Beauty In Disguise

Driving up to the restroom stop for a break, I slowly got out stretching my achey legs, this was one long drive during the holidays, driving up north to see some family in the rain, After the bathroom went to the vending machine, where there alongside of it was the ugliest puppy I'd ever seen, looking like an emaciated mix of collie and bull dog, its face reminded me of nothing short of a hairy bull frog, Feeling sorry for it I picked it up and put it in my car, feeding it fast food leftovers and water we didn't get very far, stopping at a pet store and buying it food and dog shampoo, bringing it with me as I checked into the motel room, Placing it in the tub I gave the ugly, matted flea puppy a warm bath, shampooing it from head to toe it shaking like it wanted to dash, finally towel drying it I got the dog brush out, brushing it for hours trying to get the matted tangles to lay flat, My arms were achey from the constant brushing, the puppy looking up at me like she understood, giving her a hug and a biscuit for being so good, her hair now had a vibrant sheen to it the color of blonde wood, Putting a nice pink collar on her was the finishing touch, I picked her up to admire her and see if there were anymore bugs, she no longer looked like an ugly abandoned puppy to me, but cuter than an expensive one you'd see on tv, My Mom that year had the best Christmas ever, giving her something alive rather than just another sweater, waking up that morn to find the puppy under her tree, all of us running over to it as it started to pee. 12-26-16