[ SHOWGSD-L ] The New Year's Resolution (Part 3)
- From: Barbara Galasso <uwish@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: Showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 29 Nov 2005 13:56:30 -0500
Thursday afternoon arrives and there's a knock on the door. Poppa goes
to answer it and it's old Mr. Harkins standing on the other side all
bundled up to keep himself warm from the winter elements. "Well man,
step aside and let me him," he says to poppa. "A man can freeze out
here in this weather, you know". Poppa excuses himself and says, "By
all means, Mr. Harkins do come in." The children could be heard playing
in the other room. Poppa leans over and whispers in Mr. Harkins ear,
"please sir, don't say anything to my children about the dog". "They
don't know I'm selling him yet." "What'd you say," the old man seems to
shout. "Speak up man,", that's my bad ear." "I don't hear as well as I
used to, you know."
With the shouting coming from the living room, Dusty starts barking
from the children's room. The children open the bedroom door and Dusty
comes running out to investigate who this intruder in his home is. He
immediately inspects the man smelling every inch of him. The old man
reaches out his hand to touch the dog, and Dusty lets out a low,
threatening growl. "It's okay boy," poppa reassures Dusty. He tells
Mr. Harkins he's a little protective in his home. "That's all right,"
Mr. Harkins says. "He'll soon learn who the boss is in my home". "Well
how do you like him," poppa asks the old man proudly. Mr. Harkins
ignores poppa's obvious pride and sarcastically says, "He'll do, he'll
do. "Have him ready for me to pick up on Saturday afternoon". He
reaches in his pocket and pulls out $100 and gives it to my father and
says, "here's the down payment for the dog." "When I pick him up, I'll
give you the other $900 we agreed upon". Poppa says "Would you like me
to tell you a little about Dusty, what we feed him, what shots he's had
and............with that Mr. Harkins interrupts him and says, nope,
nope, nope, nope." "I don't have time for idle chatter." "I'll be here
on Saturday." "Just have the dog ready because I don't have time to
dilly dally". He turns to leave and once again, Dusty growls at him.
The old man turns back and looks at Dusty with a menacing smirk on his
face. "Yes sir boy, you'll soon learn who the boss is". With that,
he's out the door as fast as he came in. And Dusty jumps up on the door
barking and growling and he just misses old Mr. Harkins backside as the
door slams in his face.
Momma sits alone in the living room with poppa later that night when we
children are put to bed, and once again I find myself leaning against
by bedroom door listening to their conversation because it's about old
Mr. Harkins and Dusty. "So what did Mr. Harkin's think of Dusty, momma
asks my father. "Oh, he didn't stay very long Mildred,", he's a busy
man poppa tells her. "Well he must have said something about the dog
while he was here," she says. "How did Dusty take to him?", she goes
on. "Well Dusty was doing what Dusty does, he tells her. "He was being
protective of his home and the children". "Yes, she says, go on".
"Well he growled and barked at him." "What did the old man say about
that,? she inquires. Poppa squirms in his chair. "What could he say",
poppa says rather uncomfortably. "Come on Henry, stop beating around
the bush with me", momma says rather firmly. "What happened? Well
poppa blurts out quickly under his breath, "he tried to bite him in the
backside as he left". "What did you say Henry", momma asks not quite
believing what he just told her. "Speak up so I can hear you this
time," she tells him. "Okay then," he says rather loudly, "he tried to
bite him in the backside" "My word momma," says and starts to laugh
uncontrollably. "What I would have given to have seen that," she tells
my father. I put my hand up to my mouth to conceal my own laughter from
the other side of the door, and then I hear poppa chime in laughing too
and he says, "Yeah, and he almost got him".
It is Friday and I must speak to poppa. I must let him know that I know
that he plans to sell Dusty. This in itself will be met with a
punishment for me for listening to my parent's private conversations.
Even my mother will not be too forgiven of this and I just know when
they take me to church on Sunday, and I confess my sins, they'll make me
stay on my knees even longer saying my prayers and asking for
forgiveness. I can just hear poppa saying to me now "honor thy mother
and thy father". I forget today is the day that momma and poppa go
into town to do their grocery shopping and to the feed store for the
animals. I know that they are going to be gone all day. I also know
that this is the day that I prepare the evenings meal so momma doesn't
have to worry about it when she gets home. I keep myself busy all day
rehearsing what I need to say to poppa.
It's later than usual when momma and poppa return home from their day in
the village. Momma has a terrible headache she says and poppa is so
tired that he falls fast asleep after he eats his dinner. I say, "Momma
can I have a little talk with you?". "Oh please baby, she says to me,
momma is not feeling very well and I need to go to bed early tonight".
"Please let it wait until tomorrow Jane." "You're not sick are you
Jane?" momma asks. "No, momma I'm not" I reply. "Good, then it can
wait until tomorrow," she quietly says holding her hand to her head.
"Do momma a big favor and get Robby and Penny ready for bed and we'll
have that little chat tomorrow, I promise." I open my mouth to try to
say something else and momma quickly closes her bedroom door behind
her. And with that, I'm left with a sink full of dishes and a sunken
feeling in my chest.
That night after everyone is soundly sleeping, I crack my bedroom door
open and call out softly to Dusty. He cries and runs to my bedroom.
"Shh...come on boy," I tell him ,"Tonight you're sleeping in the bed
with me". "Now I know this is frowned on by my parents because they
never allow animals on the bed". I know I'm breaking all the rules
here, and I can just see how bruised my knees will be after all the
praying momma and poppa are going to be making be do in church. But I
don't care. I throw caution to the wind and encourage Dusty to jump up
on the bed with me. He doesn't need too much persuasion. Within
seconds he's found a comfortable spot with his head next to mine on the
pillow and we cuddle together as he slobbers me with his warm, sticky
kisses and I hold on tight to him like I shall never see or hold him
again. The tears roll down my cheeks and instead of me wiping them away
with the arms of my pajama tops, Dusty licks them away and lets out a
big sigh, stretches and falls asleep with my arms wrapped around that
big neck of his. Within minutes, I too am sleeping contentedly with my
dog Dusty in my arms where he belongs.
Saturday morning, momma opens our bedroom door frantically wondering
where Dusty is knowing that today is the day that Mr. Harkins is coming
for this dog. When she sees him wrapped in my arms with his head laying
on the pillow with his long bushy tail hanging off the side of the bed,
she shakes me awake and says, "Jane Ellen Borden, what is the meaning of
this?" "What is Dusty doing in your bed?" "Heaven help you, when your
father finds out about this". "You know better than having a dog in the
bed". "I just washed all your sheets and blankets this week." "Your
father is going to blow a fuse." With that Robby and Penny wake up
rubbing their eyes and are trying to understand what is going on. Dad
hears all the fuss from the living room and comes in just as Dusty
gingerly sneaks off my bed and quickly escapes into the other room to
leave me to fend for myself. "Chicken", I yell out to him. I don't
think my sense of humor is appreciated by momma and poppa right about
now. "Poppa, I need to talk to you", I tell him. "Oh we'll talk about
this all right young lady." "That you can be sure of, but not just
right now." "When am I ever going to be able to tell him I know what
he plans on doing without my brother and sister hearing me", I say to
myself.
"Jane Ellen come help your mother with the morning chores and you too
Robby and Penny" poppa says rather annoyingly. Momma and poppa are
cleaning the living room up and going about their business with neither
one of them talking much and definitely avoiding eye contact with any of
us children. "Geez, it looks like he got up on the wrong side of the
bed this morning", Robby complains. I immediately go over to him and
warn him, today is not the day for him to be sarcastic and fresh, not
unless he wants to feel the paddle on his backside. Poppa is nervously
pacing back and forth in the room and momma is fidgeting about
rearranging the same things for the last ten minutes. Dusty is whining
to go outside so I open the door to let him out for he's not aware that
all this tension in the house today is due to him.........or is he?
Mr. Harkins pulls up in the driveway in his covered truck promptly at
noon. Robby pulls the curtain back from the living room window and says
"what's he doing here again today?" as he watches poppa go out to greet
the old man. I quickly go over to the window and tell Robby to be quiet
and I want him to stay inside with his sister. Momma opens the door and
asks Mr. Harkins if he would like to come in for a cup of coffee. "No
thank you Mrs. Borden", he says. "I don't have any time today". So
momma joins poppa and Mr. Harkins outside instead. I turn to my brother
and sister and tell them, "you two stay here". I open the door and not
realizing that Dusty came back inside already, he shoots out the door in
front of me.
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