Life Without You

Chapter 53 - A New Companion

Leon opened the door for his family who came for a visit at his new home.

"Surprise!" Angel and Ivy carried a 3-month old Siberian husky that was newly abandoned by its previous owner who could no longer afford to take care of her. They got her from an animal shelter. Coming across a healthy puppy there was a rare find. The Waltz family were firm believers in getting animals from the animal shelters rather than from pet shops that supported puppy mills. Mr and Mrs Waltz brought a huge crate of their freshest garden fruits and vegetables. Even Woofy, their golden retriever dog, came along with them.

"Look what we got for you," Angel lifted the puppy to Leon's face.

"Really?" Leon did not look too keen.

"Com'on! Isn't she cute?" Angel caressed the puppy's cheek with his finger. "Such a furball of happiness."

"No..please don't,", Leon begged.

"Too bad, she's yours." Angel placed the puppy in Leon's arms.

"But I don't want a pet!" Leon protested. Angel and Ivy giggled at him and went inside the house.

Leon held up the puppy and looked at its bright blue eyes that almost resembled his. The dog wagged its tail and tried to take a good sniff at his face. There was no denying that the puppy was cute. He held it close to his chest and she licked his face all over. "Oh," he chuckled.

"Not bad, not bad," Angel observed the interior of the house. "Still posher and bigger than our house in Vancouver."

"Pretty comfortable too," said Mr Waltz as he sat on the sofa with Roofy by his side.

Leon stroked the puppy's head and neck, "What's her name?"

"That's up to you to decide," replied Angel. "The former owner did not state its name when he dropped it at the shelter."

"Wow. That's hard."

Angel patted Leon's shoulder, "Take your time. She's already in love with you. She'll make the best companion than any woman out there!"

He chuckled and went to the kitchen to help his mother and Ivy prepare lunch, leaving Leon feeling annoyed.

————

"Hear that?" Rita said to Andy as she heard the distant melodic sound of an ice cream jingle outside the house.

"Ooh, ice cream!" Andy dashed out of the house and Rita followed right after.

A white and red ice cream truck was parked outside on the street, and it was decorated with colourful graphics of ice cream, confetti and marshmallows, with a huge logo "Ross's Happy Ice Cream" in red spanned across. There was a small queue outside the truck, and Andy and Rita joined the queue.

Clad in white uniform with red stripes and a paper hat with the logo on it, the ice cream man who looked like he was in his late 30s, slim-built with short black hair, olive skin and hairy arms. He had a tender smile and a jovial voice, enthusiastically serving customers from the truck's opened sliding windows. When it was finally Andy's and Rita's turn, he greeted, "Hello! What would you like?" His spoke with an Italian accent.

"Raspberry vanilla and cookie dough, please," Andy requested.

"And I'd like one scoop of dark chocolate," said Rita.

The ice cream man proceeded to serve their requests.

"There you go. With an extra scoop of toffee ice cream for each you topped with marshmallows. It's all on the house!" the ice cream man beamed as he gave each of them their ice creams.