Second Chances: An Unexpected Angel

Chapter 55

As we talked and ate, Sméagol saw the young lady he'd met weeks before, the one with the Pomeranian he played with. This time, she didn't have Snowball with her. She was sitting on a park bench by herself, holding a small jar in her hands, and she didn't look very happy.

"Sméagol be right back, Precious," he said, getting up from the picnic table, and approaching the lady. "Hello," he greeted sweetly.

She looked up with tears in her eyes. "Oh, hi, Sméagol," she said glumly.

He sat next to her, and gave her a warm, sympathetic look. "Awww, why does it cry, Precious?" Then, he noticed Snowball's absence. "Where's Snowball?"

"She's gone."

"Gone?"

"I had to have her put down this morning."

Sméagol was confused. "What does it mean?"

"She was really sick. She had bone cancer, and... they couldn't do anything. She was only gonna get sicker. I didn't want her to suffer anymore, so... the vet put her to sleep... permanently."

Sméagol's heart broke. "Oh, no," he said sadly, "Sméagol so sorry."

"She was just a baby," the woman wept, "just two years old, but she was my baby."

"Awwwww, come here." Sméagol wrapped his arms around the woman, and pulled her into a big hug.

"She was sick for six months. She used to be all peppy and happy and playful. Then, she got sluggish and tired. Nothing helped her... until you came over to play with her, but that fucking cunt bungalo had to ruin everything. I'm really sorry, by the way. If it makes you feel any better, I told her to go fuck herself."

Sméagol laughed softly. "She was right, though. Sméagol did do horrible things to nice hobbitses."

"Yeah, but it wasn't your fault, and she didn't have to be so hateful. I don't know. I guess it hurt me more, because when you played with Snowball,that was the happiest I'd seen her in so long. She was her old self again for a few minutes, and it meant... so much to me. After you left, she went back to being depressed and tired. It's almost like you healed her when you were playing with her, like you were her angel of mercy."

As I listened to the heart wrenching conversation, I remembered the night before, when I was having trouble sleeping. Then, when Sméagol came in, everything was different. I slept through the night, had the most amazing dream, and woke up feeling so much better. I then remembered that day in the field, when I came so close to ending my life, until he came out of the cave. As soon as he touched me, I felt like everything would be okay again. Now, I was hearing someone else's story about how Sméagol helped their dog, and I couldn't help but smile and cry at the same time.

"What's that?" Sméagol asked, gesturing at the jar in the lady's hands.

"It's an urn," she said, "with Snowball's ashes. I had her cremated, so I could spread her ashes here, but..." She began to cry again. "I don't think I can do it. I still wanna keep her with me. I know she's gone, but––"

"No. Precious, she's not gone. Right here she is." Sméagol pointed to the lady's heart. "In your heart she lives, and from heaven she watches you. She is never gone, and you don't have to spread her ashes, not if you don't want to. Must do what your heart tells you is right, Precious."

The lady rested her head on Sméagol's chest, still sobbing.

Sméagol held her close, gently caressing her head. "Shhh, it's alright," he said in his sweetest tone. "It's alright, Precious. Sméagol's here."