Things I've Never Seen Before

The Dog

"Someone at the door." I peeled myself off the sofa, stiff from not moving for a while. Switching on the porch light, I could see fat flakes falling. The cold wind bit my face as I opened the door to see who it was, but no one was there, and no one was on the sidewalk either. On the stoop, there was a dog. A small dog, I assumed it was a puppy! Imagine my delight; no other dogs were in Old Apple, so I picked it up in my arms. It was bright-eyed and slobbery as it baptized me with its admiration. "Dad, Este got a puppy! Someone got her a puppy!" Will shouted, catapulting off the sofa and rushing over. I kicked the door shut with my foot and scratched the rascal behind the ear.

"Well, well! Maybe Santa does exist after all!" Dad exclaimed, smiling in surprise.

"Dad." I laughed.

"Kidding, kidding, but he's a cute little fellow, look at him go!" I set him down and he raced around the living room, sniffing every corner, every table leg and every tassel on the rug, while Will loped after him.

"Thanks for the dog, Dad. It's the best present." I smiled, sleepily right before we all went to bed for the night. I held the dog in my arms in the hallway.

"No, I didn't get him. It must've been pure chance he wound up at our door. I'm glad he did."

"You didn't get him?" I asked, curiosity piqued.

"I promise you, I didn't." He shook his head. I looked at him closely, searching for a sign that he was fibbing, but I couldn't find any. His kind face was etched with tired lines, a sign of him aging. His brown eyes smiled down on me with adoration one more time before he shut his bedroom door. A few minutes later, his light went out. In the lamp light, I snuggled my dog's head with my hand. He heaved a sigh as he settled into the sheets at my hip with my hand on his warm and soft back. Right before I dozed off, I jerked awake. My hand had felt a paper near his neck: a note. I turned on my side and switched on the lamp again, blinking to adjust my eyes to read the paper. On it was scrawled this message:

This is Slade. Love him until the day you die.

-O

My mind was groggy and everything was unclear so I blinked a few more times to see if i had read it right. It repeated the same message. "Love him until the day you die." Who was 'O'? My tired mind ran through all the names that began with O of people who lived in Old Apple. There was only Oliver, a three old cousin of Noah's and Ogre Farmer Finnegan who was a giant fireball of a man. He would never have the decency to send me a dog. Besides, it wasn't any old barn dog that I usually saw wandering around the Finnegan property. I held the note, reading it over and over, running my gaze over the S in Slade. It was a neat name for a dog as my other hand played in his fur. He was deep in sleep as my vision grew more and more foggy. Finally I fell asleep.

"How did he sleep last night?" Dad asked, as I sat down at the breakfast table the following morning. I wiped the tired from my eyes as Slade found a spot to sleep again under my chair.

"Like a log." I replied, yawning. Will set down a plate of bagels in front of me, topped with a fried egg. We all took turns making breakfast every day and after Christmas, it was always Will's turn. As I was shoveling the egg in my mouth, I handed the note across the table to Dad. He put on his glasses and squinted at the thin handwriting. He stuck his tongue in his cheek, thoughtfully.

"Slade? Slade. I've heard that name before." He said, returning the note to me. I swallowed my eggs.

"You have? Do you know where?" I asked.

"Your great-great grandmother, her maiden name was Slade, I think, if I'm remembering right. Your mother had pictures with names and dates on the back."

"I just thought it was weird it said 'love him until the day that you die. Don't you think that's weird?" I asked.

"I think it's weirder that his name would be after great gramma's name." Will put in, with his mouth full of bagel.

"Well, I mean, I don't know, maybe it was a really popular name."

"Or-" Dad gasped and paused dramatically."-maybe someone who knew your great gramma gave you the dog."

"Or gramma's ghost did!" Will added, excitedly. Dad laughed. I was quiet and smiling at their jokes. I did not believe in ghosts or that anyone who knew my great grandmother was still alive. I reached down and felt his floppy ears there and rubbed them for him as he rolled over onto his back and stretched, the way a cat would.

"Well, I'm glad to have him anyway. It's been a while since there's been a dog in this family. Oh speaking of presents, we need to get down on planning your birthday party, Este." I nodded and was instantly distracted with thoughts of turning seventeen, a year away from adulthood.

The first walk with Slade was entertaining to say the least. I took Will along and we had a good time laughing while Slade flopped around in the snow. We passed by Mirtha Q's house and she was out feeding her cat who didn't have a name. She looked up and waved.

"Isn't he cute! Oh my goodness, hello there!" Slade sniffed her hand and then gave it a quick taste as the old woman giggled, a warm laugh.

Turning seventeen brought another strange event that kept my life interesting. Nearly twenty people fit themselves into our little house and there was hot dogs, baked beans, and ice cream, the basic birthday party foods. I didn't love cake enough to have it every birthday. Every year, Dad made me a cookie and stuck a candle in the middle of it so I could at least get my wish.

 Everyone of our guests brought presents and we had a great time as our record player played in the background. There was a state hoodie from Jack down the street, there was a bag of makeup that had barely been used from Miss Mirtha, a leather dog leash from Noah, and a beautiful maroon knit scarf from Emma that she had knit herself.

"Hey! Here's another one!" Will shouted from the front door after I had finished opening th last one, a feather boa mailed in from California from Aunt Honey. He hurried back to the living room, holding a small package. It was wrapped in bright red wrapping paper and tied with twine, and it was box shaped. I tore off the wrapping with everyone's eyes fixed on me. Nothing on the package showed who it was from. It was a jewelry box and everyone murmured about what a nice jewelry box it was as I carefully opened it. Inside was a necklace with a gold chain and the pendant was a tiny little heart the size of a pin head. I held it up for someone to say that they gave it to me but no one confessed.

"No one gave this to me?" I asked.

"Is there a note anywhere?" Emma asked, taking the box and exploring it further.

"Nope."

"Weird."

"Right?"

I had to admit it was a pretty and dainty necklace and I had never owned an actual necklace that I would wear all the time, so I put it on and never took it off. But where it came from remained a mystery.