Back to the Past

Meeting Burt

"Now that we've really gotten my father out of the way... Sam... Burt is expecting you" said Tracy.

"Tracy, i..." I began.

"Come on. You've been wanting this" said Tracy. 

I nodded and said "Gimme a minute".

Murray put his hand on my shoulder and said " are you okay?"

"Murray... after all this time I thought about getting Milty to him... I never thought I'd actually meet him" I said.

"You read his book. You should be okay" said Murray.

"I know. His book also said why I had to go through with this madness" I said.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Posner spent the entire engagement trying to break it and coax Burt into sending Tracy back to him. And nothing worked. Apparently, ol' Posner was still trying to make that happen" I said.

"That'll never happen. She belongs with him more than anything, so I gather" said Murray.

I nodded.

"Go on" said Murray.

"Come with me" I said.

"You were the one with the plan. You need to see him alone" said Murray.

"Okay" I whispered. 

"Sam? Come on" said Tracy encouragingly.

She let me and Milty into this dimly lit office.

"This is the girl?" I heard Burt's voice say.

"Yes. This is her" said Tracy.

I forced a wide grin when I saw Burt's face. 

He was, obviously, much older than the picture from his book. 

But his warm smile calmed my nerves.

"Tracy told me all about you" he said.

"Hi" was all I could say.

Burt smiled at me and said "It's okay, dear. Tracy told me about you. From the way she talked about you, you're a big help".

"I'm normally like that" I said.

"What's your name, my dear?" said Burt.

"My name is Sam Pan-Cook" I said.

"Sam Pan-Cook. Tracy said your name was lovely" said Burt.

I just laughed awkwardly and blushed. 

"Now. She tells me you come with a high purpose" said Burt.

"Uh-huh. You see, Mr Ward..." I said.

"My dear, Tracy told me how much you appreciate my work. Call me Burt" 

"Really? Okay, Burt. Listen. First, I just want you to know how honored I am to meet you" I said.

Burt smiled in response then I continued.

"This golden retriever needs an owner badly. I found out about your Gentle Giants dog foundation and I thought you would do. I fed some of your dog food to Milty here and he loved it. So I figured if your dog food sustained him, your care would help him even more" I said.

"All of this happened because you wanted my help?" said Burt.

"It does sound a little far fetched doesn't it?" I said.

"A little, but I like how hard you tried. Tracy also tells me you read my book" said Burt.

"I did. It's so fascinating. I just had to jump in and help your wife after reading about her father and encountering him" I said.

"Oh, my dear, you should never have had to go near him" said Burt.

"Don't worry. I've handled worse. So... will you accept Milty? It's okay if you don't, but I really think you're the perfect owner for him" I said.

Burt looked at Milty who looked at him with eyes that said "Please?".

Then he put his hand on my shoulder and said "Absolutely. It really does break my heart to see homeless dogs".

"Really?" I said.

"Of course. He's safe with me, dear Sam" said Burt.

"Oh, thank you, Burt!" I cried happily.

Then I hugged Burt out of nowhere. He was a little surprised at first but then he hugged me back.

"Milty. Welcome to your new home" said Burt giving Milty a pat on the head.