The 12 Dogs of Christmas (11 page)

BOOK: The 12 Dogs of Christmas

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Wouldn't it be wonderful ifâwait! Max looked down
from the doghouse on top of the fireplace and looked into the
eyes of Mr. Whiteside. But was it really Mr. Whiteside? He
seemed to have four legs now, two of them wooden, and one
of his old legs was covered in white. “Don't you recognize me,
Max?” Yes, of course, it was Mr. Whiteside! Max jumped out
of the doghouse onto the green and red steps and ran to Mr.
Whiteside, wanting to jump up on him. “Whoa, careful, boy.
I'm a bit unsteady on my feet. Here, let me sit.” Mr. Whiteside
sat on one of the steps, then took Max's head in his hands
and gave him a big kiss. “Oh, it's so good to see you, Max. I
wasn't sure I was going to make it. It's hard to ride the rails
in a cast. Yes, look, I have a broken leg. Isn't it wonderful?!
You see, I was yelling at those careless men taking my furniture
away when I leaned a bit too far out of the window.
Thank goodness they had piled all the mattresses on the sidewalk.
Fell right on top of them. Of course, then I bounced off
of them onto the sidewalk, and that's when I broke my leg.
But a blessing in disguise, Max, a blessing in disguise, for
while I was in the hospital, Max, the pain meant nothing,
but the missing of you was unbearable. So I decided not to
bear it, no matter what! And here I am! I don't know what
we're going to do, Max. Maybe when my leg gets better, we
can ride the rails out West. Who knows? But whatever may
come, at least we'll be together.”

Max was happy. And he didn't care if he ever saw another
doghouse in his life.

On the other side of the Christmas tree was Dolores, who had been waiting for Emma. She had not seen Douglas O'Connor enter, and saw him only when Emma ran into his arms. She felt a little awkward, and thought she should leave, but Douglas saw her and went over to her, holding out his hand. “Thank you,” Douglas said. Dolores wasn't sure whether she should take his hand or not. “I'm not the man you knew,” Douglas continued, “and I apologize for the man I was. Many things have happened to me in the years since we knew each other. Some goodâ Emma's motherâa lot bad. But I'm here today to tell you that I'm determined to work hard to make nothing but good things for my daughter and me from now on.”

“Yeah,” Dolores said, still skeptical. “Work hard at what?”

Douglas smiled. “You are looking at the brand new Northeastern United States sales representative for Jell-O.”

“Jell-O?”

“Hey, it's light and sweet. And if this country ever needed anything light and sweet . . .”

“Jell-O?”

“They just introduced a new flavorâlime!”

“Jell-O?”

“They're going to sponsor the Jack Benny radio show!”

“Jell-O?”

“Okay, it's commission only, but I know I can do it. I'll travel to every city and town and little country store in the Northeast and become the top salesman, I swear. And I can base right here in Doverville, because, you know, I always loved this place. But, because I'm going to be traveling most the time, I need someone to help take care of Emma, and so, I thought . . .”

Dolores finally took Douglas's hand and shook it warmly. “I
love
Jell-O!” she said most emphatically.

Epilogue

Three weeks later there was a historic picture on the cover of the
Doverville Trumpet
. It showed the leading citizens of Doverville gathered at the Stevens farm around a large sign that read: THE CITY OF DOVERVILLE & THE STEVENS FAMILY DOG ORPHANAGE. The orphanage was now official, funded by the city, as unanimously approved by the Town Council, and by the flood of donations in pennies, nickels, dimes, and the occasional dollar bill that had come in ever since the second
LIKE
magazine article had appeared.

In the picture you could plainly see the mayor on one side of the sign, and Emma, who had just unveiled the sign at the mayor's invitation, on the other side. You could also see many happy dogs and lots of cheerful children, and Mrs. Walsh and Mable and Old Jake, but not Norman, who was busy collecting garbage, nor bug-face Melvin, who was busy helping him.

To one side you could see Mike kneeling by and hugging Yeti, and behind them you could see Mrs. Stevens and Coach, the only ones not looking into the camera, for they were looking at each other. And on the other side you could see Douglas O'Connor with Emma's puppy on a leash, standing next to Dolores. And if you looked very close, you could see her hand comfortably placed in his.

And you could see Max. Yes, Max, sitting proudly by Mr. Whiteside, now out of his cast. They did not decide to ride the rails to go out West, for Mr. Whiteside could tell that Max did not want to leave all his new friends, especially now that he could run around with them and play. And as no one in Doverville wanted to lose Max, or the man who showed him such great love and devotion, Mrs. Stevens offered Mr. Whiteside the position of senior dog-keeper of the dog orphanage, and Mr. Whiteside was pleased to accept.

After the picture had been taken, Emma returned to her father and Dolores and her puppy.

“Does he have a name?” her dad asked as she took the pup into her arms.

Emma thought for a moment. Then she said, “His name is Miracle.”

About the Author

Steven Paul Leiva is a writer, director, and producer. He directed and co-wrote the ADA Awardânominated
Bob Bergen in Not Just Another Pretty Voice
. In film, Leiva is best known for producing the animation in
Space
Jam
. Leiva also provided the voice of “Scott” in the multi-award-winning animated short
The Indescribable
Nth
, which was short-listed for the Academy Award and can be viewed on Atomfilms.com. He is the doting father of two daughters and makes his home with wife, Amanda, in California.

Celebrate the Season with

The 12 Dogs of Christmas!