieces of his new rawhide. The old man looked down at him and shook his head. Bill went back to his reading. When Bill had finished off the remaining coffee, he was nearly done with the paper. He had his schedule all worked out for keeping them in rhythm. He rarely missed keeping them together, unless the paper was extremely thick with some extra content. He refolded the paper back to its original shape. Bill stood up to stretch his old bones. His back had finally relented from the constant pain. It had been allowing him some limited relief the last few days. It still caused some discomfort, but far less than normal. He stood on the porch scanning the neighborhood for anything out of the normal. The sun was shining brightly thru the cracks in the limbs. They were covered with the new leaves waiting to grow to their full size. Bill looked back at his house and began to wonder. Would anyone else notice his improvements? He was happy for the first time in years with his little part of the world and he wanted it to be special. He entered the house and returned with Pete’s leash. That garnered Pete’s attention for the first time since he had attacked his rawhide. He reluctantly let it slip from his jaws and watched it fall onto the deck of the porch. Pete knew what that leash meant. Not even a tasty morsel like that new rawhide was going to detour him from getting out for a morning walk with Bill. The old man snapped the leash onto his collar. It was time to head out. Pete walked down the steps and out to the gate. He eagerly awaited his release from the yard. On the sidewalk, Pete walked to the first tree and hiked his stub leg like he had been holding it back all morning. Bill waited patiently while Pete looked around during the operation. When he finished, he returned to the sidewalk after kicking up some sod. He was ready to forge ahead to the post office. The morning was so beautiful. The smell of fresh air filled each breath the old

man took in. Bill was smiling from ear to ear. He walked down the path talking to Pete like he was another person and the only one left for Bill to talk to. Pete would look up indicating he was hanging on each comment. His tail wagged the entire way, in a display of approval for being included in all the talk. It was easy to see that the old man was proud of his companion. Bill loved him very much. After years of solitude, having a friend he could go places with, filled his heart with joy no one could have imagined. They arrived at the post office. Naturally Pete stopped by the pole. He was now accustomed to being secured to it. He sat looking around surveying the area. He kept checking out anything that may have been out of the ordinary. Bill walked to the door to go in. Pete watched him enter the building. He never took his loyal eyes off of the door until the old man returned. He was patient, but anxious for the security of Bill’s presence. The amount of mail was about normal for the day and Pete waited to have it lowered down so he could carry it all back. His gentleness in taking it had become routine. He waited to be released before he moved away from the pole. Walking back the old man continued to carry on a conversation with this three legged dog. Pete stayed strapped to his side as they moved along the path back to the house. They had crossed a couple of the busier streets. Bill was always careful to ensure no cars were anywhere around. Pete would look also, like he knew that was now necessary. About half way back Bill spotted the woman who had met them once before on their journey. She was dressed in a knee length sea blue dress with a tan short sleeve jacket. Her hair was flawlessly arranged and her briefcase swung back and forth in a slight motion. When Pete saw her approach, his tail began to wag and his whines carried through his mouth full of mail in a muffled sound. She saw Pete and the old man and began to smile. Her face indicated she was coming up on some of her best friends. “Well good morning Pete. You sure look mighty important carrying all that mail.” Bill stopped and reigned in the leash a bit to keep Pete from looming too far away. The woman stopped and reached down to pet the dog. Pete seemed full of joy to see her. She stroked his neck several times. Setting her briefcase down, she reached out for his head, cradling it between her hands in a very loving way. “You are such a good boy aren’t you? It’s been a while since I’ve run into you

out here. I’ve missed seeing you Pete.” Bill was beaming while this woman made over Pete. It awakened a sense of pride in him that had been asleep for too many years. No one ever took notice of the old man when he was alone. He understood that was most likely because of how he looked before. His longer hair and beard would have fit a vagrant or homeless person and no one cared about anyone with such credentials as that. With his new uniform style pants and shirt that fit so much better, he now looked very proper. Bill began to stroke his beard. He was concerned about it being out of place. The woman continued to speak to Pete in a tone that took him to a totally relaxed posture. He began to look around. He needed to set his burden down momentarily so he could respond to the affection with some licks on the woman’s hands. Bill reached for the mail. Pete allowed it to slip from his grip and turned back to the woman showering him with all of this affection. Pete leaned into her getting closer. He timidly rested his snout against her palm. She paused from petting him when he began to lick her hand gently. “Oh Pete, those are nice doggy kisses. I sure wish I had a friend like you to give me some kisses when I was sad. You just love everyone don’t you boy?” The woman gently pulled Pete’s face towards hers. Pete licked her cheek. Bill was worried Pete was becoming a nuisance and began to call to him to be a good boy. The woman looked up at Bill and smiled in a way that assured him it was her choice. Pete continued to cling to the woman until she scanned her wrist watch. She stood up returning her briefcase to her right hand. “Well Pete. I should get to work or they’ll wonder if I’ve got lost again. It was so nice to see you both this morning. I’ll be on the lookout for you two again.” She reached out for Bill’s hand and gently shook it in a gesture of kindness. “Now you two have a wonderful day. Thanks for letting me interrupt your trip like this.” Bill was lost for words, but gave her a wide smile. The twinkling in his eyes spoke volumes of how much he was moved by her friendliness. As she walked away, Bill heard the distinctive clopping of her heals impacting the sidewalk on her way on down the street. Bill started to walk along the path again, but Pete

kept turning and barking at him. They hadn’t gotten very far when Pete decided to stop and protest. He literally jumped up nearly knocking the mail out of Bill’s hand with his nose. It was his way of instructing the old man to release his mail back to him. Bill raised the mail up. “Now look here Pete. You don’t have to get all riled up with me. I forgot about you carrying this. Just ask nicely and I’ll give it to you.” Pete cocked his head from side to side emitting some small growls. It was his way of telling the old man that he should have known better and not to allow it to happen again. Bill lowered the parcel of mail and Pete snatched it back into his mouth. He turned with his head raised proudly. He started back down the sidewalk. The old man smiled chuckling out loud. Pete seemed to be giving the orders, rather than taking them. The rest of the trip went like clockwork with Pete walking proudly along the sidewalk, his stash tucked away carefully under his control. When they headed inside the gate, Pete went right up the steps and paused at the small table. He was waiting for Bill to relieve him of his duty. Bill took the stack of mail and tossed it onto the table. He folded the leash up and headed inside with Pete following up the rear. After filling his coffee pot for the second time, he washed Pete’s bowl out and filled it to the rim with the cool tap water. Setting it down, Pete dove into it like he hadn’t had a drink for days. The sounds of his slurping filled the kitchen while he continued to drain the bowl. He was nearly at the bottom of it when he turned to face the old man. Dozens of drops raining down from his upper lip ran all over the floor. He sat down on the floor looking around to see what Bill was going to do. A huge burp erupted. Bill laughed at him and picked up the bowl to refill it. “Well I’m glad to see you got that out of the way. Can you say excuse me?” The dog looked back at him and walked slowly to the door that sheltered his treats. When he arrived he pointed directly at the door and barked loudly. His nose never moved more than a couple of inches away from it. He pointed to the hidden stash he knew was behind it for him. Bill pulled the door open. Pete moved back out of the way to keep from being bumped by it. As soon as the old man reached in for one of his large biscuits, Pete lit up with excitement. His tail wagged wildly and he danced around the

floor in anticipation. Bill placed it in his shirt pocket for the time being. The coffee continued to boil on the stove releasing its aroma. It was midmorning when the coffee pot quit yielding its sound, signaling it was done boiling. Bill tossed the normal one cup of cold water into the scalding liquid to settle the grounds. He filled his insulated pot to the top and picked up his mug. Pete watched to ensure it was handled properly. They walked out of the kitchen together. Bill was still carrying on a conversation with Pete concerning the progress that was taking place on their home. Bill pushed the door open and stepped out onto his porch. A gentle breeze had started from the east. It skated across the area bringing the fresh smell of another spring day with it. Summer would soon arrive and the old man loved the warmth. It always helped his tired old bones feel better. Bill was barely into his freshly poured coffee when Gene and Todd came into view. Bill knew they were about to embark on the porch project. He picked up his coffee pot with the remaining brew. “Could you boys give me a hand carrying this old rocker and my table down off here? I think I’ll set it out in the side yard while I have the rest of my coffee.” Todd grabbed the small round table while Gene carried Bill’s rocking chair. They moved off of the sidewalk and placed the table and chair in a shady spot cast down from the large tree just outside of the gate. With the combination of shade and breeze, it would be perfect. “How’s this Bill? Will that do you?” The old man pulled the rocker around placing it close to the table. “This is fine boys. Thank you so much for helping me out here.” The two smiled and Todd reached down to rub Pete’s ears. Pete leaned his head into Todd’s hand nearly pushing his hand backwards. He looked somewhat disappointed when it ceased. He stood with a pitiful look when Todd abandoned him to go back to work. It was an act that wasn’t going to work for Pete. Bill was excited to see the two men begin working on sanding the deck and steps. He smiled to himself. Pete lay across his toes resting his head against the table leg. Bill sat sipping his coffee. He turned from watching the two men work to scanning the empty street. It appeared Bill was expecting company, although

he wasn’t. Suddenly he heard a chattering that aroused Pete’s attention in a flash. It was a squirrel that had appeared on the lowest branch of the tree on the boulevard hanging over into the yard. The squirrel was propped up on his hind legs looking down at the old man and this dog. Pete was readying himself to do battle with this chattering intruder. The squirrel continued to chatter out some type of lambasting directed at Pete. With his bristles raised, he went into action. His barking became louder and he strained to raise his head up to get closer. Pete was nonstop with his warnings of retaliation. This only seemed to encourage this stubborn tree rat. Now both of them were exchanging insults. Gene and Todd began watching in amusement. “Watch him Pete. He looks pretty mean to me. You might have to knock him down a notch.” Bill sat watching the entire ordeal. His face lit up with a wide smile. Pete wasn’t about to give an inch and that darn squirrel seemed determined to stand his ground too. All at once the squirrel launched himself upwards into the smaller branches. His disappearance turned Pete into a detective, wondering where he had gone. He was jumping up and down and running back and forth to find this obnoxious critter that had interrupted his nap. He was standing with his front legs resting on the gate. He whined pitifully insisting Bill assist him in his search. Bill tried to call him off, but Pete was not listening. Finally Bill caught sight of the squirrel heading across the street via the power lines. Pete continued to call out for some kind of rematch. It took a couple of minutes for Pete to recover from his frenzy. He finally calmed down when he could no longer sense any intrusion. He returned to his spot at Bill’s feet, wanting to resume his day. The old man spoke to him informing him of what a great job he had done running that old squirrel off. Pete seemed to respond like he fully understood. He looked back at the empty branch and then back to Bill. With all the excitement over with, Pete left and headed for the back yard to find a spot for his toilet duties. Bill returned to his coffee, which was now cold. He tossed the remainder out into the yard and refilled his mug with some of the hot coffee still in his pot. By the time Pete returned, Bill was watching the transformation from peeling paint to nearly bare wood on the steps. The rotary sander was expelling small clouds of dust while Gene worked it across the boards. Bill could see the bare wood being exposed when Gene began to do the fronts of the steps. Todd was busy placing some painters tape across the upper

edge of the trim to prevent any mishaps near the door. Once Todd had finished the taping, he headed down to chat with Bill. “Bill, we’re just about finished with all the sanding and taping. I think you’ll want to take Pete inside before we start, so he doesn’t get into any fresh paint. If he happened to go up there you wouldn’t be very happy with him. With this weather it should be dry within a few hours. Until then we sure don’t want him tracking any of it inside.” “Yeah. I’m about out of coffee so I think we’ll be heading in. I’m getting a little bit hungry anyway. Ole Pete here will most likely want something too. I sure can’t wait to see it all done. You boys have really done a bang up job so far. Pete and I want to thank you again for your efforts.” The old man walked up the steps. Pete timidly ed him, not seeming sure of why the wood felt different under his paws. Todd began sweeping the remaining paint dust and chips off of the porch. Gene was about to finish up with the sanding. Inside the house Bill worked in the kitchen making his lunch and Pete’s. He fried some spam up for a sandwich and placed two of the slices on a plate to cool for his friend. He poured a large glass of milk out and sat down to enjoy his meager offering. Bill began to eat while Pete rested his nose against his leg. It was a sheepish action that indicated his attention had to be dealt with sooner or later. “Now you need to wait until yours cools off. It’s too hot right now so relax. You’ll get it as soon as it’s cool enough for you to eat.” Pete seemed undeterred and remained glued to the old man. Bill slowly chewed away. The sandwich became smaller and smaller. He was nearly finished when Pete began to get worried that he was completely being left out of this process. He simply wasn’t holding still for any of that. The old man leaned over and handed the remaining portion of his sandwich to Pete. He inhaled it without chewing it up. The old man finished his milk and walked to the sink to clean his dishes up. When he arrived, he carried the cool spam pieces over to Pete’s bowl and placed them side by side into it. Pete waited patiently, but dove into his meal once Bill had removed his hand. Bill scarcely had time to get back to the sink when Pete arrived. His attention indicated that he still expected more to come. “Now that’s it old boy. You have dog food in your bowl, so don’t act like your

starving. You go eat some of that if you’re still hungry. I have to do our dishes so you let me be.” Bill finished the dishes and put everything away. He decided it might be a good time to go back to his book and continue with his reading. Bill picked his book up off of the desk and walked to the couch. He eased himself down onto it while Pete stood by resting his head on the center cushion. Bill looked down as he slipped his glasses on. He shook his head at the spoiled hound. “Oh alright. Get up here you big baby.” He patted the cushion only once. Pete bounded right up onto the couch. He made his circles trying to find the right spot before he dropped down. Bill opened his book and removed the marker. Pete was all cuddled in and slowly closing his eyes to catch a doggy nap. Bill went back to his reading. He sat in silence while he turned each page with the care he had always shown his books. They were his treasures, or at least had been until Pete showed up. The old man read on into the afternoon. He reached out periodically to rest his old wrinkled hand on the dog. Pete remained sound asleep. Bill would pause momentarily and check on his friend while he watched him snoozing. He wondered what would happen to Pete if anything were to befall him. He was now all the family Pete had. Bill was within striking distance of finishing the book when he stopped to rest his eyes. They had been acting up a bit as of late. They grew more tired with far less reading than ever before. He laid it to having so much going on with the house, but the fact was his age was beginning to take its toll. With the old man resting his eyes, he leaned back on the couch. In a very short time he was out. The book slid down onto his lap when he drifted off. His thumb rested between the pages, still marking his spot. He fell deeper into his sleep. He dreamed about him and Pete walking down some street. It was a beautiful summer day and Pete looked rather handsome in his collar. People would and greet them as they walked along the sidewalk. For some reason Pete was wearing his red bandana that Donavon had given them. Bill would smile and beamed with pride that they would notice them. The dream must have lasted for some time before the old man woke up not realizing where he was. It was one of those dreams that seemed all too real. It confused Bill as to whether or not it was reality, or just a dream. The old man arched his back to loosen everything up. Pete popped his head up feeling the

motion from the old man’s movement. He studied Bill with his eyes focused directly on him. Bill yawned and adjusted his glasses. He looked back at his book. There couldn’t have been more than twenty pages left. Bill argued with himself over finishing it or leaving it for one more setting. He tucked the marker neatly back between the pages and placed it on the table. He squinted to read his wristwatch. The hands showed it was just after 5. The old man was still in somewhat of a confused state. He got up and headed for the door to let Pete out for some bathroom privileges. He almost pushed the door open to let Pete out when he caught himself. He closed it right back up. “Well now. That would have been real nice wouldn’t it Pete? I almost let you out on that fresh paint. I need to get myself awake before I do anything more.” The dog stood at the threshold waiting to go outside. He looked up at the old man wiggling and prancing in place. Pete was wondering why he had hesitated. Bill called him back and closed the door. Bill headed down the narrow hallway towards the kitchen. Pete was right along with him. He reached the back door to unlock it. He slid the bolt back on the door and pushed it open. Pete moved ahead to get to the steps. He hopped down onto the rear sidewalk and headed out into the yard. The old man eased his stiff legs down the steps to follow Pete. He had decided to stretch a bit while he was out. Pete went about his business of watering the ragged bushes along the rear of the yard. Bill walked around to the front of the house to the steps. There was a small rope line across the entrance to them with a piece of construction paper reading “Wet Paint” on it. Pete was coming around the corner. Bill reached back to prevent the dog from trying to gain access to the porch. Pete stopped short of them. He had caught the scent and began to sniff the fresh paint. Bill wondered if he knew he wasn’t supposed to be on them. He backed off and barked. He looked up at Bill while wagging his tail. “Yes, that’s fresh paint Pete and you’re right boy. It sure makes the front of this old place look nice, doesn’t it? We have to stay off of it for the time being. We’ll go out on it tomorrow boy.” Bill walked back towards the rear door with Pete following along. He didn’t seem to care about not using the front steps. He was making sure that Bill didn’t get out of his sight. They entered the rear of the house. Bill paused at the kitchen

table. He pondered the thought of fixing something for supper. He wasn’t really all that hungry, but he knew it would be a long time until morning. He walked to the cupboards and opened the doors to study his selections. He didn’t see much he was interested in, but something would have to fit the bill. He finally reached in and withdrew a can of stew. He held it in his hand looking at the colorful label. “Well Pete. What do you think about some Dinty Moore tonight? I don’t need all of this, but you will probably finish off what I don’t eat. I guess this will have to do Pete. I just don’t feel like cooking anything else.” Pete watched Bill’s every move as the old man opened the can and emptied it into one of his new pans. He placed it on the stove and lit the fire. He returned to the cupboard and retrieved the crackers that would top off his dinner. A cup of coffee would sure be nice, but he allowed that thought to diminish when he considered how long it would take. He hated wasting a full pot for a couple of cups. A cool glass of water would have to do instead. He set his bowl on the table with a spoon alongside of it. He sat down at the table and stared at the pan, waiting for it to bubble. Pete took his place alongside the old man and rested his chin on Bill’s leg. The old man began to stroke his coat around his head and neck while he talked to him. He assured him his portion would soon be forthcoming. Pete seemed to understand that he would be taken care of and showed no sign of begging. When the stew began to bubble, Bill walked to the stove and stirred it as the heat engaged the remainder of the contents. It wasn’t fully steaming yet when Bill pulled it off the burner. He poured about half of it into his bowl. He rested the pan on his pot holder and took his seat. The sleeve of crackers was almost empty, but Bill made do with what was there. He couldn’t see opening another one to get a few more out at this time. He salted the stew and sprinkled some of the pepper on it for good measure. Bill dug in. He dipped his spoon into it. Raising it to his mouth he found he didn’t have to blow on it. The temperature was only slightly warm. He removed the few crackers and broke them all up. He dropped them into his bowl. With a couple of quick stirs he blended them all in and continued to enjoy his small supper. By the time he had finished, what was left in the pan was nearly room temperature. He walked to Pete’s bowl and poured the remaining stew into it. Pete watched it slowly fill his food bowl nearly to the top. When Bill backed

away, Pete stood back waiting for his customary invitation from the old man. “OK Pete. That’s yours. Dig in old boy while I do up these dishes.” Pete wasted no time diving nose first into the stew. A brief smell of the contents ensured him it was no longer hot. He began lapping it up. Bill turned to watch the dog as he went nonstop after his meal. He hesitated at each green bean he came to, but decided they would have to do and ate them also. As the bowl contents disappeared bite by bite, Pete licked around the edges to make sure nothing remained. When he finished, he looked up at the old man. Trace elements of the stew were remaining around his mouth and under his chin. Bill stopped doing dishes and took his dish cloth to remove the remnants from around Pete’s mouth. When he wiped away the residue, the dog seemed to take it in stride. Bill knew it was ticking him off, regardless of his actions. Pete turned his head to avoid the cleaning while the old man held fast with his chore. When Bill finished Pete wagged his tail. He wanted to smell the cloth. Bill took it to the sink and returned to his dishes. When he had cleaned everything up for the evening he walked to the living room and turned on his radio. The classic orchestra music filled the living room with Bill’s beloved melodies. He began to tap his foot keeping time. Pete took his post by the old man’s side on the couch. He was lying there looking at the old man’s knee bounce. He would watch Bill’s leg rise up and drop down, thinking he was about to get up. Pete was not taking any chances of missing out by snoozing. He kept a vigilant watch to make sure. The evening ed and the darkness of the oncoming night crept into the room. It swallowed everything in sight with its cloak. It only left the light on the dial of the radio. Bill was especially into his music that night. With an occasional pat on Pete’s head, he assured the dog everything was fine. Bill floated in and out between the music. He was thinking how nice his little home looked with its fresh paint. He turned the radio off around 10:30. Bill walked Pete to the back door for his last potty run. He eased the door open into the darkness. Pete knew the routine perfectly. He embarked down the stairs and out into the darkness of the side yard. He returned when he had finished. When they reached the bed, each one allowed the other to find a good spot before settling in for the night. Pete was snoring within a couple of minutes of closing his eyes. The old man smiled and laid his hand across the dog for mutual

comforting. He shut his eyes and soon they were both off to dream land. The morning light that peeked into the bedroom woke Pete up first. He stood over Bill wagging his tail, awaiting his morning ritual. Bill yawned and stretched on the side of the bed while Pete stood next to him. Bill hit the shower. He decided it was time to introduce Pete to the wonders of soap and water. Pete had not had a bath since he had come to live there. Bill noticed that distinct doggy smell had gotten a bit strong. Bill decided it was time for some clean-up work. Pete seemed to be overtaken by this surprise. The old man hoisted his butt into the shower. Pete was certain he had done something horribly wrong. His slumping head and tail gave hints of absolute frustration. He lowered his soaking wet body right down to the floor of the shower. Pete refused to cooperate with any sort of coaxing to stand up. There was no way the old man could wash his undercarriage in this position. “Now you stand up Pete and quit acting like your being beat. My God. You’d think I was torturing you or something.” Pete made no attempt to resurrect himself from his pitiful collapsed position. He must have figured if he acted out enough, Bill would just give up and quit. That was not going to be the case today. Pete continued to protest his scrubbing throughout the entire ordeal. Bill pulled him to his feet to wash and rinse him off. The warm water rushed down over him removing the soap. It felt good, but Pete knew he couldn’t act like it or he might get even more. When Bill had finished, he used his weathered old hands to work the water off of Pete. Having removed most of it, Bill figured it was time to get him out of the shower. When the door opened Bill hoped he could sneak past Pete and get a towel to wrap the dog up in. He wanted to absorb most of the remaining moisture. Pete waited for the precise moment. Bill was not expecting it. Pete bolted out of the shower onto the bathroom floor. Bill was still unfolding the towel when a huge explosion of water burst out in every direction. Pete rotated his entire body to separate the water from his fur. The carnage was evident within a second. Every square inch of the room was splattered with water and loose hair. Bill had to close his eyes to protect them from the impending shower. His attempt to secure Pete with the towel came too late. Pete was off like a cannon shot. It was a race to the finish as Bill tried to head Pete off. Bill hustled from the hallway to the living room. Pete stopped again to shed more water off his coat.

The old man, still naked, was one second late in grabbing him. Pete bounded out of the wide opening of the room. He headed back across the hall towards the bedroom. Bill nearly took a tumble as he rushed to catch up. He dropped the towel to maintain his balance. He stopped to pick it up before returning to the contest. By now, his patience were wearing thin. The wet tracks Pete left led to his bedroom. When Bill reached the unmade bed, Pete had already made his leap onto it. Bill tried to grab him with the towel. Pete tunneled under the covers soaking every inch of Bill’s side of the bed. Bill was about to lose his temper. He saw what looked like a snake moving at the edge of the covers. It was Pete’s tail and it was wagging wildly. The old man reached to grab him again. Pete rolled over and began plowing around under the covers. Pete was talking to himself in that special doggy language. His low growls and throat noises gave an indication of one happy dog. He was indulging himself in the softness of the sheets. Bill, although still mad, couldn’t help but laughing at this canine escape artist who had taken to hiding from him. He yanked the covers off only to see Pete lying on his side, looking up with his tongue hanging out of one side of his mouth. He squirmed over onto his back with all three legs shooting straight up into the air. Pete twisted his head to look at Bill. It was way too late to be concerned about the wet bedding. Bill reached over to finish drying Pete off. The dog grabbed the towel and began pulling on it like it were some new game. Frustrated, Bill just gave up and headed to the bathroom to soak up the worst of the mess that Pete had left. Pete jumped down off the bed when Bill headed in. Pete made no attempt to do any more than peek in around the corner of the door frame. He watched with one eye. Pete kept his eye glued on the old man. Bill was grumbling to himself about the mess. Pete stretched his neck a bit further to keep an eye on the show. Bill wiped up what he could of the mess. When it dawned on him he was still stark naked, he broke out into laughter. His hair and beard were now almost dry. Both were going in every direction. He gazed into the mirror, which was still badly streaked. Bill lowered his head and grumbled. Later, when most of the devastation had been cleaned up, Bill went to get dressed. He headed for the kitchen to brew his coffee. Pete followed, but from a safe distance behind. Bill placed his coffee pot on the burner and sat down to enjoy a bowl of cereal and two pieces of toast. Pete watched from a few feet away. He was taking a time out to lick any of his fur he could get his tongue on. Bill watched while the dog redressed his coat to his own liking. When Pete had finished he was rewarded with a small bowl of his own food and a side of milk. The morning had officially started.

Outside the morning air was fresh. The sounds of birds singing filled the trees, up and down the street on both sides. The Robins, with their brightly colored breasts, hopped from one clump of grass to another. Everyone pecking at any unfortunate bugs that had hidden within them. Bill carried his insulated pot and his cup out onto the porch. He sat them down on the ledge of the east rail. He retrieved his table and rocker from the yard, one at a time. Pete clung to Bill’s every move until he began to pour his first cup. Without being told, or having Bill’s company, down into the yard Pete headed. He hopped down the steps and walked to the front gate. He gazed through the openings of the slats of the fence for a brief time sniffing the air. He walked back to the rolled up newspaper that sat only inches inside the fence. With an astonished look, Bill watched the dog gently pick it up in his mouth. With one slight flip, he adjusted it farther back into his jaws. He proceeded to the steps. The old man watched Pete voluntarily retrieve the paper. Arriving at Bill’s chair, he sat down holding it out for the old man. His eyes were so serious it caught the old man off guard. Pete’s look melted away any harshness left in Bill from Pete’s romp when he was wet. He wagged his tail and held out the paper to the old man in a gesture of love. Bill accepted his paper. Pete bowed his head like he was saying “Forgive me please.” The old man reached out for his friend. Bill cradled his hands around Pete’s head and scratched the inside of his ears. “Yes, I forgive you old boy. You know I love you don’t you? You’re my best friend and you always will be.” Bill laid the paper next to his coffee. He couldn’t believe what had just happened. Was this some sort of heavenly intervention, or had Pete just decided to be nice because of his fresh appearance after his shower. Bill wondered what had come over this pooch. At one time he seemed intent on ripping apart every paper. Now he was carrying them to the old man. Bill sat speechless for a moment pondering this new development. Pete’s tail began to wag ever so slightly. One more bridge had been crossed between these two. From that point on their love for each other was cemented for all time. Bill thumbed thru his paper and sipped his hot coffee. He periodically paused to pet Pete. Bill looked out at the world around him and at his freshly painted porch and house. He smiled before going back to his reading. He was saving the sports section for last. Hearing footsteps he saw Betty and Tim coming up the street. They walked hand

in hand at a slow pace. They looked like they were lost. Bill could tell, without talking to them that something wasn’t right. The old man felt an eerie chill begin to run through his body. He found it impossible to swallow. Bill watched them come through the gate, but did not move. Pete was up in a second to greet them. Tim stopped and bent down to accept some loving kisses from the dog. Betty simply walked by heading for the porch. She paused for a second before slowly walking up the steps. Bill was getting up from his chair to greet her. “Good morning Betty. It’s really good to see you. Won’t you have a chair and sit for a spell? Here take mine. I’ll get one out of the kitchen.” Betty moved over to take Bill’s rocker at his request. The old man hurried off into the house. He returned with one of the kitchen chairs and placed it next to the table across from Betty. His mind was running wild, but he tried not to dampen the mood with his evident concern that changed his expression. Tim was still hugging Pete near the gate. Betty’s look was of complete frustration. “I’m sorry to come to you like this Bill, but I really needed someone to vent to. I just don’t know what to do. I’ve tried to remain positive through all of this. I give him all the encouragement I can, but it is so hard. I feel so helpless and completely empty inside right now.” The old man reached across the small table, moving his coffee pot over to the side. He gently reached for the woman’s hands resting on the table. When his weathered old hand reached hers, he felt the softness of her skin. Bill hesitated momentarily. He slid his hand over hers and watched as the tears began to gently flow down her cheeks. The apparent pain she was in consumed the old man. He began to realize just how weak he was. “What’s the matter Betty? Did something happen to Tom?” Betty continued to cry. She sat with her head lowered, staring at the table. It seemed like an eternity ed before she composed herself enough to speak. Trying to fight the tears back, she attempted to brush them away. “Oh, it’s a long story Bill. I shouldn’t come to your home piling my troubles on you. I just needed to get away for a while and let some of this go. He isn’t getting any better Bill. Now the doctors think he is giving up. Well. Maybe not giving up, but certainly not caring anymore. He is very confused right now and he has been so mean the last couple of days. I thought it was just a bad day for

him at first, but he doesn’t seem to want me around. I’ve spent every minute with him I could. I keep telling him it will be better soon, but he turns his head and tells me to get out. I just don’t know if I can take much more of this.” Again Betty’s tears began to flow. Bill didn’t notice that Tim was now standing next to him. Pete was by his side. The boy reached out for the old man’s arm. It startled him. He turned to the young boy standing by his side. He could tell that Tim had been crying also. Bill felt more helpless than he did before. Tim was trying to speak to him. Nothing was coming out. “What is it Tim? Are you OK son? Is there something I can do for you?” The boy raised his head taking in a huge breath. His entire body shook in a jerky motion before the air filled his lungs. “Would it be OK if I go in and get one of your books to read while I’m here Bill? I think mom needs to be along and I don’t want to upset her. I’ll be real quiet Bill. I promise I will be real careful with your books.” The old man was close to crying himself. He reached over to hug the child. He pulled him to his chest and caressed his back. “Why don’t you take Pete in with you Tim? You go get whatever book you want. You can sit at my reading table while why I talk to you mom. Pete will keep you company. You go in and pick one out. Take anything you want Tim.” Pete seemed to be in tune with all that was happening. Tim headed inside the house. Pete walked with him, glancing back at Bill to tell him he knew what he was supposed to do. His tail quit wagging and he stuck close to the boy. They disappeared inside the house together. Bill made a solid attempt to get himself composed and turned back to Betty. Her expression had turned stone cold. She stared blankly into space, like there was nothing around her. Her empty look gave the indication she was a woman who had lost touch with all reality. Bill was absolutely lost for anything meaningful to say, but he knew he must find whatever strength he had inside of him to help Betty out. “Betty. I’m so sorry to hear that. I can’t imagine how something like this must make you feel. You know he really doesn’t mean any of that. Right now, he is simply hurting as a man. When you hurt that much inside, you often end out

lashing out at everyone around you. Including everyone that loves you too. I how I felt when I fell at work and ruined my back. My first thought was, it couldn’t happen to me. Later, when I found out I was never going to be any good for anything again, I really went to Hell in a hand basket. I got real mean with everyone around me. I knew in my mind I had to blame somebody for all of it. It was a terrible time for me Betty. For years I suffered for doing it. Now I realize it was just something that happened. If it was anyone’s fault, it was all mine for not being more careful that day.” Betty had been listening, although she still seemed far away from any conversation that had gone on. She straightened up in the rocker and stiffened her back. She pulled her hands away from Bill’s. With a labored breath she cocked her head backwards. She blew the breath out and bit into her lower lip. “Could I get a cup of your coffee Bill? I could sure use one right about now.” The old man was surprised by her comment. He nodded and jumped up out of his chair. He hurried into the house to get another cup for her. He walked past the living room where Tim was sitting. He heard Tim’s words. He was reading out loud to Pete. He was sitting by the boy with his chin on his leg. Bill never paused. He pushed himself on into the kitchen. He grabbed one of his cups and returned to the porch with Betty. She was standing by the ledge on the east side, peering out over the neighborhood, like someone who had never seen it before. Bill poured some of the strong brew into the cup and handed it to her. “That might be a bit strong for you Betty. I guess I really don’t make very good coffee. Todd and Gene dumped theirs out after one sip. Heck, I guess I don’t make much of anything good. At least not with my darn cooking anyway.” For the first time Betty broke out in a tiny smile. She accepted the steaming hot cup. She raised it to her lips, blew on it for a second and took a sip. Bill watched anxiously. She made no facial expressions indicating it had been a shock to her. She continued to stare out over the neighborhood. She took several more sips of the strong brew. She lowered the cup and walked back to the chair. “When I was a little girl I grew up thinking the world was all full of love and kindness. My folks were average people, going through life the best they could. They raised my sister and me in a small town. We had plenty to eat and my dad could make about anything with his hands. He wasn’t much good around the

kitchen, but he could fix anything he set his mind to. My sister and I had a nice big room together. He would always come in before we went to bed and tuck us in. He would give each of us a kiss, telling us goodnight. I never knew any real hard times throughout my early life. I’m sure Mom and Dad had some, but they never let it show around us kids. I thought you grew up, got married and everything was good. Now, I’m not sure how to handle things anymore Bill. I feel like I’ve failed my family.” The old man listened intently. He wanted to choose his words carefully before he answered her. “Betty. I don’t know anything about married life. I guess I never got too close to that kind of commitment. I had big plans when I was young, but I always put things off, thinking later would be my time to pick out a little woman and settle down. But, that never happened. Now, I’m just an old man with nothing to show for my life, except this little house and that darned old three legged dog inside. I guess the good Lord saw me running around down here out of control and found Pete for me. Now I know he’s my salvation. I don’t know what’s going on with Tom, but I can guess he’s feeling like he’s run up against a darned wall. Inside he feels he can’t do anything about it. I’m sure he’s just frustrated right now.” “Oh, I know that better than anyone Bill, but he’s shut me out of it. I’m supposed to be the one he falls back on when something like this happens. I’m sure he’s worried about money and commitments. I think it’s getting to him. I have to tell you Bill. We just weren’t prepared for any of this. We have some savings and Tom has insurance, but that won’t last forever. I really don’t know what we’ll do when that runs out. If he can’t go back to work, I’ll have to make our living. Please understand, it’s not the money or any of that I care about right now. I just can’t seem to find the strength to fight all of this by myself.” Bill picked up his cold cup of coffee. He walked to the edge of the porch and tossed it out into the yard. He refilled his cup with more of the hot liquid from his pot. He returned to the kitchen chair and took a big drink. His normally twinkling eyes had lost their sparkle during their conversation. “Why don’t you let me go see Tom and have a visit with him? I don’t know what he’s feeling right now, but I think I can guess. I felt the same darn way when I was down. Maybe I can get through to him. I’m sure he loves you Betty. I’m guessing he’s pretty scared right now with all that’s happened to him. Sometimes

a man’s attitude gets too stubborn to see what he needs to. I know mine sure did. I know this must be hard on you right now, but you’re going to have to stay strong for his sake and Tim’s too.” Betty reached across the table. This time she cradled Bill’s hand in hers. She fought to work up a little smile as she looked deep into this old man’s steel blue eyes. “I think maybe the good Lord knew this was coming, so he gave me you Bill. I really am very thankful to have a friend like you. I want to let you how much you mean to me. I know how much you mean to Tim.” The old man was nearly shattered by her comment. For some reason, he knew inside it was going to be better down the road. He would have to plan his visit to Tom and make him see just how lucky he was to have a wonderful family. Tom had to be told how much worse all this could have been. Betty had gotten up and went inside to retrieve Tim from his book. When they appeared back on the porch, they were hand in hand. Tim spoke to Bill while he looked down at Pete. “I put one of your markers between the pages like you showed me Bill. I promise I didn’t bend any of them. Pete seemed to like it too. Thank you Bill for letting me read your book.” The old man struggled to fight back the tears he wanted so badly to shed. “That’s fine Tim. I’m sure you did just fine marking your place. You come back real soon and maybe you can read to Pete and me both. We’ll be here for you anytime you want to come visit us.” Betty squeezed Bill’s hand and they turned to leave. Bill and Pete watched from the porch. Betty and Tim walked out of the gate and headed back up the street. It was at that moment the old man began to understand what those two must be going through. Bill thought of all the pain he had endured throughout his life. He imagined the pain that Betty and Tim must be feeling within them. He knew he would have to go and see Tom on his own. Somehow he had to make him understand that he had to fight with every ounce of his strength to get better. The rest of the day for Bill was spent trying to work up some idea of how to approach Tom with all of this. Bill had never had a family of his own. He was finding his own life being woven into theirs. He would rather not have to deal

with it the way it was unfolding.

Chapter 15

Intervention

T he next morning Bill got up at his normal time. It had been a rough night. He knew this day would be very different from any he had experienced before. Pete was his usual self and welcomed the morning by sprinkling the bushes in the side yard. Bill walked through the grass with a slower step than normal. When Pete had finished, Bill allowed him to fetch the morning paper to keep his routine intact. When he brought it to the old man he simply laid it on his small table and went back inside. Pete followed him back inside. He could sense something was amiss. His ears were lower than normal and his gate was slow. He accompanied the old man into the bathroom to clean up. He didn’t cowl down when Bill got undressed and got into the shower. Pete couldn’t have known that the old man wasn’t going to throw him in, but he stayed anyway. When Bill finished he stood in front of the mirror. He decided to trim his beard up a touch and get ready to head out. He brushed his teeth and combed his hair while Pete sat by watching his every move. Bill broke out a new outfit from the closet and pulled his new tennis shoes out and slipped them on. While he laced each one, he began to speak to Pete. “Well Old Boy. You are on your own today while I’m out. I know you don’t like it when I leave you here by yourself, but today you’ll have to get over it. I’ve got a big job facing me today Pete. I wish I didn’t have to do it. I’ve got to go tell a man who is very sick that he needs to see farther than the end of his own darn nose. He has to get his mind straightened out. I sure wish I didn’t have to go do this Pete.” Pete sat twisting his head. He seemed to understand what Bill was saying. Bill was beginning to understand just how perceptive dogs must be. Pete was telling him in his own way, he knew something was up.

When Bill had finished getting ready he walked to the kitchen. He stared at his old coffee pot. He hesitated before walking away from it. For some reason, it didn’t seem too important that morning. Bill was nervous and paced back and forth throughout the small house. He was trying to find a reason not to leave. He finally gave in and headed for the front door. When he reached for the door knob, Pete stopped short of his usual position. With his nose farther back than normal, he sat down and looked at Bill. The old man turned to look at him. Pete whined a bit and stretched out on the rug looking up. The old man reached back and patted him on the head. He told him to be a good boy and to watch the house. He assured him he would be back later. Bill pulled the door open and stepped into the morning air. Heading out of the gate Bill made a left turn. It felt strange after making so many trips going right to the post office. He examined the flaps on his shirt pockets to ensure that they were neatly buttoned. It was mostly out of nervousness. He crossed the street and continued on his way. He began rehearsing what he was going to say when he reached the hospital. Long before he got to the main part of his proposed speech, he stopped. He shook his head in disgust of some of the words he had chosen. The hospital was still several blocks away. He would have to try to come up with something else on the way. He rolled some new phrases around in his mind thinking how they would sound. His thoughts kept returning back to Betty and Tim. He couldn’t let them down. On the other hand, he sure didn’t want to upset Tom and make things worse. The morning air was cool and the fresh smells from the bakery were back in the air. Bill picked up their scents from time to time while he strolled along. It jolted him away from his mental burden. Bill thought he might stop by there on the way home and pick up some things. The smell of the fresh bread and pastries being baked filled his nose. It reminded him that he had skipped his breakfast. The wonderful aromas made him hungry and his stomach growl. When the hospital started coming into view, Bill’s pace slowed to a crawl. He still wasn’t sure what he was going to say to Tom, but he had little time left to give it more consideration. He began to mutter to himself how stupid he was. He was disgusted he couldn’t think right. He wanted so badly to know what to say and how to say it. He finally gave up on rehearsing any new thoughts. He reached the door of the main entrance into the hospital. Whatever he said to Tom now, would have to do.

He approached the receptionist like some lost child. He was very timid in his questioning of where he could find Tom. The lady smiled and pointed him towards the elevator. She relayed his room number. She could see Bill’s lost look and wrote it down, thinking he might forget it before he got there. Bill stared at the sticky note with the number on it. Folding it over, Bill stuck it into his pocket and shuffled away. It seemed like an eternity while he waited for the elevator doors to open. He stood there feeling his nerve leave him. He was lost in his thoughts. His palms began to sweat. He rung his hands together and rubbed them against his tros to remove the moisture. The ding of the elevator, when it reached the ground floor, brought him back to reality. He watched the two doors separate as they opened. He had to force his feet to move onto the small floor inside. He punched the fourth floor button. The doors closed. When he reached his destination, he drew in a big breath and walked off the elevator. The pungent odor of the hospital smells hit him like a hammer. He began looking around for the sign showing room numbers with directions. According to the arrow on the wall, he had to go to his left to reach Tom’s room. He turned to head down the hallway. His heart was in his throat. The hall was filled with nurses and Doctors going about their business. Most of them smiled, but said nothing to greet the old man. Bill continued along his way. One nurse, sensing his apprehension, stopped and asked if there was anything she could help him with. Bill paused looking at her. He asked if she could point him to Tom Morrison’s room. She smiled and turned to walk with him. They both headed on down the hallway. “Are you a relative of Mr. Morrison sir?” “No, not really. Well, let me say that we have met a couple of times, but I’m not family. I know his wife and son. They are really hurting right now so I thought I might speak to him. I want to try to make him understand how much they love him and need him. Oh Hell, what makes the difference? I’m here to tell him not give up.” “I understand perfectly. He’s been pretty cranky the last few days. The Doctor is worried he is giving up on getting better. Some patient’s go through stages like that. Maybe you can talk to him and let him know that we’re all concerned. Could I get you a cup of coffee or something to drink? I’d be happy to bring it to

you in the room.” The old man smiled at the nurse and nodded. “Boy Ma’am. That would really be nice, if it’s not too much trouble. I didn’t make any this morning and I could sure use some right about now. Black and strong would be fine.” The nurse stopped outside of Tom’s room. She swung her hand out to offer Bill the path in. He hesitated for a split second. Bill proceeded to knock gently on the door. He pushed it open and peered inside. Tom was propped up on a couple of pillows. His bed was slightly elevated. Tom turned to see who it was that was coming in. After seeing Bill, he turned back to the window, like he wasn’t interested in accepting company. Bill walked to the side of Tom’s bed and stopped. He cleared his throat, waiting for his tongue to start working. “Hello Tom. I’m Bill, Bill Potter. Do you me?” Tom slowly turned his head back towards the old man at his bed side. His eyes were glazed over. He gave Bill an ugly stare. The tubes that ran into his arms were loaded with plastic bags. There were monitors standing on poles around his bed. He worked his lips back and forth trying to moisten them. He nodded letting Bill know he recognized him. He continued to look into the old man’s eyes. “Tom. I hear you’re getting better, but the nurse tells me you need to push yourself more. That is, if you’re planning on getting out of here anytime soon. You know Betty and Tim are really counting the minutes you’re in here. It’s getting pretty hard on them watching you be in here.” Tom’s eyes turned to an angry glare. Bill had never seen this look. Tom moved his right arm to grab the hand rail of the bed. He tried to turn himself away from the old man. Unable to do so, he found the right button to unleash his anger on Bill. “I’lllll never”, a pause broke up his comments, “get ooouut of herrrrrre! Go aawaaay. Leeeve me alllone.” Bill stood silently for a moment. He walked to the opposite side of Tom’s bed.

He bent down to get eye level with Tom. “Now you listen to me Tom and hear me well damn you! I never had a family but, I got my butt moving again after I was hurt. Many years ago, I was crippled up for months. Do you think you’re going to get out of this mess without a fight? I’ve never met a man like you with so much to live for want to lie down and give up. That wife of yours is beside herself, not to mention Tim. That boy is nearly worried to death about you. They need you to try to get back on your feet for their sake. I don’t give a rat’s butt what you think of me Tom Morrison, but don’t you even act like you’re all finished or washed up. A man may not like the hand that’s been dealt him, but he’s got to play it like it comes. He needs to do the best he can with it. I didn’t want to come here today Tom. I don’t like prying in other folk’s problems. I have enough of my own to work out. You left me no choice in this matter. The way you treat that pretty wife of yours is downright shameful. She didn’t do this to you. All she thinks about is praying that you get better. Damn it Tom! She is ready to do whatever it takes to help you and to be by your side on this. You just shut her out like she’s nobody important. You get yourself moving anyway you can. You make yourself do whatever it takes to get the Hell out of here and back home. I’m sorry Tom, but I had to say my peace about this.” Bill was shaking all over. His temper, which normally stayed hidden, had been unleashed. Bill knew there was no stopping it once it got out. Tom was making facial expressions at Bill that would have stopped a clock. Bill could tell he wanted to explode at him for saying all these things. “Yooouu don’t knnnow. Donnn’t tell meee whaat too do!” Bill stood his ground fervently. He knew it was now or never for this man to get his attitude straightened out. If Bill failed, he might never get back. He cleared his throat and leaned over closer to Tom. He clenched his teeth and began to squint his eyes. “I’m only going to say this one more time and then I’m walking out of that door Tom. You have more reason to live than any man I know. Now you’re willing to throw all that away so you can lie here and feel sorry for yourself! I pity you. I really do. I thought Tim’s father would be a better man then that. It seems I was wrong about you. When you look back on all of this and you’re all alone, you might wish you had listened to me. I’m not going to run home and sit around

feeling sorry for you. You understand that Tom. From now on, you’ll be the only one doing that. I don’t want to be any part of it.” Bill straightened up. He turned away as quickly as he could. Still shaking, he shuffled out of the room. When he closed the door behind him he felt his legs getting weak. He hurried down the hall. When he reached the elevator he leaned over to hold himself up by pushing against the wall. He hadn’t wanted to do any of what he had done. He knew someone had to jolt Tom back to the reality of life. Bill felt awful that it had been him. He had forgotten all about his coffee until he saw the nurse heading his way with it in her hand. She handed it to him without speaking. Bill was unaware that several of the staff had overheard the conversation taking place. She knew there was nothing left to add. Bill walked onto the elevator and leaned against the wall. He was mentally exhausted. He reared his head back and closed his eyes. He wondered if anything he had said had sunk in. Leaving the hospital entrance, Bill rested long enough to finish the hot colored water they called coffee. He headed up the street, needing to walk off some of his emotions. He ed the restaurant down the street in the opposite direction. He paused briefly and headed back towards it. He reached the door of the small café and entered it. He didn’t look around at anyone. He was about to sit down when he heard a voice. “Bill. Why don’t you me over here?” Peering around, the old man caught site of the Vet who had fixed Pete up. He was sitting by himself, sipping on a cup of coffee. Bill walked over to him. He greeted him and pulled a chair out. The old man lowered his aching body down into it. He drew in a large breath and scratched his beard. He began to look for a waitress. It was only a moment before an attractive, heavyset girl with the dark hair started moving his way. She was smiling as she approached the table. Her round face was extremely pretty. Her big brown eyes looked almost black. Her hair style would have been popular in the sixties, being full and long. She asked him if he needed to see a menu or knew what he would like. “You know young lady. I think I’ll have two eggs, sunny side up with some bacon and toast. Oh yeah. A big cup of black coffee too, if you don’t mind.” The girl nodded. She walked away jotting down the old man’s order. Bill turned

to the Vet. “You know I never did get back down there to pay you something on Old Pete’s bill, did I? I guess I had better get that done.” The Vet lowered his cup down onto the table and smiled back at the old man. “I thought I told you not to worry about that Bill? Now. How is that ole black dog doing?” Bill was still trying to forget his conversation with Tom. He tried to address the present one. “Well now Doc. Old Pete is doing just fine. You might not believe just how good he is doing. We walk to the post office nearly every day and by God, he even chases an occasional rabbit now and then. He brings me my morning paper, when he decides not to tear the darn thing apart before I read it. Plus, I’m beginning to think I can actually understand him when he talks to me.” “Well it sounds like he is doing just fine to me. I’m really happy that he got all healed up. To tell you the truth, we didn’t give him much of a chance when you first brought him in. I guess the good lord wasn’t ready to take him yet.” The two men chatted while they sipped their coffee. Bill’s breakfast was delivered when his first cup ran out. The old man dug right in, but soon found it much less appealing than he first thought it would be. The conversation that he had with Tom kept coming back and sticking in his mind. Had he done the right thing, or did he make things worse? Half way through the meal he slowed down. He placed his silverware on the side of the plate. He pushed the unfinished meal aside. When the waitress returned to refill their coffee cups, she looked worried that the old man was dissatisfied with his breakfast. She apologized if there had been any problem with it. “I’ll take it back if it wasn’t right sir. It’s no problem at all to do so. Would you like me too?” Bill looked down at the half finished meal. He looked back to the pretty heavyset girl. “No my dear. It was just fine, really it was. I just don’t seem to have much of an

appetite this morning for some reason. Could you put the rest of it in a container for me? I think I would like to take it home for my dog. He will enjoy the rest of it for sure.” The girl smiled at the old man and nodded. She informed him she would be right back with his box. She also asked if he would like any more coffee. Bill shook his head. He turned to the Vet, who had been reading part of the paper that had been setting to the side of his plate. “Well, are you finished Bill? I should be heading out pretty soon. My partner and I try to spell each other a couple of days a week, so each of us can stop by here for some breakfast. My wife really hates to cook. Sometimes, I’m glad she does! I don’t do much cooking myself so this is my treat to myself when I come here.” The old man thought of how many times he had fixed his own meals. He couldn’t understand any woman who couldn’t cook. He also wasn’t going to feel sorry for any man who wouldn’t cook for himself. He didn’t say a word about it, but he was thinking it. “Yes, it can be a bit of work now, can’t it?” When the waitress returned with his container of leftovers, she placed the sack on the table. She slid the check over to Bill upside down. Bill smiled and bid the Doc goodbye. He thanked him again for all that he had done for Pete. The Vet returned a smile to the old man and told him he hoped to see him again sometime for another chat. Bill walked to the counter to pay his bill. He ed he had forgotten the tip. He returned to the table and placed a dollar by the side of his cup for the waitress. He walked out into the bright sunlight and headed back home. The sky was a brilliant blue with traces of a few small clouds floating off to the west. The traffic was scooting along down each side of the street. People were racing to get wherever it was they were going to. Horns honked as some tried to switch lanes without a sign or indication to anyone else. Bill took notice of some of the worst drivers, thinking how rude some people could be. His mind faded in and out of what he had done earlier. The more he gave some serious thought to its potential outcome, the more upset he became. Had he really done it for all of the right reasons? He had no way of knowing for sure how it would all turn out. When he approached his street he waited for two cars that were heading his way.

They ed him standing on the curb, without ever looking his way. It was apparent they were so intent on getting by him, they couldn’t take the time to see him standing there waiting. Bill unlatched the gate going into his yard. He heard Pete barking and whining inside. The old man smiled and closed the wooden gate. He slowly headed up the sidewalk. When he opened the door, Pete was so thrilled he was ready to pee on himself. He began to bark and jump up and down, demanding some attention. The old man reached down to pet him on the head. “Now you’re OK Pete. I told you I would be back. I’m sorry I left you here, but you couldn’t go on that trip. Would you like to finish my breakfast? Yes, I brought you a treat.” Pete was shaking all over with excitement. He barked as he sniffed the bag Bill was holding. Bill removed the Styrofoam box and opened it up. He hadn’t got it all the way down when Pete’s nose became buried in it. He was so excited he nearly knocked it out of the old man’s hand. He started chomping on anything he could get into his mouth. “Now see here young man. You don’t need to be such a pig. You act like you’ve never eaten before. Just settle down.” Pete’s tail never missed a beat. It swung violently back and forth. He continued to gorge himself on the eggs and bacon. His nose carefully pushed the toast out of the way until he had licked every speck of egg up that remained in the box. When he finished both the bacon and eggs, he turned his attention to the lightly buttered toast. At first he smelled all around it, like it was possibly hiding something better under it he couldn’t see. Settling on the fact that nothing more remained but the toast, he picked one piece up and walked over a couple of feet to chew it up. He bit into the remainder of it. Parts of it fell onto the porch. He turned to look at the old man while he chewed away on the bread. Bite by bite it disappeared, until that was all gone. He returned for the final piece. Again he searched in vain for any other tidbit that might be left besides the toast. He gave up and removed the final scrap to finish it off too. When he had finished licking every square inch of the box, he had taken it across the porch. Bill stopped him by picking it up. He walked down into the yard and headed for his trash can in the back. Pete remained glued to his side. The dog

had gotten so excited he was panting like it was 100 degrees out. After tossing the container into the trash, they both returned to the porch. Bill lowered his aching body down into the chair for some rest. Pete returned to his normal position at Bill’s feet. The long journey to the hospital and restaurant had worn the old man out. His back was starting to give him fits. He continued to squirm back and forth, trying to find a comfortable spot. Sadly for Bill, the pain lingered on. He gave up on finding a position that didn’t hurt. He rested his head on the back of the chair and closed his eyes. He soon began to doze off. Bill drifted deeper and deeper into his sleep. His mind started working overtime. He began to dream that he was driving down the street in an old pickup. Pete was riding next to him in the cab. He didn’t know where they were, but Pete was in heaven. He loved having his head stuck out of the enger window. They were cruising through a beautiful countryside back drop with wide open pastures and fields. Bill was listening to his old music while they drove along. Both he and Pete were enjoying each mile of the drive. The dream was vividly real for some reason. When he finally woke up, every part of it stuck in his mind. Bill shook his head when he realized it was a dream. He was confused why he would have such a vision. He hadn’t driven in years, plus he had never owned a pickup. Bill couldn’t think of a time when he had yearned for that privilege again. He brushed it off as a silly thought. His body was still painfully stiffened up. Bill fought to get up out of the chair to go inside. He would take some aspirin, in hopes it would reduce some of his pain. Pete jumped up and followed him to the door. He cut in ahead of the old man, making sure he wouldn’t be left outside by himself. Bill walked to the bathroom and opened the white steel framed medicine cabinet. It had two glass shelves left. The other two had gotten broken years back when Bill attempted to clean them. He pulled out the generic bottle of small white pills and removed three of them. He tucked them into his hand and walked to the kitchen for a drink of water. After swallowing them he headed for the couch, taking a moment to grab another book from his shelf. He wasn’t especially interested in exactly what he selected. He figured some reading might get his mind occupied enough it would wander away from the pain he was in. The old man sat down on the couch. Pete moved to his normal position and pointed to the empty cushions with his nose. Bill looked down at him. He reached over to stroke his head with his weathered hand.

“Yes buddy, you can come up here with me. Come on now. Get up here so I can started on my book in peace.” Pete jumped up onto the couch and walked in his circles. He decided to get closer to Bill this time. Working his way next to Bill, he dropped down onto the cushion adjacent to the old man. He pushed his nose tightly up against his leg. He pulled his front legs in and wrapped his tail around his lone hind leg. His eyes looked up at the old man, though his head never left the cushion. Bill paused before he opened his book and began to pet the pitiful looking dog. “You know Pete. I might have done something terribly wrong today. If I have done the wrong thing, I’ll hate myself for it. I went to go see Tim’s dad in the hospital. I might have said some things that I will regret later, if it goes wrong. I don’t know why I get myself into these situations old friend. Sometimes I think I would be much better off keeping my darn mouth shut.” Pete was looking up at Bill with a sadness in his eyes. He understood that the old man was hurting. Pete seemed to know he could do nothing about it. Bill continued to pet him gently. The dog raised his head to lick the old man’s hand. It was in a gentle way, to assure him he still loved him. Pete was careful to give his doggy kisses in a way not to be annoying. After a brief period of showing his love, he stopped and rested his chin on Bill’s leg. The old man knew Pete was his closest friend in the world. He was so moved by Pete’s look of love, his eyes lit up a bit. “Yes buddy, I love you too. You know that don’t you? I don’t know what I would do if something ever happened to you. I don’t think I could make it if you weren’t here with me, to help me out and be my friend. I wish I could offer you more than you ended up with by being with me. You should have had a fine home with a big yard to run in. Maybe some kids to play with, instead of an old foggy like me. But, I sure thank God for thinking enough of old Bill to send you to me. You’re my best friend aren’t you?” The old man turned to his reading, but try as he could, there was just no way of keeping his mind on the story lines. It wasn’t the content of the book. It was his mood and his thoughts about what he had said to Tom that occupied him. After finding himself loosing track of what he had read, he closed the book and placed it on the table next to his radio. His mind was completely lost in the complexity of judgment he was weighing against himself. He contemplated the outcome

again. If it all went wrong, what would he do? If Betty and Tim turned on him because of his intervention, he would be crushed. Now he was lost for an answer. He couldn’t go forward and there was certainly no way to go back. He turned his radio on, searching through the stations for something new to listen to. After a few twists of the knob up and down the dial, he returned it to his favorite station and set the volume on low. The minutes turned to hours while Bill sat with Pete by his side. Pete would doze off and fall into some doggy dream, where he must have been chasing something. His legs lurched back and forth and his yips and growls emanated in some low sounds. Bill sat watching him until the darkness began to engulf the living room. Bill welcomed the room being swallowed up by its presence. Finally around 9 o’clock, he started moving around in his seat to get his body loosened up so he could get to his feet. Pete lifted his head and dropped down off of the cushions. He began stretching his own ts. “Come on Pete. It’s time you go out for a run before we hit the bedroom.” Pete seemed to be right in tune with that idea. He headed for the front door. He was waiting when Bill arrived. When Bill pushed the door open, Pete stepped out onto the porch. He waited for the old man to him. Bill walked to the edge of the steps and stopped short of going down the stairs. Pete hesitated for a moment, but headed down on his own to go run into the yard. Pete disappeared around the corner of the house into the darkness. Bill stood in the silent night air pondering his day. There were no birds singing now, nor were there any other sounds. The birds had all given up for the day and went to roost. There was no traffic on the street. Bill was dazed by the stillness around him. He didn’t notice Pete hopping back up the stairs, until he nudged Bill’s leg letting him know he was finished. When Bill came out of the bathroom Pete was beside the bed awaiting his arrival. The old man turned the covers down. Pete watched with an intense doggy look. Bill slowly lowered himself down into the bed. He patted the spot next to him. Pete responded and bounded up. The old man stroked his head and ears a few times before he stretched out for some sleep. The house was so quiet, Bill could easily hear each breath Pete would take. It was no time before the shallow breathing turned to snoring when Pete drifted off. Bill kept closing his eyes, but they seemed to have their own agenda and kept popping open on their own. He had no control over them what so ever. The old man lost track of how

long he laid awake. Finally, mentally exhausted, he ed Pete for some badly needed shut eye.

Chapter 16

The News Comes Home

P ete was wide awake when Bill finally opened his eyes the next morning. He was lying beside the old man with his tail wagging as he greeted his master. Bill’s back was painfully sore for some reason. The old man struggled to roll over. Pete was right in his face. A cold nose greeted the half asleep old man right in the mouth. “Now look you. I appreciate your effort, but I don’t need that nose in my face this morning.” Pete barked and headed for the edge of the bed. Happy to face his day, Pete hopped down onto the floor. Bill was still in the bathroom attending to his needs when Pete walked in and sat down to watch him. His tail was still wagging. He would get up, turn around to head out, only to return to his spot. He intended to coax Bill to go with him. “OK, OK! I get the message Pete. You need to go out don’t you? Let’s get going before you have a darn fit.” Bill was trying to tighten his belt up while Pete raced to the door. Bill had barely pushed it open when Pete rushed out and bolted down the steps. Bill eased himself down the steps to get his paper. He was almost to it when a blur went past him. Pete gobbled up Bill’s morning news and stood with it tucked tightly in his mouth. The old man looked on. He turned to head back. “Now why can’t you go do that on your own? You wait until I get here and then you snatch it up. You do that to keep it from me, don’t you?” Pete stood with his head cocked to one side. He continued to hold the paper firmly. Bill headed up the steps to the porch. Pete raced ahead of him in a flash. He stopped at the top, only to turn back and lower his body down. Still wagging

his tail, he growled as he chomped on the paper several times. It was evident to Bill that Pete was convinced they were about to argue over the paper that morning. Bill wasn’t really in the mood. With each attempt to retrieve it from Pete, he simply jumped backwards and ran to the side of the porch lowering his stance again. This formality proceeded on for several times, until the old man’s patience began wearing thin. “Now look here Pete. Give me that damn paper or you and I are going to have a problem! I’m not playing your game this morning. Give me that paper now!” Pete was growing tired of his limited space to maneuver. He bolted down the steps and back into the yard. His speed was amazing for a three legged dog. He headed for a corner of the yard and dropped the paper onto the ground. He barked to tease Bill. Now the old man was really losing his temper. Bill headed down the steps for a confrontation. Bill’s response was about to play right into Pete’s master plan. As soon as Bill got close, up went the paper into Pete’s mouth and off he went. The thought of his back pain left momentarily. Bill’s thoughts turned to making this darned dog mind. “Now you give me that damn paper now Pete! I’m not running all over this yard after you.” Pete ignored the idle threats. He continued to run and drop the paper at will. Bill was trying to circle him in by stretching his arms out to corral him. The more Bill tried, the more Pete tested him. With each lunge, Pete was quick enough he could escape to anywhere he wanted to and he did. Bill made a few more attempts to collar him to no avail. Frustrated, he finally gave up. He was still cursing under his breath and gasping for air when he reached the porch deck. He headed in to start his overdue morning coffee. Pete was still in the yard barking. This was to taunt Bill. The old man was shaking from his ordeal when he arrived inside. He loaded up his pot with the water and grounds and took his cup down. He stood watching the liquid begin to flow into the glass knob at the top of his pot. He began to catch his breath and continued to cuss Pete, but not severely. When the coffee was finished, he headed back to the porch with his insulated pot and his cup. As soon as he opened the door and turned to the table, he saw Pete sitting with a sheepish look on his face. He was sitting right by Bill’s chair.

When the old man moved towards him, he simply lowered his head and dropped the paper onto the porch. He was still wagging his tail, but only about an inch at a time now. His head was still lowered with that hung hound look. Bill reached down to grab the soggy mess. He looked down at Pete. With a single giant sigh, he gave in to the subdued look that Pete was giving him. “Oh yeah, now you’re sorry. After all that darn running around, you want to apologize, right? I ought to scold you for that old boy, but it probably wouldn’t do a darn bit of good now would it?” Pete was acting like he had been publically abused. He turned in a small circle and huddled down. The gesture just destroyed any anger Bill still might have had. He began to take his seat, but stopped short of sitting down. He ed he had come out without a treat for Pete. With a heavy inhaled breath, he returned to the door and went inside. Pete watched with sad eyes knowing he had done something wrong. When Bill returned, he took his seat and leaned over to Pete. “Come on ole boy. Come get your treat. I shouldn’t give you anything, but I guess you just wanted to play this morning?” Pete slowly approached Bill. It was a timid movement of an animal who was ready to take his punishment. Bill smiled when Pete got close enough to the treat to take it. He hesitated until Bill told him it was fine. He gently removed it from the old man’s hand. He lowered his body back onto the porch next to the old man. He placed the treat between his front paws and began to bite off small pieces and chew them up. Bill watched for a moment, then poured his first cup of coffee. Pete finished his biscuit and began licking his paws and front legs. They were covered with slobber from devouring his treat. When he was finished, he got up and came to the old man. He dropped his chin onto the old man’s leg. He wagged his tail ever so slowly. Bill looked out over the top of his cheaters sitting low on the bridge of his nose. He lowered his hand to pet him. He was about to speak to him, but stopped short knowing Pete was fine. Bill continued to thumb thru the pages of the paper. At the classifieds, he stopped at an ad for a used truck. For whatever reason, Bill began to read the entire listing. It stirred an interest because of his dream. For some reason, Bill knew he had to call about this ment.

The old man continued to drink his coffee and read his paper that morning. His timing was great. He finished the paper as the final swallow of coffee was about to go down. He folded the paper up to the truck ad. Bill sat thinking about how he could afford something to drive now. It had been so long since he had sat behind the wheel of anything. His mind wandered in and out of all the reasons why he didn’t need one. For some reason, he couldn’t get his mind off of it. It was mid-morning. Bill had made his customary trips to the bathroom to unload all of the coffee. With three aspirin down, he was now ready for a walk. Pete sensed the anticipation and went to the door wanting in. When Bill opened the door to let him in, Pete went straight for his leash and returned with it in his mouth. He was wagging his tail in excitement. Bill snapped the closure of the leash onto Pete’s collar ring and they headed out. Walking along their way, Bill talked to Pete like he had to get his permission to even discuss this truck he had read about. “You know Pete. We could probably use a pick up like that. Well, you know. If it’s in good shape and all. We sure wouldn’t want to get something that was worn out now would we? What do you think?” The dog was sticking very close to Bill’s leg while they walked. His eyes went from the sidewalk ahead of them to Bill, as if he were contemplating every word the old man relayed to him. A couple of times Bill hesitated in mid stride. Pete would stop and look at him with his tongue hanging out. The warmer weather took its toll on both of them. Bill’s age and Pete’s handicap required them to work harder than anyone else who might be out. When they reached the post office, Pete stopped next to his pole where he knew he had to wait. Bill tied the leash up and went inside to gather up their mail. When he returned, Pete bounced up and down wanting his cache of valuables to carry back. Bill lowered the bundle to Pete and he took it proudly. He gently closed his mouth around it and waited for his command to go. They walked along the streets while the cars moved about heading for their assigned destinations. A few of them, who had gotten used to seeing this motley looking pair, now honked or waved as they hurried along their route. It made Bill feel good to have someone recognize their presence. As each vehicle ed them, the old man would smile and wave. For years no one had ever noticed Bill when he traveled this path alone. Now, he knew it was because of this three legged dog who accompanied him on his daily journey. Bill was tickled to be the

recipient of any acknowledgment. “Well Pete. You sure get some attention from those folks. I guess they like seeing you carry the mail. It must tickle them I guess. You’re just a special character, aren’t you boy?” Pete tried to bark to respond back to the old man’s comments. With his mouth loaded up, it came out muffled. This brought Bill into laughter. When they had reached the house, Bill opened the gate and walked to the porch to gather up his dirty dishes. Pete continued to cling to his load of mail, until they had entered the house. Bill relieved him of his burden when they reached the kitchen. He threw it onto the table for a later sorting. Pete waited patiently for his treat for his efforts. Bill removed one from the bag and handed it to his friend. Pete lay on the floor crunching away at his fabricated bone. Bill walked into the living room to pick up his checkbook. He had barely picked it up when Pete came bounding in with drools running down his lower lip. They were hanging like icicles waiting for the spring thaw. Bill reached for his hankie, only to see them slowly drop down onto the carpet. He wiped Pete’s mouth and tried to dab up the remainder from the carpet. He ended up smearing them around. The old man forgot about them, electing not to let it bother him. He was about to inform Pete of his mess when the dog turned and headed to the door. Bill hadn’t heard a sound, but Pete had and was beginning to bark loudly. Bill ed him at the front door. Bill looked out the door to see Donavon walking up the steps in his uniform. He swung the door open. Pete bolted out to greet their friend. Donavon’s uniform looked brand new. Each piece of brass shined like it had went through some major polishing. His creases were perfect and his black equipment belt stood out with all its attachments. “Well hello there Pete! How are you doing on this lovely morning? Yeah, it’s good to see you too my friend.” Donavon was busy petting Pete. He was rubbing up against one leg and then the other. Bill’s eye sight wasn’t good enough to see how the strands of hair were beginning to cling to Donavan’s pants. It wouldn’t have mattered anyway because the damage was now complete. Donavon straightened back up to speak to Bill. He gazed down at the paper lying on the small table. The ment for the truck caught his eye.

“Good morning Bill. I just thought I should give you a shout this morning and let you know what is going on with Tom. I stopped by the hospital this morning before I went on duty. I saw Betty going in so I wondered what was happening. It’s great news Bill. Betty told me Tom was up and going to therapy for the first time since his stroke. I just thought you would want to know that.” The old man’s smile widened. His heart actually fluttered a bit hearing that great news. “Well now. I sure am glad to hear that Donavon. I have been pretty worried about that to tell you the truth. I guess I sort of, well, said some things to him that were pretty strong. I was worried I might have done more harm than good after doing that.” Donavon’s hand reached for the shoulder of the old man. “No Bill. That’s what I wanted to tell you. Betty says Tom has been a different person since you went to see him. She broke down when I spoke to her this morning. She was crying, but it was all good Bill. She said whatever it was that you told Tom, sure made a big difference. She wanted me to come and tell you, so you would know how thankful she was. She said she could never thank you enough for doing what you did. She knows how hard that must have been on you to do that. She also knows what a chance you were taking. She wanted to stop by to tell you herself, but she’ll be with Tom all day.” The old man’s knees were shaking out of relief. At that moment, it seemed like the world had been lifted off of his shoulders. Bill sank into his chair and dropped his head into his hands in relief. Pete was completely confused. He moved to the old man and licked his hands, trying to console him. “I’m sorry to act like this Donavon. Please forgive me, but you have no idea of how worried I have been that I messed up big time doing that. I felt so sorry for Betty and Tim, I didn’t know what else to do. God I feel better now.” Donavon walked closer to the old man and squeezed his upper arm with a firm grip. “Bill. What you did up there took a lot of guts. I wanted to let you know that. If you hadn’t gone up there and confronted Tom, he might never had seen the whole picture. You should be proud of having a hand in getting him out of that

bed and into rehab.” The old man just stared at his feet for a moment. He lifted his gaze into Donavon’s eyes. “I hope that this doesn’t backfire on me and cause him to hold an ill feeling towards me later on down the road. I just did what I thought was best for him. I simply couldn’t stand by and see Betty and Tim go through anymore of that with him.” The two continued talking about life in general for nearly an hour. Afterwards Donavan causally looked at his watch. He noted that he would have to get moving for work. He tried to reassure the old man that he had been a real trooper in confronting Tom. He should be happy inside to know he was the one who broke the ice with Tom. Donavon told Bill goodbye and walked away. Bill stared at him until he got back into his vehicle. With Pete nailed to Bill’s leg, they watched together as his vehicle disappeared up the street. Once Donavon was gone, Bill returned to the ment for the pickup. He started to think about driving again and how much it would improve his life. He wasn’t getting any younger. Walking to the store for groceries, or any sort of supplies, was getting harder on Bill each year. Having some sort of transportation would make life so much easier for him and Pete. He made up his mind right then and there. If they didn’t want too much for it and if it was in good shape, he would simply have to buy it. He grabbed Pete’s leash in his left hand. Pete responded by barking and prancing around like a pup with a toy. Bill secured it to his collar. They headed for the phone booth a few blocks away from his tiny home. He walked along with Pete, arguing with himself over his decision. Bill kept asking Pete for his advice. The dog ignored him because he was happy simply to be on the move. He seemed much more interested in peeing on every tree along the way, rather than what Bill had to say. By the time the old man reached his destination, the morning was heating up. He felt the sweat beginning to form around his neck and under his arms from the walking he had done. He hesitated for a moment before placing Pete’s leash around the post protecting the phone booth. The yellow concrete filled tube rose out of the sidewalk nearly three feet. It would do nicely as a security point for Pete while Bill spoke on the phone.

He dialed the number from the paper. He waited patiently for an answer. The phone rang several more times. Bill was about to give up when a man’s voice came across the line. “Hello. This is Jim.” “Hello Jim. My name is Bill Potter. I’m calling you about the ad in the paper for that pickup. It is still for sale?” “Why yes it is. Would you like to come and take a look at it? I would be happy to show it to you.” The old man hesitated for a moment. He was trying to figure out what to say. “Well Jim. I don’t have any way to come look at it. I don’t have a car. To be real honest with you, I don’t even have a driver’s license. Well, I used to have one, but it’s a long story. I just saw your add for the truck, but I would like to see it. But like I said, I just don’t have a way to get there.” Jim’s mind was primed like the true horse trader he was. He was extremely curious about this potential buyer and his story so far. Jim had retired several years earlier. He was normally thought of as quite a rounder. The one thing he always was for sure, was up for some new adventure. “Well Bill. Don’t you worry about getting out to my place! If you’re interested in that old pickup, I’d be happy to come by and show it to you. You just tell me where you live and I’ll be by anytime you want me to.” The old man stuttered, trying to keep from sounding like a complete idiot. “Well Jim. If you have a pen and paper, I’ll give you my address. I’ll hope to see you sometime within the next day or two. You don’t have to make any special trip or anything. I really appreciate you offering to do that for me. I’m sorry I can’t get to your place, but if you could bring her by, I’d sure like to see it.” Jim’s laughter was devilish. He assured the old man it was no trouble. He said he was usually in town every day anyway. Bill rattled off his address as a truck roared by. That tuned Pete up and he began to bark at it. Bill was still trying to speak on the phone and calm Pete down when Jim broke in.

“Is that a dog I hear in the background? Sounds like he is all fired up for some reason.” The old man had finally squelched the noise from Pete with some pats on the head. He returned to his conversation. “Yeah, that’s my dog Pete. Were at the phone booth out here on Broadway. A darn truck went by racing its engine so he’s all fired up. Look Jim, I won’t keep you. I’m sure you have stuff to do. I’ll just plan on seeing you when you stop by. Just come through the white gate and up on the porch to the front door when you stop by.” Jim was still laughing to himself when he hung the phone up. He was trying to figure out what kind of a deal this was. Someone with no driver’s license, who had to use a phone booth to make a call sounded pretty odd. Since Jim was an adventurous soul, he would have to find out. He began to assure himself he would never get the truck sold to this old man who had called. Regardless of the outcome, he was so curious he decided to play along anyway. Bill picked up Pete’s leash in his right hand. He caught the distinctive aroma of the bakery just a few blocks down the street. He pondered the urge to go for a brief second and then headed out that way. He was being lured by the wonderful smells flowing through the warm air. Pete moved closer to the old man while they walked along. His tongue began to drop out over his lower front teeth. He began to pant lightly as they continued along the way. When they arrived at the store Bill searched for something to secure Pete’s leash to so he could go on in. He spotted a post next to the corner where an alley sign had once been. The post was old and rusted, but it would be just the ticket to keep Pete from making himself at home by following the old man inside. Pete was annoyed at being left tied up there for some reason. He barked showing his displeasure when Bill moved away from him. Bill told him he would be back shortly and to hush up. He proceeded to the door. Inside the smell of all the freshly baked goods filled his nose. The display case was the same kind the old meat markets had once used. It was filled with all the baked goods one could imagine. There were sticky buns and hot cross buns sitting next to giant loaves of fresh bread. Bill was peering through the backward sloping glass case when he saw a young woman walk out of the back room with a large tray of sour dough rolls. When she slid the door of the case open, it squeaked. The mixture of

aromas floated up making Bill hungry. She slid the pan of rolls into the case on an empty rack and stood up to greet the old man. “Good morning Sir. Can I help you with anything this morning?” Bill looked up grinning. She saw the twinkling eyes of this kind old man. It warmed her heart. “Yes you can young lady. Let me see what I might want here. My goodness. This all looks so good today. I can hardly decide.” “Yes Sir. They smell wonderful don’t they? Can I offer any suggestions or do you have something special in mind? I could also get you a sample of something if you would like me to?” The old man began to reach for his billfold while he continued to gaze at the mouth watering goods behind the glass. “Well, why don’t you wrap up one of those big loaves of bread for me and maybe a couple of those sticky buns, if you don’t mind? I think that would do me for today young lady.” “Why certainly Sir. I’ll bet your wife will be happy to see you bring her home one of these delicious treats too.” The old man was taken back for just a second. “Oh, I don’t have a wife Miss. I just thought I could share one with my ole dog. I’m sure he would be happy to get a little bite of one of those. He’s outside waiting for me. We just smelled the aroma from down the street a ways, so we decided to come by to see what all you had.” The young woman wrapped his rolls up along with a warm loaf of the bread. She tucked them into a sack and rolled over the top to help seal it up. She moved to the cash . Bill followed her along the outside of the counter. He handed her a bill for the goods he had purchased. She made his change and looked right at him. “If you’ll wait for just a second, I’ll go get something for you.”

The old man placed his change in his wallet and front pocket. He watched as she disappeared into the back room. Waiting for her to return, another woman came through the front door and walked to the display case. She ed him, acting like she hadn’t noticed Bill. He looked at her briefly and then back at the counter. The girl returned from the kitchen with a small bag in her hand. She grinned as she handed it to the old man. “Let me walk out with you. I have a treat for your friend, if you don’t mind me giving him one. “Well I guess that would be fine, but you don’t have to do that. He’s spoiled enough as it is.” The young lady headed outside with Bill. Pete came to life instantly when he saw the young woman coming towards him. His tail wagged and he barked a hardy greeting to her. He lowered his head by rocking back on his front legs. She reached to pet him, allowing him to see she was no threat. Pete couldn’t have cared less. He began licking one hand while she patted his head with her free hand. She began to speak to him like you would a child. “You’re a good baby aren’t you? What’s your name boy?” “That’s Pete and he’s my buddy.” She hadn’t noticed his missing leg, until he turned to move closer to her. She removed a small piece of bread from the bag. Bill could see that it had some sort of jam or jelly on it. She offered it to the dog. Pete gently took it from her. He began to wolf it down like he hadn’t eaten in weeks. “Oh my. What happened to his leg? You poor baby.” Bill reached down to pull the leash off of the post. He gazed down at Pete and then at the woman. “That’s a long story. You see, I sort of adopted him after he was hit by a car. He lost his leg because of the accident. He didn’t seem to have any place to go or anyone to take care of him. So we kind of became family. Now he runs the house and allows me to live there.” The young woman was clearly moved by the tale. When she stood up, there was

a certain kindness in her eyes for both Pete and the old man. “Well you two certainly make a handsome pair. I’ll bet you two get along fine.” She reached her hand out and introduced herself. “My name is Connie. Connie Berkstrom.” The old man felt the gentleness in her hand shake and began to smile. Pete stood between them wagging his tail taking turns looking at each one. “I’m Bill Potter. It’s very nice to meet you Connie. Pete and I sure do thank you for helping us this morning. Especially Pete, for that nice treat. I’m sure he won’t mind coming back here from now on.” She laughed and bid them goodbye. She entered the door to the bakery. Pete stared at the door and began to bark again. Bill just headed out gently tugging on his leash to get him to move along. “Now come on Pete. She isn’t coming back. You had your treat ole boy. Now we have to go.” Pete wasn’t sure that Bill had gotten his point. He stopped several times between there and the corner. He would look back because he was certain she might appear again with some sort of extra treat that he knew he should have. It was a slow walk once he found he was being taken away from his new friend. His tail, which normally moved like a windmill, was sadly slow on his way back towards the house. Bill talked to him all the way back. He kept insuring him they would go back again sometime. For now, Pete seemed little interested in such encouragement. Once they had crossed the last street, Pete seemed to pick up the gate. He acted like his return home was now some mission. Bill noticed he was getting faster in his walk. They barely got through the gate to the yard when Pete bounded off. He was out to find somewhere to take care of some apparent business. Bill allowed him to take the leash with him. He seemed in too big of hurry to wait to be released from its hold. Bill eased up the steps slowly. Pete approached from the west side of the yard. He was all happy again and certain he was about to get some reward for his recent actions. Bill opened the house, removed Pete’s leash and walked into the kitchen. Pete followed closely making sure the old man had

the same thing on his mind that he did. The barking started up when Bill opened the cupboard to secure one of Pete’s jerky treats. When Bill handed it to him, he proudly carried it back onto the porch and began to find the perfect spot to enjoy his snack. Bill sat in his chair and leaned back. He was very tired from their walk. His legs were getting old and his back didn’t help matters when it came to long treks. While Bill stretched and turned in his chair, Pete continued to polish off his snack. When Pete had finished his prize, he licked his paws and upper front legs to get any residue of doggy slobber off of them. He completed the task of cleaning himself up and put his head between his paws. He began to slowly close his eyes for a quick morning nap in the sun. Bill watched him as he arched his back trying to relieve the knots of pain now menacing him. Bill was weary and wanted to catch a short nap, but his back was clearly not allowing any such plans. Pete was snoozing right next to him. He soon began snoring loud enough for Bill to hear him. Bill had closed his eyes, but it was just a show. He simply could not ignore the constant pain. Miserable, he sat suffering thru the intense pain radiating through his spine. His mind drifted off to another time when things were different and he was never in pain. Bill sat there in his chair, slowly rocking it out of habit. The old man day dreamed of a time long ago before his back had been injured. He ed the summer mornings. He couldn’t wait to get to work and climb aboard some locomotive. He could still smell the diesel fuel that coated the undercarriage. He smelled the creosote bleeding from the freshly laid ties when the intense heat from the sun caused it to bubble out of them. He could feel the throttle handle cradled in his powerful hand. It controlled the very life of the entire train. He could hear the clicks of the giant iron wheels crossing each track t while the train moved along its restricted path. Although Bill knew he had no power over where it went, it still seemed like he controlled every motion of a thousand tons of metal and cargo. He was still reliving his past world when his body just gave in. The exhaustion of fighting all the pain finally subdued him. He fell into a deep sleep. His body, now slowly unwinding from the tenseness, relaxed as the old man drifted deeper into his needed rest. The wind picked up to a gentle breeze. The fresh air danced around him while he slept. It would sometimes cause his long hair to dance about. The sunbeams darted in and out between the leaves and branches when an opening appeared. They moved like a young woman across some dance floor to

music that controlled her every motion. The near silence of the day allowed Bill and Pete to rest unbothered. The clock ticked away the seconds, minutes and finally the hours. Bill was deep into a dream when he was startled back into consciousness by some force inside him. It was a rude awakening for the old man. Bill found his entire body stiff from sitting so long. He opened his eyes to the daylight finding his pupils fighting to adjust so he could see. He was weak, like he had ran for miles. He seemed more tired than when he had sat down to rest. He arched his head back and narrowed his eyes to the light. He wondered why such times occurred. Why would he be so exhausted after sleeping and what time was it anyway? Bill was confused and he didn’t like it. The old man struggled to regain his wits. His movement rousted Pete from his long nap too. Pete slowly raised his body upright. He lowered his front legs to stretch his back. He rocked back on his rear leg. He lost his balance and fell on his butt. Pete needed to stretch his tired muscles also, but he had gone too far. He turned to Bill causing the old man to laugh at his surprise. Pete got back up and rested his head on the old man’s leg. His tail began wagging. His eyes maintained that sad doggy look. He moved his head closer to Bill’s hand for some attention. His tongue gently licked each finger in a gesture of love. Bill looked down at his watch to see the hour hand closing in on noon. He shook his head in disgust, due to the exhaustion in his entire body. He pushed himself out of the chair. Bill forced his legs to start moving. He headed for the front door. Pete was beside him and looked up to make sure Bill ed that he could not open the door by himself. The old man smiled and assured him he knew his job only too well. Once inside the tiny home, Bill walked to the bathroom to splash some cool water on his face. It gently coaxed him back to life. He continued to fill his weathered hands with the refreshing water and raise them to his face. When he finished he grabbed the face towel and wiped away most of what he had dripping back into the sink off of his beard. He laid the towel on the side of the sink. “Well Pete my boy. Your old master seems to be falling to the ravages of his age. I sure hate getting older my friend, but I guess you’ll find out soon enough what I’m talking about.” Pete listened intently to the old man speak with such a soft voice. Bill raised up

and moved away from the sink. Pete allowed him to take the lead out of the bathroom. He seemed content to follow up the rear for the time being. The kitchen was Bill’s next stop. Soon the smell of bacon frying in an old cast iron skillet filled the kitchen. Pete listened to the popping and cracking with anticipation. The tiny specks of grease escaping from the hot pan landed all around the stove while Bill watched it cook. He set his carton of eggs next to the skillet with the lid open. He deemed it a good day for some late breakfast. Bill walked to the cupboard to gather up a plate. When the bacon had shrunk down and turned to a golden brown color, Bill carefully lifted each slice out and placed them in a row on his plate. He snatched up the chilled eggs one by one. He cracked them on the side of the old frying pan to fracture their shells. His old fingers were sometimes clumsy, except when it came to separating the shells of his favorite food. He lowered each egg into the skillet until his fingers were almost touching the scalding grease before he finished opening them. The fluid content of each one slipped from its enclosure into the hot grease. They each came to rest in somewhat of a circle as the hot fluid solidified the white edges. While Pete watched the old man, his eyes would sometimes wander around the room, like he was inspecting it for intruders. His smell was keen and he knew he would end up with some of the booty before it was all over. Bill would turn to look at him and assure him his was forthcoming. The old man waved his salt and pepper shakers over the eggs. They had to be up to his liking. His toaster was filled with two slices of the fresh bakery bread. Bill turned to his fridge and removed his butter dish along with his fig preserves. He removed them and placed them on the table. His mouth began to water in anticipation. His stomach was growling like he hadn’t eaten for days. He pulled the large jug of milk from its resting place and filled his glass nearly to the brim. When he returned to his stove the whites were nearly done. He carefully slid his spatula under each one and placed them next to his bacon. Sunnyside up was his favorite way of fixing them and these two happened to be nearly perfect. He turned the gas valve off and slid the skillet to another burner. He picked up his plate and headed for the table. Pete started to get up twice, but remained down on the floor. He had learned his wait would be a bit longer. Next on the list was his bread. It turned brown as it cooked inside of the toaster. When both slices popped up, Bill plucked them out of their slots and headed back to his plate. He coated each one with a large slab of butter and scooped up some of his favorite

preserves to top them off. Bill took his fork in his right hand and began cutting up his eggs. After breaking each yoke, to allow the hot yellow fluid to flow out over each one, he was ready. While he sat there munching on his untimely breakfast, he began to think about that truck again. For some reason he just couldn’t get it out of his thoughts. “God, it would be wonderful to have something to get around in Pete. I think we need something to go to the store in. Well, you know, with me getting a bit older and all. Plus this winters going to be slick. Walking those old sidewalks will be hard for both of us. Don’t you agree old boy?” Pete was attentive, yet seemed puzzled by this particular conversation. Bill was sure Pete would find the use of a truck to his liking. Bill continued to eat while he envisioned them both heading down to the river so Pete could explore some new territory. He thought about places they could go together and how they could run to Hannibal or even Canton, if they wanted to. When he finally came back to his senses he had nearly finished one of the eggs and most of the bacon and toast. He stopped and gazed at what was left. Bill decided he needed to save some for Pete. He finished cutting up the remaining egg and gently broke the rest of his bacon and toast up. He placed them across the plate with the remaining egg. He had no more than finished when Pete jumped up and began to bark at him, requesting his portion. Pete assumed he had been patient long enough. The old man just rolled his eyes and laughed. Bill headed for Pete’s area so he could dine too. “Now you know you always get yours so quit your complaining. I kind of got a little bit carried away today, so don’t get your hackles all in an uproar.” Bill set the dish down for his friend. Pete was quick to get a couple of good sniffs in before stuffing his big nose right into the middle of it. He never stopped wagging his tail all the time he devoured each morsel. His jaws were smacking together like a couple of trip hammers. He only paused when three bites were all fighting for a trip down his throat at the same time. His head rotated from the front to the back trying to make the food slip down. He nearly choked on what he had engulfed. The old man watched in disbelief while Pete continued to chow down. Bill thought, what a glutton. He watched for Pete to complete his assault on the plate. When Pete had finally finished chomping down all remnants of

what had once been, he licked the entire plate from front to back. He had to ensure he hadn’t missed one speck. He was still searching for any trace of egg yolk when Bill reached for the plate. When he did, Pete backed away staring at him as if he had stolen his prize possession. “Now there isn’t anything left on there. You’ve cleaned that plate darn near to nothing. If you right old boy, you had a pretty nice snack at the bakery and now this. You quit acting like your starved.” Bill was chuckling to himself while he cleaned up the kitchen. He kept thinking how funny this old dog could be when he was on a mission. He washed and dried all of the dishes including his pan. Bill was finishing up putting them away when Pete turned towards the front door. Bill watched Pete head out, even though no sound had been heard. Pete bounded out of the kitchen heading to the door when Bill finally heard a loud knock. Pete was raising a fuss when Bill arrived and pulled the door back. There stood a shorter man with dark hair. It had a hint of grey running through it. He was stocky built. Bill was face to face with a set of eyes that amazed him. This man had the most devilish looking eyes Bill had ever seen. He was drawn into them. His hands were large for his size. Bill could see they were no strangers to hard work. Jim was built like a wrestler. His smile was infectious. “Hi there. Are you Bill Potter? I’m Jim Farris. You know, the one with the pickup for sale you called about. I hope I’m not bothering you.” The old man was trying to speak. Pete headed out expecting some attention from this man who had apparently come to see him. Jim gazed down at Pete and began petting him and rubbing his neck. “Yeah, I’m Bill Potter. Would you like to come in? I’d sure like to talk to you and get some information on that truck of yours, if you don’t mind.” Jim stood for a second looking around. “Well Bill. I decided to drive it over here to show it to you. It’s right out front if you’d like to see it first. Then we can talk turkey about it.” The old man stepped onto the porch. He looked towards the curb to see what Jim had brought. While Bill walked towards the steps, he heard Farris speak to Pete.

“And what’s your name boy? You look like a good dog to old Jim. I’ll bet your Bill’s best friend, now aren’t you?” “Yes that’s Pete. Pete the dog I guess. We found him along the street after he got hit by a damn car. That’s how he lost that back leg of his. But he gets along fine now. I guess he didn’t have anywhere else to go, so we sort of moved in together. Now he’s my shadow.” Jim looked at Pete. He was wagging his tail and nudged up against Jim’s leg. Jim reached down once again and stroked his fur on top of his tail and began scratching it. “Oh yes. Old Jim can reach that spot you can’t get to boy. I’ll bet you’ll look fine sitting up there with Bill in that truck.” They all proceeded to the curb. Pete began searching out some clump of weeds to pee on. He rocked his side up to strike his pose. Jim began to laugh out loud at Pete’s behavior. “Well Pete. Old Jim has felt like peeing on some trees before, but I have to do it out in the country, or they might take me to jail.” Jim watched Bill’s eyes widened with each glance he took. It was an older Chevy half ton pickup and it was bright red. Bill didn’t know it, but almost everything Farris owned was red. It was his favorite color. It had a very clean appearance and the tires were nearly new. It was a standard cab. The whole vehicle shined like it was new. They walked around it while Pete smelled each and every square inch of the grass next to the sidewalk. When they reached the driver’s door, Jim stopped and opened it up for the old man to see in. Bill peeked in. Jim could see his excitement. Although many thought Jim to be somewhat heartless, he was actually quite the opposite. “It’s got a V-8 small block Bill and automatic transmission. The radio works great and so does the air conditioning. It’s only got 30 thousand miles on it. I bought it at an estate auction last year. I liked the color and the condition it was in. But, I hardly ever drive it. I really need the room in my garage, so I listed it. What do you think of the old girl?” The old man had barely heard one thing Jim said. He was so engrossed in this wonderful old truck. He slid up closer to inspect the interior, but stopped short of

touching anything on the truck. In the wink of an eye, Pete was standing by the open door. He jumped up to put his front feet on the floorboard. Bill was shocked back into reality. He began to grab Pete to pull him away. “Hey you. Get your darn feet out of the man’s truck.” Jim quickly interceded with some calming words for Bill. “Now you let him along. If he wants up in there, he isn’t going to hurt anything. Hell, he’s just getting up there to see where he is going to set after you buy it Bill.” Jim’s laughter roared with his amusement. “Why don’t you and him both get up in there and see how it fits?” Bill looked back at Jim momentarily. He began to ease his way up into it. Pete shot past him like a bullet. He launched himself from the floorboard up onto the seat by the enger window. Before Bill could open his mouth, he heard Jim laughing again. “You see Bill. He knows that this is going to be his truck. I’d say from the looks of things, he’s pretty happy about it!” The old man climbed up into the seat and began leaning back into the soft seat. He placed his hands on the steering wheel. His eyes began to light up when he scanned the inside of the cab. It was all like new. The dash didn’t have a spot of dust on it anywhere. The small rugs Jim kept on the floor felt soft under Bill’s feet. He continued to look around while Jim reached in and pointed to the key in the ignition. “Just turn that key and fire her up Bill. I think you’ll be surprised at just how quiet she is.” The old man reached down for the key to start it up. Jim and Pete both watched. With a single twist the engine roared to life and began purring. It was smooth and barely audible in the cab. Bill began to smile boldly while he listened to the truck’s power plant running. “You’re right Jim. This truck is really quiet. Boy this sure is a nice truck. I think

me and old Pete will have to think this over pretty seriously though. We want to make sure we’re getting the right thing, before we jump in.” Jim pushed the door closed and winked at the old man. Why don’t we just take her out for a spin and we’ll talk along the way. I’ll get in on the other side, if you don’t think Pete would mind.” Jim walked to the other side and opened the door. Pete looked at him like he wasn’t planning on moving one inch. When Jim approached the cab, Pete finally moved over next to Bill and sat back down. Jim closed the door and rolled the window down. With a wide grin, he leaned over looking at Bill. “Well, just drop it in gear and we’ll take a spin in her.” Bill froze up staring at the street. He knew he didn’t have a valid driver’s license. He became embarrassed and turned to Jim. Jim was watching with anticipation. “Well, maybe we should just look her over from here and not take it out. I don’t think that would be a good idea quite yet. I uh, well you see, I don’t have a license anymore. Since I haven’t had a vehicle for years, this probably isn’t a good time to take off.” Jim laughed out loud. He looked down at Pete and then at Bill. “Well Bill. I’m sure it will all come back to you. So put this thing in gear and let’s get going. Hell, you can’t hurt it.” The old man hesitated for a moment, not wanting to oblige Jim’s request. He placed his foot down on the brake. His right hand reached for the gear shift. When he dropped it into gear his hands began to sweat and his heart raced. He felt it clear up in his throat. He turned his head to look behind him. Bill eased it away from the curb. Wondering what was going on, Pete looked straight ahead and barked, nearly scaring both Jim and Bill to death. They both jumped a bit. Jim began laughing again. “Damn Pete. You need to warn old Jim when you’re going to do that. You nearly gave me a heart attack.” Bill was soon heading down the street away from his house. He cautiously slowed at the first intersection. He turned the corner to his left, without a sign of

a signal. He began to curse at his own stupidity. “Damn it! Hell, I didn’t even turn the signal on. Maybe this isn’t such a good idea after all.” Jim laughed. He assured the old man there wasn’t anything to worry about. He calmly told Bill he was doing just fine. Jim decided they should head out of town towards his place, just in case. “Bill. Go down two more blocks and then take the next left. Let’s get this thing out in the country so you can get used to it. We’ll head out to where I live. There are some good blacktops to drive on out there. You won’t have so many distractions after we leave town.” Bill followed Jim’s instructions and began to head towards the edge of town. Bill was really nervous sitting behind the wheel of the truck, but it was all coming back to him. He actually began to smile again. His mind was focused on what he was doing. He tended to weave a bit, trying to keep the truck in the center of his lane as he drove. Pete was getting into this riding routine. It was his very first ride. He would look at one side of the road and then to the other. Jim watched while Pete inspected each side for anything of interest. He acted like he was a person, riding along enjoying the view. The stops were jerky and sudden. Bill tried desperately to reacquaint his feet to the brake pedal. Power brakes this sensitive threw him off. He had never driven with them before. Jim would laugh with each stop and assure the old man he was doing fine. When they approached the edge of town, Jim encouraged Bill to speed up a bit in case there might be some traffic coming up behind them. He told Bill it might bring some unwanted attention. Bill seemed nervous, but slowly eased the truck up to a steady speed. The black top was smooth for the most part. The edge of the road dropped off where erosion had occurred in a few spots. Jim was trying to temper his amusement with some badly needed praise for the old man. He reached over now and then to pet Pete in between their conversations. Pete was completely oblivious to any apprehension Bill was feeling. He was in doggy heaven with this ride. The hills soon became steep and winding. Bill allowed the truck to creep up towards 50 mph. Jim was not paying attention to the road anymore as he should have. He gazed across the pastures and timber ground that covered the sides of

the road they drove on. They were about half way to the small village Jim called home when danger struck. As the pickup crested the hill top, a large tractor pulling a farm implement suddenly appeared in front of them. It was taking up nearly every inch of the narrow road. Bill saw his potential chance of a collision. He instinctively jerked the wheel. He reached for the brake pedal with his right foot. The sudden force on the brake system had not been applied before. The old man stomped on the brake in his panic. The left front wheel cylinder let loose causing an eruption of brake fluid to spew out of the assembly. The fluid rapidly drained from the system leaving the truck with no brakes. Bill didn’t notice the pedal fading away towards the floor board. Pete was now nose to nose with the windshield being thrown forward. Jim was bracing himself on the window frame and the dash with his hands. Bill had a death grip on the steering wheel. His foot continued to press downward on the fading brake. “Watch it!” Jim shouted, but the truck barely slowed. Their speed was reduced nowhere near enough for them to avert some sort of collision. Bill was yanking the wheel to the right towards the ditch. The two right tires dropped off the road and began to sink into the mud alongside of the road as they started back down a large hill. Bill was clearly in panic mode now. His eyes were fixed on the huge John Deere tractor and the wide load it was pulling. The ditch was inclined enough that the pickup tilted over to its right. Luckily it never rolled over. The three scared engers bounced around inside the pickup’s cab. The truck was inches from the implement when it crossed over farther into the ditch. A large crunch ensued. The mirror on the driver’s side exploded as it was ripped from its mount. The side of the bright red truck was nearly touching the planter behind the tractor. By some grace of God, it missed catching the planter and they ed it without further . Now the brake pedal was completely on the floor. The truck picked up speed as it headed towards the bottom of the hill. It was partly in the ditch and partly on the black top. Jim saw the bottom of the hill coming up fast. The road went to the left at the bottom of that hill. Jim barely noticed the large gate opening into the pasture they were heading at. Bill was nearly blind with fear. His old hands gripped the wheel and his eyes were glued straight ahead. Jim knew it was pointless to try to get his attention. It seemed this ride was destined to end up in some tragic turn of events.

Pete was digging in for all he was worth. His toe nails and rough pads were no match for the slick material covering on the seat. He slid down onto the floor face first with his butt sticking straight up. A whimpering yelp erupted from him. Jim attempted to grab Pete on his way down to the floor. The bottom of the hill was upon them in a flash. With a blessing from someone who had apparently been watching over this unusual cast, the trucks right front tire caught traction. It vaulted the front end of the pick up over just enough. The pickup shot through the narrow gate hole in a blur. It missed both large hedge wood anchor posts, which had once held a large steel gate. Each post was nearly 8 inches in diameter and would have torn an entire side off the truck at the speed it was going. Bill’s hands were dripping with sweat. His thought process had gone missing several hundred feet back up the road. The truck was starting to slow down as the tall grass in the pasture and the rough surface of the ground began to slow its progression. Pete was sitting on the floor with his back against Jim’s left leg. His side was plastered up against the dash. His front legs were straight out and his eyes were the size of silver dollars. Jim was still braced against the dash. Suddenly his hand slid along the dash towards the ignition switch. Bill was still lost in his own world of fear. The farmer, who was driving the tractor, had turned to view the truck tearing down the hill out of control. He stopped his tractor at the top of the hill fearing the worst for the occupants and their outcome. He jumped out of the tractor’s cab and headed down the hill on foot to check on their situation. The truck was now nearly stopped. The engine idled away smoothly. When the last rotation of the wheels had stopped, Jim finally spoke. “You Ok Bill? Bill listen to me, are you hurt?” The old man, still with a death grip on the wheel, finally snapped out of his trance. He began to turn his head ever so slowly. Jim caught sight of his eyes. At that moment, Jim knew everyone was OK. Seeing the amusement now that it was over, made him laugh out loud. “Wow! That was some ride Bill! I thought we were going over for sure. Then, seeing those posts coming right at us. Well, it sure scared the Hell out of me.” Pete was trying to climb back up on the seat. He strained his rear leg to push himself up. Bill let go of the wheel when Jim reached for the ignition and turned

the key off. Bill grabbed his door handle and pushed it open. His shaking legs worked to hold him up. They seemed of little use and he hit the ground. Pete looked for a second at the open door and leaped out onto the tall grass. He began to bark like he was chewing Jim and Bill both out with no mercy. He moved away from the truck and cocked his partial leg up. He began to pee all over everything in sight. Bill was speechless. He fumbled and searched for some way to get back up. His hands were nearly useless from the weakened state he was in. He groped for anything to grab onto. Jim was heading around to help the old man up when Bill caught hold of the opening on the door . He slowly pulled himself to his feet. Seeing Bill trying to remain standing alerted Jim to his condition. “Bill. You ought to be a damn stock car driver. That was some pretty good driving for someone with no license!” Jim’s attempt at levity was lost on Bill. It brought no smile to the old man’s face. Jim was coming around the front of the truck when the farmer appeared at the rear of the pickup. Bill was hanging onto the door frame and began to tear up. His eyes filled quickly, realizing how close they had come to getting killed. Jim and the farmer watched helplessly. The old man began to sob and started shaking all over. Pete was sitting next to the old man licking his hand. He whined while the old man cried. “I am so sorry for all of this. I shouldn’t ever have gotten behind the wheel. Look what I’ve done to your truck. I could have killed all of us. This is all my fault. Oh God, what have I done?” Bill began to lose his legs. He slipped farther down the door until he came to rest on his knees. He was crying like a child. The farmer watched Jim as he moved towards the old man. He reached down to secure Bill with a firm grip. He tried to pull him back onto his feet. The farmer moved in to assist him. “Bill it’s Ok. You didn’t do anything wrong. Things like this happen. It was just an accident. I’m Ok and old Pete here seems to be fine too, so let it go.” His voice was gentle. The two men pulled Bill to his feet. Jim turned to look straight into the old man’s eyes. He knew the old man needed a friend right now. He was determined to be just that. The farmer looked at Jim.

“I’m real sorry about all of this. I should have been over more coming up that hill. I just wasn’t thinking about meeting someone coming at me right there. How can I be of help?” Jim was trying to get Bill to get back into the truck to sit down. The old man was having none of it. He figured he’d had enough of sitting in the driver’s seat for today. Jim walked him to the tailgate. He motioned for the farmer to lower it down so that Bill could sit on it. Once they got Bill sat down, Jim moved away from the truck with the farmer in tow. “We might need a pull to get us out of here. Could you help me with that in case we do?” The farmer headed out to move his machinery so he could get home and come back with his truck. It took every second that ed to calm the old man down. Bill was beside himself with grief. Jim tried every gesture of comedic come back he could think of to lessen the old man’s guilt. He kept telling him it was nothing to get upset about. The truck could be fixed and he wasn’t a bit mad at the old man. It brought him back somewhat, but the damage had been done. The old man was clearly affected by the incident. The farmer soon arrived with his four wheel drive pickup. Once Jim and the farmer had secured the trucks together with a long chain, Jim got Bill and Pete back into the truck. This time Jim climbed into the driver’s seat. The chain began to tighten between the trucks. They made a large circle and headed for the gate hole. When they pulled back onto the road Jim eased the brake pedal down to prevent slack from building up in the chain. He noticed there was no sign of any brakes. He honked the horn and the farmer stopped. Jim applied the emergency brake to stop the truck and jumped out. He peered underneath the truck. He spotted the fresh brake fluid covering the inside of the left front wheel. He walked to the farmer’s truck and spoke with him, indicating that he could not slow the truck down without the emergency brake. Jim felt he needed to know. The farmer assured him he would take it very easy. He would watch out for them in the mirror. Jim returned to the cab and climbed in. “Bill. You didn’t tell me the brakes went out. No wonder you couldn’t get slowed down or stopped. Now that certainly isn’t your fault. This changes

everything. You did all you could do back there. I couldn’t have done anything differently if I had been driving. Now you need to let this go and forget about this truck. All I am thankful for, is that no one got hurt. Hell, I can fix this old truck up in no time. It was just an accident Bill.” The old man seemed a bit more at ease after he listened to Jim console him. He looked over at Pete and placing his arm around the dog pulling him closer to his position. He hugged Pete, who seemed to know Bill really needed some love. Pete reached his nose up to the old man’s face and began licking it. Jim was almost in a state of losing it himself as he watched. It was a long ride to Jim’s place for Bill. He got out and sat on the tail gate once they had arrived. Jim offered to pay the farmer. He refused any sort of compensation for his assistance. Jim thanked him and he pulled away. Jim headed for the garage to retrieve his car. He asked Bill if he wanted something to drink while he waited. Bill shook his head. He replied he needed to get home. He was simply exhausted. Jim chose a different route and drove back into town on the main highway. He wanted to avoid any further reminder of where they had the encounter. When they arrived at the house, Bill got out with Pete. He asked Jim if he would wait for a minute while he went inside. Jim agreed and watched as the old man entered his tiny little house. He was not gone long. Bill approached the car and handed a signed check over to Jim. Farris looked at it with disbelief. “What the heck is this for Bill? You don’t owe me anything.” Bill was still almost in tears. He looked down at the ground. “I don’t know what it will cost to fix your truck, but I was driving it so I should have to pay for it. Please take this check and get your truck fixed where ever you want to. It doesn’t matter what it costs. I want to pay for it.” Jim, knowing how upset Bill was, turned to look at the signed check. He knew this old man’s pride was dictating his actions. He decided not to complicate the moment by arguing. “Well Bill. I’ll tell you what I’ll do. I’ll take your check on one condition. When I get it fixed, if you still want it, I’ll take it off your bill. Otherwise I won’t take it. Now how’s that for a deal?”

The old man mumbled something as he nodded his head. Bill slowly turned to walk away. Jim didn’t pursue the conversation, although he had no intentions of ever using that check for any reason. He pulled away from the curb watching the old man and Pete disappear back into the yard.

Chapter 17

Recovery

T he remainder of the day for Bill was spent on the couch. Bill relented over ever stepping into the pickup. Anger later evolved into a guilt trip for ever thinking about buying it. Bill couldn’t eat, although he was hungry. His stomach was churning in knots. Pete seemed much less affected. He managed to scarf down his dog food when the old man finally fed him. He kept close to Bill, knowing something was wrong. The afternoon came and went. Bill stared at the ceiling. Even listening to his radio was a useless diversion from his misery. He talked to Pete about what he should and shouldn’t have done. The old man knew he must Farris and make him accept the restitution. He hated the fact that Jim had told him not to worry about it. The evening began creeping up on the old man. He forced his legs to an upright position. He decided to let Pete out for a run, since he had been in all afternoon. He walked to the front door. Stiffness had set in from the severe strain he had put on himself during the ordeal. It was all he could do to force one foot in front of the other. Anything more, would have been impossible. When Pete headed out the door he waited for Bill to follow him down into the yard. Bill wanted nothing to do with such a task, but he tried to satisfy Pete’s wishes. He was on the bottom step when his right foot seemed to stick to the step. When he leaned forward, he lost his balance and down he went onto the sidewalk. His arms were so weak he had virtually no way of lessening the impact. He landed flat on his face. The impact knocked the wind out of the old man. His lungs fought to replace the air that had been forced out when he landed. Pete came running around the corner. Sniffing the old man’s face, he began to lick his cheek in a caring manner. Bill’s mouth gaped open. The first bits of air returned to his lungs. He was down, but knew he had to get up. His body was so weak from all the mental worry, he couldn’t seem to muster the strength to get his hands under himself.

Pete barked at the old man and began to nose him. He seemed to understand that Bill had to get back up. Bill freed his right hand enough to stroke Pete. He whispered to him that everything would be OK. Bill rolled over onto his right side. His left arm emerged from underneath him. He forced his hands down onto the concrete. He focused every ounce of strength on getting to a sitting position. It took a couple of agonizing minutes to work his feet under himself. With a shaky motion, he regained his upright form. He bent at the waist placing his hands on his knees. He worked to get his breathing back to normal. Waiting patiently, Pete sat by his side. Pete seemed relieved, wagging his tail in pleasure that the old man was back on his feet. He straightened up and pointed to the side yard for Pete to go ahead. Pete followed his command and began sniffing out the right spot to go relieve his painful bladder. He reached the spot he wanted. His stub leg raised to a cocked position. He stood for what seemed like an eternity while he kept going. Once he finished, his left front leg took a clump of grass out in his effort to cover it up. Bill looked at the dog and shook his head. He wondered why dogs did such things, when they were Hell bent on marking everything else like trees with their scents. Pete, finished and happy with his pit stop, headed back for the steps with Bill. A tired and aching old man worked his way up the steps back onto the porch. Bill pulled the front door closed behind him and Pete. Bill tried to swallow, but found nothing in his mouth to accomplish it. He needed a drink. His mouth was dry as a desert during a drought. He simply couldn’t make it any farther than the couch. He forgot about his thirst for now. He lowered himself back onto the cushion and tried to relax. Pete rested his head on the section that had become his. Bill patted the spot only once. Pete jumped up and made his usual circle before landing right next to the old man. A large inhale and a seemingly larger exhale followed. Pete nestled in. The old man’s hand reached over and landed on Pete’s shoulders. Bill’s head leaned back in exhaustion. He wanted to say something to Pete. His mouth was so dry, nothing came out. A little shake of his head in disbelief and his weary eyes closed. It was around 11:45 when something stirred Bill. He awoke to the sound of a loud vehicle ing his home. Pete sat up and began to emit some growls and barks in protest to his area being compromised by the noise. Bill was in a complete fog at first. He coaxed the cob webs out of his clouded mind. The tiny house was nearly dark inside. The only glimpse of light was peeking into the room from the street light across the way. It was just enough to banish total darkness from the room. It cast visions of partial shapes within the room. Bill’s

legs were cramped up and his back was killing him. He knew he had to move around a bit, or suffer further from the pain. He worked his body around while Pete slid off the couch. He began stretching on the floor. He lowered his head down and his front legs extended out. The walk to the bathroom was torturous. Bill seemed to be running into every door jam and wall along his route. He kept stopping to regain some sort of balance and awareness. In his mind, he knew how far it was between the rooms he had to maneuver through. It was only a few more steps on his journey to his bed. Stopping by the bathroom was a badly needed pause. He flushed the stool while Pete sat in the doorway waiting. When the old man reached the bedroom, he fumbled for the light switch and flipped it on. He turned down his bed and got undressed. He dropped his clothes by the side of the bed and climbed in to lay down. His back was hurting. He could barely work his way over enough to allow room for Pete to him. By the time he had done so, Pete was already onboard searching for that perfect spot. Pete flopped down before Bill could move completely over. With no more energy, he stopped where he was. This left Pete leaning up against him. For that night, it would simply have to do. They would have to endure each other’s presence. The old man’s head had barely hit the pillow when he drifted off, forgetting about his pain. His need for sleep overwhelmed any discomfort he felt. The following morning, after the ordeal, found Bill still exhausted. Although he had slept the entire night solidly, he felt drained. Pete was no worse from the wear and resumed his normal routine. He wanted to go out and greet the day. Bill decided to skip breakfast that morning even though he was now weak. He did scramble two eggs for Pete. He added them to some of his dog food. His hands seemed to be shaking more for some reason. Bill told himself it was just his nerves. The strong smell of his coffee soon filled the kitchen. He tried not to notice the churning and growling in his stomach. When the coffee finished brewing, he took his elixir with him outside in his insulated container. Pete made a bee line for the morning paper. Without any sort of nonsense, he brought it directly to the old man. Bill unfolded it and began reading the front page. The morning was warmer than usual. The normally cool breeze that danced down the street and across Bill’s porch, seemed noticeably absent. Bill’s weathered hands strained to hold the paper still enough for him to read it. He sipped his coffee and tried to forget his ordeal from the previous day. He knew

that the only way for him to get over this completely, was to make restitution for the damages. Without closure, he would not be able to get past it. He scanned the paper for some sort of story that would occupy his mind enough to get it off of the accident. There seemed to be nothing noteworthy to do that. Pete was taking his doggy nap huddled up next to the old man’s feet. His occasional snoring gave no indication that he was concerned one bit. About half way through the paper, Bill folded it up and placed it on the small table. He poured another cup of his pungent coffee. It reached his lips and started to fill his tongue with the strong oily flavors that had always aroused Bill’s senses. Something caught his ear. He turned to see someone walking up the street. Soon the top of Tim’s head came into view. He stopped by the gate and reached up to unlatch it. Pete seemed to have his doggy radar tuned in. He bounded down the stairs to greet his young friend. “Hi Pete, how are you doing today? Look here buddy, I have a treat for you.” The boy held out his hand. Pete was all over it. His tail began to wag wildly. Tim allowed his hand to open up. Pete snatched it right up without hesitation. He stood with the end of a milk bone sticking out of his mouth. He looked more like someone with a chicken leg sticking out of their mouth, than a dog with a treat. Tim laughed and patted Pete’s head. He headed up the sidewalk to the steps. “Good morning Bill! I hope it’s ok that I came by to see you and Pete. I had to get up early this morning to help Mom get ready for Dad. He is coming home today, if the Doctor says it’s OK. He’s still not very good on his feet, but Mom says he needs to be home, if he can do it. She told me I could stay home with my Aunt, but she’s no fun. She makes me help do house cleaning and laundry. I told her I needed to come check on you.” The old man smiled and assured him it was fine. Tim walked to the ledge near Bill’s chair. He hopped up onto it and looked around. The old man slid his paper out of the way and picked up his coffee. He tipped it up and continued to drink it. Bill could see that the boy seemed to be upset. He was concerned about something. Bill didn’t want to pry, so he waited to see if the child would open up on his own. Tim was still eyeing everything around the neighborhood, trying to keep his emotions contained. They would soon come spilling out.

He hopped down off of the concrete ledge. He moved closer to Bill. Bill’s eyes met his, revealing the confusion that seemed to be plaguing the child. Tim approached closer. He eased his way up onto the old man’s lap. He tucked his head under Bill’s chin. Bill could feel the quivering of the child. He placed his arm around him. Sensing a problem, Pete nosed his way in. He leaned against Bill’s free leg. The old man reached down to pet Pete, bringing comfort to both of them. Soon the boy broke out in a gentle stream of tears. “I’m really scared Bill. Mom says Dad will get to come home, if he can get around well enough. He would still have to sleep downstairs, since he can’t climb ours. His arm won’t work Bill and he seems mad most of the time. He yells at Mom and me for no reason. I don’t think I’ve done anything wrong. Maybe he doesn’t love me anymore Bill. He doesn’t seem to know I need him so much.” The tears flowed openly from the young man’s eyes. He snuggled closer to the old man. Bill hugged him tightly. Bill thought how trivial his problems now seemed. This wonderful child, who just wanted to be loved, was lost in some difficult emotions. “Well Tim. I’m sure your Dad is still very upset about all that has happened to him. I know he loves you very much, but sometimes adults forget what is most important when something like this happens. Everything will work out Tim. You just need to give it some time.” The boy stayed tucked in close to the old man. He reached his tiny hand over to place it in the old man’s wrinkled old hand. He slid it into Bill’s palm and squeezed it tightly. “I just want things to be back where they were Bill. Dad could be grouchy now and then, but it seems like he hates me now. I love him so much Bill. I want Mom to quit crying all the time when she thinks I’m not close enough to hear her. I try not to cry too much, but I’m so confused about what is going on. Will my Dad ever love me again Bill? I just want him to hug me and tell me he still loves me.” The old man’s eyes began to well up with tears. He strained to hold them back. This situation was more than he had ever experienced. Right then, he felt completely helpless. He found no explanation to offer to the child. He found

himself hugging the boy even tighter. He began to rock the chair back for forth. Some sort of spell had come over him to do so. He sat silently, rocking this terrified boy in his lap. The sobbing continued. Bill could feel the child’s tears soaking into his shirt. His head arched and twisted, fighting back his own tears. Bill desperately tried to think of something to say to console Tim. In a few minutes, Tim’s sobbing diminished. The tense body of the child relaxed and became limp in the old man’s lap. Tim was asleep and Bill found himself not wanting to move. Tim’s fragile weight began to bear down on the old man’s leg. Bill could feel it going to sleep. He gently worked his leg to a new position to relieve the pressure. Pete was sitting with his head on Bill’s free leg. His eyes carried a sadness too. He knew something was going on. Bill’s thoughts raced from one thing to another. He continued to rock in his chair. He had forced the confrontation with Tim’s dad once. He certainly didn’t want to have to repeat it again. Betty was strong, so it would be up to her to pull the family back together. Bill was an outsider. Any further words between him and Tom, would likely inflame the situation more. He also knew that life isn’t always fair. Sometimes good people run out of luck after a tragedy strikes. With Bill’s mind in a blur, time ed without notice. Pete was lying down with his head pushing against the old man’s foot. Tim had slipped into a deep slumber. Once in a while, a subtle jerk emerged from the boy. This told Bill he was either dreaming, or his muscles were trying to unwind. At any rate, the continued reminders brought the old man back from his inner thoughts to the present. It had been nearly two hours when Tim jerked violently. He sat straight up and looked at Bill. Wiping his eyes, he tried to remove the sleep from them. He slid down off Bill’s lap and stood up stretching and yawning. He seemed a bit calmer after his rest. Bill could see the nap had done quite a bit of good. “How long did I sleep Bill? I’m sorry, but I couldn’t seem to keep my eyes open anymore for some reason.” “Oh, you haven’t been asleep too long my young friend. I guess you just needed to catch some shuteye like Pete and I do now and then. Do you feel better now?” Bill peeked at his watch very casually. He let on like he had nothing to do for the

day. His mind returned to his need to call Farris. He wanted to let him know he had decided to make him take money for the repairs. Bill simply wasn’t going to listen to anything different. He reached down for his cold coffee. He tossed it over the ledge of the porch and refilled his cup. What was left in the insulated pot was still warm enough to enjoy. Bill needed the soothing brew. He began sipping it while Tim started playing with Pete. “Come sit here on the ledge Tim. I want to talk to you for a minute.” The boy hopped up onto the ledge, eager to listen. Bill eased his tired old bones down across from him. He set his coffee down after enjoying one large gulp. He began to choose the word’s he knew must be said. The old man stared at the wisps of steam rising from his coffee mug. They held him in a trance. They seemed to be a crystal ball that was speaking to him. His eyes lifted and met the boy’s. “Tim. You know old Bill would never lie to you. You also know I don’t want to give you any false hope about what’s going on in your life. Sometimes we don’t get a fair shake. Sometimes it seems the good Lord just doesn’t care . I’m talking about this thing with your Dad. When something like that happens, we forget what’s most important to us. We can give in to self-pity. Your Dad is going through that right now. I’m sure he views himself as a burden right now and believe me, no man ever wants to feel like that. I felt that way when I got hurt on the job years ago. I hated everyone around me. I just wanted to die and be put out of my misery. But in the end, we still have to live on when it’s all over with. No matter what the outcome, we have to live with it. I did and your dad is going to have to do the same. I know he still loves you and your mom, but he can’t that clearly right now. With that being the case, you and your mom are going to have to love him even harder. Until he re that. Life isn’t always kind Tim. Sometimes it’s even cruel. Part of life is picking yourself up when you think you can’t go another step. That means looking ahead when all you can see is what’s behind you. I can’t tell you when all of this will get better, but believe me it will.” The boy was hanging on Bill’s every word. He seemed to understand what he was being told. He looked away from the old man after he had finished. Bill could tell that Tim was milling all of this around in his head. The old man would never know how much of an impact he was making at that very moment. It would come to the surface someday, when Tim needed it again. So many

emotions were racing through Tim at that moment, he could barely think at all. “If he still loves us, why does he yell at us all of the time? I do all my chores like Mom tells me to. I even clean up the yard and my room too. It’s like, I can’t do anything right anymore Bill. When I try to help him with anything, he tells me to leave him alone.” The old man reached his weathered hand down to raise Tim’s chin up. Bill wanted to make eye to eye with him. “You’re going to have to believe me son. This too shall . Someday you’ll be a stronger man for living through it. I know that sounds pretty dumb right now, but it’s the plain truth. Coming home and getting into his own environment, might do wonders for your Dad’s attitude.” Tim got up and walked to the edge of the top step. He lowered himself down onto it. He started looking out over the neighborhood. Pete moved right up next to him. He touched his head to the boy’s leg. Bill didn’t say anymore. He sipped his coffee and watched the two of them. Tim began to pet old Pete, He continued to stare off into space. Time ed and neither one had any idea of how much had fled. After some time, Tim turned about half way around. He told Bill he should probably get going and head on home. The old man thought he might come back for a hug, but the boy simply floated down the remaining steps and out of the gate, closing it behind him. There would be no running down the street that day, like he normally did. Tim simply seemed to vanish about half way up the block. Bill’s look was confused at that moment. His mind seemed to play tricks on him. Had Tim been there recently, or had he left some time ago and the old man had not noticed. It was all like a dream and Bill was caught up in it. By this time the coffee was stone cold in the pot and the mug. Bill raised the mug to his lips. He had nearly swallowed an entire mouth full before he noticed just how cold it was. He spit most of it back into the cup. He tossed it over the side of the porch onto the grass. He reached for the pot, taking both of them up in his right hand. He headed back inside. Pete was glued to the door by the time Bill had reached it. Pete led the way into the kitchen. He sat beside the old man while Bill poured the remaining coffee down the drain and rinsed out the pot. Pete began to bark and pulled away from the counter. This alerted Bill to the fact it must be treat time. Bill reached into one of the bags and withdrew a jerky treat. He handed it to Pete. He quickly snatched it up.

When they entered the living room, Bill gazed at some of his books on the shelf. He stopped to study which one might be appropriate for some afternoon reading. Although he appeared to be studying titles, his mind was far from anything written on the binders. He was a thousand miles away at that moment. Without any forethought, he reached up to grab one of his beloved treasures. He turned and walked to his spot on the couch. He clicked the small table lamp on and sat down with the book in his hand. He still hadn’t noticed exactly what book he was holding. He turned the cover to expose the pages. For some reason he concluded it really didn’t matter what he was about to read. He needed something to try to take his mind off of things right now. He reached the title page. It read “Tarzan of the Apes”. It hardly seemed a fitting book for the moment, but he hadn’t read it in several years. It would suit his purpose. Pete was finishing his treat and licking his chops. He moved to the couch. He hesitated for a second before bounding up onto his spot. He turned and turned to find the right spot and plopped down, tucking his tail and legs in around him. The old man smiled at him and patted him several times before starting his book. He began to read aloud the first few pages, thinking Pete needed to hear the story too. The old man’s words flowed like he was a professional narrator. Then, all at once, he stopped speaking and the words only appeared in his mind as he continued to read. He could feel the story come to life inside of him. He read on. Soon he was transported into the story, one more time. The time kept churning away on the clock as the old man read from page to page. Now, even Pete’s incessant snoring had no effect on his concentration. Bill could read for hours without knowing where he was in a book. The pages rolled over, like a wind blowing leaves across the yard. He read more of the story, smelling and seeing each descriptive age. His eyes finally began to tire. The sheer weight of his eye lids became too heavy to keep them open anymore. His old wrinkled hands kept getting lower and lower. So did his awareness. His head slowly began to tilt backwards. The old man drifted off into a deep sleep. The room fell silent. Both the old man and his dog rested together. Bill had absolutely no idea of how long he had been asleep. Suddenly an ear piercing sound came down the street towards his tiny home. Bill was still confused. He dropped his book onto the table. He tried to jump up. His old legs were stiff and his balance was poor at that point. It was a siren from a fire engine. That’s all it could be to be so darn loud. Pete jumped from the warm spot

he had been occupying like a rocket had been set off under his butt. He nearly collapsed as he thudded onto the floor. He began to bark and howl from the high pitch sounds being emitted from the massive truck. Pete shot down the hall to the door. His barking became intense. Bill knew it must be hurting his ears, but he also knew if he opened the inside door, it would make it worse. The sound of the trucks engines lessened right outside his house, then sped up again heading south. Bill could hear more vehicles coming behind them as they raced to catch up with the fire engine. Bill pulled his sheer curtain back from the glass in the upper door. He could see all kinds of lights flashing. Men were running everywhere in their heavy turnout clothes. Hoses were being dragged down the street towards Bill’s place, where one of the nearest fire hydrants was situated. Other vehicles screeched to an abrupt halt in the intersection to block traffic. It was too much of a lure not to step out onto the porch. Bill wanted to see what was going on. He turned the knob to go out. Pete was jumping up and down. He apparently wanted to be in on the action also. The old man stepped onto the porch. A virtual light show was exploding all around. He could see a Policeman standing with someone else next to the squad car. Bill was so intent on seeing what was happening up the street, he didn’t recognize Donavon. Pete was busy investigating. His nose was working about a hundred miles an hour. His nostrils flared as he took in every odor. It soon became apparent, this was no small fire. The smoke began to billow up and move north towards Bill’s place. It was a thick whitish smoke at first, but soon turned black and intensified. There were only two houses and the width of the street between them and the fire. Bill began to see flames inch their way over the top of the third house. It was a three story home that had stood for well over a hundred years. It was wooden, with steep roof lines and tall peaks. Bill knew it must be that beautiful Queen Anne Victorian. Soon another fire truck approached from the corner to the south and then another. The old man could see the spray of water coming from the hoses on each side. Soon they disappeared into the smoke and flames. It seemed like only seconds before he heard a loud cracking and then a thunderous sound. More flames shot higher than the first ones had. The smoke was becoming so intense, it was engulfing the entire neighborhood. It simply blackened the sky. It tried to conceal the ever growing flames. Pete was now getting very nervous. He had never been subjected to such a smell. The heat

began to grow all around them. Bill looked down at him. Pete moved closer to the old man’s leg and then behind him. He needed to know he was going to be protected. Bill was watching Pete trying to hide. He didn’t notice Donavon heading up the steps. Bill turned to see who was coming at them. “Bill. This thing is getting out of control! It’s spread to the houses on each side of it. You and Pete need to get out of here until they get this damn thing under control. You had better get Pete’s leash and take him up the side street to the north. At least for a time. Sorry Bill, but I need to get back to my car.” Donavon’s voice indicated he wasn’t just suggesting this be done. Bill made a dash for Pete’s leash. Snapping it onto his collar, he led Pete down the steps and out of the gate. Bill had grabbed nothing from the house. Pete didn’t want to get any closer. He began pulling hard against the strain Bill was exerting on him. He nearly drug Pete around the corner. They headed up the street. He frequently looked back to see the carnage. It continued to unfold at a rapid pace. Pete was pulling on his leash continually. He must have thought Bill wasn’t getting up to speed fast enough. The old man jerked on his leash, trying to slow him down, but Pete wanted away from all of this. He went as fast as he could possibly go. The first corner they came to was filled with onlookers. No one seemed to notice this old man and his three legged dog trying to get across the street. The people peered at the smoke and flames. Bill and Pete kept going north. By the time they had reached the second corner, two more squad cars went rushing past. One stopped at the intersection where the congregation of spectators milled around. The officer jumped out and began herding them back. Bill was getting nervous about his home. What would happen if it jumped over another house? Would his home catch fire? If it did, would they have any way to save it? He thought of his few meager possessions he left inside. It terrified him to think everything he had might go up in flames too. The smoke was now so thick you couldn’t see past the first block. It obstructed Bill’s place from view. The old man’s stomach began to churn. He kept rubbing his whiskers on his chin harder and harder. He was in full panic mode worrying about his tiny home. Suddenly another fire engine came roaring off of Broadway behind him. It too headed into the wall of smoke. Bill could see its tail lights for an instant, then they were gone. Bill was so worked up Pete was reacting to his actions. Pete began to walk around and around Bill. Although he normally never encircled the old man

completely, he now did it several times. Bill couldn’t stand the thought of not knowing if his house was in danger. He was scared to think what he might find, when they let him return. Half way down the block was a bench situated on Broadway. For some reason, Bill had to get to it and get off of his feet. His old legs were shaking and he felt weak all over. The weakness was quickly becoming overwhelming. He knew he wouldn’t be able to stand on his own much longer. The first step towards it was monumental. It took almost every ounce of energy Bill could muster up. As the gap closed between him and the bench, the steps became almost impossible. At the final moment, when he reached it, his hand barely caught the top of the backrest in time. He was going down for sure. The leash came loose and dropped to the ground. The old man fought to keep from falling. Pete seemed to know he should not move. This weakened, frail old man dropped onto the bench. Pete moved closer and began to lick his right hand. It was now hanging limp at his side. Even though he was more than two blocks away, Bill could hear the crackling of the huge fires. It was the eerie sound flames make, when they devour wood like it was paper. The crackling sound was everywhere as it pierced the air. You could smell the odor a mile away. Bill was letting his mind wander off into horrible thoughts. Traffic was slowing to a crawl on Broadway. Cars and trucks crept by where the old man sat. People strained their necks to nose into something that was none of their business. This would plug up the traffic for blocks. Bill was about wilted from fear and worry. No one seemed to notice him. He rested his exhausted body on the bench with his three legged dog sitting next to him. It was like he was an old Civil War statue, left unattended alongside some park. Two hours ed since they had first heard the sirens. For Bill, it was a week. He looked down at his watch in vain. Without his cheaters, he couldn’t make out the time. Another 30 minutes crept by before Bill saw the first returning fire engine stop at the corner down from where he sat. It made the turn onto Broadway and rolled away. Bill gazed at it for a brief few seconds. He could make out the blackened faces and exhausted looks from the men inside the engine’s cab. Bill wondered why the fire truck was leaving. Did it mean the worst of it was now over with? He wanted to get back on his feet and go see what was happening. Unfortunately the fear of what he might find once he got home, scared him out of that for the time being. The thick black smoke that engulfed the entire neighborhood was beginning to

diminish. Bill could see the glow that still hung over the area behind him where the fire continued. It must be under control by now he thought. With all of his will, he forced his body up to regain his feet. He moved away from the bench. Pete seemed to be anxious to go along with him. The first corner back revealed nothing. He was still too far from the scene of the tragedy to get a good look. He left the corner and headed south. When he reached the first intersecting street, there were only a couple of people still standing there. They seemed to be interested in comparing notes and discussing what they had seen. Bill could hear them plainly. He wasn’t trying to listen. His concern for his small home was paramount in his mind. Leading Pete, he pushed on. When he started across the street he seemed to be in a trance. Somehow, out of nowhere, Officer Donavan appeared at his side. He had black streaks across his face and his uniform looked terrible. He was coughing when he got to the old man and Pete. His clothes were soaked with sweat and he looked like a coal miner coming from a long day’s work. “Wow Bill! That was one Hell of fire back there. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen one like that before. Are you and Pete OK?” Bill tried to open his mouth, but nothing came out at first. He looked past Donavon. He could make out some of the houses on his block. The soot was everywhere he looked. Most of the homes were covered in the tiny particles from the ground up. “Is my house still there Donavon? I was afraid it might have all went up, including my place.” Donavon didn’t actually smile, but his look spoke volumes at that moment. “Yes Bill. Your place is still standing. It might take some soap and water to clean it up, but it’s still there. They stopped it one house down from you across the street. It sure took those other three places though. It seemed to spread so fast once it got going on the first one, I couldn’t believe it. It’s a real mess down there Bill. They’ll have that street blocked for some time, but you can go home and check on stuff now. Sorry we had to run you and ole Pete out like that, but we couldn’t take any chances.” Bill felt his legs getting weak again. This time it was from relief, not worry. He bent over at the waist and drew in a big breath and exhaled. When he

straightened up Donavon reached over to steady him. “Are you sure you’re OK Bill? Maybe I should walk you back. Come on. Let me give you a hand. Here, I’ll take Pete’s leash for you.” The old man dropped the leash into Donavon’s hand. He felt a strong hand reach under his left arm and secure a grip. Donavon turned towards the tiny home and started walking the old man back. When Bill could finally see his entire house, it seemed to calm him down. His gate picked up a bit. Donavon loosened his grip on the old man’s arm for the final few steps to the corner. Bill headed for the gate, nearly forgetting about Pete. He placed his hand on it to swing it open. He turned to look south at all the fire damage. The trees were either black or completely withered from the heat they had endured. The smell of everything that had burnt permeated every molecule of air. There were smells of rubber, tar, wood and everything else imaginable. Bill stood motionless for a second. He walked through the gate and started up the sidewalk. Donavon followed close behind leading Pete. He was trying to catch up with Bill. Donavon reached down and unsnapped the leash. Pete dashed up onto the porch. The oncoming darkness was consuming the last remnants of daylight. The street lights began to flicker on. Bill was holding himself up by sheer will power. Donavon could see how shaken the old man still was. When the door swung open, Donavon held it for the old man. He coaxed Pete inside in front of him. Bill walked to the living room to get to his couch. The room was like an oven. The heat from the fire had heated it while they were gone. It was never really cool anyway. The old man had no air conditioning. Now it was really uncomfortable. Donavon looked on as Bill took a seat on his couch. Donavon asked if he had any fans. Bill told him there was one in the bed room closet. Donavon retrieved it and plugged it in on Bill’s desk. He watched it come to life and turned it on the old man. “You might want to open a window in here Bill, if you can live with the smell. It’s damn near hot enough in here to cook the Devil’s butt.” Bill assured him he would be OK. He thanked him for all he had done. Donavon smiled and told him he had better get going. His shift had ended long ago, but he stayed until they had gotten the fire under control. Bill heard the front door shut over the whirling of the fan blades. The breeze it

created felt good on his sweating face and chest. He felt Pete pawing at his hand. He tried to get him to lie down. It was no good. It took a few minutes for him to figure out just why the dog was being such a pest. It dawned on him that Pete must be dying of thirst. He pushed his aching body off of the couch and went into the kitchen. He picked up Pete’s water bowl and emptied the warm water into the sink. He turned the tap water on and stuck his finger under the water, until it felt like it wasn’t getting any colder. He filled Pete’s bowl and set it down right where he stood. He watched Pete lap up the water. He reached for a glass for himself and filled it up. He was parched too. The cool water tasted like a real treat. When Pete neared the bottom of his bowl, he raised up to reveal huge drops running off of his mouth and dripping onto the floor. He wagged his tail and looked at the old man. Bill dumped the bowl and filled it again to make sure Pete had all he wanted. Pete continued lapped up the water, but ceased drinking once he had lowered the second helping less than an inch. He stopped to arch his head upward. Bill heard one of those distinctive signature burps that Pete had seemed to patent. When they returned to the living room, Bill flipped on the light on next to his table. The street light just cast shadows across the front of the room. He lowered himself back onto the couch and leaned his head back. Pete jumped up and ed him. The old man closed his eyes and thanked God for sparing his home. Pete’s head cocked to one side while he listened to the old man give thanks. When Bill finished, Pete lowered it back onto the couch. It was only a few minutes before he began panting, but Bill never heard it. He had slipped off into a much needed sleep almost the minute his head went back.

Chapter 18

Getting Back to Normal

I t was about 4:15 when Bill felt Pete pushing against his face with his cold wet nose. Bill couldn’t figure out just what it was for a moment. He tried to clear the fog from his mind. His squinting eyes saw that black nose and those pitiful eyes staring at him. “OK Pete, I get the message. Just hold your drawers on ole boy.” It was hard for Bill to get moving. He felt it was due to the excitement and stress from the previous evening. Pete seemed well rested and no worse for the wear. Bill sat up on the edge of his couch, scratching his head. When he moved, his bones began popping and cracking in his shoulders and back. Rotating his head from one side to the other did nothing to relieve the stiffness. His hands even felt the ravages of the deterioration that had occurred in his ts over the years. The time was early. The day had not started to break over the horizon to the east. Bill opened the front door and allowed Pete to dash out. Bill stepped out, but held fast next to his table. He thought it might be best to take a seat. He was turned to take his place in his chair. He noticed the soot covering the back and old seat cushion from the street light. He wiped his old hand across it. He looked at the black traces on his fingers from the residue. He shook his head in disgust. He walked to the edge of the steps and waited for Pete to finish up his morning break. Pete was taking his time and sniffing every inch of the yard. He moved around the fence checking everything out. The smells must have attracted his nose. Bill could still smell the burnt odor in the air. He wondered how bad it all was. By the time Pete had finished and returned to the top of the porch, Bill was looking at the front door and the house. It wasn’t light enough to see the covering of the black residue against the fresh paint of his tiny home. Bill was beginning to get the picture anyway. He watched Pete reposition the paper in his

mouth. He eagerly awaited his entrance into the house. Bill mumbled and wondered to himself what could happen next? Back inside Bill took the paper from Pete. He placed it on the kitchen table. He headed towards the bathroom, which confused Pete. He must have been expecting his treat for carrying the paper in. It wasn’t coming yet. He followed Bill into the bathroom. He watched while the old man turned the shower on and got stripped down for a quick washing. Bill was about to step inside the shower when he felt a sudden bump against his leg. A bump that nearly knocked him off balance. He looked down at the wall of the shower. He saw Pete standing partially inside with part of the spray hitting him directly over his head. His back half was still outside of the enclosure. “For goodness sakes Pete. You could have told me you wanted a shower this morning. I wasn’t expecting this. I wasn’t really planning on giving you your bath at all. Oh well. Let me be so I can get cleaned up first and then I’ll take care of you boy.” Bill took his time enjoying the soaking. The hot water felt great beating against his old ts that felt like they were rusted steel. They began to loosen up the longer he soaked in the water. Pete was sitting with his dumb doggy look, watching the old man work to get himself clean. When Bill had finished with his face and head, he took some shampoo and rubbed it in his hands to start a lather. He placed them on Pete’s back and began to work it in. Pete seemed to really enjoy the scrubbing. The old man worked his way around on the dog’s body. It wasn’t a great job, but for today it would have to do. Finished with this chore, Bill was hoping to get out and grab a towel before Pete could pull off his Hudini act again and sneak out. Bill expected to grab him and get him somewhat dry. Bill was quick to secure his towel, but unfortunately Pete was way too fast for Bill to grab. He darted off out of Bill’s reach. When the old man yelled at him to stop, he simply hesitated while his fur twisted around on his body. The water spray went everywhere. Bill stopped and lowered his head, thinking he would have to work on this some more. If not, he would never get that darn dog to mind. Bill needed Pete to hold still so he could get him dried off after his bath. By the time Bill had gotten dressed, Pete was lying on the floor in the hall way rolling around with all three feet in the air. He twisted his body back and forth. He was making all the sounds a dog makes when they are real happy. Pete was feeling his oats. Pete hesitated long enough to look up with his tongue hanging

out of the side of his mouth. Bill could see the white edges of his eyes. Pete looked like he had been hypnotized. Pete went right back to his rolling around. Bill was filling his coffee pot when Pete walked in and stopped to take a doggy stretch with his front legs lowered. They both stuck straight out in front of him. His tail was going in overtime. Bill returned to his coffee pot. He placed it on the burner. He pondered the thought of what he might want for breakfast. He opened the door to the fridge, but stopped short of removing anything such as the eggs or bacon. He left them in the crisper. For some reason, he couldn’t explain, he couldn’t muster up enough of an appetite to justify a large breakfast that morning. Going through all the work of cooking and cleaning didn’t make any sense to Bill. He closed the door and went to sit at his table while he waited for his brew to finish boiling. Pete didn’t seem impressed when he figured out no delicacies would be presented to him in his bowl for his eating pleasure. He watched Bill seated at the table listening to the water run over the grounds in the old percolator. It was producing his strong drink. It only took a couple of minutes for Pete to understand he was on his own. This meant it was his hard food. That wasn’t setting well with him at that moment. He nuzzled up to the old man’s leg looking like a scolded child who had certainly done nothing wrong, as far as he was concerned. He began to bark at the old man. Bill looked down at him. Although he tried to make Pete understand that he didn’t want anything for his breakfast, Pete wasn’t buying any of it at that moment. His insistence became ever so clear. Bill finally caved in and walked to the cupboard to get a bowl. He poured a couple of ounces of his cereal into it and covered it with some cold milk. He placed it on the floor next to Pete’s bowl. The spoiled dog dove right in and devoured it in no time. When he finished, Bill rinsed it out and placed it in the sink. His coffee was now done. The old man filled his insulated pot and headed to the porch. He had scarcely made it to the chair when he ed something. Every spot he would touch would be covered with the black soot from the previous evening’s fire. He sat his pot and mug down on the table. Pete rushed off the porch to go inspect his domain. He didn’t spot Bill head back in doors. Pete only noticed he was gone when he heard the outside door close behind the old man. He scurried back onto the porch and began to bark. It was too late to gain entry, but he was not detoured in the least. Barking so loud his front legs rose off the floor, he continued to let the old man know he had forgotten him.

Bill soaked an old face towel and grabbed one of his tattered old bath towels. He was soon on his way back to the porch. When he swung the door open, Pete let him immediately know that this sort of practice wasn’t going to be tolerated again. Bill tried to sooth him with a couple of pats. He looked away and began to wipe the chair down. He realized he had forgotten his paper on the kitchen table. He wanted to finish his job of cleaning up before he went in to get it. When he completed wiping down the chair and table top, he tossed both towels down onto the end of the small table. He walked back to the door with Pete glued to his leg. He wasn’t about to be abandoned again. Bill reached for the paper. Pete barked out his protest of being denied his job of carrying it. Bill relented and handed it to him. Pete clamped down on it and headed for the door. Back on the porch Pete must have decided to engage in one more tugging match. Bill quickly became sucked up in Pete’s plan. They fought over it for a brief time until Bill gave up. Pete was tired of being ignored. He decided giving up his prize, wasn’t going to take place. Bill reached for it one last time. Pete bit down harder and began to shake his head back and forth. He started pulling backwards on it. When Bill heard the fragile pages begin to tear apart, he shouted for Pete to drop it. Pete was apparently lost in his own world. He was thinking back to an earlier time when playing hard to get was so much fun, especially for a dog like himself. “Pete. You give me that damn paper. Now let go of it.” Pete continued to yank and pull. The bits of paper lodged between his teeth and filled his mouth. Bill was getting mad. Placing his other hand on the free end of his morning news, he tried even harder to pull it free from Pete’s vice like grip. At some point he decided it wasn’t worth all the fuss. Bill released the paper causing Pete to rock back and fall onto his butt on the porch. “Just keep the damn paper. I don’t want it anyway. Damn dog.” He returned to his rocking chair. It was still damp from the washing. He placed his mug in front of him. He twisted the lid on the pot and poured out a full cup of his hot coffee. He raised the mug to his lips and took a long sip. It was almost too hot. He pulled back licking his lips to sooth the slight burning sensation and swallowed it. Bill looked down at Pete. He was still sitting on his butt holding the soggy and

torn paper in his mouth. Pete looked at the old man trying to figure out why the play time session had stopped. Cocking his head to one side, he got to his feet and began a slow walk over to Bill. The old man made no attempt to remove it from his grip. He kept staring Pete right in the eye. Pete stopped wagging his tail. He knew he had done something wrong and slowly released the paper. It dropped silently to the deck of the porch. Bill reached down for it, but Pete didn’t move away. He turned his head slightly, like he were about to be hit. “You’re something ole boy. What am I going to do with you when it comes to my Paper? You want to play and it always seems it’s when you have my paper. Isn’t it? Why can’t you go get it and let me have it instead of ripping the darn thing to shreds like this?” Pete seemed to understand he had done something wrong. His pitiful look would have melted a heart of steel. Bill reached down and scratched his ears to console his friend. Pete seemed to be a bit confused. Bill was trying to fit some of the torn pieces together so he could read what was on the top pages. He saw the Fire Marshal’s car heading up the street. He paused for a moment wondering where the people had gone after the fire. He felt a sinking feeling inside, trying to imagine how devastated they must be right now. He broke away from his thoughts long enough to look at the front his own tiny little home. He was thankful it had been spared from the blaze. He returned to his paper. Bill was nearly finished with the first three pages of fragments when he heard a pickup pull up in front of his home. He turned away from his reading to see Gene get out and walk up the sidewalk towards the porch. Gene shouted out a loud greeting. “Good Morning Bill!” He kept walking up the steps. Pete rushed to meet him at the edge of the stairs. “What are you doing Gene? I didn’t expect to see you here today. Sure was some fire they had up the street last night, wasn’t it?” Gene hesitated as he gazed at the front of Bill’s house and the amount of soot that clung to it.

“Well Bill. To tell you the truth, Donavon and I were talking on the phone last night about it. He thought you might need some help getting all this stuff cleaned up. I figured, since we painted it, you might want me to power wash this stuff off. I can sure do it so you won’t have to worry about it. Seems like it got you pretty good.” The old man rose from his chair, lifting his mug up in his right hand. He walked to the edge of the steps. “Well, I guess I had better look at the rest of the house first. To be perfectly honest, I was so upset last night, I never gave it a second thought. I was so happy once I found out me and ole Pete still had a place to live. Maybe you could help me with this. That is, if you’ll let me pay you for all the work and not make me a charity case.” Gene turned to the old man as they walked down off the porch. “Well Bill. I think we can come to some sort of agreement on that. I just thought, since I have a big power washer, I could get this done pretty quickly so you wouldn’t have to worry about it. There are a couple of clean up businesses in town. To tell you the truth Bill, they get a pretty hefty price for anything that they do. I’m sure they will be coming by checking with everyone in the neighborhood. I wanted to get here before you hired somebody who would over charge you. Besides that, I am pretty sure somewhere along the line, we discussed some sort of warranty on this paint job, didn’t we?” Gene began to smile while Bill looked on. He lowered his head and shook it. He snickered back at him. “Well now Gene. I don’t seem to that being discussed, but I’m sure you’d claim it was, wouldn’t you?” Gene reached over to rest his hand on Bill’s shoulder and just kept smiling. You keep trying to that warranty. I’ll get started on this tomorrow for you. That will give me time to make sure Todd is available to give me a hand with all of this. He has to hold up his end of the warranty in this job too you know.” Bill was relieved, yet felt somewhat embarrassed by all of this. He hadn’t expected anything like this from the man who had given so much to him already. Fixing his little home up with new paint and the repairs was certainly enough for

Bill. They had made it look almost new again. Bill knew he wasn’t up to the cleaning task and he had no equipment to do it with. That brought a warm feeling into his heart that someone else would take on this task. Gene left after letting Bill know they would come back and take care of everything. Pete watched as Gene rolled away. Pete let out a small bark and then a pitiful whine. He was convinced the visit shouldn’t have ended so soon. Bill patted him and told him they would be back to see him tomorrow. Whether or not he understood all of what the old man was saying, it certainly seemed to calm him down. Bill walked around the house inspecting each side. It all looked the same except for the rear of the house. It seemed to have been somewhat spared from all the smoke and soot. Bill noticed the grass had a very dingy look. Bill could see the effects of walking through it on his shoes. He thought about hosing some of it down to remove the blackened substance, but decided it would be easier to mow it. He would let the tops of the grass fall down into the remaining blades. His mower roared to life. Pete, uncertain of where he should be, landed on the porch and huddled down. He was scared to death. The old man watched as he started in the front and continued around the side. He wanted to make sure Pete stayed put. Bill would make sure he could not be injured if something were to be thrown out from under the mower deck. It didn’t take long for Bill to complete his task. He shut the mower down near the shed. He spied Pete making his move to re him in the yard. Bill’s shoes were showing the buildup of the smoke and soot residue. He knew he must be covered also. He decided it was a good time for another shower. Scrubbing old Pete’s legs down would be called for too. Bill was short of the front door with Pete stuck to the side of him. He stopped and kicked off his blackened shoes. Pete was watching and seemed to be curious why the old man did what he had done. Pete moved inside with Bill and followed him into the bathroom. Bill pulled the door closed behind them. It must have dawned on Pete that he was going to find some unpleasant circumstances befalling him for a second time today. He lowered his head pushing himself into the corner of the room and looked away from the old man. Bill was getting undressed and began to laugh. He tossed two fresh towels onto

the sink next to the shower. He called for Pete to come while he adjusted the temperature of the water. He let it run until it felt warm enough for him, but not too hot for Pete. Pete wasn’t about to give up his position for any reason. Bill had to drag his butt over by the shower. Bill soaked a wash cloth and started cleaning each of Pete’s three legs. At first Pete seemed to be sulking like he was being beaten to death. Then after a couple of minutes, he decided it wasn’t quite so bad. He had no intentions of revealing any of this to Bill. That might mean it could happen more often. The old mad scrubbed him up and wiped each leg with the towel when he had finished. Pete stood there with his eyes nearly closed. Once Bill had finished with Pete he proceeded to wash himself off. Bill stepped out, but to his utter surprise, Pete stood there and began to shake like he was froze. Bill reached for the second of the towels and draped it over his back. He began to rub himself down to remove most of the water. Pete seemed confused that he had only been slightly inconvenienced. This amused the old man. He taunted Pete about having been outsmarted by the door closure. Pete showed he was clearly excited and barked and jumped at the bathroom door wanting out. When the old man opened it up, Pete shot out through it like he were running for his life. Bill assumed he would head for the carpet in the living room. Pete had different ideas entirely. “Pete, don’t you jump up on that darn bed. Get out of that bedroom!” His warning had no effect on the determined dog. By the time Bill had reached the bed, it was too late. Pete had hit the bed square in the middle. He was rolling around, growling to mock Bill and his warnings. Bill peeked in to see Pete stop with all three feet still in the air. He was having a ball. The old man couldn’t help from laughing. Pete continued to release all of this energy from his recent encounter with the shower. Bill was loading the washer up with his shoes and clothes when Pete returned. He seemed completely pleased with himself. He watched while Bill poured the laundry detergent into the water and closed the lid. He dressed himself in one of his new uniform outfits he had bought. Bill grabbed his old boots and slipped them on. Pete walked up to Bill and licked his hand. Bill figured it was to tell him thanks. “Yes you’re a good boy. Well, except for soaking my side of the damn bed again. Come on boy. Let’s go get something to eat. I’m hungry.” Bill had a small package of hamburger thawing out in the fridge. Unwrapping it,

he decided to make a big hamburger steak for him and Pete. He placed some salt and pepper on it and sprinkled some garlic powder over the top for the finishing touches. He slid it into the cast iron skillet he had been heating up on the stove. When the meat began to sizzle, he placed a lid on the pan and walked over to the vegetables in the cupboard. Some green beans would do nicely he thought. Bill set the table and added a loaf of bread. All of his needed accompaniments were ready. The aroma of the cooking meat with its garlic topping filled the room. He momentarily gave a notion to frying some potatoes up, but realized the meat would be done well before he could cook them. Thinking this was poor planning, Bill abandoned that idea. He dumped the green beans into a small pan and lit the fire underneath of them. Pete sat silently next to the stove. He smelled the air while he listened to the sizzle of the meat. His nose began to flare as soon as he picked up the smell from the seasoned hamburger cooking. “Yes, you’ll get some of that ole boy. Don’t get yourself all worked up. I think we both deserve something good after all that has happened. Don’t you think so?” Pete raised his head and gave out with a loud bark in agreement. Bill went to the table to wait for one side of the meat to brown up. Pete remained by the stove and continued to bark now and then. He thought he would remind Bill that his dinner was certainly ready by now. The old man laughed sitting in his chair. He tried to ignore as much of Pete’s begging as possible. Bill returned to the stove and flipped the hamburger steak over. He also stirred his green beans, which were beginning to boil. He sprinkled some salt on them and returned to the table. Pete had giving up on demanding his dinner and laid on the floor next the old man. Bill let his mind wander to his recent stresses to kill some time. He was thinking about the fire and the episode with the pickup. Both fogged his thoughts. Glimpses of the accident appeared in his mind. He was beginning to think that maybe he hadn’t given that truck purchase quite enough consideration. He knew he could drive. The urge to get something nice came back to him. He served up his dinner on the plate. He cut half of the large burger up for Pete. He placed it next to him, so that it could cool off. Pete was all nose smelling the treat. He wanted it without further hesitation. The old man picked at his meal. He worked his way through most of the meat and all of his serving of green beans. Bill seemed to be oblivious to Pete’s begging. When he had finished, he

sat in a trance for a few minutes. His mind continued to think about that truck. He was jolted back to reality from a poke of Pete’s nose against his arm. Pete barked several times. He simply wasn’t going to wait one more second. The old man placed a finger on the burger that had been cooling. It was now nearly room temperature. He didn’t get up to put the plate next to Pete’s water bowl. He lowered it down on the floor next to his chair. Pete started stealing one piece after another, before it ever hit the floor. By the time Bill had removed his hand, Pete’s head was covering the plate. His chomping sounded like a pig going after slop in a pan. In no time the burger had vanished from the plate. Pete had resorted to licking up any possible grease that might have been on the plate. When Pete had finished, he walked to his water bowl and drank every ounce of it within record time. Bill started to clean up their mess so he could hit the couch for some reading. With the dishes and pans cleaned and put away, Bill walked to his couch and plopped down to take up where he had left off with his book. Pete was soon ed at his hip on the couch with him. Pete closed his eyes as soon as Bill opened the book to where he had placed his marker. He turned the light on next to him and settled back to continue his reading. It was the great tale that had led to a cascade of movies over the years. A man raised by gorillas in the jungle was a strange concept that Bill loved. This book, in particular, always made him drift off into the fantasy world. He had read a few stories coming out of Europe where a wolf had huddled with some lost child in a snow storm, saving them. Bill wondered why a tale about gorillas raising a human baby couldn’t be true. If they had actually found a child with no one to care for it, would they have taken him in as a family member and raised him? He could see the jungle in all of its splendor and beauty. He could feel the intense heat from the tropical environment in which this story took place. He could smell the damp tropical vegetation, so thick you could see only inches through it. He could picture this young man, with more animal instincts than human, swinging through the jungle on vines and jumping from tree to tree. The sounds of the African birds and animals were created in his mind. He could close his eyes and imagine this scantily clad youth diving off of a high rock into some crystal clear pool to enjoy the cool water. Although he often took liberties with his visions of the events, he followed the lines of the story completely. His freedom to day dream in his mind made his books come alive with action and

adventures he would never get to experience. It was his way of escaping the shallow world he was locked into. The remainder of the day went without incident, with the exception of Pete’s potty break. Bill never stopped reading this classic story. He had really gotten wrapped up in his book. As usual, he completely lost track of time. The hours ed like fleeting minutes. He stayed entwined in this wonderful story. When evening came Bill’s weary old eyes were about to quit on him. The blurry vision he encountered prohibited any further reading for the day. Bill had only gotten up once for his own purposes. It was a quick bathroom trip, where he noticed he had forgotten his laundry in the washer. He loaded the articles into his dryer and kicked it into operation to finish the job. He folded them when they had dried and hung his uniform outfits back in the closet. The sun was still up, but it wouldn’t be for long. Bill’s curiosity was beginning to get the best of him about what all the fire had destroyed. He stopped long enough at the door to grab Pete’s leash and snap it on. The dog eagerly awaited some sort of exercise period he knew was approaching. They walked out of the gate and across the street. Bill coaxed Pete, who seemed a bit reluctant, to follow him on their trip down the street to the south. The old man proceeded along the sidewalk. He saw yellow plastic tape surrounding the area. It encircled the remains of the three houses. The center house had been situated about 40 feet from the sides of the other two. That had proved to be too close. The center house was only parts of two walls left partially standing. There was a huge pile of blackened rubble in the area where the basement had been. The houses on either side were burnt nearly to the ground and were a total loss also. The old man stood for a minute trying to move his feet. They now seemed glued to the concrete he stood on. Pete was sniffing the pungent air that still reeked of the strange smells. The old man stood in amazement, thinking how horrible this must have been for the families who lived in them. Bill never noticed the car pulling behind him that stopped. Bill’s eyes were locked onto the damage left behind. He didn’t hear the man and woman walking up behind him. Pete was the first to notice them. Being startled, he barked and pulled back, nearly yanking Bill over. Bill spoke and Pete seemed to calm down. Bill told him to sit when the couple approached. “Hello there. Sorry. I didn’t hear you walk up behind me. I was in a trance I

guess, looking at all of this. It sure is a terrible sight, isn’t it?” The woman began to tear up and look away. Bill turned to the man. He was rolling his tongue around in his mouth in search of something to say. It wasn’t there quite yet. “Yeah it’s bad. It’s our house. That is, the one on the left used to be ours. Or what is left of it. We lost it all I guess. We just barely got out with the clothes on our back. Never saw anything go up so fast in my entire life. To make it even worse, we just spent a ton redoing the kitchen and dining room. I’m sorry Sir. I’ve been rude. This is my wife Judy and I’m Harold. Harold Cantwell.” Bill reached out for the man’s hand and shook it. His wife seemed unwilling, or unable to get her hand up for a casual shake. She simply nodded at Bill. “I’m Bill Potter and this here is ole Pete. We live down the street in the little white house on the corner. We saw the fire engines and everything. I’m real sorry about you folks loss. I don’t think I could imagine how you both feel right now. Ole Pete and I just walked up here a few minutes ago to look at all of this. We stayed down the street, a few blocks away, until the police told us we could go back home. I am real sorry folks about your loss.” “Well thank you. We appreciate that. I guess we just had to come by and see it again. It all seemed like a bad dream last night. We were so upset last night, we couldn’t stand looking at it. Until now, I guess we just didn’t have the courage. Well honey, we had better get going. It was nice to meet you Mr. Potter.” Bill watched the man helping his trembling wife back to the car. The old man could hear her sobbing, until her husband closed the enger door behind her. Pete seemed to have some sixth sense about what had happened. He remained sitting through the entire conversation. Both Pete and Bill watched the car slowly move away from the curb and head up the street. When it turned the corner, it sped up and was quickly gone. Bill turned to Pete and told him they needed to get going. The mere thought of all of this weakened Bill’s stature. He was swaying back and forth on the way home, like he was drunk. At home Bill slipped back to thinking about this couple who had lost it all. How must they feel and how would they recover from such a tragedy, if they did at all? Bill could only imagine the pain they were in.

Bill walked to his book shelves, studying the selections. His fingers carefully glided over some of his books that he prized with all of his heart. He knew that they wouldn’t be much to anyone else, but they meant comfort and security to him. They were almost everything to him. He had read every book sitting there. Most of them multiple times over the years. To lose even one would be a severe blow to him. There was no comparison to what that couple must have lost forever. The rest of the evening was spent on the couch. Bill listened to the old songs that resonated in his mind from a bygone era. Bill rested as he sat, tuned into the music, while Pete lay propped against his leg. He kept his left hand resting on Pete’s shoulders. These two endured one more night with nothing else to do, but seek out some escape from their life of solitude. Around 10:45 Bill woke up. He realized he must have been asleep for a few minutes. He turned the radio off and headed for bed. When he crawled in, the remaining dampness on the sheets from Pete’s escapade slowly engulfed him. He was tired and the tiny bedroom was hot. At that moment, the dampness actually felt pretty good. The old man worked his way into a comfortable position and closed his eyes. Pete was resting next to him with his head facing the door, like a sentry waiting on some intrusion. Soon the room was filled with the sounds of both of them snoring.

Chapter 19

Everything Moves On

T he next morning Bill awoke with nothing more important on his mind than hitting the bathroom. When he had finished, Pete was sitting next to the bed waiting for whatever might be on the agenda for him. Bill dressed in the same outfit he had worn the previous day. He thought some people might think he was odd for this practice, but being alone and having little to get dressed up about made him this way. He did go in and comb his hair and brushed his teeth to take the taste of a night’s sleep out of it. He was barely into the kitchen, heading for his trusty coffee pot, when he heard the sound of something striking the side of the house. Pete perked up and began barking through the wall. Then he ran straight for the front door. Once Bill had filled his pot with water and coffee, he headed for the door also. He figured it must be Gene and Todd starting to wash the place down. When he opened the door, Pete bolted out and headed down the stairs with his tail stuck straight up in the air. His ears were all perked up. When Bill approached the final step off of the porch, he heard the booming voice of Todd greeting Pete. “Well good morning Pete. How you doing today? Yes, I’m happy to see you too!” Gene was holding the wand from the motorized pressure washer. He had covered his eyes with a pair of goggles for his mission. The blast from the water was being mixed with a cleaning solution. It seemed to cut through the residue quite well. Todd was busy roughing up Pete and playing with him when Bill came into full view. “Well, good morning to you too Bill. I knew you had to be somewhere close when Pete came running out to greet us. How are you two doing today?”

“Oh, we’re fine Todd. I sure want to thank you and Gene for all you’ve done for me and Pete. You two didn’t have to do all of this for us, but we sure do appreciate it. I want to pay you two for all of this once you’re done too. I won’t hear of it being anything less.” Todd was standing close to Bill. Pete was still demanding his attention. “Now Bill. I understood Gene said we owed you a warranty job on this. That means we’re not taking any money. But, if it would make you feel better, we might come by and get you so you can buy breakfast for us some morning. Would that be OK with you and Pete?” His warm smile told the old man they were being friends. They had only wanted to help with the cleanup. Bill didn’t feel right letting them do all of this for nothing, but he casually nodded as he agreed to spring for breakfast anytime they wanted to go. Both men stood watching Gene continue to battle the grime and soot. Bill thought about his coffee back on the stove. He excused himself so he could go get it, before it boiled to tar. When he had filled his pot and carried everything to his small table, he told Pete to go fetch the paper. It took a couple of finger pointing’s to entice him to go. He ran down for it once he figured out what was expected of him. Bill was really feeling proud of Pete for going on his own. He was about to praise him for his actions. Pete made a u turn at the bottom step and disappeared around the corner of the house. Bill began to yell at him to get his butt back, but Pete had already disappeared around the corner. Bill assumed his morning news was about to be shredded once again. He took off down the steps in hot pursuit. He had barely cleared the corner of the house when he spotted Pete. He had stopped and sat perfectly still at Todd’s feet. He offered him the paper with no horsing around. Todd was still looking down at Pete when Bill arrived. “Now just why in the devil can’t you do that for me once without chewing the darn thing to pieces? You come to Todd and don’t hesitate to give it up. With me, on the other hand, you want to rip it to shreds. I have to fight you every step of the way. Pete, we’re going to have to work on this some more.” Todd lowered his hand. Pete gently released the paper to him. He stood up and handed the paper to Bill. Todd began to break out laughing. So loudly in fact that Gene could hear him over the motor of the power washer.

“I guess old Pete just likes yanking your chain Bill. Sounds like you two have some sort of argument going on over this paper every morning. Maybe I should come by and have him give it to me so you can read it in peace.” “Maybe so Todd. He goes and gets it every morning, but darned if he will let me have it like he did you. He rips the darn thing nearly apart. By the time I get him to release it, I only have bits and pieces to look at. Damn dog!” “Well, it sounds to me like he’s learned what buttons to push on you Bill. I guess you and him are going to have to work on that some more, before you two get this all ironed out.” The old man chuckled while stroking his beard. He took a long gaze at the three legged dog. Pete seemed to be smiling. His front teeth were showing and his eyes told Bill he knew exactly what he was doing. Bill took the paper and headed back up to the porch. He wanted to get started reading about anything that might be news worthy for that day. His fresh coffee steamed in the mug. The strong pungent aroma filled the old man’s nose. Bill slipped on his cheaters and scanned the front page. Pete was sitting next to him, watching his every move. He must have figured he needed to keep an eye on the old man to deny him any attempt to escape. This morning the paper had little to catch Bill’s eyes. No matter what he read, it just didn’t take his mind off of that truck. That concern kept coming to the forefront of his thoughts. “Darn it Pete. We could really use that truck, you know. I’m pretty tired of having to depend on someone to do all our running for us. I guess we can afford one now. Don’t you agree ole boy?” Pete was busy cocking his head back and forth. His ears stood up as he listened. Bill was certain Pete knew just what he was talking about. Bill finished the last swallow of his first cup of coffee. He lifted the pot to pour in another cup. Pete watched and barked at him. Bill finished and turned to the dog. He needed to try to figure out, just what Pete was after. Two more barks filled the air. “And what is your problem now mister? You need a drink or something?” Pete stood up wagging his tail. He headed for the front door. Bill sat his mug down and got up to head to the door with Pete. When Bill opened it up, Pete streaked off inside and headed for the kitchen. When Bill arrived Pete was standing by the cabinets, rather than at his water dish. His tail was wagging and

he kept looking up at the cupboard, while he continued to raise a fuss. “Alright I hear you Pete. I suppose you must want a bone to munch on.” The old man reached for the door where he kept the dog treats. Pete came off the floor with his front feet bouncing up and down. Bill grabbed one of the milk bones out of the large box and handed it down to him. He took it gently, but firmly into his mouth. Only the flared end of it protruded out from his lips. He stood there still looking at the old man. He didn’t make a move until Bill headed out of the room. Pete tagged along, sticking right next to Bill. Once outside, Pete walked over to the table and circled around to find the right spot to bite into his treasure. Bill sat back down while Pete hit the floor of the porch. He placed the treat between his front paws to keep it upright. He bit off a small chunk and began crunching it up. Bill watched Pete continue to bite off the small chunks and chew them up. The slobber started running from his mouth down onto his legs and paws. In a short time, it was reduced to mere crumbles scattered around his paws. He searched for the biggest piece remaining and continued down the line to the smaller ones. He cleaned up every shred of the tasty delight. When he finished, he rotated his head from side to side trying to dislodge some fragment that apparently stuck in his upper gum. His mouth opened and closed again and again. He tilted his head first to one side then the other, until he finally got it loose. He emitted one loud crunch and the treat went straight down. He continued to lay there looking around his domain. He began to lick both legs and his feet to clean up any mess he had left on them. Bill watched the operation while Pete went about his business of washing up. When Pete had finished cleaning up his mess, he raised his head. With no warning, he let out a large burp and rested his head back onto his paws. “Well. Now that that’s over with ole boy, are you all happy now?” Pete rolled his eyes upward for an instant. Pete went back to checking out his front yard area. Bill reached for his coffee. It was starting to cool off. He hated wasting anything, but his urge for something much hotter than what was in his cup got the best of him. He tossed the remaining liquid out over the ledge of the porch. Bill refilled his mug with some of the hot coffee remaining in his pot. When Bill reached the ments in the back of the paper his eyes caught

the ad for Farris’s truck. It was still in the paper, which meant he hadn’t sold it yet. Bill shook thinking about the unintended ride they had all taken in it. With all that past him, he knew he had to call Farris again. He folded the paper over twice and pushed it off to the side. He picked up his mug taking a long slow drink. His mind wandered away from the moment at hand. He pictured that truck setting in front of his house. It was only a fleeting dream that disappeared in a flash, but it was enough to set his mind back on track. “Pete ole boy. I think we need to take a walk up the street to the pay phone again. How would you like to go with me?” Pete shot straight up. He knew exactly what was about to happen. He waited by the door while Bill reached in and grabbed his leash. Bill kept the leash folded over in his hand. He informed Pete they were about to leave. They both headed down the porch steps to the sidewalk. Pete went straight for the secured gate. Bill made a turn and went around the side of the tiny house. “Just a minute ole boy. We have to let Todd and Gene know where we’re off to first.” Pete hesitated, looking back at the gate. He lowered his head and slowly walked towards Bill. He looked like his heart was broken. He had decided they really weren’t going anywhere. Bill walked up to Gene to fill him in. Todd was busy washing the siding near the back corner. What they had completed so far looked great. Bill smiled after inspecting the completed work. “We’re going to head out for a walk and go use the phone up the street. I just wanted to let you guys know. In case you came to the front looking for us. We shouldn’t be gone too long Gene.” Gene looked at the old man and down at his cell phone on his belt. Bill started to turn away. Gene reached out for his arm. He stopped him in his tracks. He plucked the phone off of its hanger and held it up to for the old man. “Bill. Why don’t you use my phone, so you don’t have to walk all the way to Broadway? It’s no problem. It would sure save you and Pete a long walk. I’d be happy to let you use it.” The old man stopped while he listened to the offer. Bill looked down at the tiny phone in Gene’s hand. He had no clue of how to use it. The embarrassment of

knowing that, got the best of him. “Well, I appreciate that very much, but you might need it for something. I sure don’t want to drop it or anything. Besides that, ole Pete here would like to get out anyway.” Gene had no idea that Bill didn’t know how to use a cell phone. The thought of having to ask for help, didn’t set well with him. Gene never gave it a second thought. It was just second nature to him to use one. He stood with a puzzled look for a second. He heard the washer click off. He turned to see Todd approaching. He gazed at him momentarily. Then with a secret wink, he stepped up to the plate to take his turn. “Who do you need to call Bill? Maybe I can give you a hand here?” The old man lowered his head, not wanting either man to see him. He lifted his hand to his whiskers and began stroking them, as though he were in deep thought. “I was going to go call this Farris guy who has a truck for sale. I spoke to him the other day about it and I got to thinking about it again. I had decided to see if he still had it for sale. I thought I might get something for me and ole Pete here to ride around in.” Todd was very gentle in his approach this time. “Well Bill. If you got the number for that guy, let me have it. I’ll get him on the phone for you right now. You can talk to him about it, if he still has it for sale. How would that suit you?” Todd could read the old man. He knew Bill was about to crawl out of his skin trying to keep his embarrassment from showing. He saw the paper in Bill’s hand and moved to get a closer look. “If you show me the ad, I’ll get him on the phone for you my friend. It’s really no big deal. You can probably hear on my phone better than that little one of Gene’s anyway.” Bill reluctantly fumbled the paper around in his hand. His finger pointed at the ad in the classifieds. He handed it to Todd as Gene went back to work with the

power washer. Todd walked away and signaled for Bill to follow him. He moved away from the sound of the washer to the front of the porch steps. He waited for Bill to catch up. He slowly flipped his phone open. Todd turned it towards Bill, so he could see the numbers from a distance. He called out the digits and touched the pad to punch them in. Bill watched closely. He could hear the phone ringing on the other end. Todd raised it to his ear and held it with only three fingers, so the old man could easily see the operation. “Hello there. Is this Jim Farris? Yes, this is Todd Wheeler calling. I’m standing here with Bill Potter right now. We were just wondering if you still had that truck for sale. That one you listed in the paper. Well, that’s good to hear. Why don’t I put Bill on the phone to speak to you and I’ll get off here. Just a second Jim.” Todd handed his phone to Bill. The old man took it. He looked like he had been handed a loaded gun with no safety on it. He slowly raised it up and placed it next to his ear. He never spoke for a few seconds. When Jim’s voice came across the line, it surprised the old man. He heard Jim ask if he were there. It stunned him for a second. He had never used a cell phone before. “Hello Jim. Is that you? Say, I was wondering about that truck and whether or not you might bring it by again. I’d sure like to talk to you about it. I guess we probably need to get together to settle things up too.” Jim was full of his usual comedic commentary. He began to relay to Bill that it was all fixed and that he didn’t need to worry about paying for anything. He also assured him he would be more than happy to come by right after lunch. He needed to run a couple of errands in town anyway. He said it wouldn’t be out of his way. The only thing he asked for was Bill’s street address again. He wanted to make sure he still had it. Bill gave it to him and told him he would see him later in the day. He told Jim goodbye. Staring at the phone, not having a clue how to end the call, he handed it back to Todd. Todd took it and simply closed it up and snapped it back onto his belt. “So it sounds like you got that all set up Bill. Sure hope it works out for you. I’ll bet old Pete here would love a vehicle to go riding around in. What kind of a truck is it anyway?” Bill explained that it was a red Chevy with a plain cab. He told him it was a bit

of an older model, but he couldn’t the year. Bill indicated it was in great shape. He explained it would sure do what he needed it to do, if he got it. Todd listened intently, seeing the old man’s delight. He watched the old man’s eyes twinkle with each description. When Bill had finished, Pete was sitting patiently eyeing the leash Bill was clutching in his hand. It made him think again about Pete wanting to go. He looked at Pete and patted him on the head. He was pleased to know Jim was coming back and smiled. He felt better after getting a lesson on Todd’s phone. “I suppose Pete and I had better head down to the Post Office and pick up our mail. I haven’t gotten it for a couple of days. They may be ready to give my box away if I don’t go empty it out.” Todd nodded and turned away to head towards Gene. He was getting ready to move to the back of the house. He raised his right hand in a small gesture to let Bill know he was heading back to work. Bill turned to head to the gate. Pete bounded off. He was sitting at the gate when Bill arrived. Pete was all excited about going out by the time Bill got there. Bill snapped the leash on Pete and swung the gate open. Bill and Pete were both happy to get out. Pete was a bit head strong at first. He was pulling against Bill’s control, until he figured out that it wasn’t working. He calmed down and backed off. Soon he started walking by Bill’s side again, like he should. The royal blue sky above them was absolutely beautiful. A few large white billowing clouds dotted its presence like a painting on a canvas. The warmth of the sun peeking through some of the thinner branches of the trees along the boulevard made the temperature raise and lower as they walked along. The shade was cool and the breeze had just enough strength to tug at the leaves. It caused them to dance on the small limbs they clung to. The air was sweet and carried the fragrances of flowers blooming in some of the yards. The closer they got the Post Office, the busier the street became. Cars and trucks of all sorts were dashing by them. Only a few people took time to notice the old man and his dog. Bill’s mind was a million miles away thinking about driving that truck. Pete was busy watching each and every vehicle cruise by. Pete caught a view of one car with another dog in it. He began to bark at it and pull against the leash. It brought Bill back from his daydream. It was a huge black and white sheep dog. It had enough hair covering its eyes that all Bill could see was his nose. He returned the courtesy of Pete’s barking with some of his own. Bill

wondered how it could see him and Pete. Pete was too busy conversing back and forth with his shaggy new comrade to pay attention to what Bill was up to. He would bark and then whine, inviting his friend to stop and play with him. Both dogs seemed intent on out doing each other’s barks. In a moment, the vehicle was gone out of sight. That left Pete wondering if there would be more dogs for him to visit with along the way. He kept his eyes trained on every vehicle from that point on while Bill walked with him down the street. When they crossed at their destination, Bill double checked to make sure that the coast was clear before they moved out. Pete was looking too, but this time it was at a man coming out of the front door with a large box resting on his shoulder. Pete’s tail began to wag about the time the man caught site of this three legged dog heading his way. At first he just watched, like he was leery of him, but within a second he smiled. Bill and Pete stepped up onto the sidewalk. The man stopped in front of them. He reached his hand out for Pete to smell. The dog timidly stuck his nose up to smell the man’s hand. Pete gave it a small lick to show his greeting. “Well hello there boy. What’s your name?” Bill smiled at the man who was befriending Pete. “This here is Pete the dog Sir. He’s my buddy. He just likes everyone I guess. I don’t think he knows a stranger anymore. He seems to make friends about everywhere we go.” The man spoke to Pete as he stroked his head with this hand. This seemed to be to Pete’s delight. His tail was going about a hundred miles an hour and he perked up at all the attention. The man adjusted the large box back on his shoulder to get it in the right place. He walked away bidding both Bill and Pete a good day. Bill continued to the front of the building. He secured Pete’s leash and headed in. Pete didn’t fuss now when Bill did this. He had learned he had to wait outside. He simply took a turn and sat down, watching the entire area for anyone else who might come by to pay homage to him. Pete didn’t seem to mind waiting for the old man’s return. Bill walked out with a large handful of mail. Pete insisted that it was his, but Bill was hesitant about giving such a large bundle to him. Pete finally waited until they had crossed back onto the sidewalk to head home before he insisted on

carrying it. He reached out and latched onto the entire load that was still in Bill’s grip. Bill held onto it for a second before releasing it into Pete’s custody. They hadn’t gone far when a squirrel sitting next to a tree dashed up the trunk. He surprised Pete with his presence. Pete made a quick lunge and tried to bark. The mail dribbled out of his mouth all over the sidewalk. He kept lurching ahead trying to get closer. By the time he had reached the end of his leash, the mail was strewn over nearly 8 feet of sidewalk. Bill was hollering at him while looking at his mail. It all had to be picked up. Bill was mad in a comical way. “Now look at all of this Pete. Look what you did. You’ve got our mail all over Hell’s half acre. Now you let that squirrel be and get back here.” Pete looked back with a curiosity, like there was nothing wrong in his world. He looked down at one of the letters and tried to pick it up. He couldn’t get his mouth on it because it was lying flat. Bill was bent over grabbing each piece. He moved along trying to get it back in some sort of orderly pile. When he had finished picking it all up, Pete tried to take it away from him again. This time Bill held it up high, keeping it away from him. “No. You had your chance ole boy. You spit it out all over the darn place. Now I’ll carry it, if you don’t mind. I’m not picking all of this up every time you see a squirrel. Heck, we’d never get home.” Pete was too engrossed with looking for that squirrel again. Until he had gotten another block up the street, he seemed like he couldn’t care less about carrying the mail again. But at the next street, a few blocks away from the house, he started in again. This time he was not taking no for an answer. Bill’s hand was just at the right height this time. Pete bit down on the stack one more time. He was determined to make his play stick. Bill held the mail tightly in his hand. Pete was walking sideways trying to attempt its removal from Bill’s hand. He was yanking on it so hard, he nearly pulled Bill off his feet, twice. All of a sudden Bill could feel it giving way. Finally he let it go. Pete, now firmly in control, just pranced along. He was all happy again. Bill shook his head as he watched Pete keep looking back at him. Pete’s look was like, “I won didn’t I?” The rest of the trip home was uneventful for Bill. Pete carried the mail with his doggy sense of pride and ownership. Bill walked along the streets searching for anything to break up the scenery of the usual sites he encountered. When he

approached the house, he could hear the power washer roaring away. Todd and Gene continued to work hard on blasting away the residue from the fire. They were actually on the downhill side of the east wall by the time Bill and Pete arrived at the gate with the mail. Bill unlatched the gate. Pete walked in like he was a king, returning to his castle after a long campaign of battles. Bill unleashed him inside the gate. Pete went for the door wanting in. Bill opened the door and both of them walked in. Pete headed straight for the water bowl. Bill was allowed to remove the mail from Pete’s grasp. He placed it on the kitchen table. He went about freshening up Pete’s water after he drank most of what was there. Pete stood for the longest time lapping up more of the cool fresh water. He was slopping it all over the floor while he drank. When he finished, he turned to Bill. He exhausted a huge burp and stood motionless. He stared at the old man thumbing through his mail at the table. It was the usual assortment of junk mixed in with a couple of bills. The power and water bill was all he had of any importance. Even those didn’t mean all that much, since his money situation had changed. They were normally pretty small for the tiny home. Bill was about finished sorting out the important stuff. Before he could get up to discard the remainder of it, Pete’s ears perked up. He bolted out of the kitchen towards the front door. He began to bark. Bill hadn’t heard anything, but he assumed it must be Todd or Gene wanting something. When he arrived at the front door, Pete was raising cane a bit more than usual. This was the first indication to Bill that it must be someone else. Bill approached the door. He spotted Farris standing on the porch. He was looking at the blackened ruins from the fire up the street. When Bill opened the door, Pete headed out to greet Jim. “Now that sure didn’t take you long. Why don’t you come on in? We can talk about that pickup.” Jim said hi to Pete and walked behind the old man into the living room. Bill waved his hand towards the seldom used recliner. He moved to the couch and took a seat. “So you decided to take another shot at that old truck, huh? I was hoping you wouldn’t get too upset about what happened the other day. That sure wasn’t your fault Bill. I found it a bit funny after it was all over and done with.”

The old man tried to calm Pete. He was being an absolute pest to Jim. He pushed his head into Jim’s lap, demanding some attention. Bill felt he didn’t need it. “Actually, to tell you the truth Jim. I got to thinking about it yesterday. Even though I didn’t have a very good showing the other day, I am still interested in trying to work out a deal, if we can do that.” The two men sat and visited while discussing the repairs. Jim had gotten everything fixed. He informed Bill he understood it certainly wasn’t his fault that the brakes failed. Farris proclaimed, something like that could have happened to anyone who was driving it. He assured Bill that the brake problem had been taken care of. He told Bill he felt bad for not having checked everything out a bit closer before he listed it for sale. Some thirty minutes later the two men decided to go out and go over the truck again. Bill could inspect it once more, before any haggling took place. Bill smiled when Jim’s face lit up after warning him that he could be pretty hard to deal with. The three left the yard headed for the truck. Bill scoped out everything he could, trying to take it all in. It was a beautiful truck, even with its age. Bill’s heart raced like he was a teenage boy looking at his first car. Bill climbed up into the cab and inspected each and every knob and handle. He ran his hand over the seat and looked over the dash at the street. “Now Bill. I have been thinking about this. Since you and old Pete here need a ride and I have too many toys as it is. I’ve decided to make you a heck of a deal on this old truck. I was thinking that we might come to a deal for, let’s say $3000.00. I know that might be a bit high, but since she is in such good shape, I think you’ll be getting a pretty good deal at that price. What do you think?” The old man had been waiting for this exact moment. Now he was speechless. He really had no clue how much it would cost, but the figure Farris had tossed out seemed very reasonable, considering the conditions. Bill looked down at Pete. He was sitting right outside the door watching him. “Well Pete, what do you think about this? Does that sound reasonable to you ole boy?” Pete perked up, not knowing he was solely in charge of the final answer. While

wagging his tail, he barked several times so hard he raised his front feet off the ground. Jim started laughing. “Hold on Pete. I guess that means your dickering on the price with me. I haven’t dealt with anyone as shrewd as you before, but let me think about that offer.” Farris was laughing so hard he could barely speak. He watched in amusement while Pete turned to him and began to pant. “Oh alright Pete. How about $2950.00? Now that’s my final offer. You sure make it hard on old Jim to make any money dealing that way!” Bill was almost in a trance. It didn’t soak in that Farris had just lowered the price. He stepped out of the truck stroking his beard. He fumbled at his shirt pocket, as if he were looking for something. “I think that would be alright. Why don’t we go inside and I’ll get you a check.” Bill didn’t ask if a check would be agreeable. He actually never gave it a second thought. Jim reached over and touched Bill’s shoulder. His devilish eyes lit up and a broad smile took over his demeanor. When the two men got inside, Bill went to his reading desk drawer and withdrew his check book. With shaking hands, he sat down at his reading table and began to write the check out. He stopped twice to wipe the sweat off of his palms before returning to make out the check. “You’ll have to forgive me Jim, but it’s been so long since I had a vehicle. I’m a little bit nervous about all of this. I don’t suppose I could ask you a favor could I?” Jim was standing by the small table looking across the rows of books on the shelves. His eyes never left them as he spoke. “You just name it Bill. If old Jim here can help you, I’d be happy to. What do you need?” “Well, I haven’t taken a driver’s test for quite a few years. I was wondering if you might go with me to the driver’s license place. Kind of give me some moral . I’ll have to brush up on the test stuff I guess, but if you could drive the

truck over there when I’m ready I’d sure appreciate it.” Jim moved his eyes away from the books. He gazed down at the old man. Bill’s hand was extended out, holding the check for the final step that would close this deal. “I’ll tell you what I’ll do Bill. Why don’t I take you to the driver’s license place? You can get a rules of the road book to study while we’re there. You can study all you want and let me know when you feel you’re ready. I’ll get the paperwork for the truck ready and bring it by later, after I double check everything. You can get used to the truck and get some practice in before we go. How would that be my friend?” Bill had knots in his stomach. He was already worrying about being able to any sort of test. He thought that he could do it, if he would relax a bit. “That sure would be nice if you could do that for me. I’m so nervous right now, I couldn’t think about getting this stuff done by myself.” Jim reassured the old man that everything would work out fine. Jim agreed to assist him in any way he could. He slapped Bill on the back in a manly gesture. He asked him when he wanted to go and get his material for study. Bill explained he would be ready to do it anytime. Jim eyes lit up. He suggested that they go right then and get started. Pete was not the least bit happy when Bill closed the door leaving him standing inside, wondering why he couldn’t go with them. Off they went to the examining station, where Bill secured the book he needed to study from. It was the first step Bill would need to take.

Chapter 20

Regaining Some Freedom

B ill returned to the house. Gene and Todd were finishing up with the front porch. They had done a splendid job on everything. The tiny home took on its previous splendor once again. Bill walked around it with a gleam in his eye. They pointed out what they had done, just to be friendly. Bill tried to shame them into accepting something for all of their work, but they refused any payment. They assured the old man that nothing was necessary. He thanked them both over and over again. Those compliments seemed to be all that was required of the two. They returned to their truck and loaded up their equipment. They drove away waving good bye. They left Bill with a huge smile on his face. That evening, Bill turned his reading lamp on for another book session. He sat on the couch with Pete tucked in next to him. The glow from the thin shade that surrounded the lamp’s bulb gave off a pale yellow light. It reached out far enough to illuminate the area Bill needed to do his reading. He opened the “Rules of the Road” and began reading it from cover to cover. His mind had decided to lock up on certain rules within the book. It made concentrating difficult, but he persevered through the first few chapters before putting it down. Bill gave up on making much headway for that night. The sounds of the classic old music soon flowed out of his radio. Bill pondered what he had read in the manual. The hour was late when he decided to turn the music on to try to relax. His mind was a tangled cluster of many thoughts. He needed some relief to unwind. The music filled the small room. It seemed to be bouncing off of everything. Bill leaned his head back onto the cushion of the couch. He allowed the music to take him away from all the fears and worries he had piled upon himself. The old man dozed off a couple of times that evening. He allowed himself to become lost in the melodies that soothed his mind. After waking up for the third

time, he decided it was getting too late to sit there any longer. Bill flipped the radio off and headed for bed. When morning rolled around, Bill woke up to the sound of thunder rattling his windows. The narrow walls of his home seem to vibrate with the explosions in the sky. It was so overcast, it seemed like nightfall. The lightning bolts raced across the sky as they displayed their dancing skills. It was a bright flash in the distance that allowed the sound to carry for miles. Those were followed by sharp bolts that seemed to be hitting all over the city. The rumbles from the distant thunder claps were still audible when the super loud booms of new strikes erupted. Each new clap took precedence over the fading ones. They came from seemingly everywhere around the tiny home. Pete was curled up with his nose buried in the covers. He was hiding from the continuous pounding. The rain was heavy enough to obscure the view of everything around the neighborhood. Bill was still extremely tired. He decided it must have been all the worrying he had done the previous evening. His back was hurting. The pain shot down his right leg all the way to his foot. He strained to loosen everything up as he hobbled off to the bathroom. The force of the hot water coming out of the shower head felt great. It beat down on his back like fingers and small hammers. He arched his back several times and then relaxed, trying to unlock the tension that knotted his spine. Pete was outside the shower. He stayed curled up in an effort to make himself as small of he could. Bill washed his hair and beard and stretched his arms overhead after doing so. The heat from the water helped, but his back was determined to keep his attention focused on the intense pain he was in. After some time, the water began to revert to a cooler temperature. That told the old man the water heater was giving up on the race to outpace the cold water rushing in. Bill arched his shoulders in one last attempt to loosen any of the muscles in his back. He shut the faucet off. He had exhausted his final attempt to alleviate the pain. He worked to dress himself, wondering what he had done to agitate his back. He only had to look at the image staring back at him out of the mirror to know why it was happening. It was his age and the long term effects of a serious back injury. Those two problems, compounded by poor health in general that plagued him that morning, made him feel terrible. Bill would continue to ignore the signs.

Try as he did, he simply couldn’t bend over far enough to pull his socks on to complete the task of getting dressed. This job would have to wait until he could bend over to reach his feet. The large breakfast he normally looked forward to on stormy days, seemed unappealing that morning. He couldn’t even enjoy his morning coffee on the porch with such a storm going on outside. He would simply share Pete’s company in the kitchen. Arriving at the front door, Pete stopped short of heading out into the torrential down pour. He refused to get off the porch. His eyes squinted to fend off the huge raindrops that fell against his face. Bill wanted his paper, but realized it was not in the rain proof sack it should have been in. It was lying naked on the sidewalk, completely soaked. It would likely be impossible to read now. His attempt to get Pete off the porch made little sense to the dog. What Pete needed to do would simply have to wait out the storm. Bill closed the door when Pete stepped back in. He started to turn around. A sharp pain, like a knife being stuck between two of his vertebra, raced down his spine. It folded the old man up. He fell hard onto the floor. He thought he was done. The excruciating tingling he felt immobilized him right where he landed. Pete moved closer to him and began licking his face. He wanted to help remove the pain the old man was feeling. He began to whine when Bill cringed in a lost attempt to raise himself back to his feet. He rolled over onto his back and screamed in pain. Pete, with his tail between his legs, cried knowing something was seriously wrong with the gentle old man he was so attached to. Bill’s shaking hand reached out for his friend. He tried to calm him with some soft spoken words, which were about all he could mutter. The minutes ed. The old man tried desperately to relax and regain his strength. Nearly twenty minutes ed before the first sign of the pain letting up appeared. The floor felt like steel and Bill’s right leg was numb from the position he had been laid up in. He rolled back over and tried to right himself. Bill knew he had to have something to hold onto. Pete stood up and moved closer to the old man, like he knew what had to be done. Bill grasped his neck first and then slid his hand down onto his back. Bill wrenched his body upward. Pete’s only remaining back leg was scarcely enough to his own weight, let alone Bill’s. He held fast as the old man pulled down on him. When the weight from Bill’s body pushed harder on Pete, he yipped. Pete refused to pull away. He was going to help his friend no matter what the cost to him. By now Bill was finally on his knees. With one final push against Pete’s back, he forced himself erect

once again. Bill had regained his feet. Pete had bravely stood by him. The old man knew Pete was hurting from the incident. He began licking the old man’s hand, showing more love than Bill had ever seen before. The old man’s eyes were filling up with tears. Not only with the pain, but with the love for this dog. “I’m real sorry boy. I didn’t mean to hurt you by leaning on you. I hope you’ll forgive me buddy.” Bill could barely hobble on his short journey to the couch. It seemed like a trek up Mount Everest for him. First one small step. Then ever so slowly, he took another and another, until he could lean on the door jam in the living room for . The couch looked like an oasis awaiting him. After several attempts to lower his body onto it, he finally collapsed. Pete quickly approached the old man and sat right between his feet. He rested his head on Bill’s knee. His look was sad. He understood, as only a dog can, that something was very wrong and he was helpless to do anything about it. Trying to set still wasn’t cutting it anymore with the immense pain. Bill eventually got turned around enough to lie down. He relaxed, trying to get flat. The pain was extensive, but it seemed to let up enough for him to take in a big breath in and let it out. Bill kept his hand resting on Pete’s back. Pete stood by the couch, watching him for a couple of minutes. Taking one last look to make sure Bill wasn’t moving anywhere, he curled up next to the couch on the floor. Bill finally dozed off after weathering the worst of the pain. It had exhausted him and the lure of sleep took over. The storm outside continued raging, as if it were determined to have no end. The darkness of the room gave little vision, unless it came from the frequent lightning bursts outside. Pete was awake more than he was asleep. Bill never budged during the entire ordeal. It was noon when the first signs of clearing began breaking up the clouds. The wind gradually subsided and the rain had ceased around 11 am. Bill was snoring when the abrupt of a cold wet nose aroused him from his sleep. Pete was wanting out now. It was due to necessity, not a whim. He had held off as long as he could. Now he needed to hit the yard. Bill’s eyes opened slowly. He was groggy. He had to compose himself, to figure out where he was. The rest on the couch had done its job. The steel cable tightness of his old muscles relaxed enough for him to set up without too much trouble.

He was still weakened by the stress of his ordeal. He looked around and found Pete in a real lather about getting outside. The old man pulled his body up. He began to work his way to the door. He stepped into his old house slippers he normally never used and opened the door. Pete displayed no hesitation, getting a running jump off of the top step of the porch. He hit the ground and barely made it to the edge of the grass before he began relieving himself. Pete continued to stand totally still. Bill watched in disbelief as Pete drained what seemed like a gallon of liquid out of his bladder. When Pete finished, he seemed to know something was missing. He spotted the soaking wet paper lying on the sidewalk. He sniffed the ground and the sidewalk on his way to it. After some inspection of the prize, he proceeded to pick it up. It took several attempts for him to secure his mouth around it. When he lifted it up the water poured out of it onto the sidewalk and down his front legs. Seeming not to care a whole bunch about the condition of his prize, he returned to the porch. With a wag of his tail he sat down at Bill’s feet. He was offering up the soggy mess he had retrieved. Bill stood for a moment wishing he owned a camera so he could take Pete’s picture. Although still in quite a bit of pain, Bill started laughing at this dog. “Oh Yeah Pete. Now I can have it without any fight what so ever. Any other time I would have to chase you all over this darn yard before you would give it up. Most of the time only after you nearly destroy it. Now that it’s ruined, you want to give it up without a fight. Aren’t you something else?” The old man accepted the kindly gesture and withdrew the soggy paper from Pete’s gentle grip. He walked to the table and tossed it down. It splattered water in all directions. He turned back to see Pete cock his head in curiosity. Apparently he couldn’t figure out why Bill wasn’t sitting down to read it. Bill thought to himself, what a strange dog he had taken in. It seemed like morning to Bill. He followed up the paper scenario with a fresh brewed pot of his strong coffee from the stove. This time he stayed in the kitchen. Bill poured a hot mug full while he sat on his hard chair. The rigid seemed to help his back. Keeping his mind on dinner, which now seemed past due, he sat and sipped his coffee. Bill tried to plan some kind of lunch for him and Pete. He seemed well in tune to the old man. He sat waiting for some sort of movement out of the old man that would indicate he was

actually getting it ready. The storm had cooled the temperature down to the point the tiny house seemed chilly. It could have been the old man was so thin, he no longer had the insulation to keep the chill out of his bones. Bill wasn’t allowing that to be an excuse, or a fault he would accept. Bill sat his best frying pan on the stove. He cut a package of pork sausage open and began making several patties that he placed in the pan. He removed his carton of eggs. There were only two left. He would deal with that later. He placed two slices of bread into the toaster and uncovered his butter dish. He placed it on the table along with his jar of black berry preserves. When he had finished that chore, the sausage was ready to be flipped. He carefully turned each one and lowered the burner down to give himself a bit more time to finish his cup of coffee. The sound of the sausage sizzling in the skillet made him seem hungrier than he was. With the aroma of the spicy pork filling the small kitchen, he was getting anxious for his meal to begin. Once the sausage was crispy on the edges, which was the way he liked it, he placed them on his plate. He did so without anything under them to drain the grease. It would soon flood his plate. He broke the two eggs, gently allowing them to flow into the skillet. Skimming some of the hot grease off of the bottom of the skillet with his spatula, he basted both of the eggs. They appeared somewhat done, but still soft. This was his favorite style for them. Next came the toast. He slathered large amounts of butter on each slice until they nearly folded up. His preserves came last. With no further interruptions, Bill began to dine on his late breakfast. Pete sat attentively watching the old man enjoy his meal and drinking his coffee to wash it all down. There were still three patties of sausage left on the plate when Bill finished. He slid one egg over next to them for Pete. The toast was nearly gone, but Pete would have to make due today with the scraps that were available. Bill wiped his mouth off. He headed to the stove for another cup of his coffee. His pot sat on a tiny flame to keep it hot. He placed the remainder of the food down for Pete. The dog sat watching, until the old man had removed his hand from his dining area. Once that had happened, Pete stuck his nose right in the middle of the plate. He began to chow down like he hadn’t eaten in a week. By the time he had finished licking the plate, it looked like it had just come from a dish washer. Pete returned to the table and sat down next to Bill, wagging his tail. Pete was letting him

know he approved of his offering. Bill continued to sit at the table until the last drop of his strong coffee had been consumed. He rinsed the pot and his mug and placed them on his mat. He cleaned all the dishes and his skillet before leaving to head in for some reading. In the living room the light was far better, now that the storm had ceased. The sun was showing through the openings when the clouds ed by to reveal the sunshine. Bill started to pick up his Tarzan book, but found himself casting his eyes on the “Rules of the Road” pamphlet. He decided to take up where he left off the previous night. The remainder of the afternoon was spent pouring over all the rules he would have to know to his driver’s test. Most of it started to come back to him. He forced himself to relax and pay closer attention to the words he read. He completed the book for the first time around 2 pm. He returned to the beginning to go through it again, for good measure. If he read it once it was good, but he figured if he read it repeatedly, he could retain more and more of it with each session. Some of the new laws, like right turn on red after stop, stumped him a bit. He worried if that were on the test, he would forget it. He hammered it into his brain again and again. He continued through it for the second time. Bill began to pick up more and more. He was no dummy. The only reason to doubt himself was his own lack of confidence. The pages kept turning one by one. He felt more comfortable with what he was reading. His memory was in tune with the laws and signs he would be quizzed on. He felt if he kept this up for a few days, he would feel much better about taking the test. Bill needed to feel a bit more at ease about all of it. Pete was lying on the couch next to him, snoring as usual. He had exercised his right for a badly needed doggy nap. Once in a while his legs would shutter or his lips would pooch out when he let out some small yips and whines. Bill would turn to watch him. He wondered what all that could be about? He figured it was some doggy dream where Pete was chasing a squirrel, or maybe a rabbit. After each session of subconscious outbreaks, he would arch his back and straighten his legs out. He would raise his head enough to check out his surroundings before drifting back off. Bill was still going through the manual when Pete bounced up like he was shot

out of a cannon. There was no reason for it. The tiny home was perfectly silent. Whatever the reason, Pete jumped down onto the floor. He began barking loudly, like it was his job to warn the old man of an impending emergency that only he knew about. Bill closed the manual keeping his index finger between the pages. He lowered his glasses to the end of his nose. He looked down at Pete. “What is it Pete? I sure don’t hear nothing going on.” The barking continued and he began to jump around. He turned in small circles waiting for Bill to get up on his feet. Bill pulled himself up from the couch. Pete headed for the front door. Bill followed along trying to get him to calm down, but that wasn’t happening. Bill decided to oblige his anxious friend. He was going to have to let him out to check out what wasn’t there, so he would calm down. He was opening the door when Pete hit the screen door at full speed, nearly going through it before Bill could grab him. Bill happened to gaze out across the small porch. He thought he caught a glimpse of something heading for the steps. He had barely corralled Pete by the collar. The strain against his fingers was nearly unbearable. He just started to crack open the storm door when the pungent odor of something all too familiar blasted its way into Bill’s nose. It was a skunk. This one had apparently wandered right up onto the porch searching for some crumb that Pete might have left from one of his treats that he had eaten earlier. Bill quickly pulled the door closed, almost slamming Pete’s snout in the crack. Bill knew if Pete got outside, it would all be over in seconds. Pete would come back to the house adorned with some really awful coating that Bill wasn’t prepared to deal with. “Hold on Pete! That’s a skunk out there. You are not going anywhere near that stinky critter. Sit down and mind me. You’re not going out old boy and that’s final.” Pete stared at the old man, barking and raising as much Hell as Bill had ever heard. He jumped at the door and danced around like he couldn’t wait another second. Bill pushed the inside door closed which brought Pete into a frenzy. “I told you to forget it! You’re not going out there! That’s all I need is for you to go out and tangle with that darn skunk. You just settle down and leave him be.” The odor was creeping into the narrow hallway. Pete’s nose was going a

thousand miles an hour. His nostrils flared and retracted with each sniff. Bill turned the porch light on, trying to see outside. It was a small 40 watt bulb housed in a single hexagon globe next to the door. It scarcely shed enough light to see the closest portion of the side walk. Bill wanted to make sure their unwanted intruder had made his way off the property. He stared out, but his old eyes couldn’t make out any movement. Pete was still barking, but he would just have to get over that. Bill continued to gaze out the dirty window in his front door. It was a useless attempt to locate the intruder. He finally turned to head back into the living room. Pete remained glued to the front door, insisting he be let out. Bill ignored him for several minutes. He finally calmed down enough to cease his barking. Now it was simply a whining of sorts. Pete figured he had been denied his duty of confronting that smelly vagrant, who had nerve enough to assault his territory. Bill sat back down being thankful he had caught Pete in time. He was fortunate he had caught wind of the odor. He began to think what he would have done if Pete had made it outside. He would have had to deal with the unthinkable aftermath of such an encounter. It was not a pleasant thought. He was relieved that he didn’t have to make any of the tough decisions that would have been required. Bill decided to forgo any further study for that day. Instead, he switched his radio on so he could unwind to some of his beloved music. The radio came to life, filling the small room with some of his favorites. He leaned back to enjoy their arrival into his ears. Pete had many more minutes of worry and nervousness before he reluctantly caved in and returned to Bill’s side on the couch. His attentive eyes told Bill he was still worried about something being out there, but the old man just ignored any indulgence to his concerns. The rest of the evening went without trouble. Although Bill knew Pete should go out for one last potty break, he was inclined to override that decision with his better judgment. He figured if it became really necessary, he would take the risk after giving their unwanted visitor plenty of time to vacate the premises. Bill washed his face off before getting ready for bed. Pete was in a calm state and seemed content to hit the sack with Bill. Bill climbed into the bed, taking his share before Pete could hog most of it. With one quick launch of his body, Pete landed next to him and curled up for the night. Bill was tossing and turning most of the first hour after going to bed. He decided to try to forget all about the driver’s test he had been worrying about and let it go for the night. His old body,

now exhausted from the day’s events, started to relax and he finally dropped off to sleep. The next morning Bill woke up with some shooting pain in his right leg and into his hip. While he attempted to roll over the discomfort became too much. He worked his way to the edge of the bed and sat up. His weathered hand rubbed the tender hip to work some of the pain out. It wasn’t happening. He rose from his side of the bed while Pete lifted his head to watch. Bill worked his leg back and forth trying desperately to regain some flexibility. He clung to the post of the old iron bed. He could sense that his sleep hadn’t been that great and he still felt tired. Pete continued to watch from his coiled up position. “Come on boy. Ole Bill needs a hot shower. This leg of mine is just killing me, for some reason.” Bill worked his way into the bathroom. He turned the shower on full blast. He stalled getting in until the water heater delivered the much needed hot water he wanted. The temperature rose in the blast of water cascading down from the shower head. Bill stepped into its soothing caress. The water poured down around his shoulders and onto his lower body. Bill started to relax and enjoy it as the heat penetrated into him. His hands worked the ts and muscles that nearly incapacitated him just minutes before. Pete was still in bed, deciding to catch some extra snooze time. Bill never noticed his sleepy companion’s absence. He washed his hair and beard before the water lost its heat. The steam began filling the little bathroom from the ceiling down. Bill hadn’t noticed the loss of visibility. He kept his eyes closed working the intense pain out of his body. It seemed like only a few minutes until the water began to lose its heat intensity and the temperature began dropping rapidly. It wasn’t warm enough to quench his need for additional time in the heated water. It now dissipated rapidly around him. Let down from the lack of quantity he needed, he slowly closed the valves. He stood for a minute before getting out to dry himself. His leg and the gnawing misery of the pain, would have to wait. Bill followed his shower with three aspirin, for good measure. The coffee pot began to boil and fill the kitchen with its strong aroma. Bill attempted to put his pain behind him. His brain was locked onto the smell of his brew. Pete had been waiting for his journey to the front door. Bill filled up his insulated pot and grabbed his mug. He headed for the porch with both in hand.

Waiting for these two outside was a gorgeous morning. The grass glistened from the tiny drops of dew that adorned each blade. The sun felt good and the air was sweet and clean. Pete enjoyed his usual role of paper boy. He scooped up the morning news on the sidewalk and returned it promptly for once. He may have known that the old man wasn’t up to par that morning. He made no attempts to tease Bill or play with the paper. The old man simply reached down and Pete allowed him to take it. Wiggling around in his chair made little difference in his pain. He continued to try to get to a more comfortable spot without resolve. The paper was pitifully thin that morning and the old man figured it must have been a slow day around the world. He turned through the pages and scanned each headline, both large and small. The sports world seemed to have gone completely to sleep. There wasn’t even one side article covering his Cardinals. Bill would read for a few minutes and then arch his back hard against the chair. Bill would rotate his head as the pain continued. Pete was lying at his feet snoozing away while the day ed by in minutes of slumber. Bill made one trip to the bathroom midway through his coffee. This garnished one quick glance from Pete before he returned to snoozing. After a slight spasm, the aspirin finally kicked in. Bill was relieved. He was nearly through his paper and on his third cup of coffee when he heard a truck pull up. He saw that red truck that he had been thinking of. Jim climbed out and jumped down to the pavement. He looked to be readying himself for a footrace. He hadn’t cornered the rear of the vehicle when his “Good morning Bill” greeting rang out though the stillness of the morning air. Bill made several attempts to get up before regaining his feet. Pete dashed down off the porch to make his greeting more personal to Jim. As these two walked up the stairs, Bill could see something in Jim’s hand. His eyes were gleaming. He had the look of the devil popping out of him that morning. “Well Bill. This is the day, I think. I have the truck all fixed up for you and those brakes shouldn’t give anyone any trouble again. I’m still seeing that joy ride in my mind!” His laughter filled the area around the porch. Bill’s sheepish grin ed him in on the amusement Jim was getting out of that thought. “I suppose we can laugh about it now, but it sure wasn’t too funny when it

happened. I didn’t need that much excitement that day. I sure don’t ever want that much again. That’s for sure.” Jim calmed himself and stared at the insulated pot. He hesitated only slightly before asking Bill if he had another cup. Bill nodded and headed in while Jim and Pete got reacquainted with some mild rough housing. When Bill returned, he seemed pleased that Jim would want to enjoy his brew. He poured a full cup right to the brim. He edged it over to Farris. Jim picked it up and drew in one large whiff. “Smells like the coffee from my old Navy days Bill.” Jim took his first swig. He stopped momentarily when the liquid reached his taste buds. He hadn’t had anything that strong for nearly 40 years. When he swallowed the hot mixture, he nearly coughed due to its harshness. He forced the remainder of it down and sat the cup down onto the table. “WOW Bill! That’s some concoction you got there. Are you sure that’s coffee or is it pure chickaree? I’ve tasted something similar when I was working in New Orleans several years ago, but never up here.” The old man seemed somewhat disappointed and stiffened up before he spoke his praise of the brew. “Well, I can’t stand that watered down stuff they serve at most places, so I make my own. I always enjoy it here by myself. You’ll get used to it after a few cups. Once you do, you won’t want anything else.” Jim laughed and returned the cup to his lips, not wanting to seem ungrateful. He took additional sips and kept chocking it down until it was nearly gone. When the cup was empty, he pushed it towards the center of the table. He unfolded the papers he had brought. It was the title and registration for the truck, wrapped up in a receipt he had made out for Bill. He handed them over to Bill. “Now just so you know Bill. This title is free and clear. I brought it for you so you can send it to the state. You’ll have to transfer it over into your name.” The old man looked at the title and stroked his beard.

“It seems to me I should owe you some more money anyway. I was the one who was driving at the time you know. I always pay my own way and I don’t figure this should be any different.” Jim’s look was calming. His boyish charm oozed from his response. He calmly relaxed back against the ledge and interlaced his fingers. His hands rose up to his chin. “Bill. I told you I didn’t want any money for any of that. I should have had those brakes looked at long ago anyway. If I had done that, we wouldn’t have taken that joy ride with old Pete here. I think we can just get down to business. We’ll just chock that other stuff up to experience.” For whatever reason Jim had really taken a shining to the old man. As rough as Jim often seemed around the edges to some people, his heart was bigger than the great outdoors. He often dealt people extremely good deals, when his mood considered it a prudent decision. He wanted to help the old man out. As long as he could get enough out of the truck to break even, he was happy. The two men discussed the situation of Bill not having a license and the fact that Jim still wanted to help out with by taking the old man for his test. Jim liked the idea of helping someone who most assuredly needed it. It fulfilled a spot on his heart that he liked polishing up every now and then. Jim was playing with the old man, making it sound like he was the one doing all the favors. He had made an honest offer before and he was pleased that Bill seemed to agree to it. Now all that was left was to turn over the truck and have Bill loosen up enough to take Jim back home when the deal was sewed up. After some verbal arm twisting by Jim, he decided to give the old man an invitation into the conversation. “Well Bill. I think we are about done here for today business wise. All we need to do now is get back in that old truck and you take me home. You can go take old Pete here for a short ride afterwards. I think we can handle that much more, don’t you?” The old man was thinking about getting back behind the wheel of that truck. He knew if he was going to another driver’s test after all these years without one, he needed to do what Jim asked him to do. They walked down off of the porch with Pete between them. Pete was excited when the door opened up. Jim

coaxed him up into the truck. He suddenly became a bit timid, having ed what had happened before. Bill got behind the wheel. He turned the key to hear the engine roar to life. He checked for traffic, but there was none. He dropped the truck out of park into drive and eased away from the curb. Jim had to reassure him several times that the brakes would be infallible on this trip. They rolled down the street. Jim changing the topic to the fire down the street. “That must have been some blaze with all three of those houses burning at once. You’re lucky it didn’t spread across the street to your place Bill.” Bill went on to explain that he and Pete had been ordered to evacuate during the fire. He said how terrifying the experience had been, wondering if their little place had been consumed too. Bill was taking every precaution at each intersection. He felt nervous each time he restarted down the streets after stopping. When they reached the edge of town, Jim began to laugh and pointed down the road through the windshield. “Well Bill, here we are again. I hope we don’t meet any damn farm equipment on this trip. Don’t you?” Jim’s humor was sorely lost for a few moments. Bill felt his palms getting sweaty again. He tried to ignore the failed attempt at Farris’s poor joke, but realized it must be Jim’s way. “I don’t like coming out this way and that is the truth. I’d prefer never to come back this way if I had a choice. This road will haunt me from now on.” Jim calmed his devilish demeanor. He told Bill that this trip would be fine. Jim told Bill he would probably feel better when he was alone. The trip out to the tiny village, where Jim had built his new home, was uneventful. This had been a great trip for the old man. He pulled up in front of Jim’s garage under the house. It housed a multitude of motorcycles. Jim raised the door and offered to give the old man a tour, if he had time. Bill felt he needed a small break after the drive out. He indulged Jim’s wishes to show off his collection of antique bikes. He didn’t know Jim had built them all from scratch. They walked in while Pete made a quick stop to pee on the wall going into the

garage. This seemed to tickle Jim. He broke out in a loud chuckle. Bill was a bit embarrassed, but Jim seemed to care less about the wet spot on the wall. “These are my babies Bill. Each one put together with my own two hands, from start to finish. I really like these old ones. Building them gives me something to do, since I don’t drink. Well, I used to, but I had to give it up some years back. I focused on something else and that became motorcycles. Now I hit all the swap meets around, plus I buy and sell parts. If I find a good motor, I look for a frame next and that’s my project.” The old man hadn’t seen such a beautiful collection of motorcycles since he was a young man. Every bike was perfect down to the last detail. Bill wouldn’t have known, but Farris explained the work that had been done on each one. Bill wondered how many years it must have taken to complete all of them. Pete was nosing around and didn’t seem to care about any attention. He had sniffed out everything around him and was still going. The care that Jim had put into this collection was truly phenomenal. The old man was very impressed with Jim’s artistry. Jim continued to convey the year of each bike and how long he had worked on each one. He told a mental story about each experience and how much fun it was to take one out now and then. He loved going for a spin to watch the people stare at them. When the tour had ended, Bill thought it was about time to head out. He gathered up Pete, who was busy inspecting the outside of the property. “Come on Pete. We need to get going and let Jim get back to his time. I think we’ve about worn out our welcome.” Jim laughed at the old man’s comments. He assured him that nothing could be further from the truth. “Bill. You and Pete stop by anytime you’re out for a ride. I’d love the company to be honest with you. You let me know when you want to go take that driver’s test and old Jim will come get you and take you. Now don’t forget that.” The old man hesitated to give him any sort of a definitive answer. Jim retorted that he would gladly take him and it wasn’t a problem. Bill thought about it for a minute. He asked Jim if he knew what days they would be open? Jim explained that Tuesday was good, although he had no idea of just what day might be best. He thought he needed to get Bill thinking about it. The best way was to simply

set up a time, if he could get him to agree. Bill hesitated, but without thinking, nodded his head. “How about next Tuesday? Sometime in the morning, if that would that work for you? I think I need to study up a bit more. Maybe I can sneak out for a couple of drives so I can get more comfortable with the truck.” “That will work Bill. I’ll see you around 9 in the morning. I’ll be ready to take you.” The old man climbed back into the truck behind the wheel. Jim opened the enger door to let Pete in. Pete jumped right in and took his place on the seat. Leaning out of the window, he licked Jim’s hand. He wanted to thank him for the assistance. Bill turned the key while looking both ways. Hardly any traffic ran through the small village. Bill treated it like a busy intersection. He headed down the road with Pete sitting alongside. He slowly accelerated to about 45 and held it steady. He hadn’t given much thought to getting caught and that was a good thing on his part. They cruised down the road taking in the sites. Bill became overwhelmed with a wonderful feeling. His face erupted into the biggest smile he had experienced in years. He felt like a kid with his first ride, although he had long since covered that base in the past. Something inside told him he had made the right move. He cautiously took the liberty of taking his eyes off the road for a second. He began looking across the dash of his beautiful truck. He couldn’t believe it was all his and of course Pete’s. Pete seemed to be right at home in the cab. He looked out the window at everything and anything. As far as Pete was concerned, the entire world had been set up for his pleasure. He rested his lower jaw on top of the outside mirror. His ears gently flopped in the wind. His hind end pushed into the seat to steady his footing. He was sniffing the air for any smell of something he figured he needed to know about. Every now and then he would bark. He apparently thought something out there needed to be barked at. It would startle Bill when he did. The old man kept verbally assuring him everything was fine. The rest of the ride saw Bill unable to get the smile off of his face. It was a feeling of being whole again. It felt great. Bill thought about what had happened in his life during the last year. He weighed the good against all of the horrors prior to that. He felt he had actually been blessed. God must have forgiven him

and decided it was his turn to enjoy some of what life could offer. Some people might have been bitter, if they had given into thinking about their age. As far as Bill was concerned, it didn’t matter how old he was. He knew right at that moment, his life was better than it had ever been in memory. He wasn’t going to ruin that thought for anything. When Bill pulled up to the curb, he had forgotten about the concrete driveway in the rear of the lot. He left Pete inside of the truck. Bill’s actions seemed to frustrate the poor dog at first. The old man assured him he would return shortly. He walked to the section of the fence that opened into his yard. He forced the rusted hasp and rod loose. He pushed on the gate, only to hear it creak from years of non-use. Behind it was the spot he would park his precious new gift to himself in. It hadn’t been used since he moved in. Having it there would definitely take some getting used to on Bill’s part. His back was giving him grief, but at that moment, he couldn’t have cared less. When he returned to the truck he hopped in like a kid would have. He fired up the engine. After a quick trip around the block, he returned to the open gate from the north. He eased the pick up through the opening and came to a full stop short of the old garage. Bill was so excited the rest of the day, he could scarcely contain himself. He made trip after trip out to the truck to ire it and rub his weathered old hand across the smoothness of the paint’s finish. Pete accompanied him each time, thinking he might get a ride if he begged hard enough. After several trips out to it, he snuck in a quick squirt on the rear wheel. Bill wasn’t paying attention. If Bill had noticed it, he would have chewed him out, but Pete made good on his assault while Bill’s attention was elsewhere. The owner’s manual was tucked neatly away in the glove box. After about the tenth trip out to ire the truck, Bill plucked it out and took it back to the house for careful examination. The afternoon sun began setting behind the trees. Bill’s stomach began to rumble. He had been so infatuated with his new toy, he had forgot about eating anything. It was catching up with him in a big way. He didn’t have a clue what he was hungry for, but with his stomach roaring to life like a disturbed god of ancient times, he did know it would have to be appeased. Pete crossed inside the door way after their last trip outside. Bill had scarcely closed the door behind him when he ed some beef stew he had been

hoarding in the back of the soup cupboard. He really loved that stuff. Right then it seemed like a great idea. He fumbled through the rest of the cans until he located it. The small sauce pan he used to heat it up was barely large enough to hold the entire contents. He reached inside of his fridge taking out one small onion. He chopped it up in small pieces and dropped it in for some added flavor. Then came the salt and pepper. Just for a good measure, he shook in a couple of drops of some hot sauce. The small burner roared to life with a steady flame. Bill sat the pan down over it. Pete was watching closely and barked a couple of times. Bill headed back for the bowl and crackers he would need to complete his meal. Next came a large spoon. Finally, a big glass of water. He would be ready to dig in once it finished cooking. The old man was still lost in the thought of his new truck while he sat at his table. The thick liquid began to bubble on the stove. The smell of the onions starting to cook really made him hungry at that point. He placed his hand down onto Pete’s head and scratched his ears, to let him know he hadn’t forgotten about him either. Pete was sensing that he wasn’t getting the attention he normally got. He decided to press closer. His desires were evident and Bill got the message. He began to lay his head on the old man’s knee. Wagging his tail he molded those doggy eyes into a pitiful state. The old man had to get the message. Pete was about to die of neglect. Bill looked down watching all of Pete’s theatrics with amusement. “Yes old boy, I know. You think you’re being left out. I understand that. You need to forgive ole Bill for today boy. I just have too much on my mind. I sure don’t mean to leave you out of the picture. Once we eat, we’ll go in and you can catch a doggy nap while I do some studying.” Pete’s eyes were fixated on Bill’s every word. His tail slowed to a speed far less robust than before. For all Bill knew, Pete may have been as excited as he was. He simply didn’t have any way of telling him. After the thick stew had boiled for several minutes, Bill pulled it off of the stove. He poured about half of it into his bowl. The steam ri from it surrounded Bill’s face. The wonderful smell of the sweet onions permeated the room. Bill dipped his spoon into it. He started blowing on it. Shoveling it in to his mouth he began to chew the large chunks of steak. He was nearly half way through it before his stomach began to quiet down. The hot sauce ed mildly against the broth and vegetables, but it was tasty and Bill needed the nourishment. As

hungry as he was, the second half of the stew went down slowly. By the time he had finished it, along with a few crackers, he was feeling full. He didn’t seem to have the appetite he thought he did. The last few spoons went down hard. Bill couldn’t believe he was feeling stuffed already. He let that thought for a moment. He picked up the remaining stew and moved towards Pete’s dish. The old man stuck his finger into the pan, to check the temperature. It was lukewarm so it would be fine for Pete. He dumped the remainder into Pete’s bowl. Pete anxiously watched the process. He stood by it for a few seconds, until the old man assured him it wasn’t too hot. Pete had grown accustomed to Bill telling him things were too hot for him. He understood those conversations perfectly. Once he knew it was fine and that it wouldn’t burn him, he dove in muzzle first and quickly devoured the tangy mixture in record time. Bill was at the fridge removing the milk when Pete finished his meal. Bill poured about an inch into the bowl that had been emptied by Pete. Recharged from lack of use, Pete’s tail began to wag so violently it shook his entire back side. He lapped up the cold milk, splashing a few drops onto the floor. When he had finished, Bill noticed a small white spot just below his lower lip. It made him look like an old man with a beard. Bill laughed and picked up the dish cloth to wipe his chin off. Bill told him he would have to be more careful next time. Inside the living room Bill sat reading the owner’s manual for a long period of time. Then came the driver’s license manual for another run through. He moved back and forth from one to the other, taking notes down in his mind of what he needed to . It was about 8 o’clock when he had completed the Rules of the Road for another full reading. He placed it on the small table under his lamp. Pete was doing his usual impression of a log. He was resting next to the old man, snoozing off and on. Bill’s eyes began growing weary from all the reading. Knowing it was a prudent decision, he decided to give it all up for the night. Bill was thinking about leaning back for a few winks. Suddenly he shot up off of the couch. His quick movement rousted Pete out of a perfectly good doggy nap. Bill looked around and started for the back door. Pete followed, figuring something serious must be going on that he wasn’t about to miss out on. Bill went fumbling through his pants pockets, searching for the keys to the truck. What had he done with them? Heading down the rear steps, Bill headed straight for the driver’s door of the truck. Pete, now assuming that they must be going someplace, leaped right in and moved to his spot on the seat. Bill reached through the steering wheel. To his

relief, the keys were still hanging in the ignition. He had forgotten to lock it up. No one would have bothered it, but Bill nearly had a panic attack over it. With Pete now sitting comfortably aboard, he expected a ride. When Bill began calling him back out, these two hit a major snag. Pete’s refusal to move from his perch only compounded things. Bill might as well have been talking to a wall. “Now you come out of there Pete. We’re not going for a ride tonight. I just needed to lock this thing up. Get out of there and let’s go back in the house.” No amount of coaxing was going to do that trick. Finally, on the verge of getting upset, Bill closed the driver’s door and walked to the enger door to retrieve his stubborn occupant. When Bill’s hand took hold of Pete’s collar, he knew it wasn’t going to be good. Slowly, as if he were being evicted from his favorite place, Pete climbed down onto the floor and hopped out. Bill felt terrible and Pete went to work on his conscious. The old man pushed the door lock button and closed the door. He knelt down to reassure his companion that he hadn’t done anything wrong. He couldn’t go for another ride at that time. Bill walked back to the rear steps of the house. Pete followed alone, gazing back at the truck a couple of times to show his displeasure of being denied his desires. Back inside, Bill walked over to his old cat clock that hung on the back wall of his kitchen. It was black and white. The tail of the cat wagged back and forth with the ing of each second. Its creepy looking eyes moved in the opposite direction with each wag. It had been a popular item in the 1950’s, but now seemed oddly out of place in this new era. Bill squinted as he looked for the hour hand. After some thought, he decided it really didn’t matter what time it was. He was tired, very tired. A brief trip to the bathroom for a few splashes of cool water across his face completed the day for the old man. He slowly lowered his worn old body down into the bed. Bill was closing his eyes when Pete hit his spot next to the old man. They both drifted off in short order.

Chapter 21

Getting Some Freedom Back

O ver the next few days Bill snuck out for several short rides. He extended two of them with longer ones that included heading up the blacktop through the bottoms above Quincy. Bill was nervous every time he backed the truck out of the yard. He was hoping that he didn’t run into a squad car. It was mostly his own fears of guilt. No one thought much about a man of his age not having a license to drive. With each new ride, Pete became more and more accustomed to the treks through town. When they headed out into the country, he was just delirious with excitement. He was thrilled to see so many animals on one trip. Birds would fly along the roadway ditches and Pete would bark, apparently letting them know he didn’t approve of them being anywhere near his truck. He had seen some cows for the first time ever in one pasture. He didn’t know whether to bark to scare them, or whine to let them know he wanted to stop and play with them. Bill thought a dog’s world must be so confusing. He laughed as he watched Pete get so excited by the rides. The first time Bill noticed that he had better get some gas put into his new toy, it was almost on empty. He nearly went into a panic over having to be seen in such a public place. He shuttered turning his signal on, creeping into the lot of the gas station. He pulled up next to the pump and stopped. He shut the truck off and began to open the door. Pete was busy watching everyone around the lot. They came and went from their cars and from the door leading into the station’s shop. Bill had never gotten gas by pumping it for himself. The last time he had filled up anything, an attendant had done it for him. He was too nervous to make any moves. He had no idea of what he needed to do. He stared at the pump and the computer screen on the face of the pump. He began to shake all over. His palms were drenched with sweat. All he knew was that he needed some fuel. In his mind, taking any extra time could expose him to the world as someone who didn’t have a license, or anything else he needed. It also dawned on him that he

had no insurance on this truck yet. He knew that it was a requirement by law. He had told Jim he would call the agent and take care of it. He had been remiss to do so. He was beside himself with worry. He wanted to crawl into a hole and cover himself up. He continued to stare at the pump, trying to figure out what he should do. Finally, a younger man walked up to him. He was only wanting to see if he could help the old man. He had walked out of the store after paying his bill. “Can I be of any help sir?” It startled Bill. He nearly jumped out of his skin. He turned with a jerk and displayed a look of sheer panic on his face. “I’m just trying to get some gas here son. I haven’t ever run one of these things like they have here. Can you tell me what I need to do?” The young man rocked his head backwards while his look turned to disbelief. He couldn’t imagine anyone who didn’t know how to pump their own gas. Who was this old man and where had he been that he wouldn’t know this? He lifted the nozzle out of its holder and pushed it into the gas receptacle on Bill’s truck. Next he punched the pad for the 87 octane blend and began pumping the gas for Bill. The old man had watched, but still wasn’t quite sure of what had happened. Pete was hanging out of the driver’s window panting and wagging his tail. He watched the young man and Bill standing there fueling the pickup. “It’s been a long time since I gassed anything up. You see, I haven’t had a car for several years. It’s the first time I’ve had to do it with this kind of contraption. I guess I’m a bit out of time on this stuff.” The young man asked Bill if he wanted it filled. Bill nodded. The young man waited until the nozzle kicked off and replaced it back in its holder. “Well, that should do ya for today Sir. Now go inside there and pay the attendant and you’ll be on your way.” The young man walked back to his sedan and drove off. Bill walked slowly into the station and stood in line waiting for his turn. He hadn’t looked at the total price on the pump. He began to panic because he didn’t want them to see him leave once he had gotten in line. The line ahead of him diminished. It soon

became Bill’s turn. The attendant looked across the counter at him and spoke with a swift voice. “Can I help you sir? Do you need to pay for some gas?” Bill fumbled for anything to say. His mouth was silent and gaped open while he stood there for a moment. People were now lining up behind him to pay for their purchases. Bill had to respond. “Well, yes I got gas, but I guess I never paid any attention to how much it was. I’m sorry ma’am, but I suppose I’ll have to go back out and see how much it was. I’m terribly sorry.” The lady dropped her chin and glared at Bill. She was in a nasty mood, plus she was simply being a rude person. She looked at the old man and drew in a big breath and exhaled. “What pump are you on SIR?” Bill was freaking out at her tone. He had no understanding of what she meant or what she wanted to know. “I guess I don’t understand ma’am. What do you mean what pump? It’s out there by my truck.” “OK SIR! Just point out your truck to me. Where is it parked?” The old man was almost in tears out of frustration. Embarrassed, he turned sheepishly and pointed to the red truck sitting outside on the lot. Pete’s head was still sticking out of the window. Bill pointed a shaking hand at it as he spoke. “It’s that red one right there ma’am. The one with the black dog looking out of the window.” The lady was now being totally rude. She clicked a button behind the counter to read off the amount. She glared back at Bill. “That will be forty nine dollars and twenty one cents SIR. Will that be all, or do you need something else? These people are waiting, if you’re finished?”

There were three other people behind Bill waiting patiently. He just wanted to disappear from the world. He handed her three twenties and shook his head, to let her know he needed nothing more. She rudely snatched the money out of his hand and rang it up. She counted the change back out to him like she was making fun of the old man for being completely stupid. Bill was nearly in tears. He turned to walk away with his head down, in hopes everyone would ignore him as he walked by. One woman, who was standing behind the line, gave him a loving look as the old man ed by her on his way to the door. Bill had shut the door of the truck behind him and grabbed the ignition key. He looked out to see a squad car come rolling in. Bill was completely lost on what to do. He struggled to get his mind to control what he needed his hands and body to do. He twisted the key and stepped on the accelerator, revving the engine up. The truck had not moved one inch. He hadn’t put it in gear. He seemed to forget everything he knew. He reached for the seat belt, knowing he had to wear it. It froze tight when he yanked on it to get it around him. He yanked on it for a second time having no idea that doing so would simply lock it up. It would resist extraction until he pulled on it gently. Pete began to bark while Bill fought with every ounce of his strength to get himself composed. He couldn’t bring himself to look at the squad car. He sure didn’t want to see any policeman eye to eye right now. Once he had finally gotten the seat belt snapped and had the truck in gear, he began to creep ahead. Bill was wanting to get away before anything else happened. Pete was barking and whining like his tail was being crushed in a vice. Bill was muttering under his breath for Pete to shut up because he was making too much noise. Pete wasn’t hearing any of that. He continued to bark and almost jumped out of the truck window. With his front legs hung out over the side of the door, Bill turned to yank him back in and try to control him. He looked up and saw the uniformed man walking his way. His heart about stopped. Bill figured he was done for. He looked down while holding the brake. The officer came ever closer. Bill never looked up. By this time he had a complete case of brain lock. All at once, he heard the officer speak. “Well hi there Pete old boy. Are you raising all this fuss because you saw me coming?” Bill slowly opened his eyes and turned. He just slumped back into the seat. It was Donavon. He was reaching in to pet Pete. The dog licked his face and put

his paws on his chest. “I see you got your truck Bill. Sure looks good. Just out for a spin today?” His devilish little grin just melted the old man. Bill’s face immediately turned as red as a beet. He looked back at Donavon like a child who had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. “Yeah. I just needed to get some gas in her before I go and take my test. I mean, I still have to go take it of course. Oh, this just isn’t my day now is it? I guess I’m really in trouble aren’t I? Are you going to arrest me?” Donavon looked into the truck. He continued to make over Pete and rough up his ears and neck area. “Bill. I think this is a very nice truck you got yourself. I should get going now. You and Pete have a nice day. I’ll swing by and visit soon. You take care now.” Donavon walked away heading into the store. Bill checked to see if his heart was still beating or not. He drew in a monster breath and blew it out. He tried to compose himself. He eased his foot off of the brake and headed for the exit. He waited for the light to turn green so he could cross Broadway. He shook his head and cursed at himself for taking the truck out. He thought about what had happened. He was so lucky it was Donavon and not anyone else. Bill couldn’t convince himself he had gotten away free. He wanted to get home and get out of that truck and leave it parked for a spell. Back home he tried to relax, but his nervousness lingered like a heavy chain around his neck. Pete was thrilled to have gotten to go for a ride. He couldn’t have cared less about what the old man was going through. As a dog, he only knew his satisfaction came from getting to go along and seeing all the sites along the way. Bill picked up his rules of the road. He read it cover to cover to make sure he had what he needed logged away in his head. It was time he quit thinking he would never be ready. It was high time to go and take the test. He knew he had to get it over with. He thought it best if he called Jim up right then and told him he was ready to go. He would call the insurance agent first. The two walked up the street towards the phone. Pete made a couple of

customary stops to mark some power poles and whatever else he decided to claim for his turf. Bill would look on in amazement. He kept wondering where Pete could keep so much liquid stored. He had left quite a puddle at home before they left the yard. Pete would give him a curious look while he went about his business. He continued to leave his mark on nearly everything along the way. Arriving at the public phone, Bill dialed the number and waited for an answer. After 5 rings, the agent came on the line. He had been notified by Jim about Bill’s need for a policy. He had been waiting on his call. He told Bill he would have a policy to him that evening, if he would be around? Bill assured him he would be waiting. He thanked him and hung up. The next call was to Farris. Jim’s answering machine came on telling Bill to leave a message at the beep. The old man left a somewhat confusing message saying he was ready to go get his license. He wanted to go the following morning, if that would be alright. He wasn’t used to using machines for leaving messages. He hadn’t had a phone in his home for years and this answering machine confused him totally. He hated modern methods of reaching out to people on some machine. Bill wanted to hear Jim’s voice come on and let him know that it would be fine, but that didn’t happen. Jim had been away up by Chicago. He was picking up a bike for someone who had bought it online. They didn’t want to take time off to go get it. Farris was known as a transporter of cars and motorcycles for anyone willing to pay for his services. The lawyer who had hired him for this trip, didn’t have the time to go himself. He hired Jim for a price to do the work. Jim was on the road and would be home later that night, but the old man couldn’t have known that. He only knew he wanted to go get this test taken care of. Now he would have to go back home and wait to see if Jim showed up the next morning. After Bill hung the phone up, he decided to return to the bakery again. He could smell the aroma of the baked goods. They made him hungry. Pete’s nose was going a hundred miles an hour as they narrowed the distance to the small shop. Pete must have ed his first trip. He began pulling harder on his leash when they approached. Bill would nudge him back and talk to him, letting him know that he needed to stay by his side. Pete finally gave in to Bill’s requests. Walking by the front door, Bill placed the loop handle of the leash around the pipe. He told Pete to wait and he started in. Pete barked and pulled against the

leash. He was jumping up and down. Bill looked back for a second, raising his hand to calm Pete down. He crossed the threshold of the store’s entry way. With a big smile popping out of his whiskers, he walked to the counter. He hadn’t seen the young lady who had assisted him the first time yet. Bill wasted no time poking his nose right into the selection of breads and pastries that filled the shelves in front of him. From somewhere behind the counter and off to the side, came a voice that caught Bill’s attention. “Well hi there Bill. How are you doing today? Can I help you find something?” The old man looked up to see Connie coming from a small office heading his way. “Is your friend with you today Bill, or are you all by yourself?” Bill leaned over and rested his right hand on the edge of the upper case. “Yeah, he’s outside. He’s not too happy about having to wait out there though. I don’t think he realizes he’s a dog. He thinks he should be able to come with me no matter where I go.” “I’m sure he will be fine. What did you have in mind today Bill?” The old man scanned the variety of breads and treats. He stopped at the selection of freshly baked white bread. He pointed to a large loaf sitting on top of the rest. Before he could ask, Connie had pulled it out and placed it in a bag for him. Bill continued down the case. He indicated he would like a couple of the pecan rolls. He pointed at the hot cross buns on the far side. Connie asked how many and Bill told her that two would be perfect. They returned to the end of counter. Connie carefully packaged up his treats. “Now Bill. What about something for Pete? You know he won’t be very happy with either one of us unless he gets a small offering too.” Bill was pulling a twenty out of his billfold when Connie walked to a cake box sitting behind the display case. She used a small waxed sheet as a glove before she reached in. She scanned the contents and finally came up with a portion of a

broken hot cross bun. “Well look what I found in there Bill. Do you think this might get his tail wagging when I show him this?” The old man smiled at the young woman. He was moved to think she would him and still think of ole Pete also. “I think Pete would be very pleased to see you again Connie. With a dandy treat like that, I know he will be.” Connie took the money from Bill and rang up the items. She turned back to Bill and counted out his change. Bill took two dollars and placed it back on the counter. He told her that those were for her. “Oh no Bill. You don’t need to tip me. People don’t do that in here.” The old man’s smile grew larger. Bill pushed them over to her. “Now you take that and tell folks it’s from old Pete out there. I’m sure he would do it, if he had any doggy dollars with him.” Connie picked up the two bills and placed them in the small pocket on the front of her apron. Bill picked up the bag with his bread and pastries in it. Connie came around the counter and headed towards the door with him. Outside Pete was sitting calmly, watching the traffic up and down the street in front of him. He turned when he saw Bill, but never moved until he caught sight of Connie. When he did, he went into a fit. He yanked at his leash trying without luck to run to her. Bill was trying to lift the loop off of the pipe. Pete nearly pulled him off of his feet. He was a dog on a mission now. “Hey! You just wait a darn minute until I get your lease off here.” Connie began to laugh watching these two. Bill was like a father scolding a child for acting up. She didn’t want to encourage Pete, but at that moment in time, he didn’t need any. Closing in, he nearly ran into her still wagging his tail. He began to bark and whine at the same time. He knew she was there to give him a treat. Pete wasn’t waiting one second to let her know he was ready. Connie bent down and broke small pieces off of the pastry. She started feeding

them to Pete, one by one. He scarcely tasted them. He was engulfing each one without chewing it up. When she finished, Pete moved in even closer and began licking her hands. She was laughing at this dog who had inhaled his treat like it were the finest steak he had ever eaten. She allowed him to sniff both hands in an attempt to look for any tiny fragments of icing that might be left. Finally, he decided he was satisfied none remained. He sat down, still wagging his tail. It resembled a broom sweeping the sidewalk behind him. His tongue protruded out across the right side of his lower jaw. He was panting rapidly. Connie realized he was only excited and not suffering from being overheated. She began to pet him and scratch his left ear. Pete rolled his head over and pushed against the wonderful feeling that was sending him into a trance. “You can’t get enough attention now can you Pete? Yes, you’re a good boy. I think you’re a really great dog Pete.” Bill stood back watching Pete indulge himself in the attention he was getting. “Now that’s enough ole boy. You act like no one ever pays any attention to you what so ever. I think you’re acting like a big ham right now. You play that roll well.” After several more scratches on Pete’s ear, Connie stood up and turned to Bill. “I suppose I had better get back to work now. I still have a large order to get together for a party tomorrow. Thanks for stopping by to see me and especially for bringing my friend back. You two have a wonderful day. I’ll look forward to seeing both of you again real soon.” Bill thanked her for everything and told her goodbye. They headed back down the street. Connie disappeared into the shop. Pete, now seemingly content, walked slowly beside Bill. He turned to look at each vehicle coming down the street. Some people would stare at the old man and his three legged companion. Others waved, giving them a smile as they ed. Bill got closer to the corner where they would turn towards home. Pete moved closer, nudging the bag with his nose. He was indicating that he wanted that bag. Bill thought it was a hint for him to give him another treat. He pulled the bag away and tried to get Pete to walk on the other side of him. Pete wasn’t

having any part of that. He began to bark and defiantly stopped in his tracks. Bill hesitated and looked down at him. “Now just what in Sam Hill do you think you’re doing? You had your treat. There isn’t any more. I’ll give you a bite when I have one tonight for dinner. Now come on and let’s get moving.” Bill pulled against the tension of the leash. Pete wouldn’t move. He began barking louder and stood his ground. Bill pulled on the leash in a vain attempt to dislodge Pete’s butt from that spot. “Now I said let’s go ole boy. Get your butt up off that sidewalk and come on.” Bill was starting to get mad. Pete suddenly bolted towards him. Pete snatched the sack out of Bill’s hand. He adjusted it in his grip and then stood there looking at Bill, as if he were nuts. All at once, it dawned on the old man. Pete simply wanted to carry the bag. He lowered his head in disbelief. The anger he had felt welling up subsided. He began to laugh at this goofy dog. Pete stood looking directly at him, wagging his tail. “Alright Pete, you win. You can carry the bag. So that’s what you have been raising all this fuss about. Now can we get going again? I would like to get home sometime today.” Pete raised his head taking one small look around. He started walking down the street like he was carrying the crown jewels of England with him. His head was erect as he pranced along with the bag tightly in his mouth. A great sense of pride and humor overwhelmed the old man. He watched while this dog carried his package along. He looked like he was in charge of the world. A few people driving by slowed down to witness the event. Some even honked at Bill and Pete. After opening the gate into the yard, Bill noticed a note taped to the door of the house. He proceeded up the stairs with Pete right beside him. The old man reached for the note and pulled it free from the tape that secured it. They walked inside. Pete made a dash for the kitchen. He dropped the bag on the floor heading for his water bowl. He began to drain it like he hadn’t had a drink for days. Bill moved to the table and sat down. He unfolded the message. It was from Jim Farris.

Bill, I just wanted to stop by and let you know I would be at the house around 9 in the morning to take you for your driver’s test. I figured you’ve studied enough. You’ve most likely been chomping at the bit to get this over with. I also called my insurance agent. I was planning on giving him a heads up to come by and see you about an insurance policy. He said you had already called. He’ll take good care of you on this. See you tomorrow, Jim

Bill began to tremble a bit. His nerves had again got the best of him. His mind was a flurry of thoughts and fears, all at the same time. He took in a deep breath and blew it out. Pete sat patiently by his side and looked on. Bill went to the couch and picked up the rule book he had studied so hard. He began to fumble through the pages. It dawned on him that he had no more time to spend on it. He had read it again and again. Confusing himself now by thinking he hadn’t reviewed it enough, wasn’t going to help one bit. Pete casually strolled out of the tiny living room like he had been summoned. He returned carrying the soggy paper bag containing the goods from the bakery. Bill started to laugh when Pete rounded the corner of the entryway. “I guess I forgot that, didn’t I ole boy? It’s a good thing I have you to help me out. I would be lost now, wouldn’t I?” Bill secured the bag when Pete placed it in front of him. Bill returned to the kitchen to put the treats away. He worked his way through the selection of dog treats until he found a large biscuit. He handed it down to Pete for his efforts. Pete immediately headed for the living room, looking like an old man with a cigar hanging out of his mouth. He laid down and placed it between his front paws. He began nibbling off small bites and chomping them up. He started to slobber like usual. This time a white foam formed around his mouth. The growing assortment of small pieces he dropped stuck to his legs and paws. He

seemed totally oblivious to his mess. Bill turned his radio on and rested his head back onto the cushion while Pete worked on his biscuit. The music filled the room. Bill began day dreaming about how he would look cruising down the street legally, with Pete by his side. He wanted to do so many things to make up for his years of going without. He kept telling himself that after tomorrow, he would be free to go when and wherever he wanted to. The remainder of that evening Bill day dreamed about what he would do after taking the test. Pete snoozed by his side while the old man faded in and out of his thoughts. The music would catch his attention briefly and then fade away. His mind wasn’t in the mood for all of this music. The next morning Bill woke up early. He showered and trimmed his beard up for his new picture that would be taken. Pete seemed to sense something was up. Bill was actually whistling some of his beloved old tunes as he went about his morning rituals. When Jim showed up at the door, Bill rushed to get there. He almost ran over Pete hurrying down the narrow hallway. Jim walked in with that devilish grin on his face and his eyes were ablaze. Jim looked like he had just pulled off some incredible top secret caper. “Well Bill, here it is. Today you get your license and then you can take on the world.” Bill gulped the last of his coffee that remained in his mug. Pete was visibly upset when Bill stopped him at the door and told him he couldn’t go with them. He patted Pete on the head. He told him to be a good boy and to watch the house. Inside the truck, Jim scooted the seat up a bit. His legs were too short to drive it from where Bill had it set. Buckling up, Jim smiled and pulled away from the curb. The two of them headed for the license examining station. The drive there was nearly silent. Bill kept wiping the sweat from his hands on his tros. “I sure appreciate you doing all this for me Jim. I really don’t have anyone else who would have done this like you are. I mean, going with me and driving me there and all. I won’t ever forget this.”

Jim’s eyes had that twinkle in them. His wonderfully infectious laughter filled the cab. “Bill. You don’t owe me a thing for this. I’m retired. I’m free most of the time. This is fun for me anyway. I can’t wait to see the look on your face when you come out of there with that license in your hand. Now just relax and everything will be fine. Right up here is our stop Bill.” Jim pulled in parking at the end of the lot. Bill found his legs felt like iron. He could hardly get them moving to walk towards the building. Jim’s final encouragement seemed to cut the tension for Bill. At the counter, a young lady greeted Bill and told him to take a number. She pointed to the rod holding them. She indicated she would be right with him. Bill removed the white laminated card with the number 3 on it. Looking around, he found a seat in the first row. It seemed like he had no more than sat down when she called his number. He walked to the counter with a slow gate. “And how can I help you today Sir?” “Well, I’m here to take a driver’s test and get my license. It’s been awhile since I had one you see.” The puzzled young woman looked at this old man. She spoke cautiously. “Ah, did you lose it or have it revoked Sir?” Bill’s face went blank for a second. “Well no. I’ve never lost it. I haven’t ever been picked up before. I just haven’t had a vehicle for a long time. I didn’t renew it after I quit driving is all. Is that a problem?” The lady smiled and it began to put Bill back at ease. “No Sir. I just needed to know why. If you lost it for some violation, you would need written paperwork from a court or the state before we can reissue one. I just needed an explanation. But, that doesn’t matter here if you simply let yours expire.” She gathered up the test sheets and placed them on a clip board. She handed

them to Bill, along with a pencil. She pointed towards the cramped school type desks. They were not built for a man as tall as Bill. “If you would fill these out and bring them back when you’re finished, we’ll see if we can get you going. Take your time and , if you fail this, you will have to come back later and try it again. As long as you this we’ll get you out for your practical exam, once you’re done. Do you have any questions?” The old man shook his head and turned away. His hands were still shaking until he began reading the questions. Once he got started, Bill realized he knew the answers nearly as fast as he read them. He marked each answer with total confidence. His face slowly lit up. A huge smile poked out from his beard. He marked the answers and continued to the final question. With a quick stroke, he made the final entry. He was amazed at how fast he had completed it. He went back to go over each answer, to make sure they seemed correct to him. After he worked his way through it the second time, he could find nothing that seemed out of place. He closed the exam up and stood up. With a huge sigh of relief, he returned to the counter. He handed his test back to the young woman. By now there were several others sitting around the room. Everyone seemed engrossed in their own thoughts. The lady placed his test down. She told him to have a seat while she graded it. Bill smiled and returned to his chair. He folded his arms across his chest, feeling confident. It was no time before she called him back. “Well Sir. I have great news. You answered every one correctly. Congratulations. Now we just need to give you a little eye exam and then we’ll get you out for a drive.” Jim was busy outside on his cell phone, selling motorcycle parts. He gazed in and saw Bill bent over the eye test machine. He smiled knowing the old man must have ed his test. He knew Bill would soon be out to take his practical test. Once the eye test was complete, the lady picked up a clip board with a check off sheet. She led Bill out to the truck. She inspected the lights and turn signals while Bill followed her commands for them. She stepped up into the truck and watched him adjust the mirror. She indicated she wanted him to head down the street to the right. Bill turned the ignition on. With his seat belt firmly secure, he

backed out of the parking spot just like a pro. He turned his signal on and proceeded to the edge of the street. Seeing a clear path, he pulled out. Bill waited for each command she gave him and did his best to execute it properly. He was still nervous all the way through the drills. She kept the check list fairly well hidden while she watched. Bill signaled to switch lanes and then to turn. It seemed they had only started when she instructed him to head back. Bill really hadn’t had time to evaluate his own performance when they pulled back into the lot. Bill slipped the shifter back into park and shut the ignition off. He felt a sudden urge to break out laughing, but caught himself and held it in. “Well Mr. Potter. I am pleased to tell you that everything went just fine. You have ed your test this morning. Now let’s go in and get you your license.” Jim gave Bill a thumbs up and a huge smile. Bill gingerly walked along side of the lady back inside. Jim waited patiently by the truck for Bill’s return. Inside, Bill had his picture taken and paid for his new license. He proudly tucked it away in his billfold after inspecting it. His smile was enormous when he exited the building. Jim simply nodded at him. He allowed Bill to drive his truck away. Jim now rode shotgun. By the time they had reached Bill’s place, Jim had scarcely had an opportunity to get a word in. Bill’s mouth never shut up about how scared he was during the test. He expounded how everything seemed to come back to him during the driving part. When they pulled up to the curb, Jim told him that the insurance policy on the truck was still in effect. He wouldn’t drop it until his agent called and notified him that it was insured under Bill’s name. Bill was so overwhelmed. He had been told he was insured, but felt better about this due to the fact he didn’t have his own proof yet. He wanted to grab Jim and give him a hug, but refrained. He was thinking Jim might think it odd. Jim shook his hand and told him he would need to get going. He had to go pick up some motorcycle parts in Hannibal. Jim jumped into his own truck and headed down the road. Bill stood on the sidewalk by his truck for a moment. Still in disbelief, Bill removed the new license from his billfold. He stared at it for nearly two minutes, studying everything on it. He smiled knowing he had done it. Bill decided it was time for him and Pete to celebrate the occasion with a ride.

Chapter 22

Changes Take Place

T he remainder of Bill’s day was busy hauling Pete around. Bill stopped at the grocery store and then by the burger t for a quick sandwich for him and Pete. He drove down by the river and then back home just to see how it felt. It was truly going to be great from now on. Once he was sure he had gotten his insurance taken care of and had his own card with his name on it, he would feel much better. He took Pete and began to venture out farther each day. Drives along the river road up to Warsaw and trips down the river to Hannibal filled his days. He even drove the few blocks to pick up his mail, because he could. Pete was always excited to go and began to carry Bill’s hat in his mouth when they headed for the truck. Pete would hold it tightly in his mouth until he was safely inside. Then and only then he would give it to Bill. It was sort of his security blanket. Pete knew he could go if he was carrying that hat. Bill’s life became so much easier again. He wondered how he had ever gotten anything done without a vehicle. He could go get food without worrying about carrying heavily laden bags all the way back home. If he wanted anything, he could just hop in his beautiful truck and go get it. His attitude even changed making him smile for no reason at all. One morning he was busy washing his truck in the yard behind the house. He felt a tug on his shirt. He turned to see Tim standing there with wide eyes. “Wow Bill, you got a new truck. It sure is beautiful. Can I go for a ride in it sometime?” “Sure you can Tim. How are you doing today?” “I’m great Bill. When did you get this? This is really neat!”

“Well, I bought it from a guy who didn’t have any use for it anymore. Do you really like it?” Tim walked around it, touching it at every angle. The boy seemed astonished by the shape it was in. Pete went with him on every step. “Oh Bill, it’s beautiful! I want one just like it when I get older.” The old man kept rubbing it with his sponge. He washed every inch of it while the boy looked on. Bill kept the sponge pushed against the finish, cleaning every speck of dust off of it. His smile relayed his love his new treasure. When he finished rinsing it, he shut the hose off and stood back to ire his work. “You know Tim. It’s been a long time since I had anything to drive. This is just what I needed. It’s a beauty. I want to keep it looking that way too. I should get a lot of use out of this. Ole Pete really likes it too.” “Can I go for a ride Bill when you take it out? I won’t be any trouble. I won’t take up too much room. Can I please Bill?” The old man reached over and laid his weathered old hand on the boy’s shoulder. He smiled through the crop of whiskers on his face. “Sure you can Tim. You know ole Pete and I would love to have you come along. Maybe you can show us where that ice cream place is. You know, I haven’t had a banana split since, I can’t when. Maybe we can get one for each of us. We could even get a little cup of ice cream for ole Pete here.” Pete began barking, like he understood every word that had been spoken. Bill hadn’t started rubbing the side of the truck with his towel when Tim broke in again. “Let me help Bill. I promise I’ll be real careful. I used to help Dad wash our car, but lately he has been sort of cranky when I try to do it by myself. He told me to leave it alone, so I don’t try it now. Maybe he’ll let me do it later, when he’s better. Do you think he will Bill?” The boy’s face faded from the bright sunshiny smile he had been brandishing. Tim reverted to a sad look and his head dropped. He looked at the ground. Bill felt a lump coming up in his own throat. He took the towel and placed it in Tim’s

hand. “You bet you can help Tim. You know, my old arm is getting a little bit sore anyway. Maybe you could finish her up for me, if you feel like it. That would sure be a big help to me.” The small boy’s face tried to turn back to a smile, but it was evident he was still upset from his story. He finally gathered up some strength inside. He looked for the wet spots and went after them. The boy went to work like a trooper. He carefully dried everything he could see on the truck. Bill took a seat on the back steps and watched. It took Tim about 20 minutes to finish all the drying. When he was done, he was nearly as soaked as the towel he had been using. Tim drug the hose back to the hanger on the side of the house. When he dropped the nozzle onto the ground, it burst into a shower of cold spray hitting him right in the chest and face. Completely surprised by the event, Tim jumped when the cold water hit him squarely. He paused for a moment. With all the water dripping from his head and chest, he looked at the old man. Bill was now trying to keep his amusement contained. Finally, Bill couldn’t resist any longer. He burst out in laughter. Tim got a stern look at first. He looked to see the water running down his front. Then both of them began laughing. Tim tried to wipe all the water off of his face. His medium length hair was plastered down and resembled a sandy mop. Bill had brought out two towels to dry the truck with. Picking the remaining dry one up, Bill unfolded it and walked towards Tim. “Don’t mean to laugh Tim, but that sure was funny. Here take this and get yourself dried off. Tim was still performing the operation of getting dried off when Pete began to bark. He scampered off and headed around the corner of the house. Bill heard a woman’s voice speak to Pete. He soon caught sight of Betty coming around the corner. She reached the area between the steps and the truck. Tim was still in the process of getting dried off. Suddenly a puzzled look came across her face. “What on earth happened to you young man? You look like you went for a swim with your clothes on.” “I was helping Bill wash his new truck. I dropped this damn hose and it sprayed me.”

Bill’s mouth dropped open and his eyes widened. Betty was shocked by her son’s retort and broke right in on his comment. “Now see here young man. That will be just about enough of that kind of language. You apologize to Bill for talking like that, right now.” Bill was completely amused, but didn’t want to encourage it. It caught him off guard when Tim had made his outburst. Tim, with a sheepish grin, got red faced and told Bill he was sorry. “Oh that’s alright Tim. Sometimes I forget myself and it just comes out, but you had better listen to your Mom and watch that. At least for a few years anyway.” When the thought of Tim’s outburst had subsided, Betty seemed to regain her composure. She asked Bill about the truck and how he liked it. Bill explained how he had found it through an ad and what it meant to him. Betty listened intently to every detail. She smiled knowing the old man would now have some freedoms he had not had in many years. When Bill finished, Betty turned to Tim. “Well young man. We had better get going. We have to take your father to his appointment. You know how impatient he gets if we’re the least bit late.” Bill thanked Tim for helping with the truck and tried to give him a couple of dollars. Tim declined any money. Along with his mom, he headed out the gate. Later that afternoon Bill loaded Pete up in the truck. They drove to the grocery store for the second time. Bill loaded a cart nearly full of groceries on this trip. With some treats for ole Pete, he headed out to put them in the truck. When he arrived home he made numerous trips carrying them in. Pete helped out by carrying any small bag that he could snatch on to. Bill was amused by Pete’s actions. He was getting used to being Bill’s helper. Bill marveled at the way he had recovered from his accident. Although Pete’s gate was a bit awkward, he seemed to do just fine. It was like Pete didn’t know his leg was missing. Bill sat down to relax, once he had finished putting the groceries away. Pete ed him for a quick doggy nap. He had no more than closed his eyes when Pete started snoring loudly. The old man snickered to himself while listening to the symphony. Bill got back into Tarzan and read non-stop for nearly three hours before he dozed off too. The room was filled with the sounds of them snoring away, but neither one bothered the other, so it didn’t matter.

It was about 4 o’clock when Bill woke to the sound of Pete getting sick. He was shocked. Nothing like this had ever happened before. The sound of him gaging and choking scared Bill beyond belief. He shot off of the couch and ran to the front door. Pete was drooling and choking. His sides heaved in and out like a blacksmith’s bellow. Bill fumbled for the door in his panic. He got it open in the nick of time. The poor dog barely made it outside before throwing up. Pete went from the middle of the small porch all the way down the steps. Bill felt so helpless. He had no clue of how to help. By the time Pete had emptied his stomach, Bill was worried nearly to death. He stood by Pete’s side talking to him. Pete looked up at him with the saddest look Bill had ever seen. Pete raised his head and the old man began to pet him and make over him. Bill talked to him like he were a child. Pete kept swallowing great amounts of saliva that kept returning to his mouth. Bill was nearly in tears for his friend. “It’s OK buddy. You’ll be fine. You must have gotten a bad treat or something. Old Bill sure feels bad you got sick. Let me get you a cold drink buddy. You come inside with me.” They walked towards the front door. Pete lowered his head, avoided the steps that were still covered from his explosion. Bill kept assuring him it was fine. He told Pete that he would be better, now that he had gotten rid of whatever it was that was making him sick. Inside Bill emptied his bowl and refilled it with the cool water out of the faucet. Pete drank lightly at first. Still thirsty, he settled in for a long session of laps. When he had finished he didn’t look at Bill. He headed straight for the couch. Pete jumped up timidly into his usual position and curled up. He watched Bill while he checked on him. Bill headed outside to get the hose. Pete never moved to follow. When he returned, Pete was lying still. He seemed to be somewhat better. Bill figured he had better watch him pretty closely for the rest of the evening. Bill stayed up late that night. He was afraid Pete would have another bout, but nothing occurred the rest of the evening. The old man’s fears subsided by bed time, thinking it was just a single occurrence. Bill didn’t know Pete’s old injuries were coming to the surface. Pete jumped up into bed like he normally did that night. Bill woke up several times to check on his buddy, but the night ed with no further problems for

Pete. Bill dozed off for the last time around 3 in the morning. He dropped off into a deep sleep, which he desperately needed. He was used to getting a few more hours, but nerves and worry had robbed him of some of what he normally experienced. Pete never moved once he got settled in. It seemed to Bill he needed some extra sleep also.

Chapter 23

Winds of Change

I t was mid-morning the next day. Bill drove to the Post Office, with Pete sitting alongside of him. Pete seemed somewhat curious about the critters he would spy on while they were driving. He didn’t make much of an attempt to bark at them as he had done before. When Bill returned from the mail box, he pulled out and headed down to the Vet’s office. He decided he would take Pete in to have him checked out. When they arrived, Pete sat waiting patiently. Bill snapped the leash onto his collar and led him towards the door. Inside, the assistant seemed to light up when she saw Pete come hopping in. He looked fully recovered and seemed to be doing quite well. She walked over to him with a friendly smile on her face. She made over him with some hugs and pets. “Hi Bill. How are you doing this morning? I see Pete is all healed up and seems to be fine. What can we do for you two this morning?” “Well, I’m not quite sure. Pete had a pretty rough bout last night throwing up. He hasn’t seemed quite himself since then. I thought I might be better off bringing him in for a quick check up. Could the Doc take a look at him?” “Why sure Bill. Just have a seat. I’ll let him know you two are here. I’m sure it won’t be long.” Bill took a seat while Pete snuggled up next to his leg. He sat looking around the office. Bill wasn’t sure if he ed being there, but it was all coming back to Pete. It was only a few minutes before the lady returned for them. Bill led Pete into the back. “Well, Pete my boy. Let me take a look at you.”

The Vet examined Pete and checked him all over, pressing against his stomach and taking his temperature. For his final check, he withdrew some blood. The Vet gave Pete a treat for being such a good dog. “I really don’t see anything here Bill. He seems pretty healthy, but we’ll send his blood in for some tests. I’m sure it must have been a slight bug of some sort. I really don’t think it’s anything to worry about, but if he gets worse, or continues to have any more problems, just bring him back and we’ll do some more checking.” Bill was relieved with the assessment. Pete didn’t seem to mind being poked and prodded. He did stare at the door leading to the rear room, where he had spent time in his cage during his healing process. Bill knew he was recalling his time there. Bill returned to the counter and paid his bill. He thanked them for seeing him and Pete. They returned to the truck with Bill feeling much better. Bill decided him and Pete needed a good ride out into the country. Bill was somewhat preoccupied with the thought that something could still be wrong with Pete. He headed down onto the busy highway. He stopped at the stop sign and looked both ways. Sadly, he had not looked close enough. Bill failed to see an oncoming car, trying to in the intersection. It was heading right at them at a high rate of speed. The car was out of its lane rushing at them next to the curb, where cars normally parked. He had no more than cleared the corner when he looked up. It was barely in time to see the vehicle closing in on him from the driver’s side. In a complete state of panic, Bill slammed on his brakes. The driver of the car heading for them never slowed. The un-coming car tore through the driver’s door of the truck. The high speed of the car propelled it through most of the cab. Any image of time for those seeing it froze. Bill felt the truck begin to spin and then roll over onto its side, throwing everything into a blur. The impact was so intense, the cab simply imploded towards Bill and Pete inside. Everything went black for Bill. It was over in a mere second. The crash had been witnessed by several cars and trucks, moving in both directions. People began to pull over to the side of the street. Someone called 911 on their cell phone to notify the police. The truck was a twisted mass. It was completely destroyed. Bill was pinned in the cab. Pete had been knocked to the door during the impact. He was stunned. He began crying and whining. He fought to get to his feet. Bill’s head was

twisted to the side. Blood ran out of his mouth and nose. It was a gruesome sight to see. The crowd of people rushed to the truck to see what could be done. The car that had hit them was turned completely around. The front end now sat back where the center of the engine had originally rested. The young man, sitting behind the wheel, had been saved by the driver’s side air bag. He had been knocked out during the crash. The sounds of sirens blared as two squad cars roared down the road towards the accident site. An ambulance came screaming down the street, weaving in and out of traffic, to approach the scene. A squad car door flew open. A frantic police officer jumped out. It was Donavon. Still unable to put the truck together with Bill, he hurried to the carnage. He looked through the shattered windshield. Donavon stopped dead in his tracks. He could see Bill all twisted around. He knew Pete right off. That was because of him only having three legs. “Oh my God, Bill.” The ambulance attendants worked to get the remainder of the shattered windshield out of its frame in the mangled truck. Donavon and the second officer worked side by side with them. One attendant kept trying to arouse Bill, to see if he was conscious. There was no sound or movement from his crumpled body. It didn’t look good. Pete was still trying to get up. His ribs and back had been seriously injured. Pete finally gave up and laid motionless. Donavon called out, trying to calm him down. Donavon radioed for a fire rescue unit. It was evident to him Bill was going to have to be cut out of the truck. With no movement, Donavon held out little hope of Bill being alive. He hands began to shake. He watched as the medic crouched down to work on him. There were no vital signs. The young Paramedic remained with the old man until the firemen arrived with the Jaws of Life. By this time, a third squad car had arrived. It was Gene. He assisted in getting the young man removed from the car that hit Bill and Pete. They loaded him into an ambulance. The teen seemed completely disoriented. At first glance, he seemed reasonably unharmed. The first squad car pulled away from the curb, leading that ambulance to the hospital. Gene went along to oversee his ission. He wanted to ensure they checked for a blood alcohol level and for any other substances. It would prove to be a warrant for his actions that morning. A report would come back to Gene from the blood work that he was filled with

drugs. His glaring ignorance had taken an old man’s life. It was nearly 20 minutes later when they eased Bill’s broken body out of the wreckage. The attendants lifted him onto a back board and then onto the stretcher. R was performed once they had him on a hard surface. Pete had finally been pulled out. Donavon loaded him into the squad car. It was a return to a horrific memory for Donavon. It took him back to the day when he had done the very same thing. It gave him chills. This time however, Pete was put in the back seat. Blood or no blood, Donavon thought he deserved at least that much. He was about to leave for the Vet’s office when one of the First Responders walked up to him. “You seemed pretty upset about this. Do you know the old man that was driving the truck?” “Yes I do, as a matter of fact. He’s a great old man. I picked him up some time back after that dog had been hit by a car. That old man took that damn dog in and gave him a loving home. It was good for both of them. They loved each other. Do you think he’ll make it?” The medic looked down. He shook his head. “Sorry Donavon. He’s gone. I’m sure it broke his neck, but that’s not official yet.” Donavon slowly walked back to the squad car. Pete laid nearly silent on the back seat. Donavon strapped his seat belt on with a shaking hand. He had to gut it out to keep from breaking down. He had been on so many accidents, but this was completely different. Why this old man and his dog he thought? What kind of a deal was this to see something so right, go so wrong? Donavon pulled up in front of the Vet’s office, still in shock. He cradled Pete in his arms and walked inside. He was met with utter surprise, then complete silence. “Oh my God, that’s Pete. What happened? We just saw him a couple of hours ago. Bring him back and I’ll get the Doctor.” Donavon carried Pete into the room. He gently placed him on the table. He held Pete’s head in his hands. The loving animal began to lick his hand. Donavon

stood silently as tears began to run down his face. Pete’s whimpers were becoming more intense. Donavon could only cradle him. When the Doctor rushed in, Donavon continued to try to comfort Pete. The Vet checked him over carefully. Nearly everywhere he felt for injuries, made Pete break out into a mournful whine. The Doctor filled a shot up with some pain killer and istered it to Pete. The dog rolled his head and then relaxed back onto the table. “I think we’re going to have to get an x-ray of him before I can determine how bad he’s hurt. He seems pretty broken up. What happened to him? Where is Bill?” Donavon began his painful story of what had transpired. The Vet escorted him to his office, after Pete was rolled away. He offered Donavon a cup of coffee. The seasoned officer took it. He slumped down into the chair. His utter disbelief, now ruled his emotions. The Vet was also devastated that this old man, who had taken Pete in, was most likely dead. He was worried that they might have to put old Pete down also. “I’ll see what we can do for Pete, once we get the films developed. I’ll know more after I get a good look at them. You understand, he was pretty well busted up before when he lost that leg. This time, it may be worse. Why don’t you give me a number where we can reach you? I’ll call you, when I know more about his condition.” Donavon was sitting in his car, still in disbelief. He decided to head back to the scene. He wanted to make sure everything of Bill’s was gathered up from the wreck site. When he pulled up, a wrecker was about to flip the truck back onto its wheels. Donavon began waving traffic around with two more officers. He looked to the south and saw a shorter man walking his way. He had a wide eyed look on his face. It was Jim Farris. He happened to come up on the scene on his way through town. “Excuse me officer. Can you tell me what happened here? I know the old man who owns that truck. Where is he at? Where is his dog at?” Donavon pulled Jim over to the side. They both watched the truck being righted to its wheels.

“How do you know Bill?” “I sold him that truck a few of weeks ago. Where is he? Did he get hurt?” “They took him to the hospital. Maybe we better head over there and check out what’s happening. I can’t really tell you any more right now. Why don’t you follow me in your vehicle and we’ll go over there?” Jim walked to his truck, staring at Bill’s mangled pick up. He looked at the twisted cab. He could see the blood on the seat with the driver’s door removed. His experience told him Donavon wasn’t giving him the entire story. He slid into his driver’s seat and pulled out behind Donavon. His mind fell blank. He drove behind the squad car until they arrived at the hospital parking lot. Jim slid the shifter into park and removed the keys. He whispered to himself, “I sure hope that old Bill is going to be OK.” They entered the hospital emergency room entrance. A nurse approached them to see what she could do for them. Donavon indicated they were inquiring about the old man who had been brought in about an hour before. “His name is Bill Potter. Do you have any information on his condition?” “Are either one of you a relative by chance?” Donavon shook his head. The nurse clasped her hands together. She raised them to her chin. Her teeth were clenched and she curled her lips out. Her mouth changed to a frown when she dropped her hands. “Why don’t you two take a seat? I’ll have the Doctor come out and talk to you, as soon as he’s free.” The seconds seemed like hours while the two men sat silently in the waiting room. Finally, an older doctor approached them. He took a seat across from Donavon and Farris. “I’m sorry to inform you, but Mr. Potter didn’t survive. We couldn’t do anything for him. His neck had been broken during the accident. Can you tell me who we need to call? I mean, do you know any of his family we can ?” Donavon shook his head while looking directly at the Doctor.

“I don’t think the old man had anyone who was family. He lived by himself and was never married. We’re probably the closest thing to family that poor old man ever had. Where is he now?” The Doctor motioned for them to follow him. He led them into the staff lounge. When they were all seated, he offered them something to drink. Both Donavon and Farris declined. Donavon began to jot down some notes in his small spiral notebook. “Well, I guess it’s up to you to see if you can find anyone who was related. Otherwise, we’ll release the body to the city. If he didn’t have anyone around that was family, that’s all we can do. I’m sorry, but we don’t have much choice.” Donavon stood up and looked at Jim. “I took old Pete down to Doc Jensen’s animal clinic. He’s in pretty bad shape too. If you would go check on him, I’ll give you a number to me on my cell. I have to get back to the station and fill out my paperwork. We’ll start the ball rolling, to see if there is actually anyone we can .” Jim took Donavon’s card. He placed it his shirt pocket. Both men started back towards the parking lot. Jim stopped and turned back to Donavon. “Who’s going to take Pete if he does make it? I sure don’t want him to be sent to some shelter. Hell, they’ll just put him down. I’ll take him if that’s the case. He’s welcome to come live with me.” Donavon stopped and looked at Farris. “Hell I don’t know Jim. I guess I could take him home with me if you don’t. The first question is, whether he’s going to make it. You keep in touch if you need me. We can figure it out together.” “I’ll take him Donavon, if there isn’t anyone who fights me on it. I don’t have a dog, so he would sure be welcome to come home with me.” Donavon nodded and shook Jim’s hand firmly. “Well, let’s plan on that then. I’ll get started on a family search. I guess you’ll call me when you know something about Pete. Thanks for doing this Jim. I think

old Pete’s really going need someone to look out for him, now that Bill is gone. It sure is a shame. Just a damn shame.” Jim followed the directions to the Vet’s office. He announced himself at the desk. The entire staff wandered out around the desk to listen to Jim’s story. He relayed all he knew about what had happened. Each one of the staff was about to tear up. The Doctor asked Jim to come to the back with him. They walked through the door, where Pete was lying in a steel cage. He was on a blanket they had put down for him. Jim opened the door slowly. He tenderly reached in to pet the wounded dog. His head barely rose enough for him to lick Jim’s hand. When Pete did, Jim could see traces of blood on his hand where the dog’s tongue had been. He turned to the Vet. He began to fill Jim in on what he had found. “He’s pretty busted up inside Mr. Farris. I don’t think he’d last through any long surgery process. He had a slim chance before and survived, which surprised me. This time, I don’t think he’s going to make it. If you tell me too, I’ll put him down. I guess he doesn’t have anyone else to make that call now, does he?” Pete raised his head to look at Jim. Farris cradled it in his hands. Pete whimpered pitifully. He rested his head tightly against the loving hand that held him. Jim looked at him for some time before he spoke. He decided he had to at least give him a chance to recover. He knew it was a very slim chance that Pete would make it over a day or two. “I’ll tell you what Doc. I’ll take him with me. He can do the best he can, while he’s still here. I’ve never had the stomach to put an animal down. I’m sure not going to start with Old Pete here. Unless I’m forced into it.” The Doctor wanted to argue. He gazed over at Jim. He could see Jim’s eyes were set into the face of a man who never spoke twice. Especially about things like his honor or feelings. He knew it was best to let him take him. If Pete ed away, at least it would be with someone who loved him. He felt Pete deserved that much. After loading Pete into his truck, Jim drove ever so slowly past Bill’s house. When they ed the tiny home, Pete looked up at him and whimpered. He pulled himself closer to Jim’s leg. Pete rested his head across it, with some help from Jim. When Jim arrived home, he carried Pete inside the house. He placed a fresh blanket on the floor next to the couch. Pete inched his way onto it. Jim

brought him some cool water in a bowl. Pete drank a tiny bit before choking, then giving up to lie down. The rest of the evening Jim wondered if he had done the right thing. He kept coming back to his decision that the dog should have someone to be with, whether he died or not. Jim checked on him constantly throughout the night. Each time Pete would raise his head enough to see Jim, drop it back down and close his eyes. The next morning Jim took the business card from his pocket. He dialed Donavon’s cell phone number. Donavon answered Jim’s call immediately. They began to fill each other in on what each one knew for sure. “Old Pete is still going, but for the life of me, I couldn’t say for how much longer. I guess I couldn’t bring myself to have them put him down Donavon.” “I have been over to Bill’s house with a city attorney looking for a will, if he had one. We never found anything, but a letter tucked away in his family Bible. The old man wrote that he wanted to leave almost everything to the library. Especially his books. The letter said he wanted to be cremated if anything happened to him. The lawyer is talking to a Judge right now about whether or not he can execute all of this. They moved him to the funeral home down from the old city park. He’ll be there if you would like to go pay your last respects. If the Judge approves the request, they will cremate him tomorrow afternoon. He didn’t have a stick of family. The lawyer said they would take some of the money from his , once it was freed up. They’ll need some of it for the expenses. I spoke to some of the guys here at the station about him. We’ll have a small head stone put up. Outside of that Jim, I guess I’m out of information. I have to notify a family the old man knew. I need to let the son and his mother know what happened. I’m sure not looking forward to that.” “OK Donavon. I guess that gives me something to go on. I’d like to pitch in on that head stone, if you guys don’t mind. I’d like to go see the old man tomorrow. I can at least go pay my respects to him. Now I feel awful about selling him that damn truck in the first place. I’ll never get over that. I simply don’t understand why things like this happen to good people who don’t deserve it. Maybe I’ll see you down there, if you stop by to see him tomorrow. I’ll try to be there around noon. Will that will work for you?” Donavon said that would be fine. Since they were supposed to schedule Bill for

cremation around 3, it would give them ample time. Jim thanked Donavon for his time and told him good bye. The remainder of the day ed slowly for Farris. He kept trying to get Pete to eat a little something. Pete would take a tiny bite, but eventually spit it out and lie back down. It seemed to Jim, he just wanted to die in peace. Jim figured it wouldn’t be long for him. He carried him outside twice that afternoon. Pete seemed to like the air. Jim gently helped him stand, so that he could go potty. Each time it was more painfull than before for Pete. Jim felt so helpless that he could do no more for him. Jim sat on the couch talking to him throughout the remainder of the afternoon. Pete seemed to understand that his world was rapidly coming to an end. Jim knew he would be Pete’s last friend. He wasn’t going to leave him alone for a minute. He anticipated that moment, could come at any time. Pete kept hanging on, like he wasn’t going to let go until he had fulfilled some need. Jim was astonished to see him still breathing the next morning when he awoke on the couch. Pete looked so sad when Jim brought him another cool drink. Pete took a few tiny laps. The blood trickled down off of his tongue staining the fresh water. He began to choke when he tried to swallow the cool drink. Jim knew Pete’s time was very close. He felt awful during the time he showered and dressed. He hated to go see the old man who he had befriended such a short time ago this one last time. He punished himself with a guilt trip about ever having sold the old man that damn truck. He knew down deep he was blaming himself for something that he had no control over. That logic didn’t seem to matter. When the time came to head for town, Jim carried Pete out to the truck. He gently placed him on the seat. He fired up the engine and headed into town the back way. Pete seemed to be laboring more to breath, but he kept looking up at Jim, as if he were directing him to keep going. The drive in to the mortuary was terrible for Jim. He had seen enough death while he was serving in Viet Nam, for two years. He never got over the sight or the smell of death. He hated it, right down to his core. When he reached the parking lot, he talked to Pete. The dog now seemed unsettled. Pete was trying to get up on his own, but kept falling due to his weakened state. Jim wondered if Pete could actually know that Bill was there close. Or was it he was getting ready to go?

Jim talked to him and calmed him down with his loving tone. He promised him he would take him to Bill as soon as he could. Jim left him in the cab, still whimpering. He shut the truck door. Inside the building Jim informed them why he was there. A tall slender gentleman in a black suit led him to the back. It was a private area, where Bill was lying. He was in a plain wooden coffin they had put him in to be cremated. Jim asked if he could have some time with the body by himself. The attendant nodded and left the room, leaving Jim with the old man alone. Once the gentleman had departed the room, Jim sprung into action. He began looking for a back way in. He spotted it on the back wall. A large double door lead to the parking lot for casket removal. Jim raced to the door and turned the lock. He swung the large door open. Looking around the grounds, he saw no one. He raced to the truck and opened the door. He looked in at Pete. He was bleeding from his mouth. He had actually sat up on his own, waiting for Jim. Farris spoke to him that it was OK. He lifted him, ever so carefully, under the belly and chest. He rushed towards the door with Pete in his arms. Jim darted in the back door. Pete’s look was pitiful. Jim placed him down on a heavy table next to the coffin. With tears in his eyes, Jim knelt down to explain to Pete that Bill was there beside him. Pete sat up slowly. He started scratching at the side of the coffin. Jim watched in amazement as Pete tried to move closer. He was trying to calm Pete down, but it was no use. Jim lifted the lid to the wooden tomb exposing Bill’s body. He began to hoist Pete up so he could see the old man, for one last time. Pete gazed at Bill lying inside the box. Pete looked at Jim one last time. To Jim’s amazement, he fought to climb inside with the old man. Jim, not knowing what to think, allowed him to do so. Pete pulled his way up to Bill’s chest. After licking Bill’s face several times, Pete sniffed his mouth and began to whimper. Afterwards, he laid down next to Bill. He was as close as he could get. His head was nuzzled tightly against the old mans neck. Jim heard a long labored breath. Pete struggled to breath in one last time. The long breath seemed to slowly escape as it left him. Pete laid quiet next to the old man. Jim’s eyes were now streaming with tears. There was no way to wipe them away fast enough. He waited for a short time. He reached in to pet Pete. He had planned to lift him out and take him back to the truck. He patted him on the head, realizing that Pete wasn’t breathing. Jim reached for Pete’s side to double check. It was now apparent, he was gone too. Pete had held out just long enough to re- the old

man. A wonderful old man who had been his best friend and the only family he had. Jim stood by them both for a couple of minutes. Then without hesitation, realizing they would never allow Pete to stay in there, he closed the lid for the last time. Jim looked around for the tool to seal the locks. With all of his strength he clamped it tight. He walked to the back door and closed it. He was heading back for the coffin when Donavon knocked. He announced himself as he opened the door. He could see that Jim had been crying. Donavon gave no indication to let Jim know he could tell. “Hello Jim. It was sure nice of you to stop and see Bill before he goes. I guess Pete didn’t make it. I mean, I checked your truck, thinking you might have brought him along. I’ll assume he didn’t make it either. I guess they won’t be alone now, will they?” Jim strained to fight back another outbreak of tears. He walked past Donavon and rested his hand briefly on his shoulder. “No Donavon. Their not alone anymore. As a matter of fact, I think Bill and old Three Pete are taking their first walk together up in Heaven right now. Yep, I can see them together right now.”