Millie

Chapter Eleven - Portland OR

With weeks left to spare I made it back to Portland with Veda in tow. The last time I had been here was with Wren at her family Christmas, and as we crossed over the city limits I remembered it in detail.

Norman had been demented as always, and he had climbed the twelve foot Christmas tree out in the yard and got stuck. Teddy had helped me get up there with a ladder and assist the fur ball back down.

"This is why I prefer dogs" she had said.

I had to agree, at this point a whopping goofy Great Dane would be preferable to the fluffy and sometimes feral Norman.

"Do you and Harper think you will get one?" I had asked.

"A dog" Teddy had said with a smile as she held the ladder "Absolutely" she said as if it was absurd they wouldn't "and" she began, with more of a whisper "Its in the pipeline for this years Christmas wish. By next Christmas there will definitely be a dog in this house. Josephine and Bastion have been asking for two years"

***

From what I had seen online the last few weeks ...Teddy kept her word. There now seemed to be two babies in the Nomikos house again, although one wasn't so small. A Bernese mountain dog pup named Henrietta had made the cut. She was a loving tribute apparently to Harpers grandparents dog.  As well as Henrietta in the photos with Josie and Bash, there was a small cross breed, a funny looking long haired thing with bushy eyebrows and a constant smile on its face. It looked like an Ewok. It appeared to be a boy named Chewy. I was guessing from the names, that Josephine and Bastion had got to name one each.

As I drive up toward Willa and Allies lake side home, I spot another puppy up ahead on the grass out front of their beautiful home. It looks like Bernese mountain dogs were a family favourite.

"Oh my gosh look at that puppy" Veda noted as she finally looked up from her cell.

I came to a stop beside the garages and guest quarters, and stepped out onto the gravel, gazing around at the beauty before me. I had been here once for a family BBQ but it had been the evening time, and now here in the day light I couldn't get over the beauty of this place.

The house looked out over Lake Oswego at the front. It was far enough away that they had a sprawling lawn that was well maintained with flowers of every colour planted around it, but close enough you could reach it in seconds in a swimsuit and dive right in.

Behind the house was a forest, with an abundance of wildlife I knew Allie and Willa enjoyed. Bastion had told me many times that there were Sasquatch in his grandparents forest. I glanced over, shielding my eyes with my hand from the bright sun to look through the trees, almost like one may appear at any moment.

Veda broke the silence "Looks like you returned to your cottage Snow White. Expect the seven dwarfs any moment"

"No dwarfs" Allie called coming out of the house and onto the porch with a big smile.  "But I've always been on the shorter side"

I waved and walked over to her, passing Veda who was down on her knees fussing over the pink belly of a happy puppy.

"Hi Allie" I say reaching her. "I can't tell you how much I appreciate you and Willa letting us stay"

She brushed it off as nothing "of course...we are always here, and trust me we don't mind the distraction right now"

"Mary" I ask.

"Yeah, she's gone down hill again. But she knows you are due and she's happily waiting to see you"

I nod and turn back to Veda. Allie is watching her with a smile as she fussed and played with the pup.