48. Show Not Tell

When I got home that night I flopped into my chair and put my feet up.  Ten minutes later my wife walked downstairs, purse in hand.  She turned into the living room, and stopped in front of the dog.

“Who’s the best dog ever?” she asked the crock of Shih Tzu lying on the back of the couch.  Scratching the dog’s ears, she said. “It’s you! Love my little puppy, yes I do!” She kissed the dog, scratched her ears some more, and kissed her again. “I’ll be back in an hour,” she said to me.

Blondie came down the stairs a minute later. “Wait up, Mom!” she said.  She stopped to say goodbye to the dog. Blondie questioned the animal at length. “Who’s the prettiest dog? Who’s the smartest? Who’s the most loved?” She kissed the dog, and said, “Love my doggy!” She walked down the hall to the basement door.  I heard her from the basement stairs say, “See you Daddy.”

If they hadn’t told me a hundred times, and showed me in a thousand ways, how much they loved me, I might have been annoyed.  Instead I called the dog over.  She curled up in my lap.  “You’re not that cute,” I said as I scratched her back.

Because I might forget to say it, today I will show people how much I love them.

Time for a Change ©2017 by Ken Montrose

Time for a Change is a work of fiction. Any similarity between the characters and anyone you might know is purely coincidental.

Other works by Ken Montrose are available at: www.greenbriartraining.com