Page 11 of Marrying Hope

HOPE

“Can I help you with something, Hope?”

I jump and drop the dog bed on the floor. “No. Sorry. I’m still looking.” I gingerly smile at Bella, the owner of a local pet shop, before quickly picking up the brown soft cushion. I lightly dust its sides and put it back in its place.

“Okay, if you need any help, you can find me at the front.” She skips to the counter while I rummage the dog bed aisle trying to find an affordable bed for Mr. Stanley.

I promised Ray I’d get his friend a toy and a new bed as his old one no longer fits him well.

But now I don’t know how I’ll be able to keep my promise.

I give the bed aisle one last look before walking to the front.

A man dressed in a brown leather jacket grabs his bags after swiping his card, while I stand behind him holding a lonely green dinosaur.

“You didn’t like the beds?” Bella asks as she places the toy over the barcode scanner.

“They’re nice, very nice, but…out of my budget.” I swallow the embarrassment like always. It’s not the first time I’m short on cash.

She glances up at me before walking out from behind the counter. “Come with me.”

“Where are we going?”

“Just follow.”

She stops at an unlabeled aisle at the back of the store.

“These are all the items that are returned because the customers didn’t like them or there was a minor defect. We sell them at a discounted price.” She points to the shelf which has lots of stuff, most of it still in its original packaging.

My shoulders relax a little. I’m still not sure how much the discount is but her words have given me hope. Maybe my son won’t have to settle for less today because of his mother’s incompetence.

“How about this one?” Bella shows me a yellow dog bed with brown doggy paw prints on the sides.

It’s perfect! Ray will love it.

“How much does it cost?” I ask carefully, biting my bottom lip and trying to suppress the building hope.

“It’s almost free.” She shows me the price tag with the reduced price and suddenly I feel lighter than ever.

My hands tingle as I grab hers holding the bed. “Thank you so much. I’ll take it.”

She packs the bed in a large bag. “I was at Mr. Schneider’s fiftieth birthday party last week. Your cake was the talk of the town.” She places my items on the counter and hands me the bill. “I’m planning a small charity event next month. Will it be okay if I call you in a few days to place an order?”

I nod several times, wanting to help her in any way I can. She’s the reason my boy will be smiling the whole evening. “Don’t worry at all. Just let me know a few days in advance, and if you can bring the ingredients, I’d love to donate a designer cake for your charity.”

Her eyes shine with excitement. “Oh my God! That would be awesome, Hope. Thank you so much.”

I walk toward my rusty minivan with a wide smile, feeling much better than I did when I walked into the pet store.

* * *

“I think he loves it.”Ray lies on his bed beside me, but his gaze is fixed on Mr. Stanley sleeping on the new bed.

“I think so too, munchkin.”

“Thank you, Ma. Also from Stan.” He hugs me and his tiny arms around my neck fix everything in my rickety world.

“You both are very welcome. Now sleep or you’ll be late for school tomorrow.” I open hisDragon Princestorybook and am about to start from where we stopped last night when his hands cover the book.

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