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.