I stepped out of My cousins minivan and skipped up the driveway. This will the fun I thought, spending time with my cousins. I was wrong, SO WRONG!


*****
“This wasn’t a good idea,” Grace moaned after a few minutes of jumping.

“Ya,” I sighed,” So what next?” we had just eaten had a feast of pizza, cake and ice cream and then jumped on the trampoline.
“Make overs?” Grace offered.
“You know it!” I winked.
I was first. Gracie grabbed her makeup kit and met me in the living area down stairs. She turned on the T.V. so I had something to do. She was really excited about it. She kept plastering my face with all sorts of strange cosmetics and then wiping it off with a cold, damp washcloth.
“No, just not right,” she would say.
I think she wants to be a cosmetologist like her mom. Sometimes it drove me CRAZY!
****
“Grace! come up here please!” My Aunt Melissa called.
“COMING MOM!” Grace screamed back.
”Hold on I’ll be back,” she sighed as she trudged up stairs.
I stared at the T.V. anticipating my cousins return for what seemed like FOREVER!
****
“Chalia,” My aunt called.

“Yes!” I responded wobbling to my feet which had fallen asleep. Then striding to the bottom of the steppes to meet my aunts gaze. Did I do something wrong? I thought and the way to my destination.

“Would you put a diaper on Bailey?” gesturing to my 1 year old cousin, “I need to help Grace. Her dog, Harley, got hit by a car,” she said surprisingly smooth.

I just stared at her blankly for a minute. When I snapped back into reality I, of course, said yes. I’m such and idiot! I sitting downstairs watching loli princess dance around in la-la land, while Grace was standing outside bawling over her injured, possibly dying Dog, I thought, while I was squeezing Bailey into a diaper. After I had finished my task, I rushed outside to meet Grace.

Harley had crawled under their porch. Grace was standing next to the deck sobbing I hugged for a while and gave her some comforting words. It’s not much but it is what I can offer, I thought. Still crying Grace crawled under the deck, I followed.
“Talk to him Grace,” my aunt said.

“Har---ly it’s-- ok” she choked out. Then I took a shot at it.
“Good boy!” I said in the most soothing gentle tone I could think of. I stroked Harleys soft smooth tan fur. I crawled out from under the porch to talk to my aunt.
“Should we carry him out?” I asked as I approached her.
“Ya, We need to get him from under there before Joe gets home, so he can give him a check up.” she responded. My uncle was currently having issues getting his fishing boat out of the water.
“NO! HARLEY NO!” I heard Grace sob.

I jogged over to see that Harley had limped out from under the deck himself. We set him on a towel and fed him bread. It was time for him to eat and dog food would be too hard to chew considering his fatigue. We sat with him until my uncle Joe returned to the house.

After my uncle returned I went back inside. I flopped down on the living room couch and took a deep breath. I glanced over at my 5 year old cousin, JJ. He was very concerned about Harley and wanted to see him but his mom wouldn’t let him near Harley for the longest time. I knew how he was feeling. Anyway he was looking at the pictures of a bob the builder book. I was instantly transported to the day when my dad told the family that my grandpa had died. After dinner everyone was just sitting in the living room all sad. I don’t know what I was thinking, maybe I wanted the get everyones mind off the fact that we will never see the most jolly person that we have ever known until our life on this earth is done. But all I wanted was for someone to read me a book. Of course no one did. But I could do that for J.J.

“Hey Buckets, you want me to read that to you?” I asked.

“Yes please he said,” he said
“Well then scooch on over here,” I said patting the cushion next to me, so he slid across the cushions snuggled up next to me as I read to him.

“Is Harley going to die?” J.J. asked me after I finished the book

“No, Harleys going to be alright. He will to have to go to the vet and get a cast but he will be ok in a few months,” I told him, and I was right.
When I went to bed that night I realized I had kept J.J. from feeling alone and gave Grace a shoulder to cry on. I saw how easy it was, I just read a Bob the Builder book and gave someone a hug. I vowed from that day forth I would do those things, the simple things. I want other people to know how easy it is to help someone feel good.