MODERN FABLES, Helpful, Ch. 11, Rusty, the Wonder Dog

            CHAPTER 11: RUSTY, THE WONDER DOG

 

“I’m home,” Tim yelled, “anybody here?”

 

His twelve-year-old sister, Tess, responded, “In the living room.”

 

Tim joined her there, dropping his knapsack, chock full of books, even though he was only in fourth grade.

 

“You’re home a bit late, Tim. What’s up?”

 

“Played touch football after school.”

 

“Did you walk Mrs. Kaufmann’s dog?”

 

“Oh, no! I forgot!”

 

“Better get over there, before there’s a mess.”

 

Tim raced the two blocks to the Kaufmanns’ house. He had their key. When he opened the door, their Beagle, Rusty, was clearly excited to see him. Rusty barked his loud Beagle bark, wagged his tail, a welcome waggin’ Rick would call it, and Rusty was excitedly jumping around as Tim put the leash on his collar.

 

Tim and Rusty walked down Maple Street, the trees pretty free of leaves, as this was late Fall. Rusty moved next to one of these maples, lifted his leg, and gave out a little spurt.

 

“Is that all?”

 

Rusty did not reply.

 

The two returned, and Tim and Rusty went to the kitchen to get Rusty a treat. There was a puddle on the kitchen floor and an unwelcome smell in the air. Tim thought, Uh-oh, Rusty has had an “accident.”

 

Tim pulled several sheets of paper towels from the rack and started drying up the puddle. Yellow. Smelly. He opened a cabinet, found some Ziploc storage bags, and put the wet paper towels in them. He got some more paper towels and repeated the wiping and the storing. There was still a smell. What to do? He picked up the telephone and called Tess.

 

“Hello,” Tess answered. “Hello. Who is this?”

 

“Tess, it’s Tim.”

 

“Tim? Where are you?”

 

“Kaufmanns’ house.”

 

“What’s up?”

 

“Rusty peed on the kitchen floor. I dried it up…but it still smells.”

 

“Wet a paper towel, put a few drops of dish detergent on it, and wipe the spot again. Dry it with a paper towel. Then wet another one, without detergent, and wipe again. Then dry it all up with another paper towel. That should do it. I‘ll wait.”

 

Tim did as Tess instructed. A few minutes later, the smell was gone, and the floor looked fine.

 

“Thanks, Sis.”

 

“Bye.”

 

When Tim told his mother what happened, she told him he would have to apologize to the Kaufmanns for letting them down by not walking the dog right after school as he had agreed, and for telling them what had happened.

 

Mr. Kaufmann thanked Tim and told him the floor seemed fine: “No harm, no foul.” It was not clear, however, whether they would rely on Tim to walk Rusty again until he got older and more responsible.

 

When Rick got home from football practice, he heard the story and said he’d call Rusty, “The Wonder Dog…he wondered whether Tim would ever get there to take him for his walk.”

 

Moral: If you have a job, do not forget to do it on time!

MODERN FABLES, Helpful, Ch. 10, Moving Day

 CHAPTER 10: MOVING DAY

 

The school year had just ended. Rick and Tess reached the home of their friends, Brian and Alice, early that sad Saturday morning, 7 a.m., in fact. The mother of Brian and Alice, Mrs. Gladstone, had gotten a better job in a city far away, and the three of them were moving, with the help of friends. Using a moving company was too expensive for them. Their father had died earlier in the year, and money was scarce.

 

There were several heavy items; Rick and Brian moved them out of the apartment and onto the rented van. Mostly, boxes and boxes of “stuff” needed to be brought out and put in the van. Moving out took longer than expected because a couple of people who said they would help didn't show up. The Gladstones thanked Rick and Tess warmly, and finally drove away. Although each hoped to keep in touch by email, telephone, and letters, each knew that distant friendships are hard to maintain.

 

On their way home, Rick and Tess talked about their friends and how sorry they were to see them go. Something else troubled them.

 

“Rick, why didn’t the other people who said they’d help come?”

 

“People often offer what they fail to deliver. Sometimes, something comes up and they can’t. Other times, they do not plan to live up to their promises.”

 

Tess commented, “Maybe they find it too sad to come when someone is leaving.”

 

“That could be. Also, helpers would be doing a favor for people who were unlikely to be able to return it.”

 

“How about ‘pay it forward,’ Rick?”

 

“Nice idea…doing unto others as you would have them do unto you, the scriptural Golden Rule. You can think doing good deeds is a good idea, but you don't want to make the effort when the time comes, and they are needed.”

 

“If we moved, do you think we would get help?”

 

“Probably, although Mom and Dad would likely just hire a moving company. The people Mom and Dad have helped in the past might well show up or help in other ways. The Gladstones were fairly new here and had not made that many friends yet.”

 

“I hope their mom’s new job works out.”

 

“Right. If it doesn’t, the Gladstones will be in a new place, without friends and without a job. They will have ‘jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire.’ I hope that doesn’t happen.”

 

The Williams pair made it home for a late lunch. Their mother asked how it went.

 

“Fine, Mom, but some people who said they’d help didn’t,” Tess replied.

 

“That’s too bad. You learn who your true friends are when you ask for something. Some people will promise you the world, but not deliver. An old saying is, ‘Actions speak louder than words.’”

 

That Saturday left Rick and Tess a little sadder and a lot wiser.

 

 CHAPTER 10: MOVING DAY

 

The school year had just ended. Rick and Tess reached the home of their friends, Brian and Alice, early that sad Saturday morning, 7 a.m., in fact. The mother of Brian and Alice, Mrs. Gladstone, had gotten a better job in a city far away, and the three of them were moving, with the help of friends. Using a moving company was too expensive for them. Their father had died earlier in the year, and money was scarce.

 

There were several heavy items; Rick and Brian moved them out of the apartment and onto the rented van. Mostly, boxes and boxes of “stuff” needed to be brought out and put in the van. Moving out took longer than expected because a couple of people who said they would help didn't show up. The Gladstones thanked Rick and Tess warmly, and finally drove away. Although each hoped to keep in touch by email, telephone, and letters, each knew that distant friendships are hard to maintain.

 

On their way home, Rick and Tess talked about their friends and how sorry they were to see them go. Something else troubled them.

 

“Rick, why didn’t the other people who said they’d help come?”

 

“People often offer what they fail to deliver. Sometimes, something comes up and they can’t. Other times, they do not plan to live up to their promises.”

 

Tess commented, “Maybe they find it too sad to come when someone is leaving.”

 

“That could be. Also, helpers would be doing a favor for people who were unlikely to be able to return it.”

 

“How about ‘pay it forward,’ Rick?”

 

“Nice idea…doing unto others as you would have them do unto you, the scriptural Golden Rule. You can think doing good deeds is a good idea, but you don't want to make the effort when the time comes, and they are needed.”

 

“If we moved, do you think we would get help?”

 

“Probably, although Mom and Dad would likely just hire a moving company. The people Mom and Dad have helped in the past might well show up or help in other ways. The Gladstones were fairly new here and had not made that many friends yet.”

 

“I hope their mom’s new job works out.”

 

“Right. If it doesn’t, the Gladstones will be in a new place, without friends and without a job. They will have ‘jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire.’ I hope that doesn’t happen.”

 

The Williams pair made it home for a late lunch. Their mother asked how it went.

 

“Fine, Mom, but some people who said they’d help didn’t,” Tess replied.

 

“That’s too bad. You learn who your true friends are when you ask for something. Some people will promise you the world, but not deliver. An old saying is, ‘Actions speak louder than words.’”

 

That Saturday left Rick and Tess a little sadder and a lot wiser.

 

 CHAPTER 10: MOVING DAY

 

The school year had just ended. Rick and Tess reached the home of their friends, Brian and Alice, early that sad Saturday morning, 7 a.m., in fact. The mother of Brian and Alice, Mrs. Gladstone, had gotten a better job in a city far away, and the three of them were moving, with the help of friends. Using a moving company was too expensive for them. Their father had died earlier in the year, and money was scarce.

 

There were several heavy items; Rick and Brian moved them out of the apartment and onto the rented van. Mostly, boxes and boxes of “stuff” needed to be brought out and put in the van. Moving out took longer than expected because a couple of people who said they would help didn't show up. The Gladstones thanked Rick and Tess warmly, and finally drove away. Although each hoped to keep in touch by email, telephone, and letters, each knew that distant friendships are hard to maintain.

 

On their way home, Rick and Tess talked about their friends and how sorry they were to see them go. Something else troubled them.

 

“Rick, why didn’t the other people who said they’d help come?”

 

“People often offer what they fail to deliver. Sometimes, something comes up and they can’t. Other times, they do not plan to live up to their promises.”

 

Tess commented, “Maybe they find it too sad to come when someone is leaving.”

 

“That could be. Also, helpers would be doing a favor for people who were unlikely to be able to return it.”

 

“How about ‘pay it forward,’ Rick?”

 

“Nice idea…doing unto others as you would have them do unto you, the scriptural Golden Rule. You can think doing good deeds is a good idea, but you don't want to make the effort when the time comes, and they are needed.”

 

“If we moved, do you think we would get help?”

 

“Probably, although Mom and Dad would likely just hire a moving company. The people Mom and Dad have helped in the past might well show up or help in other ways. The Gladstones were fairly new here and had not made that many friends yet.”

 

“I hope their mom’s new job works out.”

 

“Right. If it doesn’t, the Gladstones will be in a new place, without friends and without a job. They will have ‘jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire.’ I hope that doesn’t happen.”

 

The Williams pair made it home for a late lunch. Their mother asked how it went.

 

“Fine, Mom, but some people who said they’d help didn’t,” Tess replied.

 

“That’s too bad. You learn who your true friends are when you ask for something. Some people will promise you the world, but not deliver. An old saying is, ‘Actions speak louder than words.’”

 

That Saturday left Rick and Tess a little sadder and a lot wiser.

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER 10: MOVING DAY

 

The school year had just ended. Rick and Tess reached the home of their friends, Brian and Alice, early that sad Saturday morning, 7 a.m., in fact. The mother of Brian and Alice, Mrs. Gladstone, had gotten a better job in a city far away, and the three of them were moving, with the help of friends. Using a moving company was too expensive for them. Their father had died earlier in the year, and money was scarce.

 

There were several heavy items; Rick and Brian moved them out of the apartment and onto the rented van. Mostly, boxes and boxes of “stuff” needed to be brought out and put in the van. Moving out took longer than expected because a couple of people who said they would help didn't show up. The Gladstones thanked Rick and Tess warmly, and finally drove away. Although each hoped to keep in touch by email, telephone, and letters, each knew that distant friendships are hard to maintain.

 

On their way home, Rick and Tess talked about their friends and how sorry they were to see them go. Something else troubled them.

 

“Rick, why didn’t the other people who said they’d help come?”

 

“People often offer what they fail to deliver. Sometimes, something comes up and they can’t. Other times, they do not plan to live up to their promises.”

 

Tess commented, “Maybe they find it too sad to come when someone is leaving.”

 

“That could be. Also, helpers would be doing a favor for people who were unlikely to be able to return it.”

 

“How about ‘pay it forward,’ Rick?”

 

“Nice idea…doing unto others as you would have them do unto you, the scriptural Golden Rule. You can think doing good deeds is a good idea, but you don't want to make the effort when the time comes, and they are needed.”

 

“If we moved, do you think we would get help?”

 

“Probably, although Mom and Dad would likely just hire a moving company. The people Mom and Dad have helped in the past might well show up or help in other ways. The Gladstones were fairly new here and had not made that many friends yet.”

 

“I hope their mom’s new job works out.”

 

“Right. If it doesn’t, the Gladstones will be in a new place, without friends and without a job. They will have ‘jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire.’ I hope that doesn’t happen.”

 

The Williams pair made it home for a late lunch. Their mother asked how it went.

 

“Fine, Mom, but some people who said they’d help didn’t,” Tess replied.

 

“That’s too bad. You learn who your true friends are when you ask for something. Some people will promise you the world, but not deliver. An old saying is, ‘Actions speak louder than words.’”

 

That Saturday left Rick and Tess a little sadder and a lot wiser.

 

 Moral: When you are in need, you learn who your true friends are.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MODERN FABLES, Helpful, Ch. 9, Bearly Back

                                     CHAPTER 9: BEARLY BACK

"Dad, can we take the Ford to Bear Mountain?" Rick asked.

"Who is 'we'?"

"Joan and I." Joan Black was Rick's current girlfriend.

"What did you have in mind?"

"Picnic. It's a beautiful day for a picnic."

Mr. Williams gave it a minute's thought. Did he want his old car and his son twenty miles away, alone with a seventeen-year-old girl? What could happen on a picnic? Mr. W. had been seventeen once himself...he had an idea or two about that.

"You can go if Tess goes with you."

"Tess?"

"Yes, Tess...your sister."

"I'll ask her."

Tess liked the idea if Eddie Gomez could go with them. Eddie liked the idea. Joan liked the idea. Tim, however, did not want to go. Fortunately, he was not essential.

The picnic got organized, and Rick, Joan, Tess, and Eddie drove off to Bear Mountain—beautiful, remote Bear Mountain State Park.

Having arrived, they unpacked the car and marched off on one of the trails. Someone forgot to close the rear passenger door fully. The interior lights stayed on, but no one noticed them in the bright afternoon sun.

The foursome picnicked pleasantly, returning as it was getting dark. Almost all the cars that had been parked near them had gone.

Rick and his friends put their things back in the car, and Rick tried to start it. "Click, click, click...." That sound meant the battery was nearly dead.

"Now what?" Tess asked. She knew something was wrong.

Rick felt his stomach drop. His dad had trusted him with the car. "We could call a garage and have them send someone out here, but that'll take forever and cost money. Mom and Dad won't be happy. Let's see if someone here can help."

A woman and her two young children were in a nearby car, just starting to leave.

"Excuse me, but would you help us start our car?" Rick asked her.

"What do you want me to do?"

"We'd like to use our jumper cables and connect to your battery to jump-start our car."

"Will that hurt my car?"

"No. You'll keep it running, so we don't run down your battery."

"Well, okay, if it doesn't take long."

Rick and Eddie got the jumper cables from the trunk, but Rick wasn't exactly sure how to make the connections. They discussed this quietly.

"Eddie, do you know how to do this? I'm not sure."

"Yes. Put the black connectors on the negative terminals of her battery and yours. Put the red connector on her positive terminal, then the other red one on your positive terminal. Then start your car."

Rick and Eddie made the connections, and Rick tried to start the car. "Click, click, click" became "urrr, urr, urr," but the car still wouldn't start.

"Give it more gas!" Eddie told the woman, and her car's engine roared... and Rick's car started.

"Enough!" Eddie told the lady. "Keep it running, Rick."

The four of them thanked the woman profusely, and she drove off with a smile.

When the foursome got home, Mr. and Mrs. Williams asked if they'd had a good time and whether they'd had any trouble.

"Everything went just fine," Rick responded.

It's said that "bad times make good stories." The Bear Mountain picnic wasn't exactly a bad time, but Tess's diary turned it into a highly dramatic story. Eddie starred as the hero, and surely he deserved some credit. He would have liked to read it, but it was a secret diary. Tess ended her write-up with, "We barely made it back from Bear Mountain."

They weren't really in danger, but diaries aren't always accurate, especially when describing special friends.

 Moral: "Many hands make light work." Lend a hand, be helpful! 

MODERN FABLES, Loyal, Ch. 8, Becky and Tess

 CHAPTER 8: BECKY AND TESS

 

“How did the cheerleading try-outs go, Tess?” her mother asked.

 

“I think I did well…and I made a new friend.”

 

“What happened?”

 

“You know I have been trying to do a jump-split. I saw a girl doing it perfectly and asked her for help. She found the mistake I was making, and after that, they were easy.”

 

“That was especially generous since the two of you were both competing for places on the cheerleading team. Who is she?”

 

“Becky Cannon. She’s new in the school, very nice, tall, athletic, pretty, and Black.”

 

Both girls made the cheerleading team, although Becky’s parents later had her quit to spend more time on her studies. They emphasized education for all three of the Cannon children. They had even held Becky back a year before starting school, too, so she was older than average when she graduated, near the top of her class, as did Tess.

 

Becky’s parents stressed the importance of career planning. “Keep your eye on the ball,” her dad said, and he did not mean the basketball, football, or baseball used by the school teams the girls would be cheering for, but rather on the goals of education and the career opportunities a good education would open.

 

Becky’s talents and Tess’s were somewhat different, as were their interests, but they were to remain best friends throughout middle school and high school. They were different yet similar, and they went together so well. “Variety is the spice of life,” and the two spiced each other’s lives.

 

Each was happy for the other's successes without jealousy. They did not expect, nor did they require, each other to be the same.  “Play the cards you are dealt,” Mr. Williams urged, “go with your strengths, strengthen your weaknesses.” Becky’s parents welcomed Tess and Tess’s parents welcomed Becky, valuing their friendship.

 

If the girls had been able to see into the future, they would have found that they were still friends fifty years after graduation. Becky attended a religious college in Georgia and later earned her Master’s Degree in Education from a college in Michigan. In contrast, Tess attended a local community college and later became a nurse, a profession she maintained until retirement. One became a mother; the other did not. Both women cared for their elderly mothers at home. They never lost touch with each other.

 

Becky’s generous help at the cheerleader try-outs that first day sparked a lifelong warm relationship.

“You get only one chance to make a good first impression,” her mother would say. This held true. For Becky and Tess, it was nearly love at first sight and stayed that way despite the ups and downs of their marriages and careers.

Moral: A friend is precious. Be one. 

MODERN FABLES, Loyal, Ch. 7, A Friend in Need

  

“Denise! You did what?” Tess couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

 

“Tore my ACL hopping off a pogo stick.”

 

“Your ACL?”

 

“A ligament in my knee. I’m in a cast for at least a month.”

 

“Will you be back in school?”

 

“No. We hope to have a tutor.”

 

“Oh, no! That sounds awful! What can I do to help?”

 

“That would be great. Could you pick up my assignments and bring them to school with you?”

 

“Sure. Your house is not that far out of my way. I’ll be happy to do that.  Can I do more?”

 

“Not that I can think of. Thank you so much, Tess.”

 

“Denise, I know you’d do the same for me. I’ve got to run. Call you later.”

 

Thus began a month in which Tess picked up Denise’s assignments at school and returned the finished work. She also called Denise daily and visited her at least once a week. The ACL took months to heal, and Denise endured painful physical therapy, but she made it through and returned to school.

 

When Denise got back, she and Tess talked some more about what Denise had gone through, which had been rough. Something other than the knee had been painful, though.

 

“Tess, you were the only friend who really helped out. Others offered to do things but failed to follow through. Some seemed to be avoiding calling me. It was disappointing.”

 

This failure surprised Tess, and she discussed it with her parents. Her dad said there is an expression that covers it, “A friend in need is a friend indeed.”

 

“What does it mean?” she asked.

 

“You can tell who your true friends are when you find yourself in need, in a situation in which you need help. In the Fire Department, we can rely on each other, partly out of obligation, partly out of friendship. In school, there is less of a sense of duty, but real friends help friends.”

 

Tess’s mom added, “When you need help, some people suddenly get too busy, pretend they don’t know about your problem. True friends show up and ask what you need. That’s how you can tell friends from mere acquaintances.”

 

Tess wondered, which of my “friends” would actually help me if I needed something? I think Denise would and May Lee would, but I am not so sure about some of the others.

 

Tess said, “I hope I am the kind of friend who can be relied on.”

 

Her mother responded, “You’ve already proven that, with Denise.” 

 

 Moral: "A friend in need is a friend indeed." When you need help, it is good to have a friend you can rely on, whose deeds will help indeed. 

https://x.com/douglascooper73/status/2072678454990946562 Article

MODERN FABLES, Loyal, Ch. 6, Duke and Duchess

LOYAL

 

Loyal: "unswerving in allegiance."

Your family and friends, your community, and your country can all rely on your faithful support.

 

CHAPTER 6: DUKE AND DUCHESS

 

“Tess, isn’t that Eddie coming up the street?”

 

“Where?” Tess looked up from her notebook, where she had been doodling “Eduardo Gomez.”

 

“He’s walking that big German Shepherd by our house. Again. Tess, is this notebook yours or Eddie’s?”

 

“Mine, Mom.”

 

“But Eddie’s name is written across the front. Unless you’ve changed yours to Eduardo.”

 

“Oh, Mom. I just like the way his name looks.”

 

“And you like the way he looks, too.”

 

“Well...yes.”

 

“I’ve often seen him walking his German Shepherd past our house lately. I don’t remember his doing that a lot before.”

 

“He likes to take her to the park. In fact, I see him coming up the hill with Duchess right now.”

 

“’Duchess’?”

 

“That’s his dog’s name. It’s funny. Our German Shepherd was named ‘Duke.’ If he were still alive, they would be Duke and Duchess.”

 

“I miss Duke, dear.”

 

“So do I, Mom. Will we get another soon?”

 

“I’m not quite ready, but I do want another dog, either a German Shepherd or a Golden Retriever.”

 

Mrs. Williams went back to doing some dusting, thinking about her little girl, who was not so little anymore, and who clearly had a crush on Eddie Gomez, who seemed like a good kid.

 

Outside, Tess yelled, “Hi, Eddie. What’s up?”

 

“Walking Duchess to the park. Want to come?”

 

“Yes, I do. I wish our Duke hadn’t died last year. Maybe the two dogs would have been friends.”

 

“Duke and Duchess.”

 

“Right.”

 

“I felt very safe with Duke around,” said Tess, “and so did the rest of the family. He never bit anybody, but he looked like he might if they gave us trouble.”

 

“Duchess hasn’t bitten any people, either, but she has beaten up a few other dogs. She wants to be the boss dog. Some guy let his Pit Bull Terrier loose, and it came after Duchess. They went for each other’s necks, and then Duchess had a better idea: she reached down and grabbed the other dog’s front leg in her mouth, picked it up, and she wouldn’t let go. The Pit Bull was stuck and couldn’t do anything to her.”

 

“What happened then?”

 

“The other owner came and very carefully got his dog back on the leash. I haven‘t seen them since.”

 

“Served them right,” Tess said.

 

As they walked, Eddie continued to praise his dog. “She’s smart, too. She sleeps in my room most nights, and last week I was just getting to sleep when she banged her water dish with her paw to tell me she wanted more water. I didn’t want to get up, so I just lay there. She  used her mouth to pick up her dish, and she placed it on my pillow, then licked it to show me it was empty.”

 

“Wow! That was smart. What did you do?”

 

“I got up and filled her dish with water. She had earned it.”

 

Not to be too outdone, Tess said, “Our Duke was smart, too. He would stand close to the front door and bark if he wanted to go on the porch. He would stand about a yard back from the front door and bark if he wanted to go for a walk. If you tried to put him on the porch when he wanted a walk, he wouldn’t go, knowing that once he was on the porch, we hardly heard him, so he couldn’t easily tell us he wanted a walk.”

 

“Smart dogs!” Eddie agreed. “Good protection, too. Nobody who comes to the door will get past Duchess if she doesn’t know them. Even though my dad’s a cop, my mother doesn’t want guns in the house when he’s not home, so a tough dog, a tough-looking dog anyway, is really good.”

 

“We feel safer with a dog, too, so we will get another. Duke was a sweetheart, and we miss him. We are almost ready to get a puppy.”

 

Three months later, the Williams family bought another German Shepherd, a puppy. They named him “King,” outranking a Duke or a Duchess. Eddie laughed when he heard the name applied to that small ball of fur, but he was careful not to laugh about it in front of Tess.

  

Moral: Life is a team sport. Where you can, support your team.

MODERN FABLES, CH. 5, Trustworthy, SOMETHING FISHY

  

“What are the fish doing down here?” I asked my nine-year-old brother, Tim. His fishbowl with two swimming goldfish sat nearby on the living room table.

 

“They’re watching television with me.”

 

Our dog, Duke, had died only a week before, and the fish were the only pets we had left. We were all a little lonely without Duke. Smart dog. Good dog. His death left a hole in our home.

 

“What are you watching, Tim?”

 

“Sponge Bob.”

 

“That’s about sea creatures. Do you think the fish like the program?”

 

“Yup.”

 

“Be careful bringing them back upstairs to your room.”

 

“Yup.”

 

The next morning was a Saturday. I got up late. When Tim came to the breakfast table, he looked sad, almost crying.

 

“What’s the matter?”

 

“One of my fish died.”

 

“What happened?”

 

“I don’t know.”

 

“Did you do anything different?”

 

“No.”

 

“Where is it now?”

 

“In a baggie.”

 

“Zipped closed, I hope.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Are you going to throw it away?”

 

“No. Bury it.”

 

“I’ll help you in a minute.”

 

I finished my coffee, grabbed a shovel from the shed, and went with Tim to a far corner of our back yard.

 

“Here, OK?”

 

“Yup.”

 

I dug down about a foot. Tim laid the bagged goldfish at the bottom of the pit, and we put the dirt back on top. Tim had a flat stone with the letter “F” written on it, and he placed it on top of the grave.

 

“Tim, what’s the ‘F’ for? Fish?”

 

“Fred.”

 

When Tess asked me what our little brother had been doing, I told her. She started to laugh at the burial and the stone. I warned her not to let Tim know she was not taking his loss seriously. To Tim, Fred had been very important.

Moral: Being trustworthy isn't just about telling the truth. Sometimes it means protecting someone's feelings when they've trusted you with them.