Trent was an only child. He had no siblings to play with. Despite the fact that his friends came around occasionally, he felt lonely most times.
On his fifth birthday, he had a memorable encounter. It was a beautiful Saturday. Trent woke up partly excited and partly sad. He was excited because it was his birthday. He knew his parents would try to make it a special day for him. On the other hand, he was sad because he still felt lonely on his birthday.
Trent decided he wanted to spend his birthday morning playing with his toys in the backyard.
"Mom, I'm going to the backyard to play with my toys". Trent said
"Okay honey, have fun but don't exhaust yourself. You know it's your birthday. There are a lot of fun activities planned for today", his mother replied.
Trent made his way to the backyard. As he played with his toy car, he suddenly observed a wheelbarrow just across the barn. It was a little far away, so he couldn't really see what was on the wheelbarrow. The wheelbarrow had never been there before, so he wondered who could have kept the wheelbarrow there and what could be on it. Being a very curious kid, Trent's curiosity got the better of him. Trent left the backyard and walked towards the wheelbarrow.
As he got to the wheelbarrow, sitting on it was the cutest dog he had ever seen. The dog looked really distressed, dehydrated and hungry. It was a really sunny morning.
"How could someone leave this dog all alone on such a hot day?" he thought to himself.
He contemplated within himself whether he should take the dog home or just leave it there. He considered the fact that something bad could happen to the dog out there. So he decided to take the dog home.
As Trent got into the house, he called out to his parents.
"Mom, Dad, look what I found", Trent announced.
"Whose dog is that?" his mom asked.
"I don't know. I found him all alone, in a wheelbarrow across the backyard. Can I please keep him?" Trent said.
"No dear. What if the owner comes looking for it?" His dad said.
"If the owner comes, I'll give it back. But in the meantime, can I keep it please? It would be the best birthday gift", Trent said.
His parents looked at each other for a while. They saw the excitement in Trent's eyes. They saw how happy he was as he carried the dog. All they wanted was his happiness. They did want to make him sad.
"Okay son. You can keep it" His father said.
"Really Dad?" Trent asked with excitement.
"Yes. If the owner doesn't come, he'll be your responsibility. Be ready to take up that responsibility", said his father.
That turned out to be the best birthday gift Trent received. He was happy he had a dog. Luckily, no one ever came looking for the dog.
Trent and the dog became the best of buddies. He loved the dog so much. He named it Reggie. Trent took Reggie everywhere he went except to school because it was prohibited. They grew up together.
A few years later, Reggie grew up to become a huge dog. Trent and his parents did a good job of taking care of it. Reggie would wait outside the house every afternoon anticipating Trent's return from school. On sighting Trent, Reggie would bark in excitement, running towards Trent and wiggling his tail.
One fateful day at school, Trent saw some teenage boys bullying a kid. Trent could take it. He hated bullying. Trent walked up to them and told them to leave the little boy alone, otherwise he would report them to the school principal. No one ever dared challenge those boys this way. They were usually scared. The boys continued their bullying, thinking Trent wouldn't do what he said. Trent eventually reported them to the principal. Consequently, on confirming the incident, the principal suspended the boys from school for 2 weeks.
After school that day, Trent embarked on his usual walk back home. Just as he got close to home, three boys surrounded him. It was the bullies he reported.
"You think you have a big mouth, right? By the time I'm done with that mouth of yours, you will learn to keep shut about what doesn't concern you", one of the boys said as he folded his hands into a fist.
"Please don't hurt me, I didn't do anything wrong" Trent said in a shaky voice, scared to the core.
"Tell that to the doctor who will attend to you", another boy said.
The boys were ready to pounce on Trent and beat him to pulp.
Next, they heard a scary growl just behind them. As they turned to see the source of the growl, it was a huge, mean-looking, scary dog. Its teeth looked sharp, and it squeezed its face like it was ready to attack them. The dog was Reggie.
Trent was relieved to see Reggie, but he was still in imminent danger.
Reggie barked furiously, and the bullies knew that the wise thing to do was to run away. Reggie looked like it was ready to pounce on them. The boys ran as fast as they could as Reggie chased them.
Reggie went back to Trent, and the pair continued their journey back home. Trent's love for Reggie grew even more after that singular act.