A Dog's Reward

Only one thought lingered in my mind when i woke up this morning.
Only one thought:

"I-am-suing-this-company!!".

"I will kill that director, his representative, his co-manager, the mechanic, the train, and the railway.... "

In short, i imagined anything related to trains, starting from the manager of this wretched railway company to the train itself, burning in hell. Oh how relaxing was that thought. By God! If they couldn't afford working trains, why have a railway company at all?! Do not blame me for my sadistic thoughts! It had been a whole day already since the railway company representative announced that there was going to be a “temporary” delay in my ride. "The engine needed some maintenance" they said. As if work will wait for their “temporary” delay or their thousand-year old engine?! Oh if only I had a car…I would have gone to work a whole day ago and spared myself all the “temporary” delays of the world..even temporarily.

Let me give you a clue about where I was lodging. I was in a small village in the country side; Trees, farm animals, disgusting farm animal smells, mosquitoes, flies, and, most importantly, boredom. No TVs, no computers, no radios, no mobiles. Have a nice life, mon cher ami! For a city man like me, the village was the abstract symbol of boredom. I could draw the village and name the drawing “Boredom”. Actually that might be a good idea. It might get me a fair sum of bucks

I  jumped into my clothes and went back to the train station, where the dead train was. I mumbled some more curses at the stupid train, then went back to ask the representative about the delayed trip.
"One more day sir". How i loathed that word from that brat

Fed up with the inn where I was lodging, and with nothing better to do, I decided to take a stroll around the village. If only the trees emitted Wifi signals...At least they'd be more useful. Nothing drew my attention too much. "Boredom" was a fitting name for that village for real.  Nothing worth noticing whatsoever. Not the flies or mosquitoes buzzing around, not the animals or their smells, and certainly not the trees that don’t emit wifi signals. Only one tree drew my attention. Under that old willow sat an old man with a book, with a bunch of children, gathered around him in a circle. The old man was reading aloud from the book for them. Oh well..Just an old man wasting his time and the children’s in the boring village, i believed. I drew closer to the old willow tree and listened to what the old man had been reading.

"Do not forget, dear. You must come back before mid-night, or else the magic will all poof away" read the old man, in a kind, but warning voice, somewhere between a man and a woman.

He was voice acting. Oh cool. Wait, I heard that story before. It was Cinderella. The old man was reading fairy tales for the children. So that’s their form of entertainment? Fairy tales? Seriously? Oh brother! I left the old man to his stories and went back to walking, huffing with the blazing heat and trying to win a battle against flies till I went to sleep.
 

“One more day, sir” said the train worker next morning. Oh great.

I took my morning stroll in the village again, battled the flies again, and scrunched my nose at the foul smells of animals again, till I passed by the old man under the old willow tree again. I turned back to the tree and slowly approached to listen closely to what the old man in the old brown suit was telling the children this time.

“So, Let’s see. Want to hear “The Little Mermaid?” asked the old man, and the children nodded eagerly. I heard and watched this story a million times. It was my favourite as a child. Despite of that, I had no idea what forced my feet to approach the old man more, and actually sit among the children to listen, maybe boredom? The old man smiled warmly and bowed his head in salutation, and I nodded back briefly. Let’s waste time.

But to be honest, it was not as boring as I expected.

I actually loved hearing “The Little Mermaid” from “Old man Joe”. He managed to engage me into the story that I knew by heart. I found myself as excited as any of the children sitting around me. In his voice acting I heard the evil witch, and the charming, young prince. In his descriptions I found myself smelling the sea, hearing the mermaid’s singing and feeling her pain as she walked on land for her prince. His eyes; Jolly green eyes clouded with cataracts behind his thick rectangular glasses, were actors in his story just like his voice, his chubby, cheerful face and wrinkled hands. But i wondered why he often paused seconds to gaze at the sky during his stories.

The story came to an end, and the Little Mermaid got her prince in the end "and they lived happily ever after". We, the children and I, asked to hear more. Old man Joe smiled brightly and wagged his fingers with a wink. “The sun is setting, boys. We’ll meet again tomorrow” He said with a smile as he closed his book and leaned on the willow tree to get up to his feet.

The children waved goodbye to Old Man Joe, and I with them.

-“Tomorrow, sir! Early in the morning before I leave” I called out brightly and winked.

He grinned, like an eager child promised a new outing.

-“It’s a date, boy” he beamed cheerfully and slowly walked away till he faded out of my sight.


“The engine is beyond repair, Sir. The company will send for another train to pick us up. We will wait just today and tomorrow, sir. We are so sorry for the inconvenience…..”

Blah blah blah excuses, excuses, excuses are all I heard out of what that company representative said when I asked about my ride. I did not stroll this time. I knew where to go for a nice morning in the cool breeze. Old man Joe was on time as always, waiting for all the children to seat themselves in a circle around him. I took my place next to him, and wait for his new story. This time it was “Beauty and the Beast”. As soon as Belle married Prince Adam after her love transformed him back to a human, we asked for more. It was still early in the morning.


-“Old man Joe, tell us “The Princess and the Dog” “ said one of the children.

I raised an eyebrow and shook my head. “No No. You mean “The Princess and the Frog", little one” I said with a chuckle. I was sure the little boy made a mistake. Yet then I noticed…The old man’s bright smile faded into a smaller one, a melancholic one. It was this smile that often crosses faces when we remember something we lost long long ago. Only now i noticed the wrinkles of the old man's face. When he smiled, his face almost seemed like a baby's. This was the first time i felt he was old, with a thousand burdens to tell.

-“No, boy. I have a "Princess and The Dog". Not as good as The Princess and The Frog, but we can give it a chance” said Old Man Joe with a small smile. “Do you want to listen?” he asked. I nodded slowly and watched him close his book and take off his glasses as he started to tell his tale

“Once upon a time, in a land not so far away, lived a beautiful princess called Lizzy”. He laughed a little and scrunched his nose arrogantly as he mimicked the motion of a cocky girl painting her nails “Lizzy wasn’t one of them princesses who spent their day painting their nails with paint brushes and their faces like Easter eggs” he said in a high pitched voice to mimic that of a spoiled girl.  The children giggled and I with them.

“This princess was like no other. She did everything not princess-ly. She spent her afternoon catching fish from the river with her bare hands, climbing mountains, or racing an eagle on a bike or practicing archery, unlike her princess friends who were not as wild. Little did princess Lizzy know a little boy, just as wild as her, was watching her. Poor boys never like princesses, so he decided to make her the victim of his pranks. The little devil named Joey waited till princess Lizzy took off her shoes and went into the river to catch fish. He sneaked quietly behind her..." he imitated the motion of sneaking at that point, "...snatched her shoes..." he continued and actually snatched my own shoes from my legs. "... and ran away" he cried victoriously, although he could not run. The children laughed, and Old Man Joe with them at my frustrated look. I dropped my annoyed gaze when i realized Old Man Joe hesitated to gaze longingly at the sky, like he was waiting for someone up there to laugh with us. He snapped me out of my thoughts as he threw me back my shoes and continued his story:

"He did this everyday; One day he hid her book, another day when she was showering he took her…..”

-“Old man Joe you’re naughty!” cried one boy, blushing.

I sniggered loudly as the kids blushed and giggled. Unpleasant, not so childish thoughts were lingering in their minds, I could tell. Old man Joe frowned and folded his arms.  “I was going to say socks you dirty-minded brats” he smirked. “Seriously, Back when I was young I would never think….”

-“What were you like when you were a little boy, Old Man Joe?” asked a girl

Old Man Joe opened his mouth as if to speak, but instead only bit his lips and looked down. At the time, I didn’t pay much attention to his hesitation. Little did I know I was going to figure the reason behind it way too soon.

Another boy interfered to change the subject.

-“That guy, Joey, sounds like my dog. He likes hiding things from me too. He even ate one of my undershirts” said the little boy, annoyed at the mention of his dog and his deceased undershirt. Old man Joe nodded and laughed.

-“Yes. He sure was a dog, that lad. But he never stole any undershirts. Or the other stuff you were thinking of, little brats” said Old Man Joe, folding his arms and eying the little guys suspiciously before he continued his story.

“Lizzy finally caught that little dog. She screamed “thief” and ran after him and spanked him to death. The little princess and the little thief's chase eventually turned into a game of hide and seek. Hide and seek followed a hide and seek every day , and they eventually became friends, always there for each other. Every day they’d meet under a willow tree, and play hide and seek, joke together, and read fairy tales, and laugh till their eyes water” he continued with a small smile.

Up till that point, Old Man Joe was almost as cheerful as I had known him. Yet at one point he paused for a little while. His green eyes were starting to hold a melancholic gaze up to the sky, and his hands started shaking. I reached for his hand anxiously. I got worried for him “Old man Joe…..” I murmured, staring him right in the eye, questioning if he was okay. He only smiled and continued his story.

“Witches of the forest where the little friends lived didn’t like princesses, or seeing a princess happy. You know witches never like princesses or good people. They cursed princess Lizzy to be always sick. She could no longer play or catch fish. She always coughed and panted when she ran. The physicians said she had to move away to get better. Far Far away from this land.  She couldn’t live with Joey anymore, and they told Joey he can never go to her. Every day Joey waited for her under the tree. She came once, twice, and every time she played with him, she’d fall ill and go home way too fast. On the third day she never came. People told Joey she moved away, and…she will never come back. She found a better place and she’ll live there..forever. Little Joey did not want to believe his friend left forever. He did not want to believe their beautiful home was making his friend sick. He knew Lizzy will come one day. He waited for her under the tree every day, but she never came. Waiting made his heart weary and empty… like a dog who lost his owner. You…you guys remember how Prince Adam turned into a beast when his heart grew empty? The same happened to little Joey. He soon grew fur, a tail and long ears, and turned into a dog…always waiting for his owner". Old man Joe paused this time for a long time, until he finally fixed his gaze to the sky, with a hopeful, longing smile he continued.

"That was until one day, the princess came to him. She finally came, it was only a short visit, but it was enough. She knew her friend became a dog, but she smiled at him, nevertheless, and patted his head.
“Hello Joey. I missed you” she said softly.
She kissed the dog’s head. And suddenly a golden bright light shone upon them both, and the curse was broken; Joey turned into a boy again.
“Come with me. I’ll take you to where I live. I now have a much more beautiful garden to play in” said Lizzy cheerfully.
She took Joey’s hand and walked away with him, taking him home with her…to a better place. The most wonderful place anyone could ever live in where they lived happily ever after” said old man Joe. The children were now between “I don’t like it” and “Oh I love it”, but none of them noticed Old man Joe’s eyes. Tears..those were unshed tears that clouded his eyes now, not his cataracts. The children left by sunset after refreshing with “Peter Pan” , but I stayed behind, alone with Old Joe. Night was approaching, and the air was growing colder.

-“Old man Joe. That story…this is not a real fairy tale, is it?” I asked gently. Old man Joe wiped his eyes and laughed softly.

-“Have you ever seen a real fairy tale, kiddo?” he laughed sadly as he wiped his eyes. Yet he knew very well what I meant.

-“Do you know them, Old Man Joe; Princess Lizzy and Joey? I saw you crying when you were telling the story…like you were actually there…like you were waiting for princess Lizzy instead of Joey. Are they your children, old man?” I asked curiously.

The old man sighed and shook his head

- "Do you believe in fairy tales, boy?" he asked gravely

I swallowed and shrugged. "No. They are just stories for kids" i replied.

He lowered his head and sighed heavily. " You know, i hate tragic novels. They never end in a happily ever after. I believe in fairy tales. We all have our own fairy tale, boy"

"But not all our fairy tales end in a "Happily ever after", Old Man Joe" i shrug

-“I like smart children like you But I also like sleep more. Tomorrow you’ll be told a real fairy tale before you leave. I bet you’ll enjoy it” he said. He patted my shoulder in a fatherly manner and hugged me. I hugged the old man back. Oh he was just as warm as my father. I watched him as he disappeared again..into the night.


I didn’t even bother to go to the railway station next morning. I directly headed to Old Man Joe’s willow tree. This time he was alone. I supposed the children were at school now. I approached him slowly and sat down next to him to find him sleeping calmly, with the happiest and calmest of smiles drawn upon his kind kind face. The sun shimmered warmly down his old, weary frame, like an angel's blessing. You know that movie effect when an angel blesses someone and the hero is surrounded with a beam of light and bla bla bla? This was almost the same, only more majestic, only much warmer than light on a screen. I smiled and wrapped my arm around his sleeping, chubby figure, like i was the father and he the child. “You having a good dream, old fellow?” I smirk. His fairy tale book slept soundly in his hands. I gently shook his shoulder to wake him up.

“Old man Joe. I’m here. I’m waiting for my story” I said with a bright smile.

“Old man Joe, wake up” I repeated

My smile faded as a horrible realization dawned upon me. I lowered my head to feel the pulse in his chest…only there was none. Oh God…Oh God…..

“HELP! SOMEONE HELP! IT’S OLD JOE! HE’S NOT BREATHING!” I screamed frantically. My mind froze, and only my legs worked. They ran like they never did before. I knocked on every door I met like a mad man, screaming “OLD JOE IS NOT BREATHING!”. I was fighting not to cry now.  It was like my mother was dying again. The anxiety. The fear and grief. They were all flooding back to me unmercifully. But no! Not him! Old Man Joe can't....He just can't..go?

It was easy for me to be heard in the small village. I ran back to the willow tree and slid down next to the smiling man and took him in my arms. How come he is not waking up with all my screaming?! A country physician came running after me. He bent down and started to check Old Man Joe's heart and breathing. Yet his eyes and frown told it all.

- “Oh dear…poor old dog…he has been waiting for it for so long” murmured the physician sadly

- “What the hell are you talking about?! Do something! He can’t …”

-“Dead, Young man. Gone where his wife had gone!” cried the physician, starting to get irritated with my denial

- “What do you mean? His wife….”

The physician sighed and swallowed thickly “He has been waiting for it, Sir, For 35 years. 35 years ago, Joseph had a wife, Elizabeth. She died of lung cancer, right here under that tree. He was reading her fairy tales like he does with the kids under that tree, when she slept on his shoulder and never woke up. Since then he had been reading stories for children. He was hoping that she'll listen to him...that she'll take him up there someday...Poor old man” he mumbled and left to tell the village to prepare for the….No.. I can’t even say it: “Funeral”? Old Joe and funeral? How can these 2 words even come together? My eyes widened in bewilderment. No..i won’t lie. A tear slid down my cheek as I held the old, jolly story teller in my embrace. “Oh Joey..” I whispered between tears.

Nothing drew my attention at this magical moment... Not the aromas of spring, not the merry songs of birds and not the trees that immortalized his jolly green eyes. Who would care for them when the most wonderful wedding I ever attended was taking place? "Congratulations, Old Man Joe. I am so happy for you, father. God bless you and your wife, old fellow" i croaked between sobs as i stroked the coffin i was holding. The whole village wondered who I was; A young stranger who was congratulating the groom in the coffin, while weeping his heart out. Everyone thought I was mad for congratulating a “Dead” man. But how could I not? How could I not be happy? Dogs can never live without their owners; neither can a lover live without his beloved wife. When these come together, how can I not be happy? The children wept and wailed in Old Man Joe’s “funeral.” but I found myself smiling between my sobs. They had lost their friend and story teller, but why should they cry? The old “dog” got his reward.

“Mr Newman. The train has arrived” said a voice behind me. It was the railway company representative. I shooed him like I used to shoo the mosquitoes in the inn. “SHHH Shut up, They’re kissing” I said with a grin between tears. Of course, the idiot from the company didn't see the prince and princess kissing their"happily ever after" kiss. All he saw was 2 tombs next to each other, one for Elizabeth Pryne and the other for Joseph Pryne. I am suing this company for sure