GOODBYE to YESTERDAY by Wanda E. Brunstetter Page B

Then, blowing on the tea, she took a cautious sip. The warm liquid felt good on her parched throat. For now, she would forget about painting the room and stop adding to the anxiety her husband already felt.
    Lord
, she silently prayed,
please help Luke find another job soon, and while we’re waiting, help us learn how to cope
.

    “Sure wish I could find another job,” Luke mumbled as he crunched his way through the snow toward the barn. He and Meredith hadn’t argued at all until he’d gotten laid off. Now it seemed like all they did was argue.
Guess it’s mostly my fault, but I can’t help being fearful that we’ll lose everything if I don’t find something soon. Maybe I should quit being so stubborn and let Meredith look for a job. Maybe she’d have better luck finding one than I have
.
    Luke had made good money working at the furniture store, but he’d been one of the newest men hired, so when things got tight, he was the first to go. He guessed during these hard economic times that people were buying less furniture, even the finely crafted kind. Luke had applied for several other jobs in the area, but no one seemed to be hiring. Even though he’d sold a few of his handcrafted items, that income wasn’t enough to fully support them. This whole situation sure was discouraging!
    “How are you doin’ there Fritz, ole boy?” Luke asked, hearing his German shorthaired pointer bark out a greeting and feeling glad for the diversion. “Don’t worry, I hear ya.” Entering the pen, he petted the head of his beloved companion and bird dog. Good ole Fritz. Luke loved that faithful critter, and he was glad Meredith loved the dog as much as he did.
    Last winter, Meredith had insisted on bringing Fritz into the house, where she felt he would be warmer. Luke would have preferred to keep the dog outside in the kennel like he had when he was still living at home. But after a while, Meredith convinced him to let Fritz become a part-time house pet. Those times that he was allowed to stay inside, Fritz would lie right by their feet while Luke and Meredith ate popcorn or played board games. At night while they slept, Fritz was like their guardian angel, lying on the floor by the foot of their bed, watching over them and keeping the house safe from intruders. So now only on rare occasions did Fritz stay outside in his kennel at night.
    Luke squatted down and scratched the soft fur behind the dog’s ears, while Fritz gazed back at him with trusting brown eyes. Fritz was beautifully marked. His head was a solid liver color, and his body was speckled with spots and patches of liver and white. Fritz was affectionate and gentle with everyone. He’d no doubt be good with their children when Luke and Meredith started a family. Luke didn’t have that in mind when he’d first purchased Fritz, of course, but it just so happened that the breed produced not only excellent hunting dogs but also good family pets.
    Most times, Fritz accompanied Luke when he went to visit his parents. Even Mom and Dad’s barn cats tolerated the dog when he’d bound over to greet them in his happy-go-lucky manner. Sometimes, it seemed as if they actually enjoyed his company, when they’d lie down beside him on a bed of straw and take a nap.
    “Do you want to play fetch?” Luke asked.
    Fritz tilted his head to one side, as though understanding exactly what his master meant, and then, like a streak of lightning, he took off across the yard.
    How can dogs be so smart that way—understanding what people are saying to them?
Luke wondered.
Sometimes I think that critter’s smarter than me
.
    “Find a stick, boy!” Luke commanded, watching Fritz run around with his nose to the ground.
    In no time, Fritz returned with a small branch that Luke could throw for him to retrieve. If Luke let him, the energetic dog could run for hours. Then he’d flop on the floor and sleep.
    From the time Luke bought Fritz, when he was an eight-week-old puppy, he and the dog