Bennie and Clyde

1931

Clyde genuinely wanted a dog. That's all she had ever wanted. She'd been asking her parents for a dog for months now, but they kept saying no, especially Mother. Now here it was, the first day of summer, and she still didn't have a dog.

The last time she asked, Mother told her that they had cats, and she could play with the cats. Clyde tried to explain to Mother that cats didn't go for walks with you and play fetch nor did the cats do tricks upon command. All the cats wanted to do was clean themselves and sleep.

Mother simply didn't get it. Clyde seriously thought Mother never would understand. her mother was a cat-only person. This frustrated Clyde to no end. After all, dogs were good for rodents, too.

Father on the other hand, always told her that maybe she would have one someday. Then he would wink at Clyde, and touch his forefinger to his nose. As he walked off whistling, Clyde was always left with a warm feeling, like a secret was shared between them.

So, June 21 rolled around, and Clyde was sitting dejectedly on the porch swing, daydreaming about what it may be like to own a dog. She imagined her and the dog playing fetch together, them flying a kite in the park, and of course, them cuddling on the window seat, watching the weather or reading.

The daydream was so good, she could almost swear she heard a dog barking. It was that realistic of a fantasy. Lounging on the swing, she almost jumped out of her skin when a wet nose touched her. She opened her eyes and came face to face with a little black-and-white dog, which immediately licked her whole face.

Looking up from the dog, Clyde saw Mother and Father standing there. Smiling, Father told her that Mr. Sampson's dog had had puppies, and this was the last one left. He went on to explain that the new dog was her responsibility to care for, not Mother's. Clyde quickly agreed and hugged her dog to her.

Mother smiled and shook her head, then said that she expected Clyde to clean up after the new dog, too. That she wouldn't not be cleaning dirty dog prints off of the floor or furniture. Clyde ran and hugged her mother, and told her that she'd make sure to take excellent care of the new dog.

Father then asked Clyde what she planned on naming the new pup. She then told them that she'd had plenty of time to think of it, and she wanted to call the new dog Bennie. At first, she couldn't understand why Father and Mother started laughing, but then Mother said that Bennie was a fine name for a female pup. Even Clyde giggled but said that she was going to name her Bennie anyways.

Clyde was so happy to have Bennie. They played in the yard all afternoon. Then they both went inside for supper. Clyde fed Bennie just like she promised. Then she took her dog back outside to play for a bit before they would have to get ready for bed.

She got to play fetch, which was so much fun, even though all the pup wanted to do was play keep away. They looked for "fairies" in the shrubbery around the house. Then they played in the goldfish pond out behind the house.

When Mother called them both in, they went right in. Clyde cleaned Bennie up, then washed up herself. Then they both went into the living room to listen to Amos and Andy on the Philco Model 90 radio before Clyde would have to go to sleep.

When it was time for bed, Clyde took Bennie to her room with her. They both climbed into bed, and Clyde read stories to Bennie until Clyde was tired. Then they both slept cuddled for the rest of the night.

The next morning they woke and ate breakfast. Then they went outside to start a new adventure. That's a story for another time, though.