cj Sez: The third
charity anthology from Bienvenue Press, FINALLY HOME, brings you eight
Christmas stories, all about our four-legged friends and the special people who
rescue them. From funny, to sad, to romantic, there’s something in there to tug at
everyone’s heart strings.
Best of all, all
three of the ebook charity anthologies are on sale for 99 cents until Christmas
and free on Kindle Unlimited. If you need a last minute gift, it’s a purchase
that’s sure to arrive in time for Christmas. (Psst: A portion of the proceeds
from FINALLY HOME is donated to various animal rescue groups.)
Here’s an excerpt from my short story, “Puppy Love,” about a
dog that loses a leg and is fitted with a prosthetic. (Did you know someone actually made
a prosthetic leg for an elephant....and a duck!?)
“Hi, Bobbie. Is it
okay if I put one of my flyers on the board in your lobby?”
“A wanted poster,”
Bobbie said with a chuckle. “It’s more
than okay, Fran. It looks great. That
red Santa hat makes his big, gold eyes stand out like neon lights.” The bold headline
of the flyer read Wanted: Furever Home over a picture of a black and white
tuxedo kitten. Francesca picked the final sheet out of the printer tray and
nodded in satisfaction. She’d used a computer program to modify the photo and now
Tucker had a Santa hat on his head.
“The picture is adorable, even if I do say so
myself.” She stroked Tucker’s silky coat. “You really do look like you’re wearing
your best bib and tucker. That’s what my mom called a man’s tuxedo, you know.
Francesca left the
kitten snoozing on her desk, and with staple gun in hand, she tacked flyers on bulletin
boards at Municipal Park, at the city’s public pool, and at the sports complex
fields. She wanted to attract the attention of the persons most responsible for
the decision to adopt a pet—the kids in the family. Two hours later, she walked
into the Pet Rescue Center and handed a flyer to the receptionist.
“I’m hoping he’ll
be a precious, early Christmas gift for some lucky family.”
“Did you post it
on Facebook?”
“Nope. Too many
strangers have access to Facebook. I want him to go to someone in town. Someone
I can keep in contact with and know for sure they’re treating him good.”
“How are the fur
babies doing?”
“They’re great.
Tucker’s finally old enough to look for a forever home. Without any prompting,
my neighbor claimed Niblet yesterday, and Muffin’s a pistol. I had to call the
fire department the other day to get her off the roof, and that caused me to
run into Cody Phillips.”
“How’d that go?”
“Is there some
special meaning behind that question?”
“Sorry. I just
wondered. He’s been divorced for a while now, and I know you two used to be
tight.”
“That was high
school. Let’s leave it at that. It’ll be couple of weeks before I can put Muffin
up for adoption. That’ll be tough. I’m about to get too attached to the little
priss.”
Bobbie chuckled. “Changing
the subject are we? Okay, well, we have a solution for adoption anxiety. You need
to take another foster.”
“I keep telling
you, I’m getting out of the fostering business. It’s getting too hard to give
them up, and yeah, I know. Fostering is all about doing what’s best for the
animal.”
“Just thought I’d
mention it.”
“I wish you would
stop baiting me. The last time you did that I wound up with a dog.”
“How is Miss Molly?”
“Doing well with
her physical therapy. She’s been doing three sessions a week in the pool. The
therapist said her muscle mass gets stronger with every visit, and her three
legs are supporting her weight with no problem. She’s a really sweet puppy, and
believe it or not, the kittens have helped socialize her.”
“I was worried
about heartworm,” Bobbie said, “because the mosquitos were thick this year, but
good news. We got the results of the blood test yesterday, and she’s heartworm
negative.”
“Prayers answered.
And the prosthetic?”
“The manufacturer
has the measurements, and it should be ready any day now. I’ll send you an
email when I’ve got it in the office, and we can set up an appointment with a
technician to fit the device on the puppy.”
As soon as Francesca
walked into the house, an ecstatic Molly yipped and bounced and almost knocked
her down. She captured the wriggling puppy in her arms and held her close while
avoiding a barrage of wet puppy kisses. When the dog calmed down a bit, she let
her go then dropped her purse, the few remaining flyers, and the day’s mail on
the kitchen counter. Her stomach sent out a hungry rumble as she freshened the
food and water bowls—“for my critters” she said and nuzzled each one—then she made
her own lunch. She used a fork to flake a can of albacore tuna into a dish,
stirred in a dollop of light mayonnaise, a forkful of sweet pickle relish, and
ate a bite before sitting down with a cup of black coffee. When her cell rang,
she groped around in the bottom of her purse to find it before the call went to
voice mail. Caller ID flashed a number she didn’t recognize but thinking it
might be a call about a forever home for Tucker, she answered with a hopeful
“Hello?”
“Afternoon
Frankie. It’s me, Cody. Got a minute?”
“Hey, Cody. Are
you already opting out of next weekend?”
“Nothing like
that. I was thinking…wondering, if you’re not seeing anyone special, would you
like to join me for brunch at Brady’s Buffet tomorrow after church?”
Is it the invitation,
she wondered, or the sound of his voice? Whatever it was, it breathed life into
a dark ember in the depths of her heart, and she tried, unsuccessfully, to stifle
the heat it created.
“I didn’t know
you’d come back to church.”
“Tomorrow is my
first day back,” he said. “It’s time, don’t you think?”
She bit back the
snarky “yes” response that hovered on the tip of her tongue. “You’ve been
missed,” she said and was a bit surprised to find she meant it. “Everyone will
be happy to see you again. Unfortunately, I have to decline your invitation for
brunch.” Her automatic refusal sent her mind racing for a good excuse, and she
decided on: “There’s no one special in my life right now, but one of the
kittens is going to meet its forever family tomorrow.”
“Next Sunday?”
When “Please don’t
ask me right now” leaped into her mind, she knew there might be a “yes” in the
future, but she was nervous about going out with him again. Do I really want to
try to reconnect and risk getting hurt again?
When she didn’t
answer for several seconds, he said. “That silence sounds like a ‘no’.”
“It’s just that
Molly and the foster kitties don’t leave me a lot of free time, Cody.”
“Maybe next time,”
he said as if he’d read her mind. “See you at church, then.”
“Of course.” When
the call ended, she murmured, “Please forgive the lie about Tucker, Lord, but
could you make it happen?”
The cellphone
vibrated in her hand. She didn’t recognize the ID name and number. “This better
not be another robo call,” she said before she answered.
Fifteen minutes
later, she’d made an appointment to meet Tucker’s potential forever family on
Sunday afternoon. “Yessss,” she hissed and pumped a fist. “Thank. You. Lord.”
Without considering
why it seemed important, she searched through the hangers in her closet to find
something special to wear on Sunday. She sighed when she saw that everything there
was from twenty-five pounds ago. Waiting to update her wardrobe until she
reached her target of losing thirty pounds by New Year’s Day no longer seemed
like a good idea. She slid her hands down the front of an emerald-green,
princess-style dress with no waist and decided it would be the easiest to alter
to fit her new curves.
“Taking in a quick
inch or two in the side seams is all it needs. Perfect,” she said, then shook
her head and added, “Why am I going to so much trouble? I’m only going to meet
some cat people.”
§§
§§
Since this week ends on Christmas . . .Since this week ends on Christmas . . .
I pray your holiday celebrations are filled
to the brim with the love of family and friends
The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Numbers
6:24-26
Marilyn Johnston
(aka cj petterson)
§§
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