The Dog, The Kid and Thanksgiving

The Dog, The Kid and Thanksgiving

The Dog was cold, hungry and alone.

The Kid was warm, well fed but skinny, and lonely.

He had a mom and a dad. He also had two sisters and two brothers, all older then he was. All busy with their own friends and lives. The Kid was the baby.

His mom worked hard all day, every day and waited for his dad to come home.

He’d been gone two years.

The Dog had been the runt too and had been left by the side of the road. He was skinny like the Kid but had no one. It was November and the wind blew and the rain came down and the Dog, hidden behind the dumpster, curled up with his nose under his tail and waited.

The Kid was sent to the corner store for milk. His mother had told his brothers to go but they were too busy and frightened him into going instead. He had on his yellow rain coat and his boots but he forgot the umbrella and the rain was dripping down his neck and he was running. Just at the back of the store, he tripped and went down into a big puddle. He started to cry and the rain and the tears slid down his face.

The Dog heard. He unwrapped his skinny body and crept over to the puddle and the Kid. He was afraid but maybe there would be a scrap of food. He lay down in the rain and watched the Kid.

The Kid stopped crying when he saw the Dog. He was afraid. Maybe he would bite. Maybe he would jump and scratch. But the dog just watched and crawled a little closer on his belly, hoping for that bit of food.

The Kid waited. The Dog waited. The rain and the wind waited.

The Kid reached out one small hand. The Dog whined but didn’t move.

“Nice puppy”, said the Kid. “Mmrruff” said the dog, making the puddle wiggle.

The small hand touched his ear. “You’re all wet, just like me.”

“Mmrruff” said the Dog and the puddle wiggled again.

The Kid remembered the milk and jumped up and went into the store. The Dog waited.

The Kid came back with the milk and started home. The Dog watched, still hoping for food. The Kid looked back. “Puppy?” The Dog rose and followed.

When the Kid came into the kitchen his mom was there. He and the Dog stood, making muddy puddles on the floor. To the Dog the kitchen smelled like heaven.

Food!

Hundreds of wonderful smells, pumpkin and spices, potatoes, green vegetables and best of all - MEAT! The Dog gave a “Mmrruff” and waited.

The Boy watched his mother as she stirred the pots, peeked into the oven, and rolled the dough for the pies. Once she stopped and slipped an envelope out of her apron pocket. She held it close to her cheek, and her eyes were bright with tears as she put it back into her pocket. Then she saw the Boy and the Dog.

She smiled. “You’re dripping on my clean floor”

The Dog gave the slightest wave to the very end of his tail and moved closer to the Boy. The Boy looked at his mom and his eyes questioned and pled silently.

She smiled. “You both need a good scrub before dinner”

The Dog’s tail thumped once on the wet floor and the mom knelt down, set the milk on the floor and tenderly touched her son with one hand and reached out gently for the Dog. The Dog waited.

“Go and wash, I will see to the Dog”.

When the Boy came back the Dog was just finishing the most delicious, most wonderful, most best dinner he’d ever had. His tummy was round with the food and he was clean and dry and sleepy. The Boy smiled at his mother and sat down next to the Dog. He rubbed his ears and the Dog sighed from deep inside and with his head in the Boy’s lap went to sleep.

It was time for dinner and the Boy and his brothers and sisters and his mom were all seated around the table. The Dog sat under the Boy’s chair and waited.

The table was filled with all the wonderful things from the kitchen. Mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans, big, hot dinner rolls, pumpkin pie and in the middle -- all steamy and plump – the turkey. They all joined hands and the mom gave thanks for their many blessings, for their love and asked only that the Dad was safe. The Dog waited.

Just as they were about to start the front door gave a bump and opened. A man stood there. He wore blue. Blue trousers with a big heavy blue coat and on his head a white hat. He smiled and his eyes were old and sad and extraordinarily happy, all at the same time. The Dog’s tail thumped twice and everyone at the table jumped up at once, but the mom reached the man first and wrapped her arms around him and looked into his eyes and smiled. “You’re home”. Then everyone was laughing and hugging the man. The Boy waited and the Dog watched.

His father came to him and lifted the Boy and laughed. “You have grown so big Daniel” He looked down at the Dog. “And who is this?”

The Dog said “Mmrruff” and this time his tail thumped and thumped on the floor.

Daniel smiled at his father and said, “His name is Wonder, and he belongs to all of us.”

And Wonder knew that he would never be cold or hungry or alone again.