“There was no other money. Charlie hauled both suitcases to the dock and dropped them into the larger hole, got back into the Mercedes, turned the radio back on, and started the drive back to Vic’s house.An all-string orchestra made its way through a tepid arrangement of “White Christmas” as he drove along the blank drifts and poorly kept fences on either side of the road. The ragged-voiced disc jockey murmured in a slurred, hushed tone of awe over the end of the song about the deeper meaning of... this particular snow, suggesting that it might be a Christmas miracle. Charlie thought for the first time in years of his eighth Christmas, when it had snowed three days straight, the year he got the Labrador puppy on Christmas morning. Even though it was intended as a pet for all six kids, the pup had attached itself to Charlie immediately. He named him Duke, and Duke was always primarily Charlie’s dog, at least until he went away to college. Whenever he came home on a break Duke was hysterical with joy, whining and barking and licking, and his eyes took on an almost comical sorrow when Charlie inevitably packed back up and headed off again.MoreLessRead More Read Less
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