Head cocked to the right, Jake waited impatiently as I read the article he had slipped in front of me. Having been born with microtia, Jakeβs right ear was very small and malformed with significantly decreased hearingβ¦..just like his idol Paul Stanley from KISSβ¦.so tilting his head to one side for better hearing was second nature.
βMom, can we goβ¦.PLEASE?β he pleaded. βThe article says 50 dogs and cats will be euthanized next week unless theyβre adopted. Please, Mom! Iβve wanted a dog forever! If I can get a dog for Christmas, I’ll never ask you for another thing for the rest of my life!!β
I slid my glasses down my nose and raised my eyebrows questioningly. “That’s a really long time, Jake! Iβll tell you what. Todayβs Wednesday. If you finish that book report and clean your room by Saturday, then we have a deal.β
βReally?? I swear I will, Mom!β Jake threw his arms around my neck. βI canβt wait until Saturday!β I couldnβt help laughing at his unbridled excitement.
Saturday finally arrived and Jake was true to his word. His report was done and his room was clean. He even found an old frame in the basement for his favorite KISS poster.
So I was true to MY word, too. We got to the shelter early and looked around, stopping at all the cages. After a while, I lost sight of Jake. I called out to him and got an “Over here, Mom!” in response. I finally spotted him in the corner, bending down and staring into a cage. There werenβt any other people hanging around that section and I wondered what type of dog caught Jakeβs eye. I was surprised to see it wasnβt a dog but two tiny grey kittens.
βHey, buddy, whatβs up? I thought you wanted to get a dog. Did you change your mind?β
Jake looked up at me, his big brown eyes brimming with tears. βMom,β he whispered. βCome look. These are special cats!β Bending down to take a look, I thought βwhat could be so special about a cat?β My question was answered when I looked in the cage; I gasped slightly at what I saw.
βAh, I see an introduction is necessaryβ said one of the shelter volunteers. βThese are our Scottish Folds. No one wants these little guys because of their folded ears. Everyone thinks thereβs something wrong with them but thatβs just the way God made them.β
βMom, theyβre just like me! I love them. Can we take them home, please?β
βWe sure can, buddyβ I managed to choke out. βWhat are you going to name them?β
βThatβs easy.β Jake smiled up at me. βPaul and Stanley.β
NAR Β© 2017
The Elephant's Trunk 