Tess and Ash
I was worried about Ash while mom was gone. Everybody says he’s just not the same without her. He’s my best friend and I wanted him to feel better, so I stuck close to him as much as I could.
We were getting ready for another night without mom when we heard a car in the driveway. Well, Ash and I heard the car. Jack is so deaf all he heard was us barking.
Dad let us out and we ran to the garage. We couldn’t believe it. Mom was home!
Ash was so crazy with excitement his nose met his tail coming and going. He went tearing around the garage looking for a ball, for anything to grab in his mouth. It’s like he has to have something in his mouth or he can’t control himself.
When Jack saw mom he started crying and grinning at the same time. He sat down and gave her his paw. Then he gave her three little licks. That’s a lot of licks for Jack.
Me, I flopped on my back right in front of her so she couldn’t move. She knelt down and gave me a good belly rub. Meanwhile Ash was tearing through the garage with a stinky old ball in his mouth. Jack continued with his silly groans and finally we let mom say hi to dad.
It was blowing something awful but we didn’t care. Even before mom could bring her stuff into the house we went for a walk. The smells were strong in the wind. Leaves and branches were falling around us. Neighbor dogs were barking. It felt like a Halloween night.
Ash tossed mom his slobbery ball. She threw it as far as she could in the wind, but it was a sissy little pop up. We ran around in circles, bumped into each other and acted like a bunch of fools. Finally we all took a deep breath and went back to the house. Mom made us sit and shake hands with her. Then she gave us the most wonderful treats she brought us from Chicago.
When we settled down we all took turns sitting on mom’s lap. Ash was the last but he stayed there the longest. He licked her face until his tongue was dry. Mom held his snout and whispered that she loved him and would always come back. She told me and Jack the same thing. The pack settled in together for the night. All is well.
Respectfully, Tess.