Momma says most people are okay, but some not so much.
“How can I tell the good ones from the bad one?”
“They smell different. The good ones smell like home and biscuits.”
“I like biscuits!”
Momma just smiled at me. It was just us now that all my brothers and sisters were taken away to live in their new homes.
“Why couldn’t we all live together, momma?”
“Well, people have really empty lives without us and they can’t make us themselves so… when we have little ones eventually the good people come and take us with them to their homes. Then we take them on adventures and spend our lives showing them how to really live.”
“Wow!” I said. But then I realized nobody had come for me. “Doesn’t anybody want me to take them on an adventure?”
“I promise, someone is coming for you soon enough. Besides, are you in a hurry to leave your momma all alone?”
I wasn’t in a hurry to leave my momma, but I sure would love to go on adventures. “No, momma, I don’t wanna leave you just yet.” I curled up with her so she would believe me.
As they the boy set the table for the breakfast mom was preparing he couldn’t help himself.
“Daadddddd! I’ve been doing my chores, getting good grades, and I even googled all the dogs and I know what kind I want!”
His dad chuckled, “oh really, what kind?”
“A corgi!”
“A corgi? What do you know about them?”
“Well, the queen has them. And they have fluffy butts!”
His mom, who had turned to watch this little tete-a-tete, almost spit coffee out of her nose. “He’s not wrong, hon!”
Fighting back a laugh dad said, “no, I suppose he is not.”
The boy felt he’d won something, he just wasn’t exactly sure what that something was. “So, we can go get me a dog?”
“A corgi, huh?”
“Yeah! I mean, I would like a corgi, but I don’t care cuz I think a dog is good no matter what kind. But I want one with a fluffy butt!”
Momma looked sad so I asked her what was wrong. She pulled me close and said, “someone is coming to see if you might be their dog and I’m gonna miss you is all.”
It was hard to hide my excitement, “adventures!”
Momma tried to smile.
“Can’t you come with me, momma?”
“No son, I have my people. I have to stay with them or they’ll get sad and forget how to be happy.”
“But I can come visit you, right?”
I didn’t realize then that she was lying to me when she said I could.
When the boy came in with his family I wasn’t sure about him. He talked about my butt.
“What’s his name?”
“Well, if you take him home you can name him whatever you want,” the woman said.
“Dad, he’s not exactly a corgi.”
“I thought you said all dogs are good.”
“They are. And this one has a fluffy butt!”
The woman explained that he was a corgi mix. “I am not exactly sure what he’s mixed with, you see, his momma got out one night and by the time we found her again she was expecting. Taking her to the vet to get her fixed next week.”
“Is she broken?” the boy asked.
My momma isn’t broken, stupid boy!
The woman smiled then hesitated as she explained, “no, she is definitely not broken. It’s just that having puppies was… hard on her so we’re going to fix it so that doesn’t happen again. You know, so she can live a long, healthy life from here on out.”
“Oh. I think I get it.”
“Good. So what do you think about the puppy?”
I didn’t realize my momma suffered by becoming my momma. I think she could tell. “I think she’s saying that to make the boy feel better. I’m fine and having you was the best thing I have ever done.”
I felt better. Then I didn’t. “Are you saying that just to make this boy feel better?”
Momma smiled. “Go see the boy.”
I walked over to the boy and sniffed a little. He stood there just looking down at me. I smelled something… delicious. He bent down, his face inches from my own snoot. He said “hi,” and I knew it! His breath smelled like… like… biscuits! And bacon! And jam! I jumped up and licked his face!
IT WAS SO DELICIOUS!
The boy fell back, laying on the floor as I pounced!
The boy was giggling so much.
“So, what you think? Is this your dog?” the woman asked.
Mom said, “I think it’s safe to say you’re defintely his boy.”
-Part three coming sometime in the future
