A Lowcountry Christmas by Mary Alice Monroe

Author:Mary Alice Monroe
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Gallery Books

Two days later, I was sitting in an overstuffed chair in the living room, clean shaven, showered, wearing a freshly ironed shirt and polished shoes, waiting for my meeting with my dog. I took great care dressing for this meeting, as I would for any first date. After all, this was the beginning of a new relationship in my life, arguably one of the most important.

While in the hospital I’d met a guy who had a service dog, and he swore that dog saved his life. He told me how one night he had picked up the phone and was either going to call the suicide prevention hotline or Pets for Vets. He called Pets for Vets. I wasn’t a doctor, but I knew I needed more help than I was getting from pills. So I took the card he gave me and when I was discharged from the hospital I applied for a service dog. Clarissa came out to my apartment to interview me a week later. She told me she needed to learn more about me, my personality, my wants and needs, to get a picture of the dog she would find for me in a shelter.

“Sort of like match.com?” I’d asked her.

She’d laughed but she didn’t deny it.

“The way I look at it, you and the dog save each other. It’s win-win.”

Her questions were exhausting but thorough. I didn’t care what the dog looked like—white, black, big, small, male, female. I just wanted a smart dog with a big heart.

So here I was, waiting for Clarissa’s arrival, only this time she was coming with the dog she’d matched with me. I had my doubts she’d find the perfect dog for me. It seemed too good to be true that a dog could change my life. But I’d already tried so many different therapies. I was running out of options.

Clarissa had agreed to come today, Friday, so that Miller would be in school when the dog arrived. I was worried how Miller would react to my getting a dog. What with how much he pined for a dog of his own. Would he understand what a service dog was compared to a pet? Could he understand that I didn’t just want this dog, I needed this dog? He was only ten years old. I didn’t think he would.

The doorbell rang and my whole body tensed. I clenched my knees and forced myself to keep my feet planted on the floor and remain seated, which is what Clarissa had instructed me to do. From my chair I heard the door open, the high-pitched sound of greetings, then my mother and Clarissa sharing pleasantries. It was hard not to get up, but discipline prevailed. I counted to ten slowly, calming myself. A moment later my mother came in, her eyes glittering with excitement. She told me she was instructed to put the blindfold over my eyes. I knew this was part of the process. I could’ve just closed my eyes, but I went along with the blindfold.

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