By Kristine K. McCraw
Even a morsel would suffice, but only snow was dropping on Brandon Street tonight. A ferocious emptiness pestered Frisco's stomach as he foraged around garbage cans for food. A loud horn startled him, and Frisco stepped to the sidewalk, aloof to the fact that he narrowly missed being killed. Food was the only thing on his mind. Falling snowflakes blurred his vision, so he used his scent as a guide. Frisco trekked toward the bakery, pausing to assess his timing, and blinked away the wetness as he peered at the sky. Twilight! Frisco sped up - over a gate, through a narrow alley, and onto Merryville, where the scent of warm sugar led him to Moosel's Bakery.
Once he arrived, he realized he was early, so Frisco hid under a bench, intently watching for the right moment to appear at the door. Lamps brightened the darkening street, a door thrust open, and hurried footsteps pounded the cement, trailing up the sidewalk and out of Frisco's hearing range. This was the right moment! Frisco padded to the door, waiting for a small-statured man to leave the bakery and drop him a cookie or two before he locked the doors. His mouth salivated as he anticipated sweet cookie crumbs coating his mouth. He anxiously stepped forward, peering through the glass, his tail batting the air as his tongue pulsed. Unexpectedly, a tall and broad-shouldered man was coming for the door. As the man drew closer, Frisco shook, getting more excited by the second. He could almost taste it! But when the door opened, a cookie wasn't in his hand; thick fingers loomed over him, fingers that gripped his collar and pulled him into the bakery.
"Come here, you ugly dog!"
Warm sugar scents were everywhere, and it delighted Frisco so much that he forgot about being nervous at this man's imposing presence.
"Maybe a warm bath might fix you."
The word bath caused apprehension, and he pulled mightily at the man's grip. The man gripped tighter. Frisco pulled harder and snapped from the man's hold. He flew across the room and skidded into a tree. It toppled. Shiny balls and trinkets scattered the floor. Tinkling noises hollowed out the room.
"You filthy thing. Come here." The man stammered and lurched toward the dog, but his apron, which had come loose in his pursuit, tripped him. Frisco sniffed, and his nose led him to where the man was lying on the floor. He smelled of sugar and dough, so Frisco began ferociously licking him.
"Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!" the man hollered as Frisco's tongue slapped his face. After a struggle, the man finally managed to push him away. "Sit!"
Frisco backed away and sat at his feet. The man seemed surprised by his obedience.
"Just sit there a minute," the man said as he stood up and tossed his apron. He paused for a moment and looked at Frisco.
Frisco intensely stared back as he waited for something to happen. His eyes seemed friendly but desperate, he noticed.
"I need a present for my children. I've been working 12-hour shifts to fill orders for Christmas. There's no time to shop. It's Christmas Eve, and I've got three children at home who will be expecting something."
Frisco tilted his head as the man spoke.
"And they lost their mother this year.
Frisco noticed the lilt in the man's voice wane, and he tilted in the opposite direction while keeping his eyes fixed on the man's.
The man shifted. "Why look at you. You are kind of cute. A bath and a bow, and you will make a perfect present." The man's voice lifted again. "Where'd you come from anyway?"
A horrible place, Frisco thought. A place where a mean lady would come by once a day and slap a bowl of food in front of him. Her heavy grumbling always scared him to the back of his dirty cage. But one day, luck was on Frisco's side. She forgot to lock the cage, and he managed to escape unnoticed. Being free was exhilarating at first, but finding food became exhausting. Frisco longed for a nice place where he could get fed every day. And now, he'd endure a bath if he could get a chance to eat whatever was tantalizing his ravenous appetite. Images of cookies swirled in his head as he held the man's eyes. He barked, hoping the man would get the hint. He was hungry!
"A bath first, uhhh….."
Frisco's my name, he thought, and miraculously, the man said it out loud.
"Frisco.” Pause. “Frisco, come here," he commanded. Frisco followed him to the back of the shop, where he was put in a tub, washed, and given a bowl of food. He gulped the food and looked back at the man. The man filled the bowl again but higher. After Frisco lapped up three bowls of water, his belly was finally full. He laid at the man's feet and stared up at him. A smile rested on his face, but his eyes held some uneasiness, like something was missing. Frisco knew that feeling all too well.
"You'll do," he said and patted Frisco's head. At that moment, Frisco felt a sort of satisfaction that he never felt.
Before he got too comfortable, the man lifted Frisco into a box and placed him on a soft blanket. Then the man put a lid on top of the box, making his enclosure dark except for a tunnel of light coming through the side. Frisco peeked out. He was back in a cage but was comfortable and tired, so he laid down. He drifted to sleep, but then he felt the box lifted and carried. He bobbled around inside until it was set down again. A door hinged closed, an engine revved, and he was moving, going somewhere. Frisco became anxious, not knowing what would happen to him, but exhaustion settled him. He was trapped again, but this time, he felt clean, full, comfortable, and longing for something he didn't know he wanted till this moment. Frisco fell fast asleep, and for the first time, he slept through the night.
When he woke, sunlight was streaming through the hole in the box. He smelled smoke and heard crackling like when he saw the people in the streets standing around a barrel, warming their hands over a fire. Then he heard voices and the patter of feet.
"Look Cordelia, Elana. A big box." A young boy's voice boomed.
The box vibrated. Frisco sat up stiffly, waiting for something to happen. His eyes expanded, and his ears perked.
"There's something inside and it's moving." He heard. Then suddenly, his world opened. Light encompassed him, and he was surrounded by three unknown faces peering down at him with surprise. Their eyes were filled with a joy he had never seen before. He stared in awe as if a new world had been painted for him. Little hands were reaching inside all at once. Frisco didn't know which hand to lick first.
"Gentle, gentle children." He heard the man's voice command.
"Dad, Dad, a dog."
"Santa brought us a dog!"
"Let's get him out of the box."
The man gave Frisco a wink. When Frisco saw this, he felt like this was the nice place he wanted. His heart pattered, his tail wagged, and he rested his paws on the edge of the box while hands rubbed all over him. His tail repeatedly slapped the box as he wriggled his body, causing the box to topple. Frisco was out of his enclosure, free. The children and the man gathered around him, petting him and showing delight in their faces that he'd never known for a human to give to him. At that moment, he knew this would be his new home where he was warm, clean, and wanted. This was the beginning of what was to become his family.
***
Christmas Eve again, and Felix had just gotten home from the bakery. He still hadn't shopped for presents for his children, who were now grown and busy with their own lives. Working in another town, Horatio would be coming home in the morning. Cordelia and Elana were in college. They were home for a break, but tonight, they were out with friends. Nearing seven o'clock, he'd better think of a gift for them and fast. Oh, how he hated that he never planned in time to have gifts ready by Christmas Eve. That was always his wife's forte. To this day, he still misses her.
Felix slumped in his favorite chair. Frisco tapped through the kitchen and into the living room, where he lay at Felix's feet, his chin resting between his paws on the floor. When Felix sighed, Frisco would lift an eye or two as if he were checking on Felix. This was their nightly ritual lately. Both, too tired to move.
"What should I do for a gift?" He said out loud. Then he gazed at his dog, who, over the years, had become his loyal companion.
I'm too old to be a gift, Frisco thought as he remembered that glorious day 13 years ago.
"You have been a gift all these years, Frisco," Felix said as if he read the dog's thoughts.
Frisco's black wavy hair had grayed as much as Felix's dark hair had. His legs trembled when he stood too long, but he always managed to follow Felix around the house when he wasn't working at the bakery.
"Oh heck, I'll just give them money this year. That'll be plenty. All they want these days is money. I have a reservation for dinner tomorrow, and of course, after dinner, we'll eat the cookies I brought home from the bakery. It'll be a nice family Christmas. Right Frisco?"
Frisco's ears lifted. As old as he was, he still looked forward to Christmas and Felix's cookies, especially fresh-out-of-the-box ones.
"You want a cookie, ole' boy. They're still warm, I bet."
Felix trudged to the kitchen with Frisco tapping behind him. When the box opened, the aroma tantalized his appetite, which wasn't much these days. He was skinny again like he was when he was homeless.
"There you go, boy," he said as he patted his head. He fed him two more and then returned to the living room, where Felix sat in his chair again and Frisco back at his feet.
Felix closed his eyes and sat in the dark with the tree lights shining. His heart felt heavy. He didn't know how much longer Frisco would live. He was tired all the time and void of an appetite that was needed to stay nourished. When he came home from work or when the children were home, he managed to muster enough energy to wag his tail, showing his affection for his family, but otherwise, he was sleeping.
Felix thought about when he first saw Frisco. He had watched him come to the bakery every day around five after Max left and when Charlie was locking the doors to close for the evening, but on that Christmas Eve, he let Charlie have the day off. From the first day he came to the bakery, Felix surmised the dog was homeless. So, when he arrived that Christmas Eve with matted fur and ribs showing, he thought he'd just clean him up and feed him. Taking him as a gift for his children was a spur-of-the-moment decision, and he knew taking in a stray was a chance. But look how wonderful it turned out, he thought as he glanced at the sleeping dog lying at his feet. This dog changed their lives. After that Christmas morning, the sorrow from losing Amelia slowly lifted.
Being the oldest, Horatio oversaw feeding him, taking him outside, and cleaning up after him. It made him responsible. His grades improved. Cordelia took him for walks. She was his teacher. She taught him to come, stay, roll over, and fetch. Frisco would do anything for Cordelia and a biscuit. And little Elana, with Frisco, curled beside her every evening at bedtime, began to sleep through the night. When any of them petted Frisco, he always returned it with loving eyes. This dog breathed life back into the family. But now, time has stolen his youthful energy. Frisco didn't run through the yard or fetch a stick anymore. He couldn't jump the fence like he once did. It had been a while since he chased a squirrel or caught a bird. Felix chuckled when he remembered how he'd seen Frisco one day with two bird legs sticking from his mouth.
This may be his last Christmas, and we mustn't waste time being sad and too tired, he thought. He remembered how much Frisco loved car rides. He'd poke his nose out the window with his mouth open and tongue out. If ever there could be a smile on a dog's face, there certainly was one on Frisco's when they went for a ride.
"Come on, Frisco he called. Let's drive around and look at Christmas lights."
Frisco stood and wagged his tail as he hobbled behind Felix. He sat in the passenger seat with his nose out the window, feeling the breeze wash over him as they accelerated down the road. Felix stopped at the bank to take money out for his children's gifts. Then, he drove around neighborhoods with Christmas music playing as they searched for festively lit houses to admire.
When he arrived back home, Horatio's car was in the driveway. He had come home earlier than expected. Felix noticed lights that he knew were not on when he left the house. He walked through the front door with Frisco following closely behind and saw his grown children gathered in the living room.
"Dad, where have you been?" Elana asked.
"Taking a ride with Frisco."
Horatio stood up and went by Frisco's side. "Hey, good boy," he said as he wrapped his arms around his body, giving him a tight hug before taking off his collar.
Frisco wiggled his body and jumped onto the couch, snuggling between Cordelia and Elana. They petted his back, and Frisco looked at each of them, his tongue hanging out, panting with delight. That's when Felix noticed the love in Frisco's eyes was still there. Time hadn't stolen that from Frisco. He rested his chin on Elana's lap. Felix sat in his chair, and Horatio joined his sisters and dog on the couch. There, Frisco rested while his family watched A Christmas Story on television.
Frisco looked at each family member: Felix, Horatio, Cordelia, and Elana. He remembered that longing he felt on Christmas Eve 13 years ago when Felix rescued him. Now he knew what it meant. His heart had found more than what he'd been searching for that snowy evening. Not only did he find a nice place where he would have food every day, but he found love. A love that was given and received. Every Christmas since Felix had taken him home was a good one, but this Christmas was his best, for now, he knew that every Christmas he had spent with his family was a gift. He was cozy and warm on the couch with a satisfied stomach and a satisfied heart. When it was time for him to leave this world, he would have the memory and love of his family to take with him.
***
This story is dedicated to Mandy Lou and our four-legged family members whom we loved.
Merry Christmas!
