A Christmas Home: A Novel (15 page)

Less than two hours later the shelter caravan converged in a parking lot at the Mall of the Prairie, just as great big white snowflakes began falling from the sky. The mall had been built in the 1980s and was located in an affluent neighborhood. Although the place was slightly dated, its interior was well maintained, with polished tile floors, lush green plantings, fountains, and public seating areas. Besides large, upscale stores like Macy’s and Saks, there were smaller shops, as well as a busy food court and plenty of kiosks that sold everything from calendars to cell phones to roasted chestnuts. Because it was one of the last shopping weekends before Christmas, the place was packed. Part-time mall security officers were assisting with the parking, and traffic was backed up all the way to the interstate.

The guys from the news truck set up the TV cameras inside the mall while Todd and the others unloaded the pets outside in a zone that had been set aside for them. When mall security arrived, they led the entire group of ten humans, fifteen dogs, and two cats to their assigned mall space. A few months earlier the area had housed a boutique filled with high-end designer clothing; now it was showcasing a far more valuable inventory.

Brenda had gone above and beyond her commitment to help get the space ready. She had taken photographs of the shelter animals, enlarged them to poster size, and plastered them on the former shop’s plate-glass windows. The boutique was strategically located in one of the busiest wings of the Mall of the Prairie, and the posters were attracting considerable interest from passing shoppers, who watched with curiosity through the locked front doors as volunteers arranged crates for the cats and some temporary pens for the dogs.

By noon a small crowd of holiday shoppers was converging in front of the space, eager to see what was attracting the attention of the
Channel Six News
cameras. The cameramen encouraged them to hang around and find out.

Five minutes before their scheduled opening, Todd grabbed the leashes that were attached to the little Tibetan Terrier, Westin, and the pit bull–Lab mix, Earl, and he walked them both into a small fenced-in space the volunteers had assembled, complete with its own little gate, onto
a red circular rug that Brenda had provided as the place where they planned to “show” the dogs. Taking out the note card Hayley had given him, he tested his lines in the microphone they’d set up. “Two great dogs. All adoption fees waived today.”

Hayley decided that was not enough. “When the people come in, show them some tricks. We need something else,” she said nervously.

“Hayley, I almost forgot!” Laura exclaimed.

When Laura’s mother had ordered a new guide harness for Gracie she could not help herself and also ordered two dog vests that said
ADOPT ME
on one side, with the phone number for the shelter on the other. Laura pulled them out of her tote bag and handed them to Hayley, who took one look and said, “Perfect! Just what we needed.” She rushed over and put them on Earl and Westin. Now they looked show ready.

At the appointed time, Brenda Williams, a familiar face to many shoppers, flung open the doors and welcomed the shoppers. “Come on in and see some really special dogs and cats!” Two dozen children and their parents gathered instantly around the fenced-in area where Hayley stood.

Todd handed Earl’s leash to Mary Ann and stepped through the gate and onto the red carpet with Westin following close behind. The terrier had fully recovered from his infection and seemed very pleased to prance
about and be the center of attention. When he was near the microphone, Todd commanded, “Sit!” The dog politely took a seat and looked up at Todd. He reached into his pocket and gave the dog a small reward. “Down, Westin.” The dog immediately went down.

Todd then addressed the gathering crowd through the mic. “Westin needs a home. He can do a lot of wonderful things for you. Would you like to see?”

“Yes!”

Todd ran Westin through a series of exercises they had practiced many times—fetching, sitting, begging, barking, tugging, kissing, and rolling over—all to the crowd’s pleasure and general amazement. “He’s so cute!” a dozen people seemed to say at once.

Someone yelled out, “How much is he?”

Hayley stepped up to the mic and said, “He’ll cost you lots of love, but no money. We’re waiving all adoption fees. Our shelter is being closed, and we have to find these guys new places to live.”

Mary Ann slipped her fingers into George’s hand and squeezed as hard as she could. When she had George’s attention, she threw a glance at Todd. “Your son is pretty awesome.”

When Todd finished with Westin, he handed the dog’s leash to Hayley, who walked the terrier closer along the edge of the crowd. She saw several adults copying down the shelter phone number. She returned to the microphone. “If
you’re interested in Westin, you can fill out the adoption paperwork at the table behind me.” Westin lasted less than a minute before someone cried out, “I’ll take him!”

Next Todd introduced the crowd to Earl, who had his own unique repertoire. Earl’s patented reverse-spin move garnered the largest audience response, particularly among the children. After Todd worked with each dog, he gave the leash to one of his volunteer handlers, who walked the dog out into the audience and eventually out and around the mall. Each shopper was greeted with an affectionate tail wag and a warm set of longing eyes.

By three-thirty the shelter crew was really warmed up. It was then that they realized they had made one very terrible mistake. It was every merchant’s nightmare. They had failed to bring along sufficient inventory and had to close up shop early. Earl, Westin, and all their pals would have a new Christmas home that year. Within a few days, these fine creatures would be perfecting their own magic trick. Todd did not have to teach them this one. With great stealth and cunning, each animal would steal away with its new family’s heart.

That night, the
Channel Six News
featured the Mall of the Prairie and all the fun the shoppers were having visiting Santa and his reindeer, riding the holiday carousel, and checking out some unusually furry inventory. The Problem Solver urged her viewers to visit their local animal shelter and help some displaced dogs and cats find a home.
Her piece brought about a flurry of phone calls and visits to shelters over the next few days. For at least a while, demand was up and supply was down.

While the other shelter workers were bringing pet adoption to the big city, Doc Pelot kept busy at home making sure the small town of Crossing Trails did what it could. He sat at his desk and pitched dogs to each member of the local chamber of commerce. By the end of the day on Monday, the shelter was turning into a ghost town of empty cages. All the cats were gone, and there were only twelve dogs left. All the hard work was beginning to pay off.

MONDAY AFTER
work Todd stopped in to see his parents on his way home. George and Mary Ann wanted to be sure he was prepared for his big interview at the dairy scheduled for Tuesday morning.

George tried to reinforce for Todd what he had said earlier, that the dairy was a business, and Mary Ann reminded Todd to dress neatly. “Being nicely dressed is a great way to show that you care and really want the job,” she said. “This is not the time to be sloppy.” To emphasize her point she teasingly pulled at his T-shirt, adorned with a full day’s worth of pet dander, and kicked at his red Converse tennis shoes, stained by six months of swabbing the shelter deck.

“Should I wear my suit?”

Mary Ann thought about it and decided a suit would be too much. Besides, the one he had fit him poorly. “We bought that for your graduation, and you’ve filled out quite
a bit since then. It doesn’t fit you anymore. Just wear those nice blue dress pants and the green sweater you wore at Thanksgiving.”

George playfully put Todd in a headlock. “In two weeks, you’ll be wearing Brooks Brothers suits and running that dairy. Old Ed Lee will be looking for a new job.”

Todd laughed and landed a fake uppercut to George’s midsection.

“Nice one, Todd,” George said, releasing his grip and brushing enough copper-colored dog hair off his son to weave a good-sized area rug. “Good luck tomorrow. You’ll do great.”

Later that night Laura and Gracie were making their last rounds at the Wellness Center. She enjoyed spending the end of her shift chatting with Hank about Todd, the dairy business, and, of course, the shelter. That night Hank was already asleep when she arrived. Laura sat in the side chair for a few minutes. She tried to send Hank her strongest and most healing sentiments. She pictured him in a clear healing light.

Gracie whined and her white tail wagged, breaking Laura’s concentration. The dog seemed to be pleading. “What’s wrong, girl?” Laura asked.

The dog seemed agitated, like she wanted to be released from her position. Laura gave the “good girl” signal she used to release Gracie from the stay or neutral position where she was trained to stay when she was working. The dog eagerly went to Hank’s bedside and sat down, her
bushy white tail still wagging. She whined and pawed at the bed frame repeatedly. Laura noticed that Gracie’s tail wag was entirely different. It reminded her of the much slower and more purposeful movement of a large cat, like a tiger or a leopard.

“Gracie, Hank is sleeping, but don’t worry, we’ll come see him tomorrow.” The dog persisted, and Laura was afraid she was going to bother Hank. “Gracie, quit it, get back over here.”

The dog continued to whine, so Laura pushed herself out of the chair—a task that was a little more difficult without Gracie’s help. Once on her feet, Laura moved bedside. Although the monitors that were strapped to Hank did not register a problem, Laura thought his breathing seemed forced, so she tried to wake him, “Hank, are you okay?”

He didn’t respond.

Laura gave him a firm push. He finally opened his eyes and looked at her. But he seemed unfocused and quickly closed his eyes again. Laura pushed the emergency help button on the side of the bed and the Crossing Trails Wellness Center lost its sleepy demeanor.

The RN and Dr. Wilson, the physician on call, worked on the left side of the bed checking Hank’s vital signs. Laura and Gracie remained on the right side, Laura clutching Hank’s hand in her own, hoping that any minute the doctor would tell her not to worry, that everything was fine. She kept glancing up at him, but those words were not said.

ED LEE
rested his elbows on his cluttered desk, leaned toward the speakerphone, and said, “Send him in.”

Todd completed his office interview with Ed in less than five minutes. The dairy manager could not help but be impressed: Todd was a healthy, strong, polite young man. Ed suspected that Todd would be a hard worker. On top of that, he had grown up on a dairy farm and came from a good family. Still, the work was hard—certainly not for everyone. Ed wasn’t sure if Todd, for all his enthusiasm, had grasped the nature of the business.

“Would you like to take a tour of the dairy?”

Todd nodded, and Ed stood and pulled his walkie-talkie from his belt.