A Dog Named Snowy
A Love Story
Of course it was snowing; why wouldn’t it be. This sets the stage for two things, number one: snow play and fun winter recreation; the other: the drudgery of having to try to get to work. Snow chains, 4-wheel drive and worst of all…inexperienced drivers, which seems like the only thing they can do right is make profane hand gestures.
One inch of wet snow leads to two or three then the temperature drops, and the snow becomes soft and powdery. It’s doing a fabulous job of turning those first few inches into ice; hidden ice, which makes even the most respectful winter driver slip and slide.
This winters folly, foretells another challenging Christmas. “Shopping and dropping.” Not likely going to workout as planned. The news gal on the car radio. Another foreteller— almost gleefully, and matching the spirit of the holiday season announcing; “Folks, this is going to be another storm for the record books.”
The windshield wipers no longer keep up, it’s becoming a frantic race to see who is going to win. The rapid falling snow or the powerful wiper blades pushing it too and fro. Sadly the wiper blades are losing the race, it’s time to pull the car over to the side of the street. The only light seems to be the various shop signs that say “Closed”. Those bright red ones that most small shops and restaurants buy at the big club stores. Adding to the winter drama and making me think of the red colors of Christmas. One of the stores facades seemed particularly bright and luminescent . It looked like it was open. I don’t see anyone moving around. At least I’m not sure, the side windows in the car were pretty much fogged over.
It’s a pet store. I was actually kinda hoping it was a liquor store. Maybe it’s time to get out of the car and go inside.
Trudging through the untrudgable snow, it really wasn’t that bad, but I was wearing street shoes not really appropriate for this kind of weather. I made it to the door and pushed it open. A funky coiled bellringer was attached to the inside top of the door, something you don’t really see anymore. The store was surprisingly large with old and new fixtures. It kind of reminded me of when people buy a brand-new piece of furniture and set it in the middle of the room full of old furniture and calling it eclectic. Even the light fixtures on the ceiling were mismatched, bare light bulbs found a home alongside of long fluorescent tubes; although I have to admit it did create a pleasing light throughout the store.
I could hear movement back in the corner of the store and along with it came someone calling out “I’ll be with you in a moment.” I decided to walk in the direction of that voice. On one of those old-style, three step ladders stood a woman teetering at the top step wearing high heels. It looked dangerous to me, and quite frankly I was surprised that she could maintain her balance. I expected to find a pet store— proper old gentleman with a soiled apron, the denim kind with telltale signs of various cage cleanings. Nope, to my eyes, a rather attractive lady was perched on that ladder adding to the overall scene, she was wearing a rather sensual skirt and what appeared to be a fairly tight sweater that enhanced her shapely figure.
Considering the overall ambience, I felt like I was in a Humphrey Bogart movie and she was the dame— to use the term from that period, a skirt, a rather attractive one at that; but she was no Lauren Bacall, which just suited me fine; never liked a tall skinny woman. She came down off the ladder. I offered to help to ensure her safety but she quickly, said “No… I’m okay, I do this all the time.” She was wearing a name tag that said “Lois”. I thought to myself; she did not look like a Lois to me, but I decided to use it to start the conversation. She gave me little half giggle and said, “Oh my name is not Lois, it’s Lillian.” “Lois works during the day, I work mostly the evenings . I forgot my name tag so I grabbed hers, both start with an L and I figured it was better than being called hey miss.” She delivered that line in a most coquettish way. I was smitten! She had dark hair and big brown eyes. It couldn’t get any better than that in my way of thinking.
“Well Mr.” she paused— and looked at me dead in the eye, waiting for me to respond with a name. I wanted to say Rick, still thinking about Humphrey Bogart, and she did look a bit like Ingrid Bergman; at least in my imagination. “Jake… Jake is my name.”
“Jake what?” she responded, which I actually thought was a bit forward, but this wasn’t the 40’s and now in the late 70’s women were much more aggressive. “Stevenson… my name is Jake Stevenson.”
“So Mr. Jake Stevenson— what brings you into a pet store, Christmas Eve, in the middle of a snowstorm?”
“Well I’m not looking for a pet,” I responded somewhat gruffly. “I pulled my car over to the curb and stopped, hoping the snow would quit coming down so I could see the road and head home.”
She walked over to me somewhat seductively and said— “Well, Mr. Jake Stevenson, you’re not leaving here without a pet. You don’t look like the kind of guy who would want a pet bird or for that matter a reptile.” Again she looked me straight in the eyes, with her big brown eyes and said: “You need a dog.”
“Oh no I don’t,” I quickly responded. “I don’t have a family… and I certainly do not need a pet.”
“I thought so,” she responded.
“You thought what,” I blurted out aggressively and assertively.
“The way you have been looking at me; if you were a married man, your wife would be in trouble.”
That comment, she made, embarrassed me. I did not want to come across as some kind of lechery guy. I disdain those kind of men. She did seem to make light of it, I really couldn’t tell if she was flirting with me or just trying to get me to buy something. “You need a dog.” “Again, no I don’t!”
I know I was acting a bit irritable… The weather, the driving conditions, the cold, and probably most of all asking myself; what am I doing in a pet store on Christmas Eve?
Lillian looked at me intently: “Follow me.” I did most reluctantly. I knew we must be heading to one of those restrictive little cages, that most likely held a dog. A dog with big brown eyes, desperately wanting a home. Within a matter of seconds she led me to precisely that cage. Interestingly, there were no other dogs in the store, but just this one. Lillian knew her business all too well, and she had obviously sized me up the minute I walked in the door. “Meet your new lifelong pal.” I had to admit this dog, although looking a bit forlorn, connected with me somehow. “His name is Snowy, really kind of fits with what’s going on outside.”
I have no one to give a dog to, I know it’s Christmas Eve, but I don’t need a present… especially a four-legged one.”
“This is a present for you,” she said with just about the sweetest smile I’ve ever seen on a woman.
“What do you mean by a present?”
“Snowy is my gift to you on this Christmas Eve.” Lillian; most proudly announced. “I have no one at home to share Christmas with, and I am a very long way from my family.” While that line gave me a bit of a lump in my throat.
“Is that why you’re working this late at night in a pet store?” I asked.
Lillian replied, “I’m happy to say yes.”
“I would think you would be somewhat melancholy Lillian.”
“I was… until you walked in the store, Mr. Jake Stevenson.” I loved the way she said my name and the way she repeated it.
Lillian. I loved saying her name, it felt quite comfortable. Her name was endearing to me because when I was a kid growing up, there was a neighbor woman called Lillian Tiger, who used to bake all kinds of goodies. She actually was a baker for a major Hollywood studio, knew all the celebrities, and boy could she create some wonderful treats.
Lillian by now had unlocked Snowy’s metal cage gate. Reluctantly the dog came out into the aisle. “Meet your new owner Snowy, he’s going to take you and give you a good home and lots of love.”
Well: that made me really uncomfortable, she said it was such passion in her heart that I could feel it. I realized the polite thing to do was to greet the dog, so I squatted down so we could see each other face-to-face. Of course it had to have big brown eyes, not as charming as Lillian’s, but certainly captivating in a canine way. I looked up at Lillian as she watched Snowy and I. Her expression made me even more enamored with her and now I started to feel a real kinship with this dog. I couldn’t say Lillian was doing a sales job on me because, after all she was giving me the dog. I reached out to Snowy, as soon as I touched that dog— something happened. I can’t say it was magical, but all the sudden that dog was looking right into my heart. I’ve always read that dogs are quite intuitive, and have a sixth sense. After Snowy did his dog thing by smelling my hand, he moved quite close. I understood it was time for me to start the physical petting. The more I touch this dog, the greater I felt a kinship. I looked up at Lillian, she had one of those smiles on her face, that just said, everything was going to be perfectly fine and all right for both Snowy and me. My attention left the dog and I looked at beautiful Lillian. I realized she was a very special lady. I think I fell in love with her right along with Snowy the dog.
Stay tuned Part 2 of the story —
