The Best Christmas Present In The World
By Billy Burrew
He had gotten completely lost twice so he breathed
a sigh of relief as he finished parking in front of the large
Victorian looking building and cut off the engine. Getting out
of the car, he pushed the button on his keychain and locked it,
then clicked another button on his keychain that activated the
alarm as he walked towards the house. He knew he was in the right
place when he recognized a few of the other cars parked on the
street as those of his bandmates.
He walked up the stairs and knocked on the
front door, then waited patiently for a reply. It came a few seconds
later, as the door swung open by a shorter lady in her 50's. He
smiled and greeted her pleasantly.
"Hi there. I'm here with..."
The woman smiled slightly, the action causing
the lines near her mouth to crinkle slightly.
"Mr. Littrell" the woman said, "We've
been expecting you. Your friends are already here. Come in."
Brian walked in through the door that the lady
held for him and turned to face her as she shut the door behind
him.
The lady turned and smiled, then led the way
deeper into the house. "We thought you'd gotten lost, your
friends were beginning to wonder if they were going to have to
call the police and report you missing."
Brian blushed deeply and smiled. "I did
get a little lost once or twice...or maybe three times. I've never
been to..."
The lady chuckled. "Yes. I suppose you've
never really hung around this part of Orlando."
Brian nodded absently, reflecting on the truth
of the woman's statement. Up until a few days ago, he had never
been to this neighborhood, nor had he ever heard of the "Christmas
Wishes Program." Howie had suggested that the guys do something
for charity for the holidays, something that would benefit kids
and something that would be a little more involved than writing
a check to some faceless charity and then taking a tax deduction
from that at the end of the year.
Howie had investigated and come up with this
idea, that the guys would spend some time at the Orlando orphanage,
and each band member would take one of the orphans under their
wing and try to give them a great Christmas, having them stay
with them over the holidays. Brian and the other guys had supported
the idea wholeheartedly as they enjoyed the idea.
Still blushing red, Brian smiled as the lady
opened a door at the end of the long hall to a large room filled
with people. As he walked through the door, he immediately recognized
his friends in the band and they greeted him warmly.
"Brian! Good of you to make it!"
Kevin called from the center of a group of young girls and guys.
AJ and Howie were similarly surrounded by clusters
of kids, talking with each other and among themselves. Brian smiled
and mingled through each of the groups, chatting with the kids,
shaking the hands of the guys and giving hugs to several of the
girls who professed to be his biggest fan.
Brian was having so much fun just hanging out
and talking with the kids that, several hours later as the other
guys began to pair off with the kid they had chosen, Brian realized
that he'd forgotten the real purpose of their visit. Brian stood
up, inquiring of the location of the bathroom, and followed the
directions that he had been given.
On the way back from the bathroom, Brian took
his time and looked around the building. Brian had never been
to an orphanage before and was surprised by the look of this one.
He smiled as inwardly, he realized he had expected something different,
something out of the movie, "Annie" with kids living
in run-down cramped quarters. He almost laughed at that mental
image, realizing that he almost did expect a Carol Burnett type
of character to preside over the place. This orphanage made Brian
think of something more like an academy or a military school for
kids of all ages.
Lost in his thoughts, Brian made his way back
to the room. As he opened the door, his eye was drawn to the corner,
where a group of bigger kids were standing over a small, younger
brown-haired boy with a brace on his leg. Brian walked quietly
over to the group to see what was happening, guessing that it
wasn't anything good.
"Hey hop-along!" the one older boy
laughed cruelly, "You didn't come over and talk with the
rock stars. Afraid they wouldn't want a cripple?!?"
"Yeah, gimpy!" teased a teenaged
girl, "Better beat it. They probably wouldn't want to deal
with damaged goods like you."
Brian shook his head and let out the breath
he didn't even realize he had been holding. "Kids."
he thought, "just being mean because he's wearing a brace."
Brian walked over behind the older boy and
coughed politely. The young man turned around and immediately
turned crimson with embarrassment. Brian smiled inwardly as he
realized that didn't even have to say a word as he, and the other
kids, slunk away from the small boy, knowing they'd been caught
doing something they shouldn't have.
Brian sat down beside the kid on the floor.
"Hi there."
The little boy looked up at Brian with a mix
of fear and awe.
"Hh-Hi."
Brian smiled at the little boy. "I'm Brian."
The little boy nodded. "I know. They told
us all your names so that we would know who each of you were when
you were here. My name is Brian too."
Brian's smile turned into a grin. "Really?
That's awesome!"
The little boy smiled a little smile and nodded.
"I keep mixing up Howie and AJ and Kevin, though. I can't
remember which is which. I was worried when you didn't show up
with the rest of the guys. You're one of the one I could remember
easiest cause we have the same name."
Brian chuckled. "AJ is the one with the
sunglasses. Howie has the curly hair, and Kevin looks like..."
"A hippie?"
Brian's eyes widened at the young boy's description
and his chuckle quickly turned into a full out belly laugh.
"Um...well...yeah." Brian replied,
still laughing. "How do you know what a hippie looks like?"
The little boy dropped his gaze into his lap.
"I don't. That's what the lady that cleans my room said."
Brian began to giggle again at the idea of
Kevin being compared to a hippie. He'd have to tell him about
that some time soon. Brian sobered up as he looked over at the
young kid, who was still staring down at his lap, looking very
forlorn.
"Don't let those kids get you down,"
he said. "They're just acting stupid."
The little boy looked up at Brian, almost studying
him.
"Did you know that when I was born"
Brian said with frown, "I had a hole in my heart and the
doctors didn't think I'd live to get really old, or if I did,
I wouldn't be able to run or play or anything."
The little boy's eyes widened and he shook
his head. "Really? I didn't know that."
Brian nodded. "Yep. But I beat the odds.
I grew up and had a normal life."
The little boy smiled a little. "Did you
used to get teased?"
Brian nodded. "About a lot of things,
actually. I think that there are kids getting teased everywhere
in the world. It's a not real fun part of growing up. The trick
to getting past it is to just ignore the kids that tease you.
They only get satisfied if they know that their teasing is getting
to you. They'll stop once they see that their teasing isn't affecting
you."
The little boy sighed. "But they're right,
though."
Brian looked down at the kid. "How do
you mean?"
The little boy pointed to his brace. "No
one wants a crippled kid. I've even heard the lady that cleans
my room say that I'd have been placed in a home ages ago if I
wasn't a cripple."
Brian sat and thought about what the kid had
said for a second and then shook his head. "Don't believe
anything they say. People are stupid sometimes, Brian, believe
me. I know some that are so stupid that you wonder how they ever
make it out of bed in the morning."
The boy looked up at Brian and smiled. "Really?"
Brian smiled back, "Yup. Dumb as dirt."
The little boy giggled and Brian laughed, thankful
that he could cheer the kid up.
"Hey. Wanna come stay with me over the
holidays?"
The little boy looked flabbergasted. "M-mme?
Brian nodded. "Yeah. Come and hang out
with me and my wife for Christmas and we'll have a great time.
It'll be fun!"
The little boy nodded vigorously. "OK.
If you're sure..."
Brian nodded, "Yeah. I'm sure."
Brian got up and held his hand out to the little
boy, helping him up.
"Let's go grab your things and we can
go get something to eat." Brian said as the two of them,
hand in hand, made their way over to the lady that had let Brian
in. As they approached, Brian saw her smile and nod approvingly.
After they packed up a bag with little Brian's
stuff, the two Brian's headed out to Brian's car and put the bag
in the backseat.
Brian looked at his watch and then started
up the car. "Wanna head over to the mall and grab a quick
bite to eat? Maybe do some shopping?"
The little boy nodded and away they went.
The food court at the mall was packed and Brian smiled at his
luck as two tables of people got up as they began to walk away
from the McDonald's with their full trays. Brian sat down at the
closest table and turned to see his smaller namesake making his
way slowly towards him, carefully balancing his tray as he hobbled
through the busy room.
Brian felt something stir within him, a sense of familial pride
at the fact that the little boy carried his own tray, and didn't
ask for any help or anything. As he reached the table, Brian smiled
to him as he sat down and the two began to eat.
About midway through his burger, the young
boy wiped his mouth and hands on his napkin and leaned back a
little from his tray.
"So, um...is your wife gonna be OK with
having me over for the holidays?"
Brian chewed and swallowed the last of his
burger and then wiped his mouth, "Leighanne's thrilled at
the idea. She was really very supportive when we discussed it
and I think she'll really take a shine to you."
The little boy looked up at him, "Really?"
Brian smiled and nodded. "Yeah. You're
a likeable little guy."
The little boy blushed and picked up his burger
and began to finish it off. After they had finished their meal
and washed their hands, Brian and the little boy walked through
the mall, looking in all the windows and picking out prospective
christmas presents. Brian had amassed a few bags of stuff, but
still hadn't seemed to find anything that really sparked the kid's
interest. Brian had made sure that they had walked through the
mall's two toy stores, but the kid didn't seem too interested
in toys.
As they made their way to the central area
of the mall, Brian saw that it was decorated up like the North
Pole and that Santa was sitting in a chair in the center. Brian
remembered when he was little, his mom used to take him to sit
on Santa's knee and tell him what they wanted. Brian smiled and
leaned down to talk with his smaller charge.
"Did you want to go sit with Santa? We
can get a nice picture made of the three of us afterwards."
The little boy looked up at Brian and nodded,
then the two walked over to the end of the line and waited their
turn. Brian watched as the little boy hobbled up the steps to
the chair where the mall Santa sat and held his arms up as the
Santa picked him up and sat him on his knee. The Santa leaned
his head down and talked with the little boy, then nodded vigorously.
Brian saw the little boy grab the beard once more and whisper
something else into the mall Santa's ear, then the Santa nodded
again and set the boy down. The mall Santa then looked up and
motioned for Brian to walk over for the picture. Brian handed
the helper elf his bags, then he walked up to where the two were
standing.
The mall Santa laughed as he stood side by
side with Brian and the little boy. Brian leaned down and picked
up the boy and held him between himself and Santa and three smiled
as the elf snapped their picture. Brian let the young boy down
and watched him hobble over to the elf that had taken the picture.
As soon as he was out of earshot, Brian turned to the Santa and
smiled.
"Hey. I'm..."
The Santa chuckled merrily. "Brian Littrell.
I know. My daughter is gonna have a fit! Is that your kid?"
Brian smiled. "He's an orphan. My group
is fostering a group of orphans over the holidays and making sure
they have a merry Christmas."
The Santa nodded.
"If you don't mind me asking.." Brian
said, leaning his head closer to the Santa, "What did he
ask you for, for Christmas?"
The Santa sighed. "I shouldn't tell you,
but, well, when I asked what he wanted for Christmas, he said
that he wanted a mommy and a daddy that loved him. He said he
wanted to be able to walk and run like all the other kids. He
said he really wanted your wife to like him, so that he wouldn't
spoil your Christmas. He's a really good kid."
Brian stood there, stunned by the thoughtfulness
and simplicity of what the little boy had wished for. No closer
to finding his answer, he grabbed his bags and walked over to
where the little boy was waiting for to see the developed picture
of the three of them.
Brian leaned over and smiled. "So, did
you tell Santa what you wanted for Christmas?"
The little boy nodded hopefully. "Yep.
I hope I was good enough this year to get it. I've asked for the
same thing for the last two years, but I guess I've not been good
enough to get it."
Brian was about to say something when the elf-lady
re-appeared and smiled as he handed them two copies of the picture.
The boy giggled, pointing out the silliness
of his facial expression. Brian smiled and payed the elf for the
photos and then the two walked back to shopping. Several stores
away, they looked into a pet store and the little boy tugged on
Brian's shirt.
"Can we go in there?"
Brian nodded. "Sure!"
The two made their way through the shop, looking
at the birds and fish and ferrets in the aquariums and cages.
As they reached the back of the store, the little boy laughed
and made his way over to the glass enclosure where the store kept
its cats and dogs. The little boy looked up and asked if he could
go in and see the puppies. Brian looked at the cages and saw that
most looked uninhabited. The little boy pointed at one in the
lower right part of the room.
"There's a puppy!"
Brian smiled and pushed open the door for the
little boy, letting him hobble in and over to the cage where he
deftly popped open the latch of the cage and opened the door.
Brian smiled as the boy reached in to pet the
puppy, then turned as he saw one of the store personnel approach.
Brian opened the door and walked out of the
room as the clerk approached him.
"Hi. I'm..."
The young clerk smiled and nodded. "Yeah.
I know. The girls up front just told me who you are."
Brian laughed, he had seen them begin to turn
a different color and claw at each other when he came in. He guessed
that they were fans.
"If you don't mind me saying so, Mr. Littrell,
I don't think you want that dog."
Brian turned to look at the young boy and saw
the puppy stagger out of the cage and fall into the boy's lap,
causing both to laugh.
"Why? What's wrong with it?" he asked
curiously.
"It's back leg is fused. It was born that
way, it seems. That's why it's the last puppy in the store. Nobody
wants a dog like that. The operation to fix it's leg will be pricey
and people would just rather not bother when they can get another
dog without any problems like that."
Brian nodded. "Thanks for telling me.
I didn't know..."
The young man held up his hand. "If your
little boy does want a dog, I have some that will be ready in
a week or so that are 100% healthy. You can bring him back to
see those, then."
Brian looked back to the room where the little
boy was laughing as the little puppy climbed up his lap and licked
his face.
"What about that little puppy...what's
gonna happen to it?"
The manager shrugged. "We've had it for
a while and no one's shown any interest. I'll probably take it
to the APS and have them put it down. It'd be the humane thing
to do."
Brian felt his heart sink and his eyes get
moist at the idea of putting a puppy down. "Oh...yeah...humane."
The young man nodded and then added, "If
you need anything else, just ask me."
Brian nodded and walked back into the room
where the little boy's laughter resounded loudly off the glass
walls.
"Hey Bri...got your hands full, huh?"
Brian said, forcing a smile.
The little boy laughed and nodded. "Yeah.
I've always wanted a puppy."
Brian frowned. "The manager said that
if you wanted a normal puppy, that he had some coming in next
week."
The little boy shook his head. "What's
wrong with this one?"
Brian knelt down beside the little boy. "Well...it's
back leg is fused."
The little boy's eyes filled with tears as
he held the puppy close to his chest. "Does that make it
any less worthy of love and a home?"
Brian's heart snapped into his throat at the
sight of the little boy and the puppy and he shook his head. "No.
No it doesn't." Brian whispered as he fought the swell of
tears in his eyes and got back up to his feet.
"It's only fitting that a cripple like
me would want a crippled dog. I could love it, even if it has
a problem with its back leg."
Brian let the little boy play with the dog
a while longer then looked at his watch and realized that they'd
better head back to his house. As the two walked away from the
pet store, Brian noticed a distinct change in the boy's attitude,
having gone from careful, guarded and withdrawn to happy and boisterous,
just in the time that they spent within the pet store playing
with the puppy.
Brian suggested that the two of them head home
so that they would have time to unpack the stuff and get ready
for dinner.
The two made it home and unloaded the car,
putting the items into the living room so that they could wrap
them later. Brian took a bag of items that he had gotten for the
younger boy and hid them behind the sofa. The two walked into
the kitchen and Brian saw a note on the frigerator. Leigh Anne
had just gone out to get some groceries. Brian smiled at the younger
boy. "Well....She'll be back. She's gone out to get some
groceries."
The young boy nodded, looking at the framed
wedding print on the wall of the kitchen. "So you're just
married, huh?"
Brian smiled and nodded. "Yep. Leigh was
the one for me. I knew it from the moment I woke up from my heart
operation and there she was, standing by my bed, waiting for me.
The little boy smiled and then jumped as he
heard the door behind him open.
"Brian. I'm home."
Brian smiled and looked over the younger boy's
head. "Hey Leigh. Come on in here and meet our guest."
The little boy squirmed in his seat as he turned
around in time to see a woman, arms laden with bags, walk up behind
him.
"Hey there little guy. I'm Leighanne."
Leighanne said, a smile lighting up her face as she immediately
noticed the little boy.
"I'm Brian. It's nice to meet you."
Leighanne's eyes widened and her smile turned
into a grin. "Another Brian in the house, huh?"
The young boy giggled. "Can't get too
much of a good thing, huh?"
Brian and Leighanne both laughed uproariously
at the reply.
Brian watched as his wife instantly bonded with his young charge,
laughing and playing with the young boy, only remarking once on
his leg as they played. Leighanne glanced up at the clock and
ushered the two out into the living room so that she could start
dinner. Brian offered to help, but Leighanne insisted they go
wrap presents. Brian relented, knowing how many presents he had
to wrap that evening.
As they sat down, the little boy watched Brian
cut the paper and then wrap each one. After a while, he joined
in, wrapping a few gifts himself. Brian smiled as the young boy
imitated his moves exactly.
"So....how do you like Leighanne?"
The little boy beamed. "She's nice! I
see why you like her."
Brian smiled as they finished wrapping the
presents and the little boy sat closer to Brian, letting him drape
his arm over his shoulders.
"You'll be getting to meet my mom and
dad. They're coming down with my older brother tomorrow."
The little boy smiled. "Your mom?"
Brian nodded. "She's nice too. If you
like Leigh, you'll love my mom."
The little boy grinned.
"Dinner's ready guys!" Leighanne
called from the dining room.
Dinner was scrumptious and Brian smiled as
the little boy politely asked if he could have seconds. Leighanne
grinned and spooned up a second helping for him and handed him
back his plate.
After dinner was over, Brian took the young
boy upstairs to show him where he would be staying. He showed
him the bathroom in his room and where the extra towels were kept.
The boy blushed slightly then asked if Brian could help him with
his brace so that he could take a bath before bed. Brian nodded
and turned on the water in the tub, letting it heat up before
stopping up the tub. As the bath water collected, Brian stepped
out into the bedroom where the young boy had taken off his one
shoe and was starting to take off his shirt.
"Need any help?"
The little boy pulled off his shirt and nodded.
"Just need some help getting the brace off, and then getting
in and out of the tub."
Brian nodded and untied the little boy's shoe
and began to unbuckle the rather complex brace.
"Wow....they didn't make it easy for you,
huh?"
The little boy smiled. "It's not so bad,
once you've done it a few times."
Brian smiled as the last buckle on the brace
popped loose and he pulled it slowly off the little boy's leg.
He then helped him take off his pants and underwear. The boy blushed
as Brian rubbed his hand along the immobilized leg.
"It doesn't work right." the boy
said, "The lady at the orphanage said that there's some operation
or something that might help it...but the doctor that explained
it to her talked over her head and she didn't understand. She
just said she remembered him saying that it was really expensive."
Brian laughed. "Doctor's tend to do that.
My doctors did that to me before my heart operation. It kinda
made me mad."
The little boy nodded in agreement, "Yeah.
Tell me about it."
Brian smiled and then leaned over. "Want
me to pick you up and put you in the tub, or just walk over there
with you and help you in?"
The little boy looked up at Brian and nodded.
"You can pick me up. I trust you."
Brian smiled and picked up the little boy,
depositing him slowly in the nice warm water.
"There you go!" Brian said. "Let
me get you some shampoo and a washcloth."
Brian retrieved the shampoo and the washcloth
and then sat down across the bathroom on the toilet seat.
"If you need help, just tell me."
The little boy smiled. "OK. I'll just
need some help getting up to wash off."
Brian nodded.
"So. Are you and Leighanne gonna have
kids?"
Brian smiled. "I hope so. I really love
kids. My family is pretty big and all."
The little boy smiled. "You'll make a
really good Dad."
Brian giggled. "I hope so. I'll give it
my best shot."
The little boy splashed some water and laughed.
"Yeah. You'll be great."
Brian helped the boy get up some time later
and rinse off, then he helped him towel off, and, after an attack
of the tickle monster that left the little boy screeching with
laughter, Brian helped him get dressed for bed.
As Brian was shutting off the bathroom light, Leighanne opened
the door and walked in.
"Hey boys. Just wanted to tell little
Brian goodnight, and tuck him in."
The little boy smiled widely as Brian and Leighanne
sat down on opposite sides of the bed and tucked him in. As Brian
reached up to shut off the light beside the bed, the little boy
reached out and grabbed his arm.
"Thanks for taking me in for Christmas."
Leighanne bent over and hugged the little boy
tightly. "It's our pleasure, sweetie. You sleep well."
Brian turned off the light and leaned down
and kissed the boy on the forehead. "See you in the morning."
Brian closed the door behind him and headed
downstairs to wrap the few presents he had picked up for the little
boy. As he sat on the sofa wrapping a box, Leighanne walked in
and sat down beside him, her arm snaking around his waist.
"He's adorable."
Brian nodded, and then told her all of what
happened that day, from finding him at the orphanage, to the mean
kids, the visit with santa and the little boy's wishes, to the
pet store and the little dog with the fused back leg.
Leighanne hugged him tightly after he finished
and then smiled. "Makes you wanna have a kid, huh?"
Brian smiled and nodded.
Leighanne kissed him on the lips and got up
off the sofa. "Maybe it's time for us to consider it, then.
There's one kid upstairs that seems to think the world of you...and
I can see that you think the world of him too! He would make a
fine son and the love you have for him already will only grow."
A wide-eyed Brian looked up at his wife who
smiled and then headed up to their bedroom.
Brian picked up the phone and called the orphanage,
hoping that someone would be there this late in the evening.
"Hello?" came the voice of an older
lady.
"Hello. This is Brian Littrell of the
Backstreet Boys. I had a question about the little boy that's
staying with me..."
Brian's conversation lasted for over an hour,
and at the end, he smiled as he wrapped up the last of it. "I'll
be by to pick up the paperwork tomorrow. Thank you."
Brian then dialed information and made a few
other calls, then he headed upstairs to bed.
The next morning, Brian smiled as Leighanne and "little Brian"
headed out early to go shopping. Leighanne asked if she could
take him shopping with her for a while while Brian ran the errands
that he had to do, namely picking up his parents and brother at
the airport.
Brian left out after them and had completed
his errands with plenty of time to get to the airport and collect
his siblings. Brian told his mom about the little boy staying
with them over the holidays and she insisted that they go by a
mall so that she could pick up a few presents for him. After their
shopping, Brian and his family headed back to his place. Brian
opened the door and smiled as Leighanne came down the stairs and
hugged him.
"He's upstairs taking a nap. He was all
tired out after shopping."
Brian smiled and nodded, understanding what
the little boy was going through as he too had been run ragged
shopping with his relatives as well.
Brian and his mother crept upstairs and Brian
pointed to the room where the little boy was sleeping. Brian's
mom Jackie, smiled and quietly opened the door, gasping as she
saw the sleeping tot.
"Oh Brian...he's adorable!" she gushed
as she gazed lovingly at the sleeping boy.
Brian nodded and beamed a smile. "He's
a really great kid!"
Brian's smile didn't seem to waver for the
rest of the day as, a little later on, little Brian came down
on his own and proceeded to charm his parents and his brother.
Brian almost laughed as he watched as his mother naturally assumed
the role of doting grandmother to little Brian.As for little Brian's
part, he was elated that Brian's parents and brother seemed so
taken with him.
The next day was a hustle and bustle of activity,
shopping for food and drinks, getting some dishes for the Christmas
dinner prepared early and making way for the giant ham and turkey
that Brian had gotten for the dinner. Little Brian sat in the
kitchen with Leighanne and Brian, eyeing the two foodstuffs with
a mixture of awe and surprise.
"Whoa! That's a lot of ham and turkey!"
Brian laughed. "Yeah. Tonight's dinner
and tomorrow's breakfast will just be my mom, dad, brother, Leigh
Anne, you and myself, but Christmas dinner will be all of us and
my cousin Kevin and his family."
Little Brian's eyes boggled. "WOW! We
better get a bigger table!"
Brian laughed. "We're gonna put all the
extensions in the table...and add a second smaller table to the
end. I think we'll all fit."
Leighanne stirred one of the pots on the stove
and then looked over at the little boy and smiled.
"Having a good time here?"
The little boy nodded. "This is amazing.
I've never seen a Christmas like this before."
Leighanne smiled. "Well...it'll only get
better. Tonight should be fun. We'll have a nice dinner and then
get dressed up and go to church.
Then tomorrow we can wake up early and see
what Santa brought us."
Little Brian nodded. "That sounds like
fun."
Christmas Eve mass was something that little Brian had never experienced
before and so he watched the procession with a rapt expression.
After the service was over, Brian got up and looked to his left
to see that the young boy had fallen asleep in the pew. Brian
picked the small boy up in his arms and together they all made
their way home.
The next morning, little Brian woke up early,
put his leg brace on, and crawled out of bed. He went down the
hall to Brian and Leighanne's room and knocked quietly on the
door. He opened the door and went over to Brian's side of the
bed, leaning up and grabbing his hand.
"Brian. Wake up. Can we go see if Santa
came?"
Brian's eyes opened slowly and focused, then
he smiled and leaned over and grabbed little Brian, pulling him
up onto the bed and tickling him, causing him to yelp and laugh.
Leighanne woke up and smiled, helping little Brian fight back
and pin down her husband while little Brian tickled him back .
After they had finished, Brian picked up the
young boy and they all went down to the living room. Little Brian
gasped as the christmas tree was just surrounded by presents,
almost to the point of being overshadowed by them. As he approached
the tree on one side, one of the boxes gave a yip and little Brian
jerked away from it.
"Um....I think there's something alive
in this one." the young boy said as he hobbled back to Brian,
putting his arms around Brian's leg.
Brian leaned over and picked up the tag off
the side of the box.
"Hmmm...it says it's for you."
Little Brian walked over to the side of the
box and was just about to pull on the ribbon when a bark came
from within the box. He turned to face Brian and Leighanne with
a smile that lit up his whole face as he realized what was inside
the box. In an instant, the young boy had the top off the box
and was lifting the puppy out.
Brian looked over to Leighanne, whose face
was wet with tears at the sight of the little boy with his dog.
Brian got up and grabbed an envelope off the box. He walked over
and sat down beside the young boy.
"This envelope is yours too."
Brian opened the envelope and held up a card.
"What's that?"
Brian smiled. "It's for your puppy. He's
scheduled to get an operation to fix his leg....on Dec 29th."
Brian held up another sheet of paper, with
several cards stapled to each.
"What are those?" the little boy
asked.
"These are appointment cards for you to
go to a special doctor and get your leg fixed too."
The little boy yelped and clapped his hands
around Brian's neck.
"But the lady at the orphanage said that
the operation was too expensive." the little boy gasped.
Brian wiped away some of the tears that had
begun to fall from his eyes. "Well...I figured that it is
only fitting that a dog that's going to have it's leg fixed is
gonna need a boy with a fixed leg to run and play with."
The little boy hugged Brian again then sat
down on his lap. Leighanne walked up behind the two and sat down
beside them as Brian pulled out another envelope and opened it.
The little boy gasped as Brian pulled out a set of signed adoption
papers from the envelope.
"Brian...how would you like to live here,
for good? What do you think of the idea of having me and Leighanne
as your daddy and mommy?"
The little boy grabbed at Brian and hugged
him tightly, then got up and hugged Leighanne. He sat back down
on Brian's lap and held onto his hand.
"I'd like that more than anything in the
world."
The boy looked up at Brian and frowned, then
he got up and put his arms around Brian's neck.
"I'm sorry. I didn't get you anything
for Christmas."
Brian felt warm tears fall freely down his
cheeks. "Oh, little buddy, believe me, you did. I got the
best present in the world in you."
-The End
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