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Chapter 3: Miracle in Manhattan.
Rachel and her new canine friend finally reach home, both exhausted and shivering, yet both glad of one anothers company.
"Now you have to be real quiet and discreet'' she warns the dog, ''if anyone sees a dog in here, they can report us...so you be quiet as a little mouse, alright? I have a plan you see, you're gonna spend the night in my utility room, safe warm and hidden away, and you're not gonna bark, are you? Good!"
Rachel and her new canine friend finally reach home, both exhausted and shivering, yet both glad of one anothers company.
"Now you have to be real quiet and discreet'' she warns the dog, ''if anyone sees a dog in here, they can report us...so you be quiet as a little mouse, alright? I have a plan you see, you're gonna spend the night in my utility room, safe warm and hidden away, and you're not gonna bark, are you? Good!" 5 minutes later:
"You stay right here sweetie. I have to go pick my kids up from Mrs Eckellsberger, but don't worry, I'll come back and see you before I go to bed... Are you hungry? I bet you are, I'll bring you some food. How does that sound?" "You've found yourself a bed, huh?" Rachel giggles at the sight of the contented creature before her. She knew it had been years, perhaps it had even been never, since this poor animal had had a soft place to lay her head.
Those were her clean pillows but she couldn't find it within herself to move the dog, how could she.. her heart was beginning to melt for this tattered old girl like an icycle exposed to the sun. Was this litte dog's demons finally behind her? Were the long cold nights spent in a snow-covered park, begging for food, fighting to survive, finally just a distant and unpleasant memory? She hoped so as she slept soundly, soft snores escaping her all the while. With her children home and tucked into bed Rachel finally returns as she promised.
"I don't want the kids to see you'' she explains, "they'll want to keep you, and sadly we know that's not practical...but don't worry, there are plenty of people out there who can offer you a permanent home. A little angel like you will be snapped up straightaway, I know it........" Like a hungry vacuum she clears her bowl in an instant. "Wow you really were hungry, weren't you?".
A long silence ensues.
"...Did anyone ever tell you you're a really wonderful listener?" she laughs. "Gee'z you're a cutie....how did it come to this?" she continues " A gorgeous little dog like you running around out there on her own with nobody to care for her? Why? Why does life deal some of us such terrible cards? ...You clearly haven't had an easy ride.
Well that's okay, neither have I. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I'd spend Christmas Eve walking through Central Park in the snow in a silk dress while trying to think up excuses to tell my kids about why Santa Claus isn't visiting them this year....you don't have a clue what I'm talking about do you? You're probably thinking 'gee whiz, this lady sure likes to talk', right?" she laughs, again.
It had been some time since she last laughed, she'd almost forgotten what it felt like.
Before very long the sun has began to rise over the park where they had both been just hours before, the snow has gotten thicker through the night.
Christmas day is here. And unknown to Rachel her children have woken, on realizing they can't find her they begin to search the apartment; under beds, in cupboards, beneath tables.
"Tanner, Cody! I'll check the 'tility room'' her daughter Rosie yells to her brothers. Her high pitched voice wakens Rachel with a jolt. She feels disorientated at first, then she realizes where she is.
She must have fallen asleep while pouring out her heart to her furry guest, who was now resided in front of her keeping her feet warm. "Momma! Where are y.... a dog!!! We got's a dog????!" shouts the little girl excitedly.
"No, now wait, hold on'' her Mother interupts. Within seconds she has burst back into the hallway to alert her brothers. "Boys! Boys! Santy brought us a dog!" she yells amid joyful shrieks and giggles, smiling from ear to ear. "Wow, a dog, we got our own dog!?...Tanner! Come see" the eldest of the two boys yells to his brother.
"Really??" the boy yells, his footsteps getting louder as he gets closer to see for himself. "Haha awesome", he smiles with delight as the dog runs to greet him, paws bounding and tail swinging. Rachel can't help but to smile as she looks at her children and the dog who is contently surrounded by them. How can she give this beautiful dog away, now? It would break their hearts.
In just a swift moment a bond had already been formed, it was a wonderful scene indeed.
She knew it right there and then, this dog was going nowhere. It was obvious from that very minute that this was a decision she would never regret.
From the hour that loveable creature entered their home she provided fun and games, joy and excitement, happiness and gladness. She provided comfort, companionship, warmth, and security...things money could never buy. Rachel knew that someone up there was looking down on her that Christmas time, and not just at Christmas, but on many occasions afterwards. Her husband was up there watching over his family, she just knew it.
Several years would come to pass, her children grew taller, her dog grew older, her life changed in many ways. Most importantly, the financial crisis she had experienced so dreadfully came to end in the form of employment in a stable new company. She had become the picture of success.
One morning in late December she set to work, it was a stressful project, her mind was on other things, she kept making mistakes.
She would type, print, read, then scrunch the paper into an angry tiny ball before starting all over again. On a trip to the garbage can with one such piece of paper she realizes that the cleaning staff have forgotten to empty the can over the weekend. She quickly makes a call to reception.
"Hello Ma'am, how are you this morning?" she asks the receptionist, ''I have a little problem, I'm sorry to bother you. It's just that one of the maids has forgotten to empty my garbage can, could you send one up as soon as possible to sort it out?.....That's great, thank you''. Engrossed in her work again, she doesn't hear the cleaner enter the room.
"Excuse me?" the cleaner whispers. "Excuse me, I'm here to empty the garbage can" she says a little louder. "Excuse me.." she repeats.
Eventually Rachel notices her, she stands up, taken aback. Stood before her was a face she had never forgotten. A pair of cruel crystal blue eyes that once pierced through her now could barely look at her. An uncomfortable reunion occurs, neither of them thought they would ever have to see eachother again, especially not in these circumstances.
They were now walking in eachothers shoes, something that was unimaginable the last time they saw one another.
"Mrs Ballentine?" Rachel asks, finally breaking the silence, ''what's happened to you?".
Her former employer takes a deep breath and goes on to explain a long sorry story regarding her situation.
"I had a messy divorce'' she explains, ''I lost my job, I won't go into detail. The short story is that I'm living in the converted basement of my brothers pub in brooklyn right now with my teenage son and a lodger who never utters a single word. It's a miserable place. It's so difficult, right now I just need to do what I can to raise some money for Christmas............just like you did when you I employed you to clean my house....'' She spins around, the two woman now facing eachother.
"I just want to tell you, I am really, really, sorry'' she eventually says, ''Rachel, I treated you terribly. I looked down on you, I thought you were a real nobody. And...and that day I threw you out in the cold, I've regretted that deeply ever time I've thought of it since. I put you in danger and I showed you no grace. What I did to you was callous and unacceptable''. Rachel sighs, she takes a seat.
"Yes, it was callous, it was unacceptable'' she agrees, ''the bit that hurt most of all? That coat was the last present that my husband ever bought me. We'd seen it while we were doing some early Christmas shopping for the kids, I'd mentioned that I liked it, he remembered, went back and got it a couple weeks a later...and then he wrapped up for me. He was thoughtful like that. It wasn't just a coat. It was a memory, something valuable that had meant a lot to me''. ''Oh my goodness, I didn't know'' Mrs Ballentine gasps. ''Again, I am so sorry''
''....I didn't even know you were a widow'' she adds. "You never asked'' Rachel replies. ''You never asked me anything about myself, you didn't care, I wasn't a person to you, I was just your maid.
You know I never usually wore that coat, I was afraid it would get ruined. But I did wear it to your house, I always did. I thought if I had a nice coat, maybe, just maybe, you would think a little better of me, maybe you wouldn't look at me like the poor piece of trash that you thought I was, just maybe. How pathetic was that?"
"Please'' Mrs Ballentine begs, approaching the desk. Rachel stands.
"You begged me all those years ago Rachel.....well now I beg you for something too, your forgiveness..." "I have forgiven you'' Rachel responds eventually. ''As you said, it was years ago. Almost seven years infact. I'm not a bitter person. I forgave you a long time ago.
In fact, I should be thanking you.
If you hadn't thrown me out that night I would never have walked through Central Park. I would have got the subway home and missed one of the biggest blessings of my life...."
"Yes that's right" Rachel says quietly as she turns to face the window, looking down on the busy Manhattan street below
"I found a dog that night, a stray, she was beautiful.
We named her Angel, because that's what she truly was. A gift sent straight from Heaven.
I'll never forget that Christmas day, the kids fell in love with her straight away. I remember we all sat down for lunch together. Peanut butter sandwiches. Imagine that, at Christmas time, sandwiches..." "Angel was sniffing around the table, her big eyes kept appearing next to everyone's plates, those huge round marble green eyes..." "Then all of a sudden, she took an almighty leap. Right on to the table top. Of course it was bold, and we knew we had to teach her not to do that again, but it was the funniest thing I'd saw in a long time..." "We took her down to central park to stretch her legs, the boys played fetch with her with an old tree branch they found. It's funny how something so simple can bring so much enjoyment." "It began to get dark so we went home, I decided we'd give her a bath to warm her up, and having been a homeless dog she didn't smell so good, obviously." "Again, another almighty leap, suddenly out of nowhere, this time covered in soap suds..." "I can still hear the sound of my son's laughter when that happened. Boy, he laughed" "And at the end of the night I found Angel in my little girls room, snuggled up in her bed. It was a priceless moment in time. So innocent and so sweet. She didn't care that she could barely fit, she just wanted to be close to someone.
It was the best Christmas day I can ever recall. The most ironic part is that it didn't cost us a dime" "As my daughter reached her first year of school she was painfully shy, she couldn't make friends easily, she was the class loner. It was a terribly sad time. She would come home each day, depressed and defeated, but as soon as she laid eyes on Angel everything would change. A huge smile would spread over her face, and for that moment her world was all okay again.
The comfort and support that sweet dog provided her was invaluable. She was a friend to my child when nobody else was, they would spend their days together completely content in eachothers company, they thought the world of one another.
Angel had a special place in our family, she was a positive influence in all our of lives, she was a bright light in our dark time. Most importantly she brought laughter back into our home.." "Wow...'' "..Two months ago our little Angel left this world. She was with us for just seven years, but she taught us all so much.
For all she's given us, she can never be repaid, never thanked enough. She was so much more than a mere pet dog. We weren't allowed dogs in our apartment block, someone reported her. We were told either the dog goes, or we all go.
We all went. Our family without Angel wouldn't have been our family at all, she was part of us. I would have went to the ends of the earth for her. My sweet dog....I know she's up there, running and playing in the great beyond" Yes, she was. Rachel just had a feeling. "It's my dog! She's home! She's home!!! My dog is home!!!!!!!....My dog!!" , the man cried tears of joy.
"Kenneth!" he shouted as he skipped joyfully toward his friend, ''it's her, it's my dog, she's finally home!! She's so healthy and so full of joy, Kenny. My dog is home!" "I know" Kenneth whispers, ''someone special was looking after her for you down there.... someone very special indeed..." Back in the office a saddened Rachel searches her desk drawer frantically, there's an envelope in there, a thick envelope full of cash. She knows just what she wants to do with it. It is Christmas time after all, the season of goodwill and of peace. "Take this, please, Mrs Ballentine. It's my Christmas bonus. I don't need it, I want you to have it"
"Are...are you sure?" Mrs Ballentine studders in disbelief.
"Yes!" Rachel answers, ''there's a substantial sum in there, take it, buy your son an iPad for Christmas, or a Playstation 3, or a wii, an iPhone, whatever it is he wants. Go on, make his Christmas. I've been in your shoes and it's a horrible path to walk"
It was an act of kindness that Mrs Ballentine would never forget, like a light switching on in the darkness, her Christmas had just become a little less bleak thanks to one woman's humble actions. She had been given hope and had learned a valuable lesson.
She wondered what to buy her son with the money. He had once had so many material goods, now he had so little. She considered Rachel's suggestion, maybe he would like a games console or a computer or a phone, maybe he would prefer something completely different. In the end she opted for the best gift of all, she went to the pet store and bought a collar and leash, the next day she would go to the nearest animal shelter she could find.
She would begin the journey that the Delaney family had began seven years ago, and she would cherish every minute of it.
They were about to get the purest and most loyal friend of all; a pet dog of their own.
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Happy holidays to you all, I hope you enjoyed the story. It's fiction but I wanted to write it in honor of the dogs I have had past and present in my life and how valuable they are to me. Thanks for reading, and a happy new year too.
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7 Comment(s) posted so far
On Dec 26, 2011 Mangio wrote:
Such a beautifully written and heart touching story
What a great Christmas tale, i'm glad the kids found joy and happiness in something so simple and wonderful like Angel 
I'm glad Rachel easily forgives and how kind her heart is 
Congrats on an extremely well deserved feature
On Dec 28, 2011 Chloézzta wrote:
So heart touching, when I read it I didn't think id like it but when I'd got to the end it almost made me cry! Well done on the feature, keep up the fantastic work.
On Dec 28, 2011 urm0m wrote:
That was so beautiful!
On Jan 1, 2012 DianeHanna wrote:
So sweet! Just the way most of us feel about our dogs.
On Jan 4, 2012 evi wrote:
Beautiful story
On Mar 17, 2012 Sims2Craze wrote:
wait didn't she just have greyish/white floors?
On Apr 5, 2012 baileyclarke wrote:
this story makes my heart to be inspired to love again but i hope Aerith's secret would never be revealed.