DADDY COMES HOME

The day her daddy came home, Snowflake was lying in the big front window soaking up sunbeams. Babysitting the window could be a real drag, but it was the next best thing to being outdoors and a great place to practice her Yoga. As she lay there meditating, she looked prim and pretty in her pink sweater. It had silver sequins stitched across the back, which spelled out the words, "Spoiled Brat." Actually, Snowflake was spoiled only in the sense that she did not like to get her paws dirty, and she was a brat only when she was getting into trouble, which was more often than not. Moreover, she was sometimes just a little too fussy about her absolutely awesome tail.

Mom whispered to Jana, "Snowflake is so deep in thought! I wonder what she is planning."

Seven-year-old Jana laughed and replied, "You mean what she is plotting? I bet she wants to go outside and scratch some dog on the nose."

They knew her well, for in spite of her I'm-lost-in-thought look, Snowflake was feeling quite restless today. As a rule, she did not like dogs. But alas, she sometimes had to put up with them, especially Coco, the family's cocker spaniel. But even Coco had learned never to get too close to Snowflake, for she was truly a fickle feline. Depending on her mood and whether or not she had kittens to protect, she could be sweet or savage, spoiled or brave, a prima donna or a vicious, ninja cat warrior. She ADORED kittens, and when it came down to defending them, it was no-claws-barred for Snowflake. One fine day, after giving her last brood of kittens a good bath, she took them outdoors for their first stalking and pouncing lessons. The kittens were jumping this way and that, pouncing on little leafhoppers, when the neighbor's Rottweiler, Buddy, escaped from his fence and snarled at them. Snowflake charged at him like a bolt of lightning and swiped him in the face with her paw. Then she chased after him screaming, "TAKE THAT—ROTT-BREATH!" Ever since that day, he wore a scarred-up knot on his nose as a reminder to stay away from cats.

Today, Snowflake was feeling especially moody, but scratching dogs was not on her to-do list. For weeks, she had shielded her heart from the sorrow of her daddy going away by putting him on the backburner of her mind. Now her internal clock told her that Daddy would be coming home soon. Therefore, she waited at the window for him, her heart filled with longing and excitement. Snowflake thought, Can't they see I want to go outside? I want to be the first one to greet Daddy when he comes home. She also wanted to catch the cardinal that was pecking at her through the windowpane. Her tail switched with an irritated flick as the bird fluttered away. She planned her next move: I'll pretend I'm asleep. Then, as soon as the front door opens, I will rush out and catch that fat, grain-fed bird, (referring to Mom's bird feeder). She smacked her lips, contemplating how delicious a feathery cardinal might be. However, in order to hunt birds, she had to be a real escape artist, for her family preferred to keep her inside for her own safety. If she wanted out, though, she could always figure out a way—that little round brain inside of her little round head would start rolling around, and pretty soon she'd be through a door, out a window, or stuck in some air conditioning duct, yowling.

Now Snowflake's daddy was a truck driver. He drove big semi trucks with 18 wheels. He drove all across the country and did not come home very often. Sometimes he would stay on the truck several weeks, but he and Mom would talk on the phone every day, for they were very much in love. Snowflake also loved her daddy. She saw Mom watching through the window, too, and knew that he was coming home today! When Snowflake saw the truck's engine section (also called a bobtail or tractor) pull up in the driveway, her heart raced with joy. Immediately she jumped from the window and ran to the door to meet him. Her heart throbbed with love as he picked her up. She purred and purred, rubbing her head against his hands.

"I missed you so much!" she said in her purrs. "Why did you leave me?"

He kissed Snowflake. "Well, girl, it looks like you didn't forget me!"

"Are you kidding?" said Mom. "She hasn't been this happy since the day you left ... and neither have I." She and Dad hugged and kissed, squashing Snowflake in between. Snowflake squalled and fluffed out her tail in front of Daddy's face.

"Any news about Coco?" asked Mom.

"No," he sighed, "I've searched everywhere, but no one has seen the little truck hopper."

Coco was the family dog, but he was really Daddy's dog because Daddy took him everywhere on his truck, through cities great and small, and through the mountains, deserts, forests, and farmlands of America. Coco loved to go on the truck, and he was a good friend to Dad on those long, lonesome trips. Coco didn't even mind listening to Country on the radio hour after hour, and he would always wag his tail and seem to enjoy Daddy's dumb jokes. Dad said he would rather have Coco for a trucking buddy than a man because Coco was easier to get along with. Even though Coco looked dumb with his big tongue hanging out of his mouth, he was really quite smart and knew which one was Daddy's truck. After doing his business, he would always hustle right back to the big blue engine and wait there by the door—but not this last time. When Daddy exited the restaurant with a sack of food for himself and Coco, he saw another 18-wheeler pull out of the lot with what appeared to be two cocker spaniels.

Now Coco was chocolate brown all over except for the top of his head. Daddy had asked the dog groomers to allow this white spot, which the groomers called a topknot, to grow and stick up. With that white puff on his head, he was easy to tell apart from other dogs.

Mom asked Dad, "Are you sure it was Coco you saw on the other truck? Perhaps we should be looking for him in the shelters instead."

"How many times do I have to tell you!" he replied. "It was HIM all right—ol' marshmallow head! And the other dog looked like a cocker spaniel too. They both had their heads hanging out a window, happy as two peas in a pod. I hollered at Coco as the truck swung by, but he paid no attention to me. Next thing I knew, they were gone. The driver of that truck must've had a really stopped up nose." [A skunk had recently sprayed Coco.] "I waited at the restaurant for hours, sure that he'd swing back by and dump off the dog, but he never returned."

"The other dog was probably a girl dog," said Mom. "Coco just wanted...