That Last Little Spark

They pulled away after a few moments, wiping their eyes and smiling, when a little bark came from the kitchen.

“You got another dog?” Jess asked in surprise as her aunt jumped up off the couch, grinning.

“I almost forgot! You remember my friend Paula, the teacher?” her aunt began. Jess tried to remember, but shook her head.

“Well anyway, she and her daughter foster dogs, and they had recieved a litter of 8 puppies a few weeks ago. They had been abandoned outside of a vet’s office. The rest have already been adopted out, but then Paula got two rescue dogs to foster, and there wasn’t any room for the puppu. So she asked if I could take her, if I knew anyone that would want her. She’s had all of her shots, checked for problems, and has a clean bill of health. I believe Paula said she was...ten weeks old? Ash and Raven don’t mind her,” she paused to gesture to the dogs, sleeping in a patch of sunlight. “But three dogs is a little much. If you hadn’t come over, I would’ve called to ask...” she trailed off. “I mean, I remember we were talking about you getting a dog.” her aunt said slowly.

“Oh wow...Aunt Kelly, I don’t know. I mean, the building is pet friendly, but I don’t know about the neighbors...and the city...” Jess slowly thought about it.

“Just look at her first.” her aunt turned away and walked into the kitchen, and Jess could hear her cooing at the dog.

“Someone came to see you!” her aunt was saying, and Jess smiled as Kelly walked through the door with a solid white puppy in her arms.

“Oh, she’s adorable!” Jess exclaimed, and the thoughts about having a puppy in the city flew right out of her head.

“Her name is Casper. She’s a Cavachon: a mix of a Cavalier King Charles spaniel and a Bichon Frise, and she’ll be about 15 pounds when she’s full grown...so she’ll be the size of an adult Shi Tzu, basically. Perfect for apartments...” Kelly smiled at her niece, who was cuddling the dog to her chest.

“I don’t know.” she said again, but looking down into Caspers face, she knew it was a lost cause to even try and resist. She was giving her...literally...the puppy dog face, staring up at her with her big black eyes.

“Oh my God, I can’t say no to that face. Alright, alright. I don’t know what Bam’s gonna say, but I’ll take her.” Jess smiled down at Casper.

“Perfect! Let me get Paula on the phone.” her aunt smiled and hurried into the kitchen. While she was cuddling the dog, she listened to her aunt on the phone, talking about her apartment and where she lived.

“Uh-huh...yes, just fax me the papers and I’ll have her sign them, then I might be able to drop them off tomorrow afternoon, is that alright? Oh! Perfect! Yes, I’ll let her know. No problem, Paula. Bye!” she said, then came back into the room with a small black carrier and a large shopping bag.

“She dropped her off yesterday morning, and I didn’t even have time to unpack her things.” she explained, setting the bag down by the door.

“Why is her name Casper?” Jess asked her aunt.

“In the litter of eight that she came from, she was the only white puppy. Her brothers are Shadow, Phantom, Nero, and Midnight, and her sisters are Raven, Ebony, and Licorice. And then she’s Casper.” her aunt explained.

“I get it...the black dogs are named for black things, and then she’s named after a ghost.” Jess looked down at Casper. “What happened to the other puppies?” she asked.

“Paula only had the chance to name them and get them set up with vet care before they got adopted. All of them have homes with her relatives, but they thought something was wrong with Casper because the rest of the puppies were black, so nobody wanted her.” her aunt frowned sympathetically at Casper, who barked as Jess’ cell phone rang.

“Hello?” she answered without looking at the caller ID.

“Hey, babe. My brother and the girls are here. Are you at your aunt’s?” Bam asked.

“Oh! Cool! Yeah, I’m about to leave. By the way, I’m bringing home a present.” she grinned down at Casper, whom she was holding to her chest with her free hand.

“For me?” he asked.

“Kind of.” she giggled. “I’ll see you soon.” she promised before hanging up suddenly, as Casper started squirming.

“I’ll help you take her things out.” her aunt picked up the carrier and shopping bag as Jess hitched her own bag onto her shoulder and followed her out the door, with Ash and Raven following closely behind.

“Do you want to come up to the city with me on Friday? That’s my first dress day.” Jess explained once all of Casper’s things were packed in the car.

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” her aunt hugged her as Casper barked in the backseat.
-

“What the hell is that?” Bam pointed into the backseat when Jess pulled into the driveway.

“That is Casper.” Jess smiled, opening the door.

“That’s not a ghost.” Bam said.

“No, that’s our dog.” Jess picked her up out of the backseat.

“Our new dog? I don’t remember talking about getting a dog.” Bam eyed the puppy as Murph bounded out the door to investigate.

“Fine, she can be my new dog.” Jess grinned at the puppy, then looked up at Bam, who was still staring skeptically at Casper.

“Come on, Bam, I couldn’t just leave her. My aunt can’t keep her, and the woman who gave her to my aunt couldn’t find anyone to adopt her. Nobody wanted her because she was the only white puppy in a black litter.” Jess explained, scratching under Casper’s chin. She looked to Bam. “I know what it’s like to be different.” she said quietly as Casper put her paws on her chest.

That was it for Bam. He knew he was beat, especially when Casper gave him the same look she had given Jess back at her aunt’s.

“Alright...alright, I know when my ass is beat. C’mere, Casper.” he held his hands out, and Casper almost launched herself from Jess’ arms to Bam’s, licking his face.

Jess pulled out her phone and started laughing and taking pictures as Casper gave Bam’s face a bath.