Book at Bedtime, Just Joe

The story of a fluffy gorilla who lived in a card shop, until one day ...

Joe the gorilla had lived in Happy Card Shop for many years. At first he didn’t have a name, he was just one of lots of gorillas, all different sizes and all with their own red, satin heart with the words “I love you” written on it. He had been the one picked to stand in the centre of the Valentine’s Day window display. It had made him very proud, although it also made him sad because he was not able to say goodbye to the others as, one by one, they were sold.

When the window display was changed Joe looked rather dusty and his red heart had faded with the sunlight. The shop owner said he should be put in the bargain basket. He didn’t feel at all proud anymore; he felt humiliated. They threw him into a large container with lots of other faded or dusty toys. It was very uncomfortable because they were all piled on top of each other. Every day people rummaged in the basket looking for cheap buys. Every day some of them were bought. But no one ever chose Joe. Now that Valentine’s Day was over no one wanted a dusty gorilla with a red, faded “I love you” heart. Joe grew sadder and sadder.

One day the shop owner told his assistants to take him out of the bargain basket and “dispose of him.” What did that mean? Joe felt very frightened. Mabel, the lady who served in the shop each morning, looked kindly at him. She seemed to sense his fear.

“Don’t worry, Joe,” she said and carried him to the kitchen area at the back of the shop. “You’ll be safe here. You can keep me company when I make tea for everyone.

That’s how he got his name and how he came to live on the worktop in the kitchen of the Happy Card Shop.

 

One day Mabel didn’t come into work. Joe was worried. Ellie, the Saturday girl came to make the tea. Joe wished he could ask her where Mabel was. She always told him before she went on her holidays and always put him in a cupboard for safety. Ellie suddenly noticed.

“What are you doing in here?” she said, picking him up and taking him out into the main shop area, “Look what I’ve just found,” she said to Celia, one of the other shop assistants. Joe knew Celia; she was a friend of Mabel’s. She usually arrived at work just as Mabel was getting ready to go home.

“He’s Mabel’s lucky mascot - I’d put him back in the kitchen if I was you. She needs all the luck she can get just now.”

“What do you mean?”

Joe wanted to know the answer to that question too.

“Didn’t you know; she’s in hospital? They rushed her in yesterday. She’s pretty poorly. I’m going to see her tonight.”

Ellie brushed her hand over Joe’s coat, “You could do with a good brush,” she said and carried him back to the safety of the kitchen. Poor Joe was very upset. He’d love to go to see Mabel. If only he could, but of course it was impossible. He worried about her for the rest of the day and all through the night, in the dark kitchen, he felt alone and afraid. He couldn’t wait for morning and wondered who would make the tea. The shop was very busy and he waited and waited to find out. Dinner time came and he heard the latch click shut on the shop door. Even though he knew it wasn’t Saturday it was Ellie who finally arrived and started to get out the tea cups. There was no sign of Celia.

“Do you want tea or coffee Mr. Harrison?” she called.

Joe’s heart missed a beat. Mr. Harrison was the shop owner who had ordered him disposed of.

“Coffee please, Ellie - milk, no sugar and thank you for helping us out today.”

“Hurry, oh please hurry.” Joe pleaded, although of course Ellie couldn’t hear him. She seemed to take forever making the coffee. But at long last she carried the tray of cups into the shop and he breathed a sigh of relief.

“Have you heard how Mabel is?” He heard Ellie asked.

“Yes, Celia said she’s much better and could be out of hospital by the end of the week. She won’t be back here for a long time though, if at all; she’s thinking about retiring.”

“How long has she worked here?”

“Over twenty years. We’ll certainly miss her if she doesn’t come back.”

Joe’s heart sank. Mabel might never come back. He couldn’t bear the thought. What would happen to him if she left? No one else even knew his name. He felt so miserable. But worse was to come.

Mr. Harrison followed Ellie into the kitchen when she brought back the tea tray. Immediately he spotted Joe and his face grew cross,

“What is this doing here?” He asked, “We haven’t sold these for years.”

Joe felt himself picked up by large hands and carried into the back yard where he was thrown into the waste skip. He landed with a bump.

* *

It was very uncomfortable in the skip. It was cold too. Joe shivered as he lay on top of a lot of empty cardboard boxes. It started to snow, which made him wish he was under the boxes then he wouldn’t feel so wet. His fur became soggier and soggier. The snow continued to fall; it piled up on top of the skip. Suddenly Joe didn’t feel quite so cold. The snow was acting like a blanket. He closed his eyes and tried not to think of the future. If only someone would rescue him. He thought of Mabel and how sad she’d be when she found out what had happened to him. Then something wonderful happened. He felt the snow being brushed off him and someone lifted him from the skip. He looked up into the smiling face of man he’d never seen before. He had white hair and beard and was dressed all in red. His eyes twinkled merrily and, as Joe stared at him in amazement, he began to laugh, which made his rather fat belly wobble and shake.

“Well Joe, it looks as if you need a bit of care and attention before we find you a new home.” He tucked Joe inside his red tunic, “Soon have you warm and dry again. We’ll have to hurry though if we are to have you ready for Christmas Eve.”

Joe suddenly realised who his rescuer was and happiness surged through him, filling him with a warm glow.

* * *

Even though Mabel was feeling much better she was still sad about poor Joe. Whatever had happened to him? She had gone to the Happy Card Shop to say goodbye to everyone and she had intended to ask Mr. Harrison if she could take Joe home. She was horrified when Ellie told her he had been thrown in the waste skip. Mr. Harrison was sorry when he realised how much Mabel cared for the tatty Gorilla. He even searched the skip, trying to find him, but he had gone.

On Christmas Eve Mabel went to sleep thinking about the old, dusty gorilla with his faded satin heart. She even dreamt about him. When she opened her eyes in the morning she couldn’t believe what she saw. Gazing at her from her bedside cabinet was a bright, clean Joe, with a satin heart as shiny and red as it had been when he was new. She picked him up and kissed him tenderly,

“Oh Joe, I can’t believe it’s you.”

“Joe smiled; “I love you,” said his bright red heart.

“I love you too, Joe,” Mabel said, “I don’t know how you got here, but I have a sneaking feeling that you don’t have to be young to get a Christmas surprise from Santa.”