Yours Ever - Anonymous by Mongolita

Yours Ever - Anonymous

Carmen thought she heard a knock at the door. It was bank holiday Monday so it couldn't have been the post man. She peeped out of the window to see who it was but all she could see was a box left on the bottom step.

She went downstairs and opened the door. A whimpering sound was coming from the box. Curiously, she picked it up, it was slightly heavy, brought it indoors, and the whimpering continued. 

There was no name of the sender, just a typed up note: “Enjoy the puppy,  in celebration of ‘All Saints’.  Yours ever x”

“Who could it be?” she wondered, and began to open the box. Out popped a  fluffy white puppy with dark brown eyes, shiny black nose and pointy ears. 

She was surprised and happy at the same time to see this beautiful creature in front of her. She had wanted a puppy for a long while, but hadn't wanted to betray the wonderful memories she had of Max. Now she was ready. "How did the person who sent the dog know?" Still, she was  overwhelmed by the sweet gesture. 

“Oh, hello! Do you have a name? Hmm let’s see what it says on the  collar …  ‘Take care of me,’ but no name!”

“I'm going to call you ‘Copito’ because you're as white as a snowball”  Inside the box was Copito's passport, with his next injection due date. 

The first few weeks were difficult, but soon both got settled into a routine. No more lonely nights. Copito was a wonderful company and  had stolen her heart. 

The day arrived for a new venture. Copito was going to visit the seafront and sniff out new smells from other dogs. Max's harness was still hanging on the hook, and Carmen reached for it. As her fingers lingered on the worn leather, a fleeting vision of Max bounding over to her, crept into her mind. She slipped it over Copito's head, but it hung far too loose on his tiny body. With a sigh, she hung it back on the hook and fastened the new harness she had bought for him instead. Copito wasn't too sure about this strange thing. It felt odd, but it was there for a reason.

Walking along she met Lynn, one of the ladies from the community centre who was also walking her dog. 

“Good morning Carmen, lovely to see you! It's been a while since you visited us. How are you getting along with your new puppy?”

Carmen looked perplexed.

“Err mm yes, I love him so much. It's part of the family now. I couldn't part with him”

“I'm really pleased for you.  You needed company after Max, you know … went.  I was the one who suggested to the committee that we get you a puppy. You deserve cheering up. After all, you have done so much for the community.”

Carmen stood speechless, her eyes filling up with tears. The community she had supported for so many years, raising funds, had been behind it all along.