The Christmas Gift (A Short Story)
The Christmas Gift by C. Bailey-Lloyd
In a small, Southern town off the banks of the Edisto River
lived a bright-eyed, skinny, brown-haired girl. Renee was a
jovial child, filled with love and compassion. In everything,
she managed to find some light.
Renee would take daily strolls to the riverbank where she'd
gather unique rocks and stray seashells. On her way to her
hidden refuge, `neath towering oaks and mossy vines, she'd pass
the house where Sady lived.
Though Renee never saw much of Sady's owners, she would always
stop by to pet the bulky but gentle giant. Sady wasn't any
ordinary dog - she was special. Whenever Renee would come by,
the tall black and tan rotty would scoop up her fringed tennis
ball and toss it into the air for Renee to throw.
The oversized dog was pinned in a very small kennel, but she
would always perk up when Renee was there. Renee would squeeze
her tiny wrists and hands through the rusty, wire mesh and
lovingly stroke Sady. In return, Sady would adore Renee with her
eyes and rub her side against Renee's small fingers.
Sneaking leftovers to Sady was Renee's favorite thing to do. She
knew Sady didn't get much to eat, `cause she could tell from the
looks of her that mealtime must've been meager helpings of
Ol'Roy dog food. Never the matter, Renee would bring strips of
broken beef jerky, Vienna sausages and anything she could swipe
from her fridge. Before leaving Sady, Renee would gather fresh
water from the River and fill Sady's empty water bowl.
As Autumn leaves began to fall, Renee had noticed that Sady was
becoming thinner and lankier, but she couldn't come as often
because School took precedence over her walks to the river
refuge.
One day, Renee asked her Pa if he'd talk to the owners of Sady
and see whether they'd like to give her the big dog. "What'r ya
gonna do with such a big dawg?" asked Pa.
"Oh, I don't know, Pa. But I'd feed her and love her," she
added, "that's all Sady really wants," she continued, "her
owners aren't ever there, and it just seems wrong to keep her
pinned in that little fence."
Pa shook his head, and he cupped his hands around Renee's chin,
"Pun'kin, we ain't got the kinda money to take care of such a
big dawg. He'd eat us out of house and home."
Renee pushed Pa's hands away from her face and said
matter-of-factly, "first of all, he ain't a he - she's a she,
and Sady would never do that."
With that, she trumped off to her room. Downhearted, she slipped
on her shoes and coat, and made her way out the door.
"Where ya goin?" Pa asked.
"I'm going to see Sady," Renee replied, "somebody's got to love
her."
Pa didn't try to stop her. He figured so long as Renee could
visit Sady, that would be enough.
Renee went to Sady's pen, but Sady didn't run to the fence edge
as she normally did. She was laying in the corner, head low to
the ground and she barely lifted her eyes when Renee called to
her. "What's the matter, girl?" asked Renee.
It had been about a week since she'd last seen Sady. Now, the
dog had a swollen tummy and she appeared very weak and tired.
Sady staggered to her feet and slowly walked to greet Renee. Her
tail wasn't wagging as much, and Renee could clearly see
hipbones sticking out on the large dog. "Come here, Sady," she
called to her, "it's okay girl," she pulled a half-eaten pecan
log from her pocket, "here, girl. Gotta treat for you."
Sady peered through the mesh at Renee. Sadly, Renee stroked the
sweet dog through the fence while Sady hungrily ate the pecan
log. "Pa says I can't have you, Sady. But one day, when I'm big,
I'll come and get you girl," she whispered.
Before too long, it had gotten dark and Renee knew she had to
get home. When she arrived back at the house, Pa told her,
"Renee, ya really need to try to stay home more often and work
on your homework," he paused, "you're always off with that dawg
in the woods and I don't ever see ya workin' on school papers."
Renee nodded her head, "I know, Pa...it's just that..." she
started.
"I know ya love that dawg, Renee, but schoolin' comes first," he
ended.
Knowing that she wasn't going to get her way much longer with
going to see Sady, Renee stayed more at home but still made
weekend trips to the riverside nearby Sady's kennel. Each time
she'd see her, Sady seemed weaker and sicker. What kind of
people could do this to such a lovable, huggable girl? Renee
thought to herself.
On Christmas Day, the first snow was blanketing the grounds
around Renee's house. Though money was tight and there wasn't
enough for any presents, she got Pa to come outside with her to
build a snowman. After about an hour of playing and laughing in
the snowdrifts, Renee had a terrible, horrible thought, `what
had become of poor Sady?" she thought aloud to herself. Here she
was having a wonderful time playing outside in the snow, but
Sady would be all by herself with little shelter from the bitter
cold.
Suddenly, Renee turned to Pa, and she said, "Can I go and see
Sady just for a few minutes, Pa?"
Pa winked his eye at Renee, "yep...," he smiled, "but take that
old pack of bologna from the fridge with ya when ya go. Gotta
get rid of that old stuff, ya know."
Renee forced a grin and ran to grab the newly opened pack of
bologna from the fridge and trotted down to Sady's pen. As she
neared the bend where Sady lived, she noticed that there were
some grown men standing around the mesh wire. Hiding behind the
bushed, she could faintly hear them speaking.
"I told ya to get rid of that stupid dawg," said one.
"Yep," said the other placing his hands on his hips, "now what
ya gonna do?" he added.
There was a bustle in the back of the pen, but Renee couldn't
see what was happening. Her heart sunk. She knew for sure that
something terrible had happened, but what?
At about that time, Pa walked up behind Renee and startled her,
"what'r ya doin?" asked Pa.
"Oh-my-gosh!" she gulped, "what'r you doing here, Pa?"
"I came to see the fabulous Sady you always talk about. Why'r ya
hidin' `hind the bushes?" he asked.
"There are people there Pa. I ain't never seen them before."
Pa stroked the whiskers on his chin, "...hmmm..." he pondered,
"well, let's go on home then."
Renee reluctantly began to walk away, but she stopped, "Pa, let
me stay just a few more minutes. Maybe they'll leave and I can
go and see her again?" she pleaded.
Pa answered, "okay - but just a few more minute, ya hear?" Pa
walked back home. Renee waited about