The White Wolf of Winter

Part Fourteen, Shopping and Cookies

Chapter Twenty Two
    Sunday morning we had our list of ingredients for cookies all made out. We hitched up the dogs to the sleigh and away we went to do some shopping. There were reward posters everywhere for a vicious wolf going around killing people.

    "Whatever you do, Dan, do not turn into a woof again."

    "Trust me, Mary, I do not intend to do that until I get back home with my own kind."

    "Where will that leave us, Dan? I could never fit in with your kind. They would never accept me."

    "They will have to accept you if you are my wife. And someday you will be. In the mean time; what they don't know, can't hurt them. Besides many of us live among humans making money to send back home to support our communities."

    "You have communities?"

    "We do, just far away from humans. Now let's just forget about that and get some shopping done."

    We took our list and checked off items as we placed them in the cart, flour, sugar, powdered sugar, butter, food color, chocolate chips, pecans, vanilla, peanut butter, eggs, crisco, molasses, salt, baking powder, baking soda.

    We loaded up our sleigh and sang Carrols laughing all the way home.

    After we put the sleigh away we enjoyed ourselves with mixing and laughing and baking and decorating. I wanted Dan to take a bunch home with him when he left next week.
We talked it out and decided Dan should be with his people during Christmas. Because he had not been home for a year. I will be waiting to celebrate New Years with him. So after school on Friday he would spend the night with us, me and my dogs, and then we would see him off at the air strip on Saturday morning.

    Sunday night he went back to his tree house.

    "See you tomorrow at school, Mary."

    We held on to each other outside at the gate for the longest time. I did not want him to go. I've fallen so in love with this woof man.

    People at school are all looking at me and laughing about what a fool I made of myself at the memorial service for Joey. How there must be some kind of mental illness in my family making me act so crazy.

    "Hey, Mary, how's it going for you today?"

    "Hi Dan, have you heard what people are saying about me?"

    "Don't care, Mary and neither should you."

    "I know, it just bugs me. Everybody looking at me and laughing. I feel like really putting on a show for them. Show them what crazy really looks like."

    "Not a good idea, Mary. Do nothing to draw more attention to yourself. You don't want people asking questions."

    "I know, Dan, I will keep a low profile, I promise."

    "Good girl, I will see you at lunch."

    "See you at lunch, Dan. After school I am going to stop at the store and buy some pretty Christmas boxes and some wax paper to box up cookies for you to take home for gifts."

    "That's very thoughtful of you, Mary. But leave some out for you and the dogs."

    "Oh, I will, I need to buy you a gift, Dan."

    "Mary, you are the greatest gift I could ever ask for. You love me, believe in me and stand by me. What more could any man ask for?"

    "I love you, Dan."

    "I love you too, Mary."

Chapter Twenty Three,
    I heard his snow mobile pull up and I'm so excited. I open the door before he can even knock.