The Lonely Heart by Kristin Hutchens (phonics reading books TXT) 📕

I’ll never forget that last long car ride.

As I rode next to the stranger, I thought “Is this it? Is this what I have been waiting for?”

You see, I am what you call a “lonely heart”.

I remember when I was just a puppy. A day long after all the other puppies left the big box. The man came.

I was so excited to go to my new home. I had dreams of long walks, playful evenings, and peaceful nights.

I guess unfortunately, it wasn’t at all like I had imagined.

At first things weren’t bad, but after a while, it was like he didn’t even know I was there anymore. There were no long afternoon walks, my evenings were lonely, and my nights were dark and cold.

I had to spend most of my time in my room. Sometimes it would seem like days before I was allowed back up in the light.

Then, one day things changed. The man took me in the truck.

I frequently watched the man come and go in the truck, but I never went along.

Today was different. I got to go!

I couldn’t wait for my dreams to finally come true! I knew that this was what I had been waiting for.

As we drove along, I wagged my tail and looked out the window. I pictured green grass, smiling faces, and friends.

When the truck stopped, the man took me into an even bigger house than before, but his house was different.

It was loud, crowded, and smelly.

I saw the man talking to the lady. She had such bright eyes. I will always remember those bright, kind eyes.

The man talked and wrote something on a paper. I waited patiently, knowing that our walk just had to be next.

And then he left. The man handed my rope to the lady, and he left.

At first I thought maybe he had forgotten something in the car, but after many days and nights, I realized that he wasn’t coming back.
My new room was even smaller than my first room, but I was always warm and fed, and I even had clean water every day. The lady, the lady with the bright eyes, she took care of me.

Every morning the lady walked into the house where they kept my room. My room was next to a lot of other rooms, and each room had a dog, a dog just like me.

Well, I guess they all weren’t all just like me. Some were really big and loud. Some were small, quiet, and scared. Some dogs even had to share a room with each other.

But no matter how cold, hot, dark, or light it was outside, the lady always came.

She came in the morning with food, water, and pats on the head. She came in the afternoon for a short but definitely enjoyable walk together, and then she was back in the evenings with more food, clean water, and warm blankets.

The lady was very kind, and I loved her very much; but I was still so lonely. Lonely for a real family with people I could love and who would love me back.

I stayed with the lady for a while. We celebrated two of my birthdays together. When I turned 7, she even brought me a special treat.

One morning, when the lady came as usual, she wasn’t alone.

Someone was with her. Someone I had never seen. My heart began to beat faster. I became nervous and my tummy started to hurt. I didn’t want to go back to the man. Being here wasn’t exactly like life in my dreams, but I was being taken care of. I was being loved.

Today the lady came to me first. Usually I was after the loud dog, but today I was first. She walked right over to me with the stranger following close behind. Her smile made me feel instantly better, and her soft words helped calm me.

The lady bent down and gently patted my head, as she always did in the morning. The stranger did the same.

At first, I was scared of the stranger, but after a while, my feelings began to change.

The stranger was soft, patient, and sincere.

I walked with the lady and stranger for a long time. We walked and they talked. I took in all the sights and sounds around me. I wasn’t use to being on such a long walk, but I was definitely enjoying myself.

After a while, I realized that the talking had stopped, but the walking had not. I turned around and saw that the lady was gone. I was walking with the stranger and I was enjoying it.

After a while longer we stopped and the stranger sat down on a bench. She pulled me close and hugged me tightly. She spoke softly and kindly close to my face. I trusted the stranger. Something inside me actually felt good.

When the stranger and I returned from our time together, she and the lady talked some more. I was back in my room, but I could still hear them. They were talking and they were talking about me.

They didn’t talk long before they were back, standing in front of my room, looking directly at me. They were both smiling and that made me smile too.

The lady let me out and the stranger called me to her. She bent down close and she looked right into my eyes. Her voice was soft, but I definitely recognized a word she said to me. She said, “home”.

I followed her outside, I was ready to go, but in all of my excitement, I had forgotten about the lady; my lady, who had taken such good care of me for so long. I looked back at my lady who had tears in her eyes but a smile on her face. I knew she loved me, and as I jumped into the stranger’s car with my tail wagging and my ears perked high, she knew I loved her too.

The drive with the stranger was long but exciting. I was going home. The place I had always dreamed of. I knew this was it. I couldn’t be wrong this time.

When we finally got out of the car, I wasn’t prepared for what I saw. What I saw were things I had never imagined.

What I saw was even better.

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This book is dedicated to all people donating their time and giving their love to animals with lonely hearts. Thank you.

Publication Date: 01-30-2012

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