A Mother's Worry

     ‘It has been over two weeks now. Do you think that this was a bad idea?’ Isabella looked back at her husband who remained uninterested in their conversation. James firmly believed that their son was perfectly fine and that she was overreacting again.
     She turned back to face the window with a sigh. She peered through it into their back garden and saw her son playing by himself in the sand. Her heart lurched at the sight. How long would it take for him to find friends? He had always been so popular in their old neighbourhood and she had thought it would be the same here.
     ‘Are you going to stand there all day long?’ James queried, staring at his wife in bemusement.
     ‘I just wish there was something I could do to make things easier for him. Honey, should we move back?’ She looked up at him earnestly as he moved towards her and draped his arms around her.
     ‘Sweetheart, we have discussed this several times and we both agreed that staying here is the best option. The schools are better, the neighbourhood is cleaner and it is a lot closer to my work. Give the boy a chance. He has only been enrolled in school for the last week. He will find plenty of friends.’ He sighed as he saw the doubt plainly written all over her face. What would it take to convince her?
     ‘I just cannot stand seeing him so lonely.’
     Not for the first time, he wondered if they were seeing the same child. Max looked quite happy, dirt streaked across his tiny face as he sat building a fort out of the dark sand. Getting him to bath tonight would be fun, he thought absently. A memory of once bathing a puppy that had dug up half of his mother’s garden came to mind and brought a smile to his face. His mother had been livid but he had found it hilarious.
     ‘If you want to cheer him up, why not get him a puppy?’ he suggested, expecting her to laugh at the idea. She had never been a huge fan of dogs. Instead, her face lit up.
     She had been saving up for Christmas presents for the last two months so she had the money to get a puppy. She imagined how overjoyed Max would be and clasped her hands together in excitement.
     ‘There is a pet store in town. If I leave now I can maybe bring a puppy home this afternoon.’
     ‘Wait, are you serious? Have you even thought this through?’ He watched her in silent astonishment as she started digging around for her purse.
     ‘Sure I have,’ she responded decisively. ‘It will be the perfect playmate for Max and at the same time we can start teaching him some responsibility. You have also always wanted a puppy, so why not?’ She beamed up at him and he realised that this was the happiest he had seen her since they had moved here. Maybe it was not such a bad idea, he thought.
     ‘In that case, let us get a puppy!’ He grinned at the idea and immediately started thinking of ways to puppy proof their home. As it turned out, he had his work cut out for him because he was barely done by the time Isabella came home with the happiest golden retriever he had ever seen.
     ‘Where is Max?’ she whispered, trying to contain the wriggling form that seemed determined to eat her hair.
     ‘Still outside,’ he whispered back. ‘I will go call him if you can hide the puppy in his room?’
     ‘Okay!’ She gave a slight giggle as the puppy reached up and licked her face.
     Once she was gone James went outside to join Max. He was still building his fort, adding sticks and stones to the outside walls.
     ‘Hey Max, do you want to come inside for a little bit? There is a surprise waiting for you in your bedroom.’
     ‘There is?’ He scrambled up and tried in vain to wipe his hands all over his clothes which no longer resembled what he had been wearing earlier.
     ‘Yeah, hurry up!’ he responded, trying not to laugh at his son.
     When they arrived inside their home James made Max wipe his dirty feet off before Isabella killed them both and told him to close his eyes as they neared his bedroom.
     ‘You ready?’ He did not bother waiting for an answer before swinging the door open. Almost instantaneously the puppy rushed out and tackled Max who fell to the floor in giggles.
     ‘You got me a puppy?’ Thrilled, he played with it and gave it plenty of kisses. ‘Thank you so much! What is his name? Or is it a girl?’ His eyes were shinning with happiness and Isabella felt her heart warm. This was how she wanted to see their son.
     ‘It is a boy. I thought maybe you would want to name him?’ she queried.
     ‘What about Sam?’ he asked after a few moments of deep thought.
     ‘Sam is a beautiful name!’ she exclaimed. ‘Now you must remember, you need to take him for a walk every day and you need to make sure that he always has food and water.’
     ‘I will! Can he sleep in my room?’
     Sam rolled over onto his back and stared up at her with his golden-brown eyes, his tail wagging madly.  
     ‘Only if he does not sleep on your bed,’ she conceded. ‘I bought him a nice bed that he can sleep on.’
     Max grinned and gave Sam a huge hug. Isabella brought out a bag of dog food for Sam and they all decided that the best place to feed him would be in the kitchen.
     ‘I cannot wait to show him to Henry!’
     ‘Who is Henry?’ Isabella asked.
     ‘My friend from school, he wants to come over as soon as his family from overseas leaves.’
     James chuckled at his wife’s puzzled expression and kissed her.
     ‘See, I told you he was fine.’