Chapter 33: How Olivia Met Rob
OLIVIA watched Rob sleeping in front of the fire and thought back to when she first met him. His former owner was one of her regular customers who had since passed on to God’s garden.
🍲🍲🍲
“HELLO, Isaac. I haven’t seen you in a while,” she said.
“It has been a while. But I’m feeling good today, so I thought I’d try coming out here.”
Isaac was a seventy-five-year-old former lumber merchant living in Marlowe. He’d been living an easy, carefree life ever since he retired, but Olivia had heard his health wasn’t the best lately.
“Just kind of feel like I lost a lot of energy after Jenkins passed,” he said. “And I had this cold that got real bad. I’m fully recovered now, though, so no need to worry.”
“You were very close with my grandfather for a long time.”
“Partings sting all the more when you’ve lived as long as I have. Nothing you can do about it, though.”
Listening to their conversation was a female servant who’d been with Isaac for several decades. She was also well over sixty years old.
Isaac and the woman had a peaceful conversation as they enjoyed their soup, but, when they were about to make their way home, Isaac said to Olivia, “Olivia, do you have any interest in owning a big dog? I have puppies that’ve just been weaned from their mother.”
“A dog?”
Two years had gone by since her grandparents had passed away in quick succession. She knew animals didn’t live long, and the thought of growing attached to a dog only for them to die before her… She shook her head. “Not now,” she said. “I really appreciate the offer, though.”
“Don’t worry about it. A dog should be your partner in life. If you’re uncertain, then it’s best not to.”
With that, Isaac left.
The next month, Olivia received a letter from him. It said the woman who had been with him in the restaurant had become unwell and retired from her duties. Isaac tried to convince her to stay with him anyway, but she told him she couldn’t possibly remain if she wasn’t being useful, and then had her son come get her.
This had all made Isaac unhappy. He decided to sell his mansion in Marlowe and go live in the capital, where his son operated a merchant company.
The letter ended with this: “Do you remember the puppies I mentioned? I’ve found homes for three of the four. There’s only one left. Would you think about giving this last puppy a home? These sorts of dogs are energetic and love playing in water. I’d be really happy if he could live with you, since you live right next to the forest. I won’t force you, of course, but I would like you to think about it.”
While Olivia felt a bit put on the spot, the letter did make her lean towards accepting the puppy. She thought Soup Forest would be much better for an active young dog compared to the capital city, especially when she considered how much this house and the forest had healed her soul.
On her day off, she walked all the way to Marlowe to visit Isaac without stopping or slowing. He was out in the garden with a completely black puppy. He looked like he’d aged significantly. His wife had passed quite a while before, and now the woman who’d been there with him for so long was gone as well.
“This is the little guy,” he said. The puppy was trying to rush forward despite Isaac having a hold of his collar. It seemed he wanted to jump up at Olivia. His huffing sounded painful as the collar cut into his neck.
Olivia immediately picked the puppy up and looked into his eyes.
Love you! Love you! Love you so much!
They’d met less than a minute before, but the puppy was already tackling Olivia with affection. She cradled his warm, heavy weight in her arms and thought, I don’t want to let him go.
“I’ll take him,” she said.
Isaac’s response was a smile, and the black puppy was officially part of Olivia’s family.
The puppy was bouncing around the entire time Isaac’s carriage was driving them back to Soup Forest.
“Welcome home,” Olivia told the puppy when they got back.
Love you! Love you!
Olivia named the puppy Rob, and they spent the rest of that day playing together while Olivia gave him treats. Rob was full of energy throughout the whole day, but started to whine that night when it was time to go to sleep.
Sad. Missing. Mommy…
The puppy cried for his mom as he lay on the old blanket Olivia had put down in the corner of her room.
Isaac had given her a packet of paper with instructions on how to raise Rob, and the incredible amount of writing covering each sheet was testament to how much Isaac loved the puppy. Those papers said that if the puppy seemed sad at night in the beginning, Olivia should pet him and talk to him.
“It must be sad to be away from your mother, but I’ll be your mother from now on, all right?” She stroked his back as she said it, and Rob calmed down a little. She picked him up, feeling his weight and warmth, and realized something.
✦ ✦ ✦
“This puppy is healing me.”
She thought she’d saved a puppy who hadn’t found a home, but she’d found she was the one being saved. She thought she’d become used to the loneliness of missing her grandparents, but holding that puppy was bringing life back to her heart in the same way cool water brought life back to a parched throat.
“Rob, you’re going to live here with me from now on. I’ll be your mother. Take your time growing up. And, please, live a long life.”
From that day on, Rob was Olivia’s friend, family, and companion.
✦ ✦ ✦
🍲🍲🍲
ROB grew quickly into an adult dog with glossy black fur and a reassuring companion of nearly eighty pounds who enjoyed the forest and the river, and quickly picked up Olivia’s training.
He was also the only living creature that continuously supported Olivia and healed her heart, until that one fateful rainy day when Arthur arrived.
“Rob, take life slow. Live a long life,” she said gently to Rob when he was three years old. He was sleeping, his tail wiggling slightly.
Arthur watched them and could feel Olivia’s fear of the day she would lose him. I need to live long, he thought. I need to watch out for my health to make sure I don’t make Olivia sad.
He poured the tonic that had become all the rage at Soup Forest lately into a cup and downed it in one swig so he wouldn’t taste it.
“Urgh, it’s so gross,” he said. “I’ll never get used to that taste.”
“You say the exact same thing every time you drink it,” said Lara.
“Are you used to it then?”
“Yep. I just accept it for what it is when I drink it, and my health has been great thanks to it.”
“You’d probably be fine without it, anyway. You’re still young.”
“I want to be healthy, for Colin’s sake.”
“That so?”
“Yep.”
Olivia came back into the kitchen. “I think I’ll go out to the river today and cut some ice.”
“I’ll do it,” said Arthur.
“I will, too,” she said back.
“No, I don’t want you falling into a frozen river. You can take over carrying the ice.”
“Why? I’ve done it every year by myself. It’s fine.”
“All right, we’ll do it together.”
“Yes, let’s.”
“I want to go, too!” said Lara.
The trio took Rob and went to the river. They decided to build a large fire before starting to take out the ice.
The first step of cutting the ice was using a harpoon-like tool Olivia’s grandfather ordered to open a hole in a spot where the ice was thick, then they could use saws to cut cubes out of the ice.
Arthur sawed, while Olivia and Lara moved the blocks. Rob started huffing as he watched. He wanted to fly into the river, once Olivia gave permission.
When they finished cutting out all the ice they wanted for the day, Olivia said, “All right,” and Rob leaped into the river. As always, he played in the small open area until he was shivering.
Olivia and Lara quickly dried him off after he got out of the water and warmed him by the fire. They carried their large load of ice back to the cave, then returned to Soup Forest.
During the whole time, Rob was thinking, So fun! Was so fun!
After returning to the restaurant, the humans had warm apple tea and bread with honey, while Rob had a meal of chicken and barley. He was so tired from all his playing that he snored after falling asleep in front of the fire. Snow and Dale, who had waited at home for them, snuggled up to Rob and slept too.
Rob smell like outside, murmured Dale after sniffing him.
It was sometime later that Dale would go on his own, unwanted, adventure.