Maya+Beal

<> =__Addition to the Family__= “Here you go,” the store clerk said as he slowly handed Riley to me. He instructed me the correct way to hold a dog, as I followed the directions, placing my shaking, nervous hands where he told me to. The dog was so precious, he fit perfectly into my little five year old arms, like a stuffed animal ready to be loved in a home of its own. It was a summer Saturday. My mom took my brother to his friend’s 6th birthday party somewhere on the opposite side of Edison. They were going to be gone for most of the day, so my dad decided to take my older sister, Hannah, and I to Menlo Park Mall. That huge, popular mall is only about a five minute drive from my house, so we visited there often on weekends. Little did we know that we would be returning home with a new member of the family! We walked up to the mall’s gigantic front doors, and it was like I was entering a magical princess castle. Since I was still very young and short, this 50ft building was a never ending skyscraper to me. I had been to this mall multiple times before. Therefore, I knew my way around without even having to take a quick glance at the Directory. As soon as we stepped foot inside the mall, I began to lead the way to my favorite store of all time: the puppy store! Visiting that certain store was one of my favorite things to do. It was always so exciting for me to admire the many lovable and adorable dogs in their crowded metal cages. Sometimes it even made me a bit sad to see their poor puppy faces “behind bars”, without a real home. When we finally reached the wide open doorway of the store, a comforting feeling of excitement rushed through me. Although I still had a fear of dogs at this age, I felt some reassurance and safety. //These puppies are behind a strong glass wall, and locked up in secured animal cages.// I thought. //They can’t get out.// I kept having to remind myself. I rushed up to the cold, transparent window, which separated the dogs from the rest of the mall. It was like running out of my room on Christmas morning to gaze at all the neatly wrapped presents, just waiting to be opened. Looking at the precious animals for sale, brought a smile to my face. Suddenly, Hannah was beside me. “Oh my gosh, Maya,” she announced, getting my attention. “Look at this one!” I followed where her finger was pointing, pressed up against the ice cold glass, leaving a smudged fingerprint in its place. My eyes led me to the most precious animal I had ever seen. Seeing him in that cage made me both happy, but also quite frightened still. Scanning the cage, I noticed the white square sign beneath the cage. The sign read “SOFT COATED WHEATEN TERRIER” in large bold letters. I had never heard of this type of dog, but by seeing this terrier, it became my new favorite. The animal had light brown hair, and he was as small as a newborn baby. Just looking at him felt like I was staring at a fluffy, cute teddy bear that I wished could be mine. Hannah ran to go get my dad to show him. When my dad arrived at the window, I could tell he was falling in love with this puppy as much as Hannah and I were. A big smile stretched across his face as he went to talk to a worker at the pet store. “Hi,” he said to the man. “Would it be possible to take out a dog to look at?” he asked politely. “Sure!” the store clerk exclaimed. “Which one would you like to see?” He walked in and retrieved the terrier from its cage. Walking out of the puppy section, the poor little dog looked so scared, as if he just exited a haunted house. My dad started asking the store clerk a million questions about what type of dog this is, does it shed, how much does it cost, and is it playful or violent? Hannah and I stood side by side petting the fragile dog as the man answered all of my dad’s curious questions. It turns out that he is a hypoallergenic dog who doesn’t bark or shed! Plus, he doesn’t bite which was even better for us to hear. Hannah shot me a look and I could tell what she was thinking. Our dad was going to buy us a dog today! He caught me staring at the dog in his hands. “Would you like to hold him?” I hesitated before nodding my head, and before I knew it, I was holding this adorable dog. So here I stood with Riley in my arms. Holding him tight, I felt all of the fears I had of dogs quickly slipping away! I overcame my terrifying fear that day at Menlo Park Mall.