Jan is away at Quilting with Machines this week, Tom went home to southwestern Ohio for his
brother’s wedding, and took Euba with him; the girls and I are home alone. Laura and Emily have a list of things to
remember posted on the cupboard door.
Bring in the mail. Lock the
doors. Emily eyed the list with
suspicion last night. No cooking. Grandma has that covered; a nice family
restaurant down the road. They will be
so pleased.
The UPS man brought a delivery today, and took a biscuit
from his pocket for Euba. She took it
away without even saying Thank You. He looked sadly at her and said he missed
those other two.
Euba
It’s been a year since Angus left to join Fiona. They always heard the UPS truck pull in. Two little faces were in the window as he
came up the sidewalk, up the ramp, and rang the doorbell. As if he needed to do that. The barking and the jumping for joy alerted
the house.
Two biscuits were in his shirt pocket. One went first to Fiona, who went straight to
her place and kept her biscuit between her feet until long after Angus finished
his. She tormented Angus
exquisitely. Angus’ biscuit was next. The UPS man broke it in half and gave Angus
one at a time cautioning “Chew it up, now.”
Of course Angus swallowed them whole.
When no one was home the package and two biscuits were left
on the little table on the porch. Two Cairns met the rude persons who had not
been there for the delivery and herded them to the front door, clamoring for
the biscuits on the front porch.
Fiona
One day the UPS man pulled out one biscuit and looked
around. “Where’s the little one?” Jan explained Fiona had run the last great
run of her bad heart the previous Saturday, and laid down and died.
The poor fellow said “Oh.”
Blankly he handed Angus the biscuit in his hand. Angus dispatched it in one swallow. The UPS man turned and went back down the
ramp, slowly patting the other biscuit in his pocket. Jan watched him go, with no words to
say. Angus went down the ramp with him,
bouncing on his Tigger springs. You have another biscuit. I could eat two! The UPS man was still patting his pocket when
he got back to his truck.
Beautiful dogs. I'm sure you miss your two that have gone on.
ReplyDeleteIt's so sad when they have to leave us.
ReplyDeleteLovely dogs.
ReplyDeleteYou must miss them so much.
Awwwww... what a sweet, sad story. Beautiful, Joanne. I copied and pasted your url and sent it around to all my co-workers. Angus is my son's name, by the way, (as you probably know)... so I'm particularly saddened by your tale.
ReplyDelete-Cathy from Muskoka
Wonderful story well told. I also feel for the ups man.
ReplyDeleteOur little furry companions steal our hearts and never let go.
ReplyDeleteJane x
Awwwwwww! So sad, and beautifully told. Can just imagine the postman patting his pocket and not knowing what to do. *sigh*
ReplyDeleteSo sad!! Those are such darling pictures of them and I love that the postman kept back the other treat, sort of like a memorial.
ReplyDeleteIts very rare indeed for a delivery person or postman/woman to feed dogs biscuits while on his/her rounds.
ReplyDeleteAnd poor Jeb, the Orkin guy. He was bent over Angus patting him asking where the other one was and I had to say she had passed on. He never looked up, kept patting Angus as huge tears fell to the floor at Angus' feet. I almost started crying over that. I am so amazed that two little dogs could touch the hearts of so many people and they rarely left the house!
ReplyDeleteWhat a heart-wrenching story.
ReplyDeleteMy carriers for the USPS before I retired(and they still carry them) carried dog biscuits, too. They have a pair of peacocks that know the mail truck's sound and come to get their biscuits.
What beautiful little dogs they were and what a kind UPS man to always have a few biscuits in his pocket.
ReplyDeleteYour UPS deliveries are much more interesting than mine. I don't think we get the same person twice.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful story.
ReplyDeleteoh such a beautiful story and a wonderful ups person.
ReplyDeleteSweet story and how nice of the ups man to carry biscuits.
ReplyDeleteSweet story. Funny how those furry little ones steal hearts.
ReplyDeleteWhat sweet faces. Another well-told story, and tears in my eyes.
ReplyDeleteOh, what a tender, beautiful story! I love dogs. And Cairns are so adorable! So much personality! I love your UPS man. He sounds like one in a million!
ReplyDelete