I've been participating in the 12 Days of Christmas by Julie Hedlund https://juliehedlund.com/ Each day was a small assignment that helped authors turn what they perceived as failures into hindsight, successes, and hope for the future. Day 11 was to write a story based on one of her prompts. I chose to respond to the prompt, "Write something that starts with, "Everything I need to know about (pick a holiday), I learned from..." And then explain why." but it morphed into this story. So what, it doesn't start with the prompt, but the answer is there.
Here is my story. (My first new story of 2025.)
Bella's Love
by Sonja McGiboney
1-6-2025
I watched the car pull into the driveway. I felt my muscles tighten and that familiar flurry of, not butterflies but something more malevolent, stirring in my chest. Why were they here? They knew how I felt?
Words from the past rushed to my brain, but I was an adult now. I could handle this. I took a deep breath and waited for their knock.
Normally, Bella, my beautiful boxer, would stand guard next to me. She was always a good judge of character and chased off many salesmen and bill collectors, but when I opened my door to my sisters, she wagged her tail, bonking my knee while she did it, and begged for pets and hugs. “Traitor,” I thought.
Margie, Susan, and Brenda, in that order, were all about two years apart in age, but I was four years younger than Brenda. I hadn’t seen them for over three years since our mom’s funeral.
I let them in. I wondered at their bags of luggage. Where did they think they were staying? From behind them, came a man holding leashes attached to three dogs. He also came through the door.
Bella immediately set about saying hello and when the man asked, “Are we okay with them in here?” I couldn’t’ say no. Bella made the rules in this house.
After I nodded, he released the dogs from their leashes and the four of them ran through the doggie door to the back yard with yelps of wonder and joy.
The man, it turned out, was Maggie’s new husband, Dan. (A wedding I did not attend.) He shook my hand and promptly followed the dogs out the back door.
My sisters, leaving their luggage by the door, plowed their way into my living room. A place they knew well since we all grew up in this house. While I, the youngest, stayed to care for my ill mom, they went on their merry life doing whatever.
After my ingrained sense of hostessness, the coffee and the cakes, I got straight to the point. “Why are you here?”
Before they could answer, Dan and all the dogs returned from the back yard. Dan helped himself to coffee and the dogs all piled into Bella’s bed. I couldn’t believe they all squeezed in and within minutes, were a pile of smelly, contented, snoring dogs.
My gaze wondered to the bags by the door that I could see at the end of the hallway. Then it wandered over my sisters and I realized Bella had done it again. “Would you all like to spend the night here? It’s getting late and I’m not sure the motel 6 down the road is up to your standards.?” I had an image of the four of us all snoring on my bed. I shook my head, I wouldn’t go that far, but the house had plenty of empty rooms.
Maggie stole a glance at Susan and Brenda, then blurted out, “We’re sorry.”
Speechless, all I could do is swallow the words that I intended to say.
Susan continued. “We are sorry for so many things, we can’t count them.”
Brenda started crying quietly but muttered, “And we are sorry for being such horrible older sisters.”
It was at this time that Bella wiggled her way out from under the pile of dogs and came over to Brenda. She put her chin on Brenda’s knee and looked at her with eyes that only a dog can make. Eyes that said, “I love you, no matter what.”
I’m not sure how I would have responded to any of this without Bella showing me the way. I stood up, walked over to Brenda and hugged her. “I’m sorry too. For everything.”
I looked at Maggie and Susan and they came over to join the hug. Then the three other dogs came over and we were one big pile of love on my couch.
Dan, however, took another approach. “Who’s hungry? I’ll order the pizza. “
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