| My Best Amigo |
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| Written by Elliot Richard Dorfman | ||||||
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It was a hot summer day. Gilberto sat on the front porch of his house in upstate New York and sadly glanced at his injured legs and sighed. Just a short time ago he had gone through his third and final operation to try and restore full function to them. The doctors said he wouldn’t know if the results were successful until the legs completely healed by the end of the summer. “If it turns out that I‘m to be a cripple the rest of my life, I’d rather be dead,” he said out loud, as tears welled up in his eyes. In retrospect, all this seemed like some impossible dream. Just a year ago, he had been a popular, athletic sixteen year old with a wonderful future to look forward to. Then without any reason or rhyme, everything changed. On a bright October afternoon, he had decided to get some exercise and walk home after school instead of taking the bus. Only a block from his house, a car lost control and veered onto the sidewalk hitting the youth and seriously damaging his legs. From the living room window, Carlitta, his mom, silently watched him with a heavy heart. Returning into the dining room, she served her husband, Sammy, another cup of coffee and took some for herself before sitting down. After a moment, Sammy got up and took her hand. “What’s the matter, Honey? You look so upset. Is Gilberto sitting out there moping again? ” Carlitta nodded. “The boy is so lonely and depressed. Since the accident, he hardly sees any of his friends anymore. I am really worried. Too bad he doesn’t have any brothers or sisters. Then at least he would have some peers who would effectively know how to encourage him.” “It’s very frustrating,” Sammy said. “‘I’ve tried reasoning with him but Gilberto is very stubborn and has convinced himself that’s there’s absolutely no chance for a total recovery.” Outside, Gilberto’s negative thoughts were interrupted when he noticed a gray van pulling up near the empty lot across the street. A heavy set man got out and unleashed a medium sized brown dog, then gave him a hard kick in the rear. “Get, moving, Mutt,” he said in a raspy mean voice. “I got no extra money to waste feeding you during these hard financial times. You’ll just have to forge for yourself. It’s survival of the fittest.” He got into his van and drove off. Perplexed, the dog stood still for a minute, then started precariously crossing the road as some fast vehicle whizzed by. Gilberto moved his wheelchair to the railing and shouted a warning to the animal. “Watch out, dog. You’ll get killed!” The dog seemed to understand him. He quickly ran back to the curb and patiently waited. When there was a momentary reprieve, the canine cautiously went across the road and jumped onto the porch, looked at Gilberto with big black expressive eyes, and put his head in the teenager’s lap. Carlitta and Sammy came rushing outside when they heard their son loudly call out. Sammy was startled when he saw the dog. “What’s this animal doing on our porch?” While Gilberto explained, the dog contentedly remained at his side. “This guy was just cruelly abandoned by someone at the empty lot across the street. If I hadn’t screamed out to him, he probably would have gotten himself killed when trying to cross the street. I’m sure he somehow knew that I was concerned about him, because after the coast was clear and he safely got across, the dog directly came to me. Say, how about letting me keep him?” His parents looked at each other and smiled. At least their son was now showing some positive interest in something. “Okay,”said his mom. “But you will mainly be responsible for him. Is that clearly understood?” “Of course, Mom,” Gilberto said, his face brightening up for the first time in a long while. “Think I’ll call him Amigo because that’s what’s he’s going to be, my best Amigo.” He snapped his fingers. “Come on Boy, let’s go inside and I’ll show you around your new home.” The dog obediently got up and followed him in. Later that day, Carlitta and Sammy took Gilberto to the supermarket where he purchased some dog food, bowels, a leash, collar, and couple of toys. A few days later, Amigo went to the local veterinarian for a physical examination and some necessary shots. By the end of the week, his master had obtained a license which told the whole world the dog was legally his. *** As it turned out, Amigo was a very bright dog, and he and Gilberto seemed perfect for each other. Becoming busy with the dog, Glberto’s attitude and mood vastly improved as the summer passed. One Sunday after church, Carlitta went to visit a friend that lived a few blocks away. Sammy decided to go home and finish panting one of the rooms, despite the fact that his wife had wanted to hire a professional painter. “Why waste money when I can easily do it myself, “he had vainly said. Sammy went to the backyard where he started polishing a few tricks that Amigo was going to perform at one of his friend’s back yard party. It was about three in the afternoon when there was a loud crash from inside the house. Amigo began barking excitedly. Unable to climb the steps that led to the back door, Gilberto reached in his pocket for his cell phone to call for help. Unfortunately, he had forgotten it on his bed that morning. “What am I going to do?” he cried out. Amigo gently put his paws on his master’s knees and starred at him, as if trying to say, “Get up and walk. I know you can do it.” Somehow, Amigo seemed to give Gilberto the encouragement he needed. Carefully, he stood up and slowly began walking, each step getting steadier. By the time he reached the steps, he was able to climb up and open the door and go inside. He found his father lying unconsciously on the floor. The man had lost his balance and fallen off the ladder when painting the ceiling Gilberto’s legs suddenly started pounding, probably a result of not using the muscles for such a long time. “Amigo, go get the phone on my bed, quickly!” he commanded. Without hesitation, the dog obeyed. Within ten minutes, paramedics arrived and revived Sammy, who had a bad gash on his head but nothing critical. That night there was much to celebrate. Within a short time, Gilberto returned to his healthy, physical self. When people told him how brave he had been, he shook his head and called over his dog. “Don’t give me the credit,” he overwhelmingly said, “that goes to my best Amigo!”
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Great job! I liked how the boy got along with his dog and was able to