Stray Dog Christmas

    Jimmy Bradshaw almost laughed at the absurdity and irony of it all and would have except for another booted kick to his ribs, causing him to double over and cover his head with his arms. He coughed painfully and rolled away from the boys beating the living tarnation out of him, spitting phlegm and blood onto the alley pavement. Amateurs, he thought, drooling more blood from his split lip. They were young, bored teenagers from the poor neighborhood, not tough enough yet to go up against the real hard guys who ran the rotting, decaying development that they all lived in. But Jimmy had seen his share of pain many times and knew that he should probably already be dead. His luck should have run out in the Tet Offensive and only a passing Marine reconnaissance squad had kept him and his buddies from death’s door that day. Two Purple Hearts, a Silver Star, no he was no stranger to pain, blood and agony, both physical and emotional. These guys were children compared to what he’d seen. Didn’t mean they couldn’t put a hurt on him and he had to give them credit for trying their best.

    They left him unconscious, bleeding and after a farewell couple of kicks they took his jacket, his old watch, his wallet and his shoes and walked off laughing as they pulled two one dollar bills from his worn wallet.

    Jimmy tried to come back to consciousness but only vague blurry images formed in front of him. Two big brown eyes gazed at him, very close to his face, warm breath a faint cloud over him. Who was that, he wondered to himself, groaning before lapsing back into darkness. Had the Viet Cong finally come for him? He didn’t care that much, and a mindless idiom from that time came to him. “Don’t mean nothin’,” he thought and passed out again

    The big dog had lain hidden among a heap of trash bags halfway down the alley. He had been scavenging the area, starving, cold and determined to never let humans again get control of him. He had known nothing but pain and misery at their hands.

He watched silently as the young humans beat the old one senseless. He knew by their scent that they were mindless, cruel, insensitive. He remained motionless until they left, not a little bit of rage straining to unleash itself upon them, but he was afraid as well as angry. So he sat, for a long time before slowly rising from the trash heap and approaching the old one on the ground. He could sense that the man was alive, and the smell of blood almost made him bolt, but something primal made him nose at the man. 

    As the dog lowered his head, the man moved his hand, brushing the dog’s head softly, murmuring to himself and then drifted away again. It was but a glancing, soft, tiny touch but it stopped the dog in his tracks. Perhaps it stirred some long forgotten memory of when the dog had been treated better, had been loved by a family, fed regularly and not made to fight for survival and food. The dog paused, staring intently at the unconscious man, not daring to move. For minutes the dog stared, thinking, trying to remember and suddenly making a decision. 

He glanced up and down the alley, the sky turning black as nightfall descended, most people long gone from the deteriorating neighborhood. He whined once, circled a few times and lay down with the top part of his body and head across the old man. Perhaps if they warmed each other they could both make it through the night

    Jimmy groaned and tried to open his eyes but they were crusted shut with dried blood. Pain flooded every part of his body from his teeth to his toes, a heavy weight pressing on his chest keeping him from moving more than a weak wave with one bruised hand. The weight suddenly lifted from his torso and he clawed at his eyes, his whole body shivering with cold. As his vision cleared he shifted his weight to partially lean against the back alley dumpster beside him. Still dark, he didn’t immediately notice the big dog sitting calmly a few feet away from him, his sad eyes staring at Jimmy almost nonchalantly.

    “Whoa,” said Jimmy, unsure of the animal, eyeing him carefully. A moment of fear passed through him but he put it aside as the dog merely sat watching him. It took a minute for Jimmy to understand that the dog had been laying on him, keeping him, keeping them both from freezing to death. He shook his head in wonder as he pulled himself up a bit more against the dumpster.

The dog, big and brindle colored, stood, shook himself and walked a few feet away to relieve himself against the alley wall. Jimmy noticed that the dog’s head was covered with scars that stretched down his neck and onto his back.

    “Looks like someone put some hurt on you too, big fella’,” muttered Jimmy watching as the dog returned to sit across from him. Pain ignited throughout his body as Jimmy pulled himself upright, pausing to lean heavily against the dumpster. Cursing under his breath, he managed to stand, his body wobbling, shaking against the pain and cold. 

    “Gotta get outa’ this cold,” he whispered hoarsely to himself. After a moment he felt steady enough to walk and turned toward the alley opening and the sidewalk beyond. After a few steps forward he stopped and turned to the big dog. “You comin’?” he asked, patting the side of his leg.

The dog sat for a moment, staring intently at Jimmy’s face. Seeming to finally make a decision, he lumbered heavily to his feet and walked forward to fall in beside Jimmy. Together, they left the alley and walked slowly toward the rising sun coming up over the frosty sidewalk that led to Jimmy’s tiny apartment.

    Luckily, the weather hadn’t yet turned seriously cold. Even though Jimmy lived in the Mid-Atlantic region, winter could still be a hardship, and it being only two days before Christmas he felt lucky that the temperatures hadn’t brought any devastating weather to the area. He didn’t own a winter coat, barely getting by with a couple of old sweaters and his light jacket, and even that was gone now.  But, he had a little food, his rent was paid and so far he was still in pretty good health for being retired and living on the fixed income he relied on. At least until the greedy government politicians decided that they wanted the Social Security payments for themselves.

    They made it back to Jimmy’s apartment, both shivering violently from the cold and went inside. Jimmy flicked on the heat, the lights and turned to see the big dog standing in the doorway.

    “C’mon in, big guy. We both need to warm up,” he said, rubbing his arms vigorously. He patted his leg again and was relieved to see the dog respond by walking slowly, deliberately into the apartment. Jimmy shut the door and still shaking, went into the kitchen. He grabbed two mismatched salad bowls that cost him a quarter each at the local Goodwill store. He filled one with water and the other with two hotdogs that he cut into pieces, setting both bowls down in front of the refrigerator. 

    “Don’t have much in the house right now so this’ll have to do for a while,” he said, looking at the dogs, soft sad eyes. He turned to pull one of his old blankets from the worn couch where he usually slept and put it on the floor next to the old radiator. “Best I can do for you, but you’re welcome to it,” he said softly.

    He left the dog sitting by the door and went in to the bathroom and got in the shower. He stood under the shower, grateful that the building super, Ernesto, did a good job of keeping the hot water working. Afterwards, he dried himself, changed into a clean t-shirt and some sweat pants and went into the little living room. The dog was lying on the blanket that he had placed on the floor, sound asleep. Jimmy noticed that both bowls were empty, glad that at least he had given the dog a little bit of nourishment. He’d get some better stuff tomorrow he thought. Better talk to Ernesto first, he thought. He wasn’t sure about animals being allowed here, but first he needed to rest. He plopped down on the couch and two minutes later he was sound asleep himself. Across the room, the dog opened one eye to watch the man. Sleep sounds came from him and in some way the dog found those sounds comforting. There were many smells that he wanted to investigate in the little apartment but he was too tired to lift himself up. Soon, sleep overtook him again and not even the muffled sounds of people and traffic that came through the thin walls could wake him.

    Hours later, Jimmy groaned as he came awake, every muscle and joint in his body aching and on fire. He cursed silently to himself as he struggled to sit up, the effort exhausting him as he fell back into the old couch cushions. He eyed the big dog who sat silently watching him from the old blanket in front of the radiator as if he hadn’t moved at all since first lying down.

Jimmy sat for a moment, trying to gather himself, the pain not easing one bit, thinking that today was going to be a rough one. Just as he was able to stand up, he heard a soft knock at his door. He recognized the softness of the knock and groaned a loud, “C’mon in, Ava.”

Jimmy wobbled a bit as he stood, holding on to the back of the couch to keep from falling over. Getting old sucked badly enough, and getting the snot kicked out of you when you were old sucked worse.

  “Mr. Jimmy!” exclaimed the twelve year old girl as she closed the apartment door behind her. She held a couple of plastic lidded bowls in her hands that she sat on the counter before she rushed to Jimmy’s side. The girl grabbed Jimmy around the waist as she guided him back onto the couch.                                              “What happened, Mr. Jimmy? Who did this to you?” she wailed softly. Just as Jimmy dropped back onto the couch, she paused, her eyes getting big as she spied the big dog who still sat quietly on his blanket.

    “A dog!” she pointed, “Who’s…I mean, what’s…where did he come from?” she questioned softly. She was a smart kid, not trying to approach the dog, just standing and looking. She looked at the dog’s big head, the scars that peppered his neck and back, his quiet demeanor and then at Jimmy who huffed a little at the pain in his body. She turned again to the dog and shook her head, “You two look like you belong together.”

      Jimmy said nothing, only groaned again.

     “Mama sent some stew and tortillas for you. Papa said he’d see you later. He said he has some good news to tell you. They’re going to be very upset when they see you like this. I’ll ask Mama if she has any of the dogfood that Mr. Arenas left when he moved out. I better go now, almost time for school.” 

    “Thank you, Ava. Tell your mom “thank you” for me, too. Don’t worry your Dad about this, okay. I’ll see him tonight, explain it to him. Got a few questions for him.”

    “Okay, Mr. Jimmy,” said the girl, pausing at the door. “I like your dog,” she said glancing at the giant animal still lying quietly on the blanket.

    “Yeah,” groaned Jimmy, “I like him, too.”

                                                                    2

    It was a struggle but Jimmy finally gathered enough strength to pull on his pants and shoes to let the big dog out. Jimmy opened his door and walked to the apartment building entryway and let the door swing open while he watched to see what the big dog would do. But, the dog simply went out, did his business and walked back into the building as if he had always lived there, following Jimmy back to the apartment. He sat quietly as he watched Jimmy heat up the stew and tortillas that Ava’s mom who was Ernesto’s wife had sent down. He shared the food with the big dog, dividing it evenly only putting a bit of hot sauce on his own portion.

    “Hope Ava’s mom has some of that dog food left over for you, big boy,” muttered Jimmy in the dog’s direction, “because I don’t think I can even make that walk to the store. Don’t think I could take another beat down like that for a while.”

    The big dog listened attentively as Jimmy talked and then promptly yawned and walked into the kitchen to drink his salad bowl of water dry and clumped to his blanket, dropping heavily onto it.

    “Yeah, got the same idea,” whispered Jimmy to the dog. He set his plate on the second-hand coffee table and bunching a pillow under his head and was back asleep in minutes.

For the second time that day, a knock at his door woke Jimmy from his slumber. It took a second for him to come fully awake before groaning another loud, “C’mon in!”

    “Madre de Dios, mi Amigo! What happened to you?,” asked Ernesto, walking into the tiny apartment, carrying two big bags in his arms. He set them on the kitchen counter and rushed to Jimmy’s side, one eye on the big dog and the other worriedly appraising Jimmy’s battered body.

   “Ran into a truck,” muttered Jimmy painfully, sitting gingerly back down on the couch.

“Looks like you ran into more than one, Amigo. Bunch of those punks hanging out by the liquor store?”

    Jimmy said nothing and Ernesto turned to stare at the big dog who sat quietly on his blanket and stared back.

    “Ava said you had a dog that looked like you. I see what she meant, now. Looks like that truck has been busy.”

    “Think he might have saved my life. He was lying on top of me when I finally came to, probably to keep warm. Couldn’t leave him there. Any problem with having him here?” asked Jimmy, fighting a pounding headache that was starting to come on.

    “Well, Mr. Arenas had a dog. Couple of cats up in 203. Ava’s got a goldfish. The owner hasn’t specified anything in the lease agreements, so for now, let’s let it ride.”

Jimmy nodded. “Your wonderful wife sent me some damn fine tasting stew. We both loved it,” he said, nodding at the dog. “It was a lifesaver because I don’t think I could have made it back to the store today. I’ll thank her later, if I can get myself off of this damn couch.”

    “No worries, Amigo. Maria likes to feed all of the strays in the neighborhood,” said Ernesto, grinning. He moved into the kitchen and started pulling things from the bags. “She sent the dog food Mr. Arenas left and some other things she thought you might need, some crackers, canned soups, bread and stuff. Stuff you gringos like to eat. Stuff from the church pantry. And, she’s expecting you for dinner tonight and Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Don’t bother to make any excuses. You know how she is,” reminded Ernesto.

    Jimmy nodded silently, holding his head. He leaned back, listening to his friend drone on, glad at least to have a few people who gave a whit about him. Couldn’t ask for more than that, could you? He drifted again, and as he stared at the big dog’s soft, sad eyes he fell back asleep. 

Ernesto put the bagged groceries on the counter and stood for a moment watching both the dog and his friend. After a pause, he filled the bowls that Jimmy was obviously using for the dog with water and some of the dogfood that he had brought with him. The dog watched silently but made no move to approach the bowls. Ernesto slipped quietly out of the apartment shutting the door behind him, shaking his head in wonder at his friend. 

    The dog sat quietly, listening to the man on the couch and then dropped his big head to his paws and slept again as well. Outside, the cold weather finally made it’s way into the area and the Christmas season got it’s first dusting of snow.

    It was late afternoon, almost dark when Jimmy woke again. His headache was gone thankfully, and the pain in the rest of his body seemed to have lessened somewhat. He still gave a groan when he rose to a sitting position on his couch, stretching carefully and deciding that he had to get up and keep moving before his muscles froze in their painful, contracted position. 

    Rubbing a hand through his short cut hair, he noticed the dog looking at him from his blanket. “I’m guessing you probably need to go out again?” asked Jimmy softly. The dog rose as Jimmy got up to slip into his shoes and an old Army jacket that was the only other jacket that he owned. They completed the dog’s bathroom routine and came back into the apartment quickly, neither of them too excited by the dropping temperatures and the oncoming night. Jimmy noticed the dog’s bowls were full and watched as the dog stuck his nose in both, leaving them empty in fairly short order. 

Jimmy went in the bathroom to wash his face and shave and finding a clean shirt, returned to find the dog back on his blanket, licking his paws and resting comfortably.
 “Made yourself right at home, eh?” said Jimmy, again sitting on the couch, searching for the remote for his small T.V. “Well, you’re welcome to it, big fella’. Kinda’ nice to have the company. Guess we can watch each other’s back, eh?”

    The dog laid his head on his paws and seemed to watch the news as Jimmy did. Moving slowly, Jimmy made himself a cup of instant coffee and filled the dog’s bowls again, not really sure how much he should be feeding the animal, but not liking that he could plainly see the dog’s ribs. He returned to the couch and flicked through the channels and settling on “It’s a Wonderful Life,” rerun, sipped at his coffee and looked more carefully at the dog. Again, he noted the scars, the quiet demeanor and the soft, sad eyes. 

    “As long as I can manage it my friend, you have a home with me. No more street living and…whatever…for you. We’ll face what comes together. That be okay with you?” The dog watched his face intently as he talked but made no move, evidently content to stay comfortable on his blanket.

    “Good, then. It’s a deal,” said Jimmy. He finished his coffee, set his cup on the old coffee table and settled back to relax. He knew that he would be summoned to dinner at Ernesto’s soon, but as he listened to the low volume on the T.V. he drifted back into a light sleep. He didn’t fight it because he knew the body heals itself better during sleep. And, at his age, he needed a lot of healing.

Ava knocked on the door a little bit later, opened it on her own and came in to sit on the couch with Jimmy. He sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and suffered through a painful stretch as he yawned.

    “Mama says come up,” said the little girl softly. “You can bring the dog too, if you want. I told her it was a good dog, just big and…rough looking. Like you, Mr. Jimmy,” grinned the child, putting a hand on Jimmy’s shoulder.

    “Well, I guess that’s okay. Not sure about leaving him alone in the apartment. Best I keep an eye on him,” shrugged Jimmy. “But, I sure am hungry and your mom is the best cook I ever met.”

    “Everybody says that,” agreed Ava. 

    “I’m sure they do,” said Jimmy rising from the couch, “because its true.”

The dog seemed to understand when Jimmy patted his leg and followed them from the apartment to the small elevator that Ernesto proudly kept in working order.

   “Does he have a name?” asked Ava standing beside the big dog as the car rose to the second floor. She had ventured a small caress to the big dog’s head which he accepted without moving, complacently sitting beside Jimmy’s leg.

    “I wouldn’t know,” said Jimmy, “we just kind of bumped into each other last night. Didn’t have time to make any introductions.”

    “You have to call him something or else how will he know you want him to come or whatever.”

    “He seems to do what he wants,” said Jimmy, looking down at the calm animal beside him. “Besides, I don’t need him to do anything. Just like his company. He seems to like mine.”

    “I still think he needs a name,” said the girl, as they left the elevator and walked into Ernesto’s apartment. Jimmy said nothing as a blast of warm air filled with wonderful aromas of cooking met them. He noticed a slight bit of drool on the floor where the dog, sitting next to Jimmy’s leg, had lifted his head to take in the smells. Jimmy wasn’t sure if it was the dog drooling or himself, because the air was almost overwhelming with the deliciousness of baking and cooking wafting throughout the apartment.

    Maria rushed from the kitchen to gingerly hug Jimmy, standing back and shaking her head as she looked at him. She looked down at the big dog, still shaking her head and waved them both into the tiny dining room, pointing at a seat at the table. “I don’t know which of you looks the worst,” she said, still shaking her head. “I think maybe some decent food might help, though,” she smiled, still holding a big stirring spoon in her hand. “Sit there, and rest Jimmy. Ernesto will be back in a minute. He took some of my tamales to Mrs. Benitez.” 

     Jimmy nodded, “Thanks, Maria. “’Preciate you having me and…this guy…up to dinner. Didn’t mean to spring an extra guest on you,” he said, picking up two cookies from a plate on the table. He handed one to the dog and bit into the other. The dog’s cookie disappeared in a spit second with barely any movement of his lips.

    “You’re both welcome, you know that. Looks like you both could use a decent meal,” said Maria from the kitchen, casting a sideways glance at them. The dog walked a few steps to settle comfortably on a small rug in front of the couch. Ava sat on the couch, legs curled under her, a laptop in her hands. She was bent over the device in rapt attention, looking up for a moment as the dog huffed at her feet.

    “He looks so sad, Mr. Jimmy. Kinda’ like you. I think he’s an angel. Do you think he’s an angel?” asked the child.

    “Might be,” said Jimmy softly, looking at the dog. “Guess angels can come in all sizes and shapes. If he is an angel, think maybe he might have lost his way. I don’t reckon I get to have an angel. Not after the life I’ve lived. Maybe I was supposed to bring him to you. Think kids and angels go together, especially at Christmas.” 

     “Angels are for everyone, Mr. Jimmy,” said Ava, softly staring at both Jimmy and the dog. “Especially at Christmas time,” said the little girl, turning back to her laptop. “I think that’s their favorite time,” she said, tapping at her keyboard. After a moment, she paused again and looked at Jimmy, “Maybe you’re his angel. I mean, he’s about to have a nice dinner because of you.” 

     Jimmy said nothing, as he gazed at the little girl. Children have such innocent, kind hearts, he thought. It made perfect sense to her all this talk about dogs and angels and such. Jimmy didn’t know angels from applesauce and hadn’t ever given it much thought but listening to little Ava made him long to be a child again, everything so simple, so believable. He sat back in his chair and closed his eyes for a moment, still tired, still weary from the past day’s events and listened to the sounds of Maria softly humming to herself as she moved about the kitchen, the dog snoring quietly, Ava tapping at her laptop. He almost felt as he had so many years ago when his own parents were preparing food in their little farmhouse kitchen. Almost. 

                                                                   3

    The next day Jimmy, still sore as the devil, pulled himself into his clothes and took the big dog out to do his business, noting that the weather was overcast with more predicted snow on the way. He shivered as they went back into his apartment, glad for the comfort of heat and shelter. He fed the dog, started some coffee and sat at his tiny counter watching the dog eat. It might have been his imagination but the dog seemed to almost be filling out a little after having been fed well for a couple of days. The dinner at Ernesto’s last night had left them both full and better fed than Jimmy suspected either of them had a right to be. As usual, Maria had sent them home with plastic tubs of leftovers that Jimmy figured might last them the week if he was careful. Ava had begged Jimmy to let the big dog stay the night and sleep with her which Jimmy had agreed to with Maria’s permission, but the big dog refused to stay and followed Jimmy out of their apartment and back to their own. 

    “Guess we’re gonna’ have to brave the world again today, old buddy,” said Jimmy to the dog as it drank from its salad water bowl. “Gotta’ at least get little Ava somethin’ for Christmas. Them folks have been mighty good to me, and you too, now. Seen her lookin’ at a couple of books at the corner store. Told Mr. Pavez to hold’em for me. See if we can get in and out of there without gettin’ our butts kicked again. Ain’t feelin’ much up to that happening today,” sighed Jimmy at the dog who was again lying on his blanket.

    He spent the next hour or so cleaning up a bit, sweeping the floor, wiping down the kitchen, making the bed, his muscles warming up and melting a bit of the soreness away. He washed the dog’s salad bowls and set them on the counter to dry and found his thickest sweater and pulled it on before getting his jacket and knit cap from the peg by the door. He patted his leg again and called to the dog who lumbered to his feet to pad quietly to Jimmy’s side. Jimmy paused for a moment thinking that he didn’t have a leash for the dog, not even sure the dog would accept it anyway and walked out of the apartment. If the dog wanted to leave, go back to the streets, Jimmy would not try to stop it. He was surprised that the dog had stayed as long as he had. But, they seemed to understand one another and Jimmy wouldn’t violate that bond, tenuous as it was, by trying to become the dogs “master.” He didn’t need to be “in charge.” But, he damn sure enjoyed the dogs company. He was pretty sure the dog liked getting fed on a regular basis. Seemed like a good deal all the way around.

    Jimmy bought the books and a few other things from Mr. Pavez’s corner store and was headed back to their apartment when he saw them. The three young punks that had beat the snot out of him two days ago. He stopped, they stopped, the dog stopped. Nothing but twenty feet and cold air between the two groups. Jimmy sighed, shifting his packages, this time determined that he would give them a little better fight than last time. Then, a funny thing happened.

    Jimmy watched as one of the punks pointed at the dog. The boy’s eyes widened and together, the three of them took a step backward. Jimmy couldn’t hear what they were saying to each other, but watched in surprise as they turned, ran the other way and disappeared down an alley. Jimmy stood still for a moment, trying to comprehend what had just happened. He looked down at the dog. The dog looked back up at him. They both stared down the now empty street before Jimmy said softly, “Ain’t sure what just happened, but I think them boys didn’t like the idea of us bein’ a team. A little tougher to tackle than just one of us alone, eh big fella’?”

    The dog replied by lifting his leg against the “No Parking” sign.

    Little Ava squealed with delight when she opened her present, the pile of books falling about her from the awkwardly wrapped package Jimmy had struggled to put together. She rushed to hug Jimmy, making him wince as she squeezed him and hurried back to her spot on the floor beside the small Christmas tree in Ernesto’s and Maria’s apartment. Maria mouthed a “thank you” to Jimmy, glad to have Ava spend some time away from her laptop and phone.

    “You shouldn’t have spent so much money, my friend,” whispered Ernesto, touching Jimmy on the shoulder as he sat on the couch beside him.

    “She’s a good kid,” said Jimmy quietly, “least I could do. Glad to see she likes books so much. Ain’t many kids that do these days.”

    “Yes, she likes to read and for this I am glad,” sighed Ernesto, looking fondly at his daughter.

    “She likes to read because she likes to learn,” murmured Jimmy. “She’s going to make you proud,” finished Jimmy, easing his still sore body back into the couch.

    “We are already proud of her,” said Ernesto, nodding at Jimmy.

    The big dog, lying easily by Ava, sniffed once at the pile of books and finding nothing of particular interest, stretched his body until he was almost lying fully underneath the tiny Christmas tree. The men laughed at him and turned their attention to the holiday parade being televised on Ernesto’s tiny TV. The delicious aromas of Maria’s cooking again filled the small apartment and for the tiniest of moments the world seemed right.

    “I’ve been waiting until you were feeling better to tell you our good news, Jimmy,” said Ernesto, turning comfortably toward his friend. “We’ve finally saved enough to buy a house up in the north part of town, where the neighborhoods are safe, a good school for Ava, plenty of room to grow. Nice shops, cafes, restaurants and people buying properties to put new businesses in. Means they’ll be a lot of work for me and my little construction company. What do you think, my friend?”

    Jimmy turned to Ernesto, his mouth hanging a bit open in surprise. He thought for a moment before saying, “That’s really fantastic, Ernesto! Really fantastic. I’m so glad for you!” Jimmy put as much enthusiasm into his words as he could. He would sorely miss this little family. Now he would be truly alone, no family, no friends and now, these wonderful people were leaving as well. 

    “I’m going to really miss you and your family, Ernesto. Really miss you,” Jimmy said, surprised at how close to tears he was. 

    “No you won’t,” said Ernesto, smiling up at Maria as she came up to place a hand on her husband’s shoulder. “Because we want you to come with us,” said Ernesto. Maria came around to sit on the couch with them, leaning forward to look Jimmy in the eyes. “You are family, Jimmy,” she said, “the only family we have in this country. You took Ernesto from the corner where he and the other trajabadores were asking for work. You taught him about construction, made him a foreman and helped him start his own company before you retired. You helped pay our hospital bills when Ava was born and you loaned Ernesto money from your savings to help him buy his tools. You are family. Ava calls you Mr. Jimmy to your face but she calls you “Uncle” in our home. You are family. There is nothing more to discuss. Now,” she said patting his arm, “come. It is Christmas Eve. The table is set and all is ready. You will say grace this evening, Jimmy. And your big dog will take his place beside you. He is family, too.”

    Later that night, back in his small apartment, Jimmy sat on the couch with only the light of the little TV casting shadows on the walls. The big dog seemed to be sleeping, stretched out on his blanket by the radiator, his giant head pointing toward where Jimmy sat. Jimmy was happy and sad at the same time; sad because he hadn’t realized how alone and he had felt and happy because he had found the big dog and because they had been welcomed into a family that he truly loved and that loved them. What a Christmas, he thought. He’d celebrated many Christmas’s in his life, put up a hundred trees, wrapped a million presents and hosted uncountable Christmas dinners but, tonight had been special. A simple dinner of homemade tamales, fresh bread and a simple stew had filled not only their stomachs but their spirits as well. Ernesto, Maria and Ava welcoming him and his big dog into their family had been the most sincere gift that he had ever received and if the true gift of Christmas was giving, then he had just been given the best blessing of the season.

     Jimmy turned the television off and stretched out on the couch, covering himself with his last thin blanket. Reflections of blinking Christmas lights outside and in the neighborhood cast oddly comforting shadows through his drawn blinds. Just before sleep claimed him he glanced at the big dog and whispered, “Merry Christmas, big guy,” and closed his eyes, for once at peace in the night.

    The big dog, hearing Jimmy’s soft speech, opened one eye and after sensing the peacefulness of the man’s breathing, sighed heavily and returned to his own slumber. Neither of them heard the soft fluttering of angel wings from somewhere on high, the sweet acknowledgement of another Christmas blessing. Somewhere, there was the softest tinkling of bells, the meaning of which I leave to others to make of it what they will. Of my own, I leave only the wishes for a very, merry Christmas. 

                                                    The end