“I dont want a paralyzed child said the bride-to-be, and then she left
She had no idea what would happen next.
In a quiet English village lived an ordinary old man. On weekends, hed have a nip of gin and reminisce. There was one thing hed always wanted: a dog, not just any dog, but a purebred English Mastiff. He was willing to travel all the way to London if it meant owning such a magnificent animal and bringing it home.
The old fellows name was Arthur. People called him Arthur or Mr. Bailey, no one ever really knew which was his first name and which was his last, and he never bothered correcting. After a days work in his small garden, Arthur would perch himself on the bench outside his cottage, thinking back on the old days. Sometimes, the local youngsters gathered round to listen to his tales of how the village used to be.
Arthur’s beloved wife, Margaret, had passed away years before. She suffered from a weak heart. The doctors had forbidden her to have a child, but Margaret wanted a family more than anything. She bore Arthur a son and became quite ill. Arthur adored her. Hed do anything around the house, even carrying in the milk from the shops himself so she didn’t have to lift a finger. You cant! hed say, The doctor said its forbidden!
He took care of little Michael himself, cooked meals, did the chores. Margaret fretted, Youre embarrassing me, Arthur! The other women will laugh! I do nothing at all you do everything! But the women didnt laugh; they were envious. Oh, Margie, lend us Arthur for the day just a taste of a life like yours! Margaret would just smile in response, and that smile remained with her till her very last day. One morning, Arthur found her cold and gone. He wept for days, then turned his attention to raising their son.
Soon Michael reached the difficult age of fourteen. After his time in the army, Michael married early and settled in the city where hed served. Arthur was left alone, but he didnt let it get to him he enjoyed chatting with the village youth on his bench.
When Michael had a daughter, Emily, Arthur eagerly awaited their family visit, but they never came. Work, time, one excuse after another. His only glimpse of his granddaughter was through photographs.
Then the villagers noticed Arthur had become gloomy, never joking, no longer sitting on his usual bench, looking lost and heavy-hearted. They asked what was wrong, and learned that Arthur had received a telegram: his daughter-in-law wrote that they’d had a car accident. Emily was in hospital in critical condition; Michael was dead.
How tragic, how awful! the whole village sympathized, but what words could truly help in such sorrow?
Arthur thanked them for their condolences, but it brought him no ease. He grieved for his son, but more so for his granddaughter just fifteen and lying in a hospital ward. All his soul ached.
To make matters worse, there was no more news from his daughter-in-law. She sent no letters, ignored his telegrams, didnt answer the phone. How was he to know how Emily was? Arthur, though hed never met her, loved the girl as fiercely as any grandfather, and she looked just like Margaret had in her youth, at least in the photos.
Arthur had finally decided to travel to the city where Michael lived, when suddenly, the night before he was meant to leave, a car pulled up outside his cottage. From it came a woman he realized, after a moment, was Michaels wife. Following her, they carried in a gurney, with Emily laid out on it. They dropped her on the sofa and left.
Shes paralyzed head to toe. I dont want a daughter like this. Ill find another husband and have a healthy child, declared the woman.
Im no doctor! Arthur protested.
No need for one. The doctors cant help her. All she needs is a nurse. If you dont want to be bothered, just bury her, I wont ruin my life for her. Im not her nurse! With that, she slammed the door.
Youre not much of a mother, either! Arthur shouted after her.
Now it was clear why Michael never visited with a wife like that, its no wonder he stayed away. And how did his son end up with such a woman? If only hed known shed abandon their daughter, hed be turning in his grave. Now it was just Arthur and Emily, left to face things together.
Emily really was fully paralyzed. But Arthur was no stranger to caring for family, and having a purpose gave him new strength his goal was to nurse his granddaughter back to health.
The doctors had given Emily up, releasing her from hospital, unable to understand how shed survived the accident at all her injuries were nearly incompatible with life. Only folk remedies remained. There was a healer, but she lived miles away; it was impossible to bring Emily, and the healer was too old to travel. Arthur didnt know what else to try.
Every week, Arthur made the journey to see her. She provided herbs and tinctures, which he used for Emily. Over a year went by; she lay motionless under the blanket, unable to so much as move a finger. She couldnt even speak only groan weakly.
Sometimes, Arthur noticed tears sliding down her cheek. In those moments, his heart broke. He thought she missed her mother and father. Hed talk to her, read her stories, but she couldnt answer. They both bore the weight of sorrow.
Then, one evening, something unexpected happened. As Arthur sat by Emily’s bed, a drunken group of young men burst into the house. Arthur had forgotten to lock the front door. Theyd just returned from the pub, saw light in the window, and knew there was a paralyzed girl inside. Someone suggested they should go in and have some fun, figuring she couldnt resist or complain. They pushed the door open.
Come on, old man, pull back the blanket and spread her legs. Well draw straws to see who goes first chuckled the most inebriated of the lot.
Shes only fifteen! For pitys sake! Arthur cried.
Hang on, just brushing my teeth, said Arthur, rushing to the kitchen, opening the cellar, and shouting, Get him!
Out leapt a massive English Mastiff. He went for the lot, snapping at their trousers nearly got the leaders privates and tore the seats out of the others jeans. They sprinted through the village, bare backsides flashing, the townsfolk roaring with laughter as the Mastiff chased them all the way to the outskirts.
Arthur returned to Emilys room, and there was his granddaughter sitting up on the bed, shouting out the window:
Max! Max! Grab hold, Grandpa, dont let him escape!
Arthurs eyes filled with tears. From that day, Emily began to recover. Soon she could walk. Maybe it was the healers potions, maybe the shock of the dogs rescue, but soon the girl was chattering non-stop, making up for all those silent months.
And the dog where did he come from? Max had belonged to Michael, and when tragedy struck and his master died, Michaels widow got rid of both daughter and pet. Shed brought the dog along with Emily, telling Arthur nothing. After she left, Arthur went to close the gate, and found the dog sitting there, thin, haggard, eyes as sad as an old cow with real tears streaming down his face. Arthur hadnt even known his son had kept a dog. There was no way he could chase away his son’s faithful companion so Max became his own.
The Mastiff served Arthur loyally. When those drunken louts showed up, Max had been in the cellar, since the summer was scorching hot, and Arthur kept him cool there during the day, releasing him every evening as the sun set. That night, hed simply not let Max out yet if Max had been in the house, those thugs wouldnt have dared approach.
Later Emily told Arthur that, when shed cried, her tears weren’t for her parents she missed the dog. Arthur never let Max in the cottage, always keeping him outdoors and Emily couldnt tell him how much she missed her companion.
Max, after chasing away the troublemakers, returned and greeted his young owner with a sloppy lick across the face. Hed missed her terribly as well. And so the three of them Arthur, Emily, and Max began a new life together. They never heard another word from Emilys mother.
