Monday - storytime
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One Night in December.
by Terrance O'Reilly

Year Two



It was the last weekend in January. I sat alone on the couch. I was leaning forward, my head in my hands, my elbows resting on my knees.

?I can do this,? I thought. ?All I have to do is stand up and get started. It won?t be that hard, it won?t take that long.?

I continued to sit. ?Shit, I hate this!?

Just then the door opened. The dogs that had been sitting next to me, wondering what my expletive could mean, jumped down and ran to the door. As they rounded the corner I noticed, once again, that Annie, the Shepherd, looked a little stiff. I would have to check with the resident veterinarian about her.

As I was thinking that, the resident vet in question came into the room. His warm smile faltered.

?Oh, you didn?t get her put away, yet?? He was indicating our Christmas tree, Claudia, who still stood, fully dressed in the corner.

Both Andy and I hated undecorating after Christmas. I always had. Patti said that she refused to dust a Christmas tree. When it got to that point it would have to come down. Claudia was at that stage now. But, I hated to give up Christmas and all the joy it brought once again now that Andy had come into my life.

Andy hated to undecorate because he hadn't had a happy childhood. Holidays never fulfilled the promise of joy that seemed to be all around him. Now they were bringing him the happiness he?d missed, he seemed to want to hang on to the holidays as long as possible

?David! You said. . .?

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