by Sioux Dallas
“Alex is from a good home, too.” Tim reminded her. “He was bored and looking for someone to give him the attention he craved.”
“How dare you talk to me like that.”
“Mrs. Bauman, I don’t mean to be a smart-aleck and add to your troubles, but be honest with yourself. How would you have reacted if we came to tell you that Alex was with a rowdy crowd, skipping school, acting strangely and avoiding old friends? Would you have appreciated us coming to tell you or would you have resented it?” Ellen asked her.
She took a deep breath and choked on a sob. “I don’t honestly know.”
“If we could see the personality change in Alex, why wouldn’t you recognize it at home?” Tim asked gently.
“I guess I was just too busy with my work and social obligations, thinking I was doing so well. Truthfully, we rarely saw Alex. “Now that I look back, I remember that he began to argue with us, sass us, running out of the house and disappearing when we tried to talk to him. I thought it was just teenage years. It was easier to ignore than to make an effort to pin him down. His father has worked with families who have these same problems. Why didn’t he see it?” She was becoming hysterical.
“If you had known the boys he was running around with, would you have gone to their families and ask them to talk to their own sons?” Doris asked.
“I can’t answer that either. I guess truthfully the blame should be laid at mine and my husband’s feet. When Alex was born, I was making a name for myself as a prosecuting attorney and my husband already had a well established law practice. We were just too wrapped up in our careers to pay attention to a child we hadn’t planned on having,” she cried.
Tom put an arm around her. “Forgive us for adding to your heartaches, but it has to be said. We don’t think badly of you. You’ve done what hundreds of parents have done, but it isn’t too late to make things right. Alex does love you both and I’m sure you love him. You have to practice tough love and be firm in family rules. Don’t be ashamed to share this with the public and maybe save other children.”
“Thank you,” she said, blowing her nose. “It’s pretty sad when children my son’s age have to tell me how to raise my own child. I know you mean well and I am grateful. Thank you for being a good friend and telling us the truth.”
“We’re here if you need us. We’ve said many prayers for Alex and the two girls, and we’ll continue praying for them and for you and your husband.” The young people went on to Trina’s room.
Trina was pleased to see them. She moved slowly and talked haltingly. “I still am not sure what happened. I know what I’ve been told, but I don’t remember. If I had known Alex was taking drugs, I would never have gotten in his car.”
“Don’t dwell on it,” Ellen patted her shoulder. “You’re getting better and we’re thankful for that. Just relax, cooperate with the medical staff and concentrate on getting well. We want to see you back at school.” They didn’t want to tire Trina, so they left promising to return.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Rita and Irene had a lot of fun preparing the food for Marshall a surprise party. The twins picked up a large sheet cake after school on Friday that they had ordered. Herb promised to buy the butterscotch ice cream on their way to Marshall’s house.
“My goodness, look at all this good food. Marshall, look at this. Doesn’t everything smell and look good?” Sharlene was almost in shock. Brian just stood looking as if he would cry.
“Wow! Look at that great cake,” Marshall yelled. “Yummy. I can’t wait for a piece. And you brought me presents.” He was bouncing in his chair with excitement and Chuckles ran around barking trying to decide what was going on and if he was to be included.
“Whoa, sport. We gotta have some good food first before we eat the yummies,” Tim gently reminded Marshall. Mom, Mrs. Dodd and Mrs. Tully made your favorites.”
Marshall ate slowly because it was difficult for him to swallow. The boys ate and talked to him, taking their time so that Marshall would eat as he should. He went wild over the cake when he discovered the dog on it.
“Now can I open my present?” Marshall was still yelling.
“May I?” his father corrected him.
“You can help if you want to, Dad, but the presents are for me.” Even Chuckles tore the wrapping off a beef bone and lay in the corner to enjoy.
“Look! Look! Video games, books, puzzles, drawing pencils and everything. Thanks gang. This is the bestest birthday anyone could ever have.” He laughed even louder as they sang “Happy Birthday” to him.
“It wasn’t long until it was obvious that Marshall had all he could take. Brian put him to bed while the ladies helped Sharlene clean up. The boys told Marshall good night and he begged for a story. They told him a story until he went to sleep and they tiptoed quietly out.
Brian shook everyone’s hand and hugged each of the ladies. “I can’t find words to express how grateful we are for the interest you’ve shown in our son. We love him so much,” He choked. “It’s obvious he failing, but he’s our little ray of sunshine. Thank you is all I can say and God bless you.”
“No need to thank us. It’s been a pleasure to know Marshall and I, for one, have learned a lot about working with children like him,” Tom said.
Sharlene got their attention. “I want to tell you something before you leave. Remember my father is a brain surgeon. A colleague of his told that his daughter has asthma and suffers from sleep apnea. Their son and daughter-in-law rescued an eight months old mutt from the animal shelter. The dog was scheduled to be put to sleep the next day. They took the dog to visit the son’s mother who was the colleague’s daughter and the dog seemed to really like the older woman. The mother felt tired and stretched out on the couch. Suddenly the dog began jumping at her and barking. When they checked, the mother had stopped breathing. They called 911 and she was resuscitated. To make a long story short, the dog was a natural. Illinois has a phone board in the emergency station that shows the name of the person calling, the phone number and the address. They placed a lever on this woman’s phone to make it easier to make an emergency call. The dog had some quick training and then that little scamp quickly learned to press the lever when the woman needed help. He has saved her life two or three times.”
“Holy catfish. I’m speechless. Isn’t that fantastic?” Tim blurted.
“Well, you said a lot Mr. Speechless,” Tom teased. “Seriously, the public needs to know how valuable these dogs are and how much company they can be to an elderly or lonely person.” They left and talked of the amazing story all the way home.
Cold rains came down steadily through Wednesday. The students were concerned that it would be raining for the basketball game and dance the following Saturday. Everyone cheered when Friday dawned bright and clear, although chilly, with the promise of the same on Saturday.
Students and townspeople poured into the gym for the game. Two coaches from other schools had volunteered to be referees, but could hardly work the game without laughing so hard. Some of the boys would pick the girls up and move them out of the way. As a boy aimed for a free foul shot, a girl ran over and tickled him. Both teams played well in spite of their tricks on each other. The girls demanded a rematch when the boys were declared winners. The people were laughing and cheering loudly. A barrel was at the door for donations.
Later at the Jacksons Jacob again went into hysterical jubilee when the money was counted. Donations at the door totaled four hundred forty dollars. The money from hot dogs, snacks and sodas came to sixty-four dollars and seven cents,” Jacob grunted. “Where are all these odd pennies coming from?”
“Don’t gripe. It’s all going for a good cause. Who cares as long as people keep donating,” Mark said.
“That’s a total of six thousand five hundred sixty-nine dollars and forty-seven cents,” Tim shouted.
“Okay, gang. Enough time wasted. We’ve got to get ready for the dance, pick up our dates and go, go, go,” Tom cheered
/> The dance was open to the public and the response was overwhelming. Mr. Grissom thanked everyone for attending and invited them to share in the punch and snacks. “On a more sober note, I hope we don’t have to visit the hospital tonight. Have a good time and keep it clean and safe.”
Herb could not believe his eyes. Tall, long-legged Tom was pretending to be a puppet while Tim pretended to pull strings and dance him. It was comical and talented. Herb and Irene looked at each other and laughed.
“Remember when we were not sure Tom would survive to this age? He was so careless and into so much trouble. I’m proud of my boys. I could cheerfully stand up and tell this crowd that we are the luckiest parents in town,” Irene gushed.
A majority of the students started asking their parents, or a neighbor, to dance with them. Jimmy Dodd’s father, Jerry Dodd, did a loose-jointed dance that had the crowd giving him the floor and applauding. Jimmy was surprised at himself. I must be maturing. I’m not embarrassed at day. In fact, I’m proud to let folks know he is my dad.
As the crowd was disbursing to leave, Tom announced that they had taken in one thousand seven hundred ninety-five dollars for the evening making a total of eight thousand three hundred sixty-four dollars and forty-seven cents. Everyone was pleased that they had a small part in supplying a dog for a person who needed one.
The students felt let down after all the planning and excitement was over. Tom asked if he and Tim could invite their best friends in Alaska to visit them during the summer.
“We’ll discuss it after I’ve talked to Yokno’s parents,” Herb answered.
The phone rang and Irene answered giving a small squeak. “What’s wrong?” herb jumped up.
“Nothing. It’s Anna and she almost broke my eardrum. She’s thrilled about something. Yes, dear. Could you lower your volume a little? Wonderful! Wait until your brothers talk to you.” Tom went to the phone in the kitchen and Tim took the one his mother was using.
“What is it, Anna?”
“We had a talent show involving students and public. With donations and sponsors you have ---” she screamed “---three thousand nine hundred dollars.”
The twins were as thrilled as Anna. “Let’s see,” Tom quickly worked the math. “That makes a total of twelve thousand two hundred sixty-four dollars and forty-seven cents.” His voice increased in volume as he spoke.
“Thank you, Anna. Thank you.”
“Thank the people who were willing to help us.”
“I’ll write a letter to the editor of the newspapers in Harrisonburg and thank everyone who helped,” Tim said.
“Maybe you should include an article about the work of the service dogs training and how much they mean to individuals. A human interest story on Marshall would be even greater,” Tom encouraged Tim.
Tim wrote his lengthy article and it was published in several newspapers. It even got a note of interest on the television news. Donations came in from all over the state of Virginia and close surrounding states. Now the total was nineteen thousand six hundred eighty-five dollars and, of course, forty-seven cents. Amazingly donations kept coming in from other states.
The twins called Canine Wonders to share the good news. Then they called Marshall. Sharlene answered.
“We’re going to present the total to the school next Sunday afternoon. There’ll be reporters and a lot of dignitaries. We want to donate the money in honor of Marshall. Could you have him there by two o’clock?”
“I don’t see why not, but it will all depend on how Marshall feels.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
“I’m proud of all my students,” Mr. Grissom said in assembly. “All of you are invited to the presentation ceremony, but dress warmly. It is December. I hope it’s just cold and not raining. It’s less than three weeks until Christmas. Won’t this be a magnificent early Christmas present for the school?” The students cheered and whistled.
“Will Marshall be there?” Bonnie called out.
“Will he?” Mr. Grissom turned to the twins.
“You bet. He can hardly wait,” Tim laughed.
The day was bitter cold and windy, but a huge crowd had gathered on the Canine Wonders lawn. “I’ve never seen so many people outside of a stadium,” Jake spoke in awe. “They’re standing, so let’s get this show on the road. We’ll try not to keep them out in the cold too long.”
Sharlene and Brian walked beside Marshall’s chair as Chuckles pulled him to the area around the microphone. The dog recognized the twins and went straight to them. The twins looked sadly at each other at the sight of Marshall, but put on a big grin for his benefit. Out of the corner of his eye, Tim saw several girls hugging each other and trying not to cry. He glared at them and slightly shook his head.
Jake welcomed everyone and informed them of the pamphlets inside. “We had planned to bring small groups in to see a video and tour the building, but there are many more than we anticipated and we just can’t. We also planned on refreshments, but come on folks, we didn’t plan on so many. I guess I’ll just extend an invitation for you to make reservations to visit. Now I’ll turn the program over to the young people whose hearts are bigger than this building. Thanks to them, we’re having this day.”
Tim took the microphone. “It looks as if I’ve been elected spokesperson. First I want to welcome the Governor of our great state.” The gentleman stood among loud applause and cheering. Tim introduced several politicians and local people of importance.
“I couldn’t be more proud than I am right this minute. My heartfelt thanks goes to the people who responded and helped so much. I am blessed to be able to call these people friends,” he waved toward the students. “My greatest blessing is my friend right here.” he dropped to a knee beside Marshall’s chair. Chuckles pushed between Tim and Marshall. “The courage this young man has shown puts us all to shame. Talk about big hearts. Marshall has more love, caring for people in general and just plain intestinal fortitude.”
“What’s that?” Marshall piped up. His clear little voice ran over the microphone. ‘Does it mean I have some bad disease?” he frowned.
“No.” Jacob knelt beside Marshall. “It means you got guts, kid, and you’re our hero.”
“Hero! Me?” Marshall beamed. Daddy, Mommie, did you hear that? I’m a hero.”
“You’ve always been our hero,” Sharlene whispered trying to quiet him. Brian choked and got red in the face knowing Marshall’s medical problems.
Tom took the microphone. “Let’s get to the business we’re here for before we all have icicles running down our cheeks. Marshall, my good buddy,---”
Marshall turned his chair with Chuckles determinedly trying to get ahead of him to pull. Tom knelt beside Marshall. “I hope you’re ready for a nice, big, big surprise. With the fund raisers we had through the school, and Anna’s college friends, we are presenting Canine Wonders with a check for ---” he hesitated for effect - “Are you ready for this?”
“Oh, you meanie. Tell me quick. Is there enough to buy a dog for a little boy or girl?”
“More than enough. The grand total is twenty-four thousand eight hundred fifty dollars, and, oh, yes, forty-seven cents. Enough and more for two dogs.”
A gasp rippled through the crowd and then a cheer went up that must have been heard in the next county. John Middleton took the microphone not ashamed of the tears in his eyes. He meant to thank them, but couldn’t talk for the lump in his throat.
Marshall had no trouble talking. “Really? Will it buy two dogs?”
“More than enough,” John finally said. “It will furnish the dogs, all the training and veterinarian care. I can’t find words adequate enough to express my appreciation and love for you folks. You’ve worked faithfully and all of you have become like my own children,” he told the teens. “A speech would spoil the moment so I’ll: -- he choked and waved his hand in the air. “I understand there’s cookies and punch if anyone’s interested.”
None wanted cold punch and they wanted to
get home because the sky threatened to open and dump snow. Tim thanked everyone again and told them they had planned to make it a yearly even to raise money for a dog. People were quickly going to their cars shivering.
“Can you come home with me and play video games?” Marshall asked the twins even though he was weak and tired.
“We will soon, but not today. We’d better get home before it snows on us,” Mark explained. Putting his hand over his heart he said, “I promise we’ll come soon. It’s just a few days until Christmas. I bet Santa will bring a lot of great things to our hero. We want to be there and see what you get.”
Although the snow had spit off and on throughout the afternoon, it didn’t snow full blast until seven. “I’m so thankful we made a good sum for the school and hopefully everyone is home safe and warm. We should go to the hospital tomorrow and visit Alex and Trina,” Tom yawned.
Herb and Irene looked at each other with warm, gentle expressions of love in their eyes. They were so thankful. Tom had matured at last.
Irene went to answer the phone and turned to the twins with a big grin. “Fans of yours are on the line.”
The twins took extension phones. “Hello,” Tim spoke hesitantly.
“Hi ya, old buddies.”
“Benjamin Yoakno! What a great, nice surprise.”
Ben laughed. “There’s someone else here.”
“Greatheart?” the twins spoke as one.
“Wrong,” came another familiar voice.
“Charlie Running Horse.”
“You win the prize, but there’s others here.”
Sam Cramus and Alan Brave Bear also talked some. The boys in Alaska took turns and they talked for some time.
“Let me tell you what happened,” Tim broke in.
“That’s what we called about. How much did you earn and how is the little boy?”
The boys cheered in Alaska. “We’re happy for you. Please write a long letter and tell all the details. We want to know all about Marshall.” Ben finished. “We feel as if we’ve met him.”