Noodle Helps Gabriel Say Goodbye

by Caryn Rivadeneira

  “So Noodle wasn’t mad after Mr. Fusilli died?” Gabriel asked.

  “Oh, she was sad. She cried a lot—and didn’t eat well for a couple weeks,” Andrea said. “That may have been because she was mad. But with time and a lot of walks and snuggles, she got better. I’m sure she still misses him. But she found joy again. I want to show you one more thing: see that plaque?”

  Andrea pointed to a metal rectangle in the dirt.

  Gabriel moved over to read it.

  “To Antoni Fusilli. A man who loved his dog and the students at this college. He listened to our worries, told us stories, and changed our lives. His legacy lives on forever,” Gabriel read.

  “What does that mean?” Gabriel asked.

  “A legacy is like a red noodle left in your apartment,” Andrea said. “It’s a sign you were there—and that you made the world a better place. What’s your abuelo’s legacy? What signs did he leave you?”

  Gabriel looked at the buildings and took a deep breath.

  “He, he, he….” Gabriel began to cry.

  Gabriel squatted down next to me and wiped his face in my hair. I leaned into him and let him sob against me. It was good to smell the tears finally falling down his face.

  “He made me better,” Gabriel finally said.

  I slurped and slurped the tears off his face. He put his arms around my neck.

  But then, something hit my nose. A smell. I looked to The Tree to see if it came from the ground.

  Lemon. Honey.

  No, not from there.

  I put my nose into the air and sniffed. Gabriel wiped his face and looked at me.

  “What is it?” He asked.

  Lemon. Honey. Mixed with something else that was so familiar.

  Then I heard a cough.

  I looked up. I stood up. My tail wagged and wagged.

  I barked and barked and barked.

  I pulled at the end of my leash and broke free from Gabriel’s loose grip.

  “Noodle!” Andrea called after me.

  But I couldn’t stop.

  He looked like a man now. But I would know him anywhere. That was Jimmy. That was my boy Jimmy.

  CHAPTER 8

  Jimmy stopped as I ran toward him. He bent down to greet me.

  “I used to have a dog just like you,” he said. “You look just like my Curly.”

  “Really?” said Nate, who was standing next to Jimmy. “Because her name is Curly Noodle.”

  Jimmy froze. He held my head in his hands.

  “Is it you? Is it really you?” He said.

  I licked him and licked him and leapt and crawled all over him. We wrestled in the grass like old times. Jimmy laughed and coughed.

  “I am so sorry!” Andrea said. She ran to catch up. “Noodle, sit!”

  I sat. But my butt shook and wiggled.

  “She knows better than to act like this with her vest on,” Andrea said.

  “It’s okay,” Jimmy said as he stood up to greet everyone.

  “It’s really not okay,” Andrea said. She breathed in and out. “She’s a Helper Hound. She should not…”

  “Andrea,” Nate said. “This is Jimmy. Noodle’s first boy.”

  “You’re the one with allergies?” Gabriel asked.

  Jimmy laughed. “Yes, well,” he said. “How did you know?”

  “Long story,” Andrea said. “I can’t believe you’re here. Are you visiting North Branch?”

  “I am,” Jimmy said. “Nate is giving me a tour of the campus. But what is Curly doing here?

  “She’s my dog,” Andrea said. “We live here.”

  Jimmy took a deep breath and hugged me. I jumped and jumped and slurped and slurped.

  “I can’t believe this,” he said. Jimmy sat on the ground. I sat on him.

  “I was so mad at Mom after you left,” Jimmy said. “I didn’t talk to her for a week! Then, I’d find your silly red hairs in the craziest places. I’d get so sad. Every night I’d pray that some day I’d see you again. I rode my bike to the shelter one day. They said an older man adopted you—and that he lived near North Branch. That’s how I first learned about the school. I’ve wanted to go to college here since I was 12!”

  Andrea laughed and wiped the tears that streamed down her face.

  “This is a miracle,” Abuela said. “A sign.”

  Gabriel nodded slowly and reached down to pet me.

  “So,” Jimmy asked, “Are you her boy now?”

  Gabriel shook his head.

  “I just met Noodle today. My grandpa died and she’s helping me.”

  Jimmy shook his head.

  “I’m sorry, man,” he said. “My grandpa died last year. Stinks. I still miss him.”

  “Me too,” Gabriel said. “Do you ever feel mad?”

  “Sometimes,” Jimmy said. “Like, I’m mad I can’t tell him about looking at college. But more sad than mad. You know? My grandpa would go nuts about this story. He’d be so happy to know I found Curly—err—Noodle.”

  “My abuelo loved to rescue people and animals,” Gabriel said. “And he loved when family was together. He’d love this story too.”

  “I bet Mr. Fusilli, your abuelo, and my grandpa are together somewhere watching us,” Jimmy said. “They’re probably laughing and …”

  “… and smoking cigars,” Gabriel said.

  Jimmy laughed.

  “My grandpa smoked a cigar too!” Jimmy said. “It’s terrible. Turns out, THAT was what I was allergic too. Not Noodle! Never smoke, kid, okay?”

  Gabriel nodded and sat down next to me.

  Thunder rumbled in the distance. We all looked up to the sky. Dark clouds blew across it.

  “Looks like a storm,” Isabel said.

  “Or Abuelo’s cigar smoke…” Gabriel said with a smile. Jimmy laughed.

  “See?” Andrea said. “Signs of your abuelo are everywhere.”

  Abuela shook her head but then winked at Andrea. Then she blew a kiss into the sky.

  Andrea suggested we all get lemonade and cookies at our house. The storm came fast. We ran through the rain and burst into the house. I shook all the water off of me—and onto everyone else.

  It was okay. Everyone laughed.

  Andrea got everyone towels and told the story of how I became a Helper Hound. Abuela and Isabel talked about Pepe and life in Mexico with Abuelo. Gabriel laughed so hard lemonade came out of nose. Then everyone laughed harder. I licked the crumbs off the floor.

  This was the best day.

  Before Jimmy left to catch a train home, he asked Gabriel to do him a favor.

  “Sure,” Gabriel said.

  “Curly Noodle has helped lots of people in her life,” Jimmy said. “She helped me, she helped Mr. Fusilli, she helped you, and she helped all those people we just heard about. Noodle makes us all better. That’s her legacy.”

  Gabriel nodded.

  “So, could you do me a favor?” Jimmy asked Gabriel. “You think you can help her?”

  “Yeah!” Jimmy said. “But what does she need?”

  Jimmy bent down to whisper. “Noodle’s got a great life here. I see that. But she loved playing with me when I was a kid. I bet she misses that. Would you be her boy? Would you stop by and play with her some days? Andrea and your mom said it would be okay.”

  Gabriel knelt down beside me.

  “You want me to come play?” he asked.

  I slurped his face. I did. I really did.

  Jimmy turned toward the door. He had a train to catch. But he’d come back to visit.

  “You know, last time I didn’t get to say goodbye to Noodle,” Jimmy said. “It’s nice to say goodbye to her now. Can’t wait to see you again, Curly.”

  My tail wagged and wagged as Jimmy walked out the door. He’d be back. I knew it.

  “I never really got to say goodbye to Abuelo,” Gabriel said.

  “No, niño,” Abuela said. “He died before we could.”

  “When Noodle comes with us to the cemetery, I can say goodbye to
Abuelo there,” Gabriel said. “But I can also tell him about Jimmy and Noodle. And, that I know now that I will see him again.”

  Epilogue

  Dear Noodle:

  Thanks for coming with me to help me say goodbye to Abuelo. I’m still sad, but Andrea was right. I don’t feel so mad any more. It’s weird! I just keep smiling. It’s fun imagining Abuelo, Mr. Fusilli, and Jimmy’s grandpa together. It’s cool that we all know each other now. It helps.

  Abuela is going to walk me over to your house when you get back from your “refresher” course. Mom said you had to go back to Helper Hounds University because you ran across to Jimmy. I know you were not supposedto, but I don’t blame you. I’d run if I saw my abuelo!

  Anyway, we can play when you get back. I got you a new rope toy. We can try that out. Plus, I’ll throw you my old baseball. I need to work on my pitching. Abueloused to help me with that. But now I have you!

  Mom said Jimmy is starting college at North Branch this fall. That means we get to play with him all the time! That’ll be fun. Though, Mom said he’ll be in college and more interested in friends his own age and girls… So I need to give him space. Good thing you have a big backyard! Room enough for all of us.

  Oh, tell Andrea that I found another one of your red noodles on our floor. I reminded me of you and my abuelo.

  Anyway, I should go now. Mom needs help putting away the groceries.

  Your friend—

  Gabriel

  Noodle’s

  Tips for Grieving

  Losing someone you love is really hard. There’s no way around that. But I’ve learned a few things that help.

  TIP #1: Bark—I mean, talk—about it! When Mr. Fusilli died, I barked and barked and cried and cried. This helps to get help—but also to get our feelings out. It’s okay to talk about how sad you feel. And it’s okay to cry or even get angry.

  TIP #2: Go places that help you remember your loved one. Some people like to visit grave sites. Some people like to snuggle on their bed. Other people like to walk by a house or go to a favorite restaurant or other favorite place. This can help us relive happy memories or good stories.

  TIP #3: Write letters. Dogs can’t do this—but people can! Keep a journal or write letters to the people (or pets!) you miss. What do you wish you could tell them? Write that down! This makes loved ones feel close by.

  TIP #4: Sense the “Noodles” around you. Noodles are things that remind us of our loved ones. Sometimes noodles are objects, but other times they are smells or sounds! Any time you see or taste or smell or hear something that sparks a memory of your loved one, remember: they aren’t so far away and you can “see” them again.

  TIP #5: Be thankful. We feel sad when people or dogs die because we loved them. So, we can give thanks for having people or pets to love. We can be thankful for the good times and for all we learned. Death is sad. But love is the best—and it never dies!

  FUN FACTS

  About Goldendoodles

  You’ve probably heard of lots of dog breeds, such as German Shepherds, or Chihuahuas, or Dachshunds. But have you ever heard of a Goldendoodle? That is a funny name for a very interesting kind of dog.

  A Goldendoodle is not an actual dog breed the way a German Shepherd is. Instead, it is a cross-breed, or hybrid breed. That means it is the result of breeding two dogs that are different breeds. In this case, a Goldendoodle is what happens when a Golden Retreiver and a Poodle have puppies.

  Goldendoodles, like other cross-breeds, are sometimes called “designer dogs.” That’s because these dogs do not occur naturally. Instead, people breed different dogs to create, or design this type of animal. Goldendoodles first appeared in the early 1990s and got their name in 1992.

  However they come about, Goldendoodles are more than just a funny name. These dogs combine the best of both breeds. Like Poodles, they are very smart. Like Golden Retrievers, they love to play and are very friendly toward both people and other dogs. Although these dogs can get pretty big, weighing up to 100 pounds, they are usually easy to train and make great companions.

  Most of all, Goldendoodles love to play! These dogs are great at agility work, where they can show off by running and jumping over obstacles on a course. Many also enjoy swimming. And long walks with their human friends are a Goldendoodle’s idea of a great day.

  Many Goldendoodles work as service dogs or therapy dogs. Because these dogs don’t bark as much as other dogs and also don’t shed as much, they are good companions for people who might not be able to be around other dog breeds. Most of all, the Goldendoodle’s friendly, playful personality makes it a great friend for people of all ages.