Four-paw Hug

Four-paw Hug(Tom Di Roma) Four-Paw Hug
Sally and her mother had always been exceptionally close. So close, in fact, that when her mother died, Sally descended into a depression so deep that, for a week, she barely got out of bed or ate a meal.
By the end of the week, she finally decided it was time to continue with her life. So, the first thing she did was collect her dog, Maxwell, from the kennel where she had left him after her mother’s passing.
Depositing Maxwell, who was a three-year old white Maltese, in the back seat of her car, she headed for a nearby Starbucks, then drove to the local Albertson’s for some groceries. Next, and even though she did not feel quite up to it, she went to pick up her mother’s ashes.
Since she hadn’t chosen an urn yet and knowing that her mother had always liked colorful things, Sally decided to head for Kelly’s Treasures—a Goodwill-type store that sold various items: clothing, knick-knacks, food stuff, furniture, memorabilia, and more. Maybe she could find something there.
Leaving Maxwell in the car with the windows cracked, Sally went into Kelly’s Treasures and began searching the aisles.
Passing by the racks of donated clothes, she headed for the home goods section in the back of the store. There, she spotted a stubby teapot painted white and decorated with numerous colored poke-a-dots. It even had its porcelain cap. Perfect, she thought!
But just as she was about to pick up the teapot, she heard a voice inside her head say, “No, no, no, not that ugly thing, please!”
Startled, Sally looked around. Since no one else in the store seemed surprised, she figured it must have been only inside her head she heard the voce, which was why she smiled; she was positive she knew who it belonged to.
Sending a silent question to the voice, she asked, Mom, Is that you?
Sally had always believed that under certain circumstances, those who passed could sometimes communicate with the living and vise-versa.
“Yes, it’s me,” replied her mother’s voice.
Happy but confused, she asked another silent question. Are you saying you don’t want me to choose this teapot?
“Precisely!”
But mom, Sally continued, you’ve always liked colorful things!
“Yes, but not this time. I want you to think outside the box. Find something else besides that ugly teapot!”
So, Sally continued to explore the rest of the store.
Eventually, she came to the section that displayed memorabilia from various time periods. As she scanned the shelves, Sally thought of her father who had spent years collecting items from various decades. He had had a cellar full of toys from the fifties, sixties, and seventies; forty-five records from the same periods; racks of costumes once worn by actors and actresses; black-light posters; even military items from WWII and Vietnam.
And that’s when she saw it—an ammunition box from which war she did not know. Someone had painted it a bright forest green. But what intrigued her the most was the fact that a coin slot had been cut into the metal top. Obviously, the box had once been used as a piggybank, but by whom—the daughter of a veteran?
As she reached for the metal box, she heard her mother’s voice again. “Now, you’re thinking outside the box!” Smiling, Sally picked up the container and headed for the front of the store.
She was amazed that it cost only a couple of dollars, but what she saw when she got to her car, amazed her even more.
A lump grew in her throat as hot moisture stung the back of her eyes. Staring through the window, what she saw warmed her heart and sent tingles up and down her spine. On the front passenger seat where she had left the cardboard box containing her mother’s ashes, was her dog, Maxwell, lying on his side with all four of his paws wrapped lovingly around her mother’s remains.
As she climbed into the car, Sally ruffled Maxwell’s fur, saying out loud, “I guess you miss mom, too.” Then after wiping her eyes and placing the bag containing the ammunition box on the passenger side floor, she started the car and began to drive away.
While heading home, she spoke out loud once again, “I’ve decided to put your ashes on the shelf in my room next to the TV. That way when Maxwell watches TV with me, he’ll see you, too. How’s that?”
“Perfect!” replied her mother’s voice.