I returned to the store, where Zelda was talking to Mom. When they saw me they smiled.
"Zelda would you like me to walk you home now? I'm sure your family is worried about you."
"Dobie, Zelda told me what you did for her. What a wonderful thing!"
Before I could reply, Mom hugged me tight, causing me to squirm. "Thanks, Mom."
"I'm so proud of my little boy!"
"Mom, I'm not a little boy anymore."
"You're my little boy!"
"She's got you there, Dobie."
"Zelda needs to get home, okay? I promise I'll let you hug me more when I get back."
"I'm going to hold you to that."
"I'm sure you will."
"Thank you, Mother Gillis. Father Gillis." Zelda called to my parents.
Dad came out of the stockroom and glared at us. "Father Gillis! What's that supposed to mean?"
"Never mind, Dad. I'll be back soon."
While Mom tried to explain what Zelda meant to my dad, I took Zelda's hand and led her out of the store. Together we walked to her house and when we got to
the door I stood facing her. "Are you sure you're going to be all right?"
"Yes, Dobie. Thank you. And thank you for this…" She pulled out the pocket watch and handed it to me.
"Zelda, I talked to my dad and, well, he's going to give me the money to get your watch fixed. I know how much it means to you."
"Dobie, no! You can't do that!"
"It's already been decided. Now tomorrow after school, we'll go over to Harold's watch shop and see how much it will cost to get it fixed. And when he tells us,
I'll get the money from my father."
"But Dobie-."
I pressed my fingers to her lips in an effort to keep her from talking.
"Look Zelda, I feel responsible for that watch being broken. I read the inscription on the back, and although I don't know what it means, I have a pretty good
idea what that watch means to you. I can't imagine how worried you must have been when you couldn't find it. What made you look in Harry's Pet Shop?"
"I can't believe I was so careless. I'd taken such good care of it and I guess I wasn't paying attention. When I realized that I couldn't find it, I was beside myself.
My father would have killed me, Dobie! He trusted me and I let him down!"
"Don't worry. You don't even have to tell him that you lost it. You can just tell him you took it in to make sure it was working properly."
"But that's a lie."
"I know and I know it's wrong to lie, but I'd hate for him to get angry with you over something that was an accident. Everyone loses something from time to
time."
"And you found it for me."
"I'm really glad I didn't take it to Mr. Arnold."
She put her arms around me and kissed me. "I'm really glad too."
"So you never answered my question. About the pet shop?"
"For days I retraced my steps and when I saw that sign at the pet shop, I had to go in. And I was so relieved that someone could be so honest and caring that I
had to leave a note. I'm so glad it was you."
"So am I, Zelda."
I drew her close and kissed her again. "I love you every second."
Her eyes widened. "What?"
"The inscription. What does it mean?"
"Oh, it's something my grandfather used to say."
"Well, it's perfect."
"Thanks, Dobie. And you're …. Not."
We both laughed because that was the absolute truth. I was far from perfect. And that was fine with me.
"Your family's probably worried about you. You'd better go. And don't worry about the watch. Everything will be fine. I'll see you tomorrow."
"I can hardly wait."
I kissed her once more and squinted, just for good measure, grateful when she did it back.
As I stood at the closed door, I couldn't help saying it. "Zelda Gilroy I love you every second". And I meant it with every beat of my heart.
~THE END~
A/N: This story was inspired by a real life event. Many years ago, my husband and I found a laptop at the bus stop on our way home from work
and gave it to the bus driver to turn in. A few days later we found a note at the bus stop that turned out to be from the person who lost the
laptop, thanking "us" for returning it. The person was incredibly grateful to get the laptop back and commented on how there are still good
people in the world. I'll never forget that moment.