DONALD, RUTH, AND JANE
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he next day was a busy one at the Riverview Animal Shelter. A
large truck of dog food and supplies had arrived, and several new animals
had been surrendered.
Everyone
was busy. Ruth and Donald usually met to compare schedules and prioritize the
work for the day.
Today, it was noon before anyone could consider taking a
break. Jane, Ruth, and Donald decided to meet in the break room, grab a quick
lunch and analyze the day’s accomplishments.
Ruth
wanted to ask for some personal advice before they got down to the shelter’s
concerns. “I’ve discovered a problem with my mom and I’d like your advice on
what I should do,” Ruth began. As she repeated Valerie’s story, she was
surprised to see Donald start crying.
“Oh,
Ruth, I am so sorry!” Donald kept saying. “Will you ever forgive me?”
Concerned,
both Ruth and Jane got up to hug him. “Whatever it is,” Ruth began, “you know
how much I respect and care for you. I can never be angry with you!”
Donald
looked up at Ruth and began to cry even harder. “I was angry and felt like a
bag of garbage.”
As he
talked, Ruth began to listen closely to what he was saying. She asked, “You
were raised in New York City. Were you adopted as a baby?”
When
Donald replied, “Yes,” he continued to say, “I never should have meant to hurt
Valerie. When I believed she didn’t want me and that she had thrown me away
because she did not care about me, I wanted to hurt her. Now that I know the
truth, I am ashamed of how I have acted!”
Ruth
cradled Donald in her arms. He leaned toward her, and Ruth began to caress his
hair. She wiped away his tears. “I am proud to call you my brother! Though
we’ve only worked together a short time I’ve felt like I have known you
forever. I have always wished for a brother, especially a brother like you.
When I first met you, I believed that you are someone special. Now I know why,”
Ruth announced. “You need to come home with me and meet your family!”
That night, Sassie gave her happy dance and recognized that
the tears of all the humans were happy tears.
She decided she wanted to give everyone lots of kisses.
She decided she wanted to give everyone lots of kisses.
The End
###
With her permission, I serialized a chapter a week, on this blog, near-final material from this instructive novel by dog trainer Helen A. Bemis, published by Outskirts Press and available through amazon.com: UNDERSTANDING SASSIE
Connect with all Helen A. Bemis books on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/s?k=helen+a.+bemis&ref=nb_sb_noss
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