Sunday, March 1, 2020

UNDERSTANDING SASSIE, Ch. 30, Questions Answered



Understanding Sassie: A Novel of Dog and Human Communication
DONALD, RUTH, AND JANE

T
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.



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


I coached and edited for Helen through my Write Your Book with Me endeavor.

No comments:

Post a Comment