Page 149 of Other Side Of Never
“It’s not your story.”He paused.“But I promise, you did your part, and one day they’ll be here to thank you for it.”
My head snapped up.“Not too soon.”
He shook His head.“Not too soon.”
I nodded, bouncing my fingers together.“I see so much of myself in Aaron.He’s better than me.More mature.”He was a good kid; I liked him.“He’s more in touch with his feelings than I ever was.”
“I don’t know.You were pretty in touch with your feelings over the fish incident.”
“Poor little things.”My gaze snapped to His.“Hey, do fish and animals make it up here?”
For the first time since I’d known him, he looked uncomfortable.“It depends.”
“On?”
“On whether or not they were made real.”
“Real?Like The Velveteen Rabbit?”
He wagged his head back and forth.
“What about dogs?”Oh no.My heart sank.
He smiled.“All dogs go to heaven.”
“Is…my dog here?”
“Are you ready to come home now?”
I nodded.
With a wide smile, He lifted his hand and pointed into the foggy distance.
I squinted against the light and mist.“You really need to do something about the lack of visibility up here.”
“Up,” he snorted.“I’ll take it under advisement,” He said dryly.
An excited bark grabbed my attention as a little brown dog bounded into sight.
“Timmy?”
Joy.Pure, raw, unfiltered, and unadulterated joy filled my soul as my little dog trotted closer.Only, he wasn’t headed for me.
I tilted my head to the side.Maybe he didn’t remember me?
Five feet from his target, he stopped short, lifted his little black nose into the air and sniffed.Slowly, he turned his head toward me.
Tears came to my eyes as I dropped to my knees.
He approached cautiously, head down, tail tucked between his legs.Stretching his neck out to sniff me, his eyes rose to meet mine, and he went ballistic.
I laughed, falling back on my haunches as he jumped all over me, howling with happiness.
When he finally settled, I stood and scooped him up under my arm.
His wagging tail rhythmically patted me on the back.
A bible verse, or perhaps song, some sweet teaching from my youth slipped to the forefront of my mind.“All is well,” I murmured.
