Bessie gathered the eggs and fed the chickens while she waited for Arf’s owner to come and get him. As she walked back to the house, her heart was heavy. As always, Arf was by her side. As always? It had only been a few days since he had shown up at her door, yet it seemed like they had been together forever.

The Johnsons, Arf’s owners, had a daughter in college. Jamie was her name. She was headed home for spring break and would be stopping by to pick up Arf on the way.

“Oh Arf,” Bessie said. “I do hope Brad gets here before that young girl does. I’m not sure I can bear to let you go.

I think I hear his truck coming now.”

I ran to greet Brad and then back to Miss Bessie, back to Brad and back to Miss Bessie. I was really nervous. Wait! I think I hear Jamie’s Jeep. Yes…Jamie is here. I’ll run out to greet her.

Jamie…it was Jamie. She found me.

Brad walked over to Jamie and began to introduce himself. Bessie ran to the kitchen to make coffee. She still looked sad.

“We’ve been expecting you Miss Johnson. I’m Brad Holcomb a friend of Miss Bessie’s. I believe she went inside to make some coffee.”

“Please call me Jamie,” she said as she knelt down to makeover Arf. “I didn’t think we would ever see you again sweet boy. You look great!”

“Let’s go inside.” Brad led the way. ” I know Miss Bessie is anxious to meet you.”

Jamie walked into the kitchen and went straight to Miss Bessie. “I can’t thank you enough for watching over Arf.”

Miss Bessie nodded her head. She didn’t trust herself to say anything. Instead, she brought out a plate of cookies and poured coffee for everyone.

I laid on the floor between the two ladies. My head was spinning. Can a dog’s head spin?

“Do you have any idea how Arf got this far from home?” Brad asked.

“Yes. We finally figured it out. It seems he got caught in a moving van. The movers called the people who were transferring to a town near here and said a dog had gotten out of the van when they arrived. They said he ran off before they could catch him. Since none of us knew each other. It took a while for us to tie it all together.”

“You ran a long way, Arfie,” Jamie said. “I don’t know if we would have found you if Miss Bessie hadn’t called.”

Miss Bessie didn’t say anything right away. I wondered why…

“It was the right thing to do.” Her voice wasn’t much louder than a whisper.

Jamie looked at me. She had a sad look on her face, too. What’s up with all the sadness? I’m the happiest dog ever. I have Jamie and Miss Bessie and Brad. Three humans to throw me frisbees and make over me day and night. I wonder if Brad fishes. I love to go fishing.

“Miss Johnson…Jamie, do you have a place to stay tonight? It’s far too late to get back on the road, today.” Miss Bessie was pouring more coffee. It’s quite a distance between towns around here.”

Jamie looked surprised. “I hadn’t really thought beyond getting here to pick up Arf. I’m not in a real hurry to get to California. My parents are on a two week cruise. Can you give me the name of a hotel nearby? One that allows pets?”

“Nonsense,” Miss Bessie said. “You can stay right here. “I have a little spare bedroom and it will only take an hour or so to clear some things out to make room for you.”

Brad winked at Miss Bessie. He had seen that spare room. So had I.

“I have a better idea,” Brad offered. “I have a horse ranch just a few miles from here. It’s just me, the housekeeper, a cook, and the hired hand rambling around in that big old house. You’re more than welcome to stay as long as you’d like.”

BRAD

HIRED HAND

Jamie thought for a minute.

“Well, I guess I’ll take you up on your generous invitation. It seems to be the best solution.”

Jamie looked happy, so I was happy. Brad looked happy, too. But Miss Bessie still looked sort of puzzled.

“May I make another suggestion?” She asked.

Miss Bessie looked at me. I think she was trying to get up the nerve to say something.

“Tomorrow is the big Easter festival in town. I was planning to enter Arf in the doggie Easter Parade. I’ve uh, spent a lot of time making a costume for him to wear. I would be very grateful if you would consider staying over until Monday so that we could all go. Maybe you would let Arf stay with me tonight so I could put the finishing touches on his costume, and get him ready in the morning.”

Brad looked very surprised, but he didn’t say anything. Miss Bessie shot him a look that told him to be quiet.

“That sounds like fun,” Jamie said. “And of course Arf can stay the night with you. We’ll have plenty of time together, later.”

After Jamie and Brad left, Miss Bessie got all kinds of stuff out of her sewing room.

“We’re going to have to work fast Arf,” she said. “Do you have any ideas as to what you would want to dress up like?”

“It’s only two days until we go to the Easter festival in town, Arf. I must get my eggs ready to take to the General Store, and make some hot cross buns for the church bake sale. I also want to bake an apple pie for Mr. Holcomb. I mean Brad. He wants to be called Brad. Wasn’t it nice of him to insist he drive us to town for the festival? He’s such a nice young man.

Miss Bessie was talking and humming, and talking and humming. I was watching her because sometimes that means she’s about to give me a b-o-n-e.

Miss Bessie took her coffee and newspaper to the living room. She turned the TV on because she knows I like to watch Lassie.

My favorite episode was on. It’s the one where Timmy finds a man stuck in quicksand and sends Lassie back to the farm to get a rope. I’ve learned a lot of neat stuff from watching Lassie. I was almost to the part where she gets back with the rope and Timmy ties it to a long tree branch so he can hold it far enough out for the man to reach it, when I heard the phone ring. Miss Bessie went to the kitchen to answer it. I was about to follow her when she came back and sat down in her chair. I hadn’t seen her look sad in a while, but something had made her sad tonight.

“Well Arf,” she said. “I’ve been trying not to think about this, but I guess I knew your owners wouldn’t change their minds.Their daughter, Jamie, is on her Easter break from college and she’s going to pick you up on her way home.

She will be here sometime tomorrow. The day before the Easter festival.”

At night when we went to bed, I got to sleep on a pallet at the foot of Miss Bessie’s bed. I liked sleeping there.

When I woke up the next morning, she was already in the kitchen baking bread. I knew something was wrong though because she wasn’t humming.

Later, Miss Bessie and I were out collecting eggs and Mr. Brad drove up.

“Good morning Miss Bessie,” he said. “I thought I’d better check and see what time you want me to pick you and Arf up for the Easter festival tomorrow.”

“Oh yes, the Easter festival,” Miss Bessie said quietly. “I’m not quite sure, Brad. I got a call last evening from Arf’s owners. The daughter is picking him up sometime today.”

Today? I was flabbergasted. I loved my before humans, but I never thought I would be going back to them. I had been forced to move on. Miss Bessie needed me. Where is my frisbee? What should I do? What would Lassie do?

While I was thinking, Miss Bessie was telling Mr. Brad the whole story.

“I need to get back to the ranch,” he said. “I’ll be back later to meet this Jamie. I’ll try to be here around one. If she gets here before then, don’t let her leave until I have a chance to talk with her.”

Miss Bessie nodded her head. Mr. Brad said goodbye and walked back to his truck.

“Arf, come here boy,” he said. “I forgot to give these to Miss Bessie. Will you take them to her please?”

Mr. Brad reached into the truck and picked up a pretty bouquet of flowers for me to carry to Miss Bessie. She was dabbing her eyes with her hanky, but when she saw the flowers, she smiled big.

An old woman, a young man, and a dog… they knew very little about each other, but there was already a strong bond building between them.

“A friend is one who overlooks your broken fence and admires your flowers.”

I totally understand this quote. A true friend knows you’re not perfect, but chooses to see the good in you. Everybody needs someone like that in their lives. You realize they know all of your flaws, but unless it’s an obnoxious sort of flaw, your friend ignores it. They will, however, tell you if you have spinach in your teeth.

“A friend who understands your tears is much more valuable than a lot of friends who only know your smile.”

I like this one, too. I would add that one or two special friends who understand your tears is enough. It’s not good to cry on the shoulder of a lot casual friends. That would diminish the value of the trust you should have in a friend to whom you tell your darkest secrets.

“Friends are those rare people who ask how you are and then wait to hear the answer.”

Who does that?

“Sometimes being with your best friend is all the therapy you need.”

That and a good belly laugh.

“There’s not a word yet for old friends who’ve just met.”

Have you ever felt that immediate connection to someone you just met? Maybe you have the same weird sense of humor, or like the same movies or books.

“A loyal friend laughs at your jokes when they’re not so good, and sympathizes with your problems when they’re not so bad.

Huh!

“It’s hard to find a friend who’s loving, generous, caring, courageous, spiritual, trustworthy, loyal and cute. So my advice to everyone is this. If you have a friend like Pat Davis, don’t lose her.

Happy Birthday Dear Friend…Everyone who knows you loves you…count me among them.