Mom and Dad were invited over for the birthday celebration. PJ had Friday night off, so they planned the party for that evening. They would celebrate with pizza, pop and birthday cupcakes. The girls did not give Goldi that kind of stuff normally, but it was her birthday so they gave her nibbles of both. They justified it by not giving her much. Mom and Dad smiled, but they did not say a word – not one word.
Goldi had no ill effects from her little birthday treats, but the excitement of the whole affair tired her out. After she crawled into her doggy bed, she slept longer than normal. The girls were starting to slip into the “mom” worry mode when Goldi stretched, yawned and crawled out of her doggy bed. The girls were relieved for Goldi was just fine.
Since Goldi was rarely home alone as one of the girls was with her most of the time, she was housebroken early on. The girls had a doggy door put in the kitchen door so Goldi could go out on her own whenever she needed. PJ and CC were relieved they had done that. It was no longer necessary to put Goldi in the kennel during the times they were both gone. What a relief it was to have her housebroken!
Goldi still chewed on everything. The girls were so tired of cleaning up her messes and replacing the couch pillows, they decided they were not going to get any more pillows until she was well past her chewing stage. Rawhide bones and chew sticks never lasted long. Even the “heavy duty” doggy toys were ruined. The girls began to buy doggy toys at the Dollar Factory Outlet. At least that way they would not have to lay out so much cash as they had at the pet store. Besides, their little Goldi was growing up. This phase would soon pass.
Goldi still howled, whined and cried if she was left alone; PJ and CC would hear her whenever they left or returned to the house. The separation anxiety was a part of her personality. It was in the gene pool. Perhaps if she had a playmate it would go away. Nope, no way were they going there. Since she was left alone very little and only when absolutely necessary, they would keep on the way they were.
Chapter 8 – More Struggles
Why did it have to be so hard to be a dog mom? PJ and CC had discussed this several times since Mom and Dad had given Goldi to them as a housewarming present. Mom and Dad always had dogs, but the dogs were theirs. Goldi was the first dog the girls owned; she was the first one they would call their own. Both girls were glad they had each other so the responsibility could be shared, and both girls were learning and growing together. They figured their inexperience fueled their lack of confidence, so things would surely get better with time.
The girls figured wrong. Even though they shared responsibility for Goldi, even though they were learning and growing and even though Goldi was a well-trained, well-behaved young lady, things still happened. Every time they turned around they had to deal with something else happening to Goldi.
CC found a lump on Goldi’s side one day as she was petting her. She called the vet’s office and was told she could bring Goldi in right away. After the vet examined her, he explained to CC it was a fatty tumor. There were two treatment options: medication or surgery. He further explained that sometimes the medication did not work and surgery to remove the fatty tumor was the last option. CC decided to go with the medication. She would explain it to PJ later. Thankfully the medication helped. The tumor was gone in two weeks. They were glad they caught it early.
Right on the tails of the fatty tumor incident, the girls had another issue with Goldi. A cat had jumped over the back fence into their yard just before Goldi slipped out her doggy door. She was a pretty fast runner and was on the cat before it could get away. A fight ensued. CC came running out to see what was causing the commotion. What she saw was the cat slinking back over the fence very quickly and Goldi lying on her side writhing and squealing in pain.
CC’s first thoughts were “why did this not happen when PJ was here? She is the nurse.” But CC quickly pushed the thoughts aside to check Goldi’s wounds. She carried Goldi into the house and wrapped her in a towel. One of her ears was bleeding profusely and was going to need vet care. The vet took Goldi in right away, as usual. It was not a serious injury, much to CC’s relief. The cat clawed the inside of one ear. No stitches were needed. With some minor first aid, they were soon on their way.
Chapter 9 – What Now?
PJ and CC loved Goldi. She was the sweetest dog. The blessings of having her far outweighed the struggles. But they were both weary from the recent string of troubles and were hoping they could be spared any more traumas for awhile. These incidents were draining them emotionally and financially. Thankfully there came a day when they were able to put it all behind them.
The girls were back in their normal routines with jobs, house and dog responsibilities, plus their social lives. PJ, however, had a new dimension in her life as she now had a significant other. She and one of the guys that worked in the medical lab had been dating for several months as time allowed. His nickname was Hock, which was short for “Hooked on Coffee Kid.” PJ smiled when he first told her. Now Hock and PJ were hooked on each other.
CC really wanted to be happy for her sister. But she did not have a significant other. Plus, the girls were not only buying the house together, they also owned Goldi together. Their previous hypothetical question had now become a real one: whatever were they going to do? CC had watched her sister’s relationship with Hock blossom and grow and it began to eat away at her.
PJ started to worry about her sister as it was so unlike CC to be quiet and withdrawn; the nurse in her began to wonder if CC was sick. When the girls were finally able to sit down and talk about it CC opened up and shared her concerns, but not without some prying on PJ’s part. They talked about it as they always had in the past. Their twin sister closeness paid off. CC felt much better; she could put this behind her now and actually be happy for her sister. Nevertheless, she did find herself praying for her own knight in shining armor. He had to be out there somewhere; she just wondered how long it would take to find him.
Well it did not take very long before CC was on Cloud 9. A few months after her sister began dating, the manager of the Coffee Troll asked her out. He was a coffee junkie also, but his friends called him Veg because he was a vegetarian. Aside from the fact she really liked this guy, she was particularly happy because she knew Hock and Veg would hit it right off with their mutual love of coffee. This was very good – sweeter than a double caramel latte even!
Chapter 10 – Wedding Bells
Once again Goldi managed to get a sweet “deal,” this time by doubling the size of her family. Veg and Hock were both frequent visitors, so she got plenty of attention from them, too. And the girls went out of their way to make sure Goldi was well-cared for, regardless of how busy they were.
Everyone watching PJ’s and Hock’s relationship flourish figured a wedding would soon be in the picture for the two of them. Although Hock had not proposed yet, PJ knew it would not be long in coming. She had a heart-to-heart talk with her beloved twin. It was decided that CC would keep both the house and Goldi, too. The girls had always worked well as a team so they knew they could work out the financial arrangements, as well. Hock had his own place, so PJ would be moving in with him after they got married, and it just would not be feasible for PJ and Hock to have Goldi with their irregular work schedules.
While PJ’s relationship with Hock had slowly developed with time, CC’s and Veg’s romance was a whirlwind courtship. Veg was smitten. Neither PJ nor CC knew it yet, but Veg and Hock were planning a surprise dual proposal for their identical twin girlfriends. They coordinated schedules so a double-date could be planned. They had both already talked to the girls’ Dad; with his approval they forged ahead. The two couples had double-dated before, so the girls were not the least bit suspicious.
After a perfectly planned and executed surprise double proposal, they went home to show Mom and Dad their rings and officially announce their engagements. Mom and Dad were relieved to hear the girls say they were planning a double wedding. After all, they had done almost everything else toge
ther most of their lives. They could coordinate and plan for their joint wedding together and they would share expenses. And like the years before, they would still be able to talk and dream together about the future.
The wedding was beautiful. Almost all of their family and friends were there. Who would want to miss that? Most important, Goldi was there. She was in the center of it all, both in the wedding and in the photos, too. The brides did not mind that Goldi had become the belle of the ball.
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Other books by Stella Dillenbeck:
Grover, the Feisty One, https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/507439
Uncle Trucky’s Sidekick, https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/512336
Sir Walter Raleigh, https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/516656
Finding Gold, https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/525024
Modoc Point Pups, https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/528948
A Salute to Sparky, https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/533307
Deserted in the Desert, https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/536725
Sherman, the German, https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/540406
From Tears to Triumph, https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/544477
The Dream Team, https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/548450
The Chuckwagon Gang, https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/552534
In the Eye of the Storm, https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/556846
Out of this World, https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/601482
Reaching the Last Frontier, https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/621408
Once Upon a Shining Star, https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/624177
The Tough Lumberjack Dog, https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/657572
From Splinters to Splendor, https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/662338
Gold Rush Page 2
