A Place for Peanut Week-4

“What on God’s good earth are we supposed to do with all this food, Amanda”?

“I don’t know Mom, maybe you can send it home with Beth, I’m sure she could find some starving students to give it too”.

“I don’t think so, I would never see my good Tupperware again! You know Beth would give it to them bowl and all.”

“Why don’t you use Grandma’s old stuff? She won’t be needin’ it anymore. Besides, all her stuff is just junk from those nasty garage sales she was always stopping at.

“What about Grandma’s junk”? Beth asked. She had just returned from the funeral home viewing. She only caught the end of her mom and sister’s conversation but it was enough to remind her of how fussy they could be about the most insignificant things. They were the only people she knew that could see Tupperware as a status symbol. But what really bothered her was their insensitivity. Grandma wasn’t even in the ground yet, and they were ready to give away her treasures.

“Never you mind Beth, we need to figure out what we are going to do with Grandma’s Dog.”

“You mean Peanut?” Beth asked. Isn’t he at Aunt Evelyn’s?

“For now Bethany, but Aunt Evelyn is leaving for her Vegas Vacation the day after the funeral".

Here we go again. Beth thought. Her mom handed her a damp towel and a bowl to dry. She asked why Peanut couldn’t stay with her until she came home for the summer. It would only be two months and Beth would be home from College for good. She would gladly take Peanut then. She had helped Grandma pick him out when she lived with her the year before she left for college. Beth didn’t want her Grandmother to be alone when she went away to school and she wanted to help train the pup before she left.

“Don’t be ridiculous Bethany, you know your father can’t tolerate his shrill bark, and Amanda’s little Joey has allergies. I just don’t know what you expect us to do. We didn’t choose to have a dog.”

Peanut was Grandma’s pride and joy. Peanut was the sweetest blonde long-haired little Dachshund ever, and to Grandma, he was more family to her than her two kids had been. She adored this little guy and took him everywhere. She even snuck him into grocery stores in a large handbag so he could pick out his own bones from the meat department.

The kitchen was uncomfortably quiet except for the sound of dishes clanking together and foil being ripped from the dispenser. Beth was so mad. She knew if she said one more thing she would explode. She swallowed her tears, and vowed to take care of Peanut no matter what, but she knew it wouldn't be fair for Peanut to live with her because she would be at work most of the time and he would be alone. Amanda started humming nonchalantly as she stuffed the last of the zip-locked bags of leftovers into the fridge.

"Don't forget to take these with you when you leave," Amand said with all the authority of a big sister. "Mom needs the space back in her fridge.

Beth couldn’t wait to toss her drenched towel in the laundry room and head to her car. She had to escape for awhile. She had to figure out how to rescue Peanut. She knew that if left to her Mom, she would just have Amanda take him to the “Shelter”. Neither of them were prone to sentimentality. Grandma always told Beth she must have got their share of compassion when God was handin’ it out.

“I’ll be back later”. Beth didn’t wait for anyone to ask where she was going or when she would be back. She didn’t want to say another word to these people.

It was almost dark and still warm outside. Beth drove to end of the street and parked the car near a park where she played as a child. She grabbed the lever under her seat and leaned the seat back. She slipped into the still warmed leather seats in her car. The weight of her loss was crushing and she soaked up every bit of comfort the familiar car offered.

When she regained her emotional strength, she began to consider the options for Peanut. She thought she might just quit school and come home to take care of him. That would show them, she thought. They would be so humiliated if their only college child dropped out two months before graduating, with honors no less. She wanted to prove to them that people were more important than things and status, even if they were animal people. She realized that quitting school would hurt her more than anyone, and Grandma would roll over in her grave, when she got there anyway, but she was so upset, she wanted to think the ugliest thoughts possible. She wanted to at least feel like she could do something that might actually upset them for a change, even if she knew she would never actually do it. It simply wasn’t her nature to be spiteful. It was even difficult for her to think angry thoughts but this, she felt was warranted.

“It’s time to get a move on Bethie” she heard coming from the memories of her heart. That’s exactly what her GG would have said to her. GG was her beloved Grandma Grace and she didn’t tolerate anyone feeling sorry for themselves for too long. Beth knew this for sure. “Time to move in to problem solving mode” Beth heard.

Beth’s mind felt so tired and empty. The day had been so draining. She didn’t know how she was supposed to come up with a solution when she was too numb to think straight. She closed her eyes and surprisingly thanked God for all he had done for her and asked him to take care of her GG. She often went to Sunday services with her and was comforted by the teachings of eternal life.

She stretched her arms as far into the back seat as they would reach and took a deep breath. Then, she asked God for help. She knew she needed to be guided to a solution because she had done all that she could do and none of her ideas were workable. She remembered that God helps us after we have done all that we can do, and at that moment, she felt sure that she had.

Her mind began paging through the already explored ideas again. Then she recognized an unfamiliar suggestion that she hadn’t thought of before. She grabbed the seat lever and threw herself straight up in the seat. She rummaged through her purse until she found her cell phone. She was so excited, she dropped her phone and had to fish it out from underneath the seat. Her hand got stuck to a piece of old gum that wasn't wrapped so well in tissue but she didn't care.
She dialed the number of her last roommate from college. Mary had moved home to marry her high-school sweetheart Mark. His widowed Mom was really having a hard time being alone in the house now that he had moved into his new home with his wife. Mary had mentioned that his Mom considered getting a pet but she didn’t like cats, didn’t want to train a puppy, and she was afraid she would get a “Problem Dog” from the pound so she resolved to remain alone.

Beth knew this was the solution she had prayed for. As the phone was ringing, she looked out her window at the now darkened sky and stared at the winking stars as she gave thanks to God for taking care of her Grandma in the best way he could, by helping her take care of Peanut.