Marvey and His Dog

Marvey and his dog were inseparable.

You'd rarely see one without the other, except for maybe bath time. Although, come to think of it, they were usually in the same room for that, just rarely soaking in the same water.

They enjoyed the same things, too: quiet walks, loud walks, ice cream—and Grandma’s love. Gran loved Marvey very much, and since his dog was such a big part of his life, she loved the dog, too.

She lived in a big, friendly, but run-down, red-brick house with a wraparound porch and bunches of marigolds magically appearing in the garden every summer. When Marvey and his dog were visiting, the house was filled with laughter. Marvey was the one person who could always make Gran laugh.

Sometimes Marvey and his dog would sleep over in a sleeping bag on the porch. They liked listening to the crickets and looking up at the stars on summer nights.

Marvey and his dog ran a sunglasses shop called The Shades Shack next to the local gas station. They liked their job because they could watch people try on different styles of glasses and tell them which looked best on them. (Sort of fashion gurus, they thought.)

Sometimes when business was slow, they'd try styles on, too. Marvey would take pictures of them with a point-and-shoot camera that Gran had bought him for his birthday.

Marvey's dog looked best in the aviator styles. When Marvey took his picture wearing them, Marvey could see a reflection of himself taking the picture in the mirrored lenses. They both liked this, because it was a picture of the two of them together. Marvey had some of the photos printed and placed them in front of the aviator glasses display as a sort of fashion advertisement.

Marvey got around town on his blue Schwinn bicycle, which he’d bought at a yard sale next door to Gran's house. When he saw that beauty—with a basket already built in for his dog—he knew it was meant to be. He was grateful to his Gran for living next door to such a great yard sale, too.

Marvey's Gran got around in a wheelchair most of the time, except bath time, of course, and also bedtime.

Marvey really wanted his Gran to see him at the office. He knew she'd be so proud of him and his dog when she saw how well they were running The Shades Shack. She said she was sure they were doing a wonderful job but that she wouldn't be able to get over there because she was in a wheelchair.

That was her story, and she was sticking to it.

Marvey believed he could make a visit possible. He devised a plan to hitch her wheelchair to the back of his Schwinn, and, if they only took side streets most of the way, she could spend the day with him and his dog at “the Shack.”

He was planning a pizza party for lunch, too: There was a special at Paulie's Pizza Planet on Wednesdays—and Marvey had been saving up.

He didn't think his Gran would agree to his plan right away, so he tried to get her warmed up to the idea of going up and down the block a few times a week with him pushing her wheelchair. They started out slowly, just a few minutes in the evenings after work. Gran didn't like it much at the beginning, but eventually she got more comfortable with the idea.

One Saturday morning, Marvey and his dog showed up to take Gran for a spin. It was their first morning walk. Gran was hesitant at first but, once she relaxed, really seemed to enjoy the morning air on her face. She was wrapped with a shawl over her softest button-down sweater, and she felt cozy and loved.

When they got back to the house, they all ate pie. It was a wonderful morning, and right then they decided to go out in the mornings instead of the evenings from then on.

The following Wednesday morning, Marvey set up Gran’s outdoor wheelchair in front of the house before wheeling her out in her indoor wheelchair. Once settled in the chair, she noticed that some rope was attached to its front legs. Then she saw the Schwinn sticking out of a shrub in front of the house.

Marvey yelled, “Hang on, Gran; we're going to have the best time!” and with that he pulled the ropes taut, and off they went.

Gran started screaming, a sound Marvey had never heard before, and he thought it was laughter. The three of them tut-tut-tutted and guuuuurrrrrrrrrrrrrr-ed their way down side streets, Marvey waving hello to neighbors and strangers on their way to his place of business, his dog panting, ears flapping in the breeze—and Gran screaming like she was being murdered.

Marvey had no idea the terror he was putting her through. He thought she was laughing the entire way.

When they reached “the Shack,” Marvey got off his bike, whipped out the key, turned grinning toward Gran, angling the key in the sunlight to make it sparkle, and he opened the door, giving a dramatic “Taa-daahh!” gesture with his arms.

Gran's breathing was labored and shallow. She was feeling confused and exhausted—too exhausted to utter a word. Her eyes were bigger than Marvey or his dog had ever seen them.

She must be so impressed, they thought.

Marvey wheeled her into “the Shack” and started to show her around the 81-square-foot sunglasses emporium. He was showing off, telling stories of how he sells the different styles using his knowledge of fashion and trends. He showed her the photo ads he and his dog had made for some of the displays.

She kept silent, nervous about what might be next in the plan. She needed water but didn't have enough saliva to ask for it.

Marvey prepared for customers by opening the shades and setting some popular sunglass styles on the counters.

He poured cups of water for himself and Gran and filled a bowl with water for his dog. He started a cassette player with the Shades Shack jingle playing, as well as some ads he and his dog had made, running on continuous loop.

Gran was very quiet. Marvey tried to get her to try on some sunglass styles, but she waved him off. His dog was wearing aviator goggles, which he loved because they didn't fall off at all when he ran around or even took a nap.

Several customers stopped in that morning.

What had started out as a cloudy day turned very sunny, and a lot of people forget to bring their sunglasses on days like that. People would stop for gas and then walk over to The Shades Shack, mostly to pet Marvey's aviator goggles-wearing dog and pick up the latest sunglass styles—For Less!— at “the Shack.”

The busy morning flew by. Marvey checked the time—11:32—time for the big surprise: Pizza!

He didn't want Gran to hear him ordering it on the phone, so he wheeled her outside and brought his dog with them. He left them there while he went in to make the call. He placed the order, and when he got back outside, a crowd had formed to watch his dog do the little tricks he had taught him. They were extra special when done while wearing aviator goggles.

Gran sat smiling. She was seeing Marvey and his dog at their very best. Theirs was a friendly universe. She liked that.

The pizza arrived, and Marvey set up an outdoor cafe for them, pulling his chair and a small plastic table outside. They all drank water and ate pizza in the sunlight, smiles all around. After lunch cleanup, it was back to work.

Gran got to know the jingle by heart by the afternoon and was singing along without realizing it. She had a lovely voice. Marvey and his dog found it soothing, and the customers seemed to like it, too.

The workday ended, and they made their way home the same way they’d arrived that morning, only in reverse, of course. This time Gran was laughing all the way.

It had been a very good day.

When they got to Gran’s house, she said she was tired after a long day at “the Shack.” They helped her to bed.

Before he turned out the light, Gran asked Marvey to sit for a minute. She told him she had had one of the best days she could remember and that she was so proud of him.

“You're a fine young man and a wonderful human being. You showed me a beautiful world today. I'd never seen it that way before. Thank you. I love you very much, Marvey.”

She gestured for a hug, and when he leaned in, she kissed him on the cheek. Marvey turned out the light and joined his dog on the porch. They ate cold pizza for dinner and slept on the porch under the stars.