Grandma's Best Friend

Grandma's Best Friend

I used to love going to grandma's house every weekend. Not only to see her, but to see her best friend. As I would pull up into the yard those bright red rose bushes surrounding the entire two-story house would always catch my eye. When I stepped on the porch I'd be hesitant to ring the doorbell because I already knew what was awaiting me. And just as I thought, as soon as I rung it there I heard grandma's best friend, Cole, barking away. He was a black miniature poodle with one white spot on the nose. As she opened the door I could see him sticking his neck around asking "who is it?" When he saw that it was me he smiled and jumped into my arms to give me a hug as I bent down to pick him up. After holding him in my arms for a while I released him to sit, as usual, on the footstool of my grandma's wheelchair. This was Cole's favorite and only spot to sit. To her, Cole was not only a best friend for ten years, he was her companion.

One afternoon, I was at work and couldn't get to my cell phone. When I finally got a chance to check it, I saw that there was a missed call. To my surprise, it was grandma. Usually, the only time that she would call me would be on Friday afternoons to make sure I could make our "weekend appointment". This was unusual because it was a Tuesday afternoon. I figured something was wrong so I quickly called her back. When she answered I could tell that my assumption was true. She told me in a trembling voice that she and Cole had gone out in the yard to trim the rose bushes, when a young boy riding a bike passed. "The bike had what looked like a playing card attached to the spoke making a clacking noise", she explained. She said that the noise had got the attention of Cole and even though she called for him he did not listen. "He's been missing for a day and a half!" she cried. All I could say was "I'm sorry grandma; I'll be there as soon as I can". I arrived the next day.

I entered her silent bedroom. I have never been there when absolutely no noise was being made. As I slowly entered, there she was sitting in her normal spot by the window. But this time the blinds were closed. She never leaves the blinds closed, so I knew she was upset. She didn't say much to me but "please help me find him, I miss him so much". "Yes ma'am", I replied. I immediately left the house. By this time my sister was there to help me start our neighborhood search. Up and down every block, we drove. This lasted for two never-ending hours. We decided that it was time for us to give it a rest and return with the terrible news; Cole was nowhere to be found. When we walked back into the house, preparing to break the bad news, I heard laughter.

As I opened the door, to my surprise there was Cole. My grandma had a smile on her face as big as