The pup lifted his weary head off the back seat and sat up. As the car pulled into the driveway the house came into view. Although somewhat larger than expected, it was still modest. The building had a simple brick construction with two stories. The manicured front law seemed inviting but the dirty work truck parked in garage was somewhat out of place.
Mrs. Thompson opened the car door and led the curious pup in and up the stairs. The bedroom was a far cry from the closet sized stall he had lived in at the orphanage. It had a large soft bed, desk with a computer, and was filled with toys. Theodore found himself pinching an arm to ensure the whole thing was not just a wonderful dream.
�Mrs. Thompson is this my�� Theodore started to ask but was afraid to finish.
�Of course silly,� Mrs. Thompson replied warmly, �And please, you can call me Mom now.�
Theodore smiled and gave the kind woman a big hug. He never had anyone to call �Mom� before but Mrs. Thompson sure seemed to fit the title well. But was this all to good to be�
�Now go ahead and get out of those dress cloths. Ms. Walters told me your sizes and I picked up a few things for you to wear yesterday.� His new Mother replied opening the closet door.
Inside were a couple of T-Shirts, pairs of shorts, and two pairs of sandals. Also inside was a robe and about 20 empty hangers. More toys and sporting equipment were stacked up on the shelves and everything was brand new.
As his new Mom showed off the contents of the closet Theodore pulled off his dress shoes. Once he got the socks off, the pup let off a soft moan of relief. His new foster mother heard this and walked over.
�What�s wrong sweetie?�
�I�m just happy to get those shoes off Ma�am.� Theodore announced bashfully, �They make my paws ache.�
�Well it�s going to be a little while before we can get you some new ones.� She replied and lifted the pup�s feet up onto her lap for inspection, �Until then you�ll have to wear those sandals.�
�Anything is better than dress shoes.�
�Well I suppose furs aren�t used to wearing any type of footwear.� Mrs. Thompson replied then produced a small bottle of lotion from her purse.
As the kind women began to rub lotion on his footpads Theodore pulled away shyly, �Oh you don�t have to do that��
Mrs. Thompson just smiled and replied, �You�re right, but I want to.�
Obediently, the pup laid back on the bed and placed his paws back in her lap. Soon the careful kneading and gentle stroking of his sensitive soles replaced the painful aching with soothing delight. It felt so good that he found it hard to keep his toes from curling while Mrs. Thompson massaged them.
No one ever done anything like this for him before. The very concept of someone giving this �Fur� a massage was totally foreign to him. But this wonderful experience, and the smile on his Mother�s face, made him feel special. It made him feel loved.
Unfortunately the soothing effects soon began to overwhelm the fur. As he laid in bed smiling, the pup drifted to sleep.
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The mouth-watering aromas of a home cooked dinner aroused the dreary pup. He didn�t know just how long his nap lasted but his footpaws felt great. They were both covered in lotion and the fur suspected that his foster mother rubbed even after he passed out. It was the kindest thing anyone had ever done for him.
Quickly Theodore jumped out of bed and changed into a pair of shorts and a T-Shirt. Although he was still unfamiliar with the layout of the house, the smells of dinner led him straight to the kitchen.
�Well look who�s up.� Mrs. Thompson announced as the pup entered the kitchen.
�Thank you for the�� Theodore started to reply shyly not knowing how exactly phase what he wanted to say.
�The foot rub?� She finished with a smile, �Well you�re welcome. I hope you enjoyed it.�
�Yes but it� Well it kinda� put me to sleep.�
The kind women laughed softly, �Well I�ll just have to keep it up until you get used to it.�
This made Theodore laugh too. He didn�t know why but it seemed like the right thing to do at an awkward moment. Perhaps he was making too big a deal out of a simple pawrub but just wasn�t used to people wanting to pamper him. Perhaps that�s what real mothers do.
�Now go wash up for dinner Theodore. We�re having pot roast.� She replied and pointed him to the bathroom.
After washing up, the pup headed back to the kitchen but ran into Mr. Thompson in the hall. The large man took a knee and patting the pup on the head.
�So I heard that Mom gave you one of her world famous massages.�
�Yeah, sort of�� The pup replied nervous.
�Oh you don�t have to be so timid about it. She likes to do things like that for the men in her life. Hell her back rubs give me something to look forward to at the end of the day. Suppose I�ll have to compete for her attention now though.� He replied with a light chuckle.
�But I�m not used to� I mean��
�Oh youngling you don�t want to turn down your mother�s affections. She takes the men in her life very seriously and you should thank her for the attention every chance you get.� The proud man replied with an experienced grin, �Now let�s go get something to eat.�
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�There you go sweetie. All tucked in and ready to go to sleep.� Mrs. Thompson announced, kissed Theodore on the head, and turned out the bedroom lights.
As the pup stared at the ceiling fan above he got to thinking about his new foster parents. The pup learned at dinner that John, his foster father, was a contractor that worked for a large construction company. He started out as a general laborer and worked his way up to chief foreman over the years. It really was an inspiring story that John liked to tell in great detail.
Despite a past work history, Mrs. Thompson is now a stay at home housewife. Her masseur skills were mastered from years of work at a nearby spa but are now used solely for the enjoyment of the men in her life. And the pup has been informed that she likes to keep in practice.
The couple didn�t discuss why they chose to adopt rather than have a child of their own. Honestly Theodore was afraid to bring up the subject out of fear of losing such a great deal. Somehow this down on the luck fur found the foster parents he always dreamed of and didn�t want to lose them.
However something inside made pushed the pup to ask the one thing he couldn�t figure out, �Mom can I ask you something?�
�Sure dear.�
�Why me?� The pup asked softly.
�Because my sweet little pup, you looked like someone who needed a break.� She replied warmly. �Besides Ms. Walters told us of your history. It takes a lot of courage to stick up to a bully, even if it�s in the form of a prank. And that kind of character is something both your father and I admire.�
Theodore smiled and kissed his Mother. Perhaps all those years of torment at the hands of some miserable teenager paid off. Things were really looking up for him now.