Behind Ellie's Smile | ✓

August

"The job of a good dog was ultimately to be with them, remaining by their sides no matter what course their lives might take. All I could do now was offer him comfort, the assurance that as he left this life he was not alone but rather was tended by the dog who loved him more than anything in the whole world." ― W. Bruce Cameron, A Dog's Purpose.

2. Adopt a dog from the shelter

On a beautiful autumn morning, I woke up to my family softly singing me happy birthday.

Happy Birthday to You
Happy Birthday to You
Happy Birthday Dear Ellie
Happy Birthday to You.

From good friends and true,
From old friends and new,
May good luck go with you,
And happiness too.

I smiled when they finished singing, "Aw, thank you guys!" My mom pulled me into a warm hug and soon my dad and brother followed suit. When the tender family hug ended my mom told me to get ready because they had apparently had a surprise planned for me. Once they left, I rolled out of bed ninja style and with an extra bounce in my step, waltzed into the bathroom to get ready. I did my usual morning routine and put on a red and white striped shirt paired with denim overalls. A quick swipe of cherry flavor chapstick and a few coats of jet-black mascara later, I was all ready for the day.

Ding. Ding.

I unlocked my phone to look at the message and smiled from ear to ear when I saw that it was Will.

W: Happy Birthday Ellie! I hope you have a wonderful day! :)

E: Thank you, Will! :))

Will and I kept in contact every day after Disneyland, we would have late night talks where he would tell me all about his travels and on my side, I would update him on whatever is happening in my own life. I share everything with him and he does the same with me. I was really anticipating our date next month, as I got to know him more and more, my crush on him developed. He was so sweet and funny, never failing to make me laugh. My heart flickers just thinking about him. I know he likes me, I can sense it every time we look at each other. But, I have to be realistic, it would be selfish of me to want anything more to blossom between us when I had so little time left. I smiled sadly as I glanced at my bucket list taped on the above my bed, 6. Fall in love.

I shook my head, getting rid of all the sad thoughts, today is my birthday. Happy thoughts, happy thoughts only Ellie, I reminded myself. I took a deep breath and made my way downstairs, the smell of freshly made pancakes instantly filled my nose as I descended. When I entered the kitchen, I was ushered to my seat by my dad before he went back to flipping pancakes. My big brother was busy gathering all the pancake toppings while my mom was seated next to me, childishly pouting with her arms crossed. "What's wrong mom?" She sighed and turned to me, her pout deepening, "The boys would not let me cook! I wanted to prepare a delicious birthday breakfast just for you!" I laughed nervously, and mumbled under my breath, "Thank goodness." At that moment, my dad placed a plate of steaming hot pancakes with drizzled sweet maple syrup in the center of the table before sitting down while Max set down the bottle chocolate syrup, maple syrup, honey and a plate of freshly cut fruits. Max handed me a bag of my favorite sweets: gummy bears before taking the last seat at the table. We all started eating contently, savoring each bite of the homemade breakfast.

"Evangeline, we have been thinking a lot and decided that it's time to adopt a dog. We are heading to the animal shelter as soon as breakfast is finished!" announced my dad in the midst of eating his tenth pancake. The piece of pancake that I was about to put in my mouth dropped back on my plate. "What...?!" I spluttered out, my eyes wide. Mom grinned, "Surprise!" Tears filled up in my eyes, I have always wanted a puppy, ever since I was little. It was an absolute dream of mine to have that special and unbreakable bond with a dog. My parents said no everytime, saying that we couldn't afford to spare time to take care of a puppy when I was so sick. Finally, I was going to get to adopt a dog, not only will I find a companion, but also adopting him will give gift him a second chance at a rightfully deserved life. Max reached out and tenderly wiped away my happy tears, "Better hurry and finish Ellie, the animal shelter opens soon." There was no need to tell me twice, I practically inhaled the rest of my food before bouncing up and rushing to the front door and hurriedly slipped into my Toms. "Come on, come on!" I exclaimed impatiently bouncing on the balls of my feet, too excited to stand still. My family laughed at my silly antics, "Slow down Ellie, don't worry, your doggy friend will wait for you," my mom smiled. Once breakfast was consumed, everyone settled in the family car and we headed to the animal shelter. I wiggled around in my seat, too excited to sit still. "Do you have an idea of what kind of dog you want?" asked Max. I shook my head, "I don't want to choose the dog, I want it to choose me." I looked out the window and gazed at the cars passing by, one question, in particular, floating in my mind, I wonder which dog will choose me?