Every once in a while, my husband, Shawn will throw me a bone about his childhood.

Years ago, he told me the short tale that I’m about to tell you.

I love it. I can imagine it being placed somewhere in a movie.

Here it is…

A Short Tale takes place in Willcox, Arizona.

Shawn’s family moved to Willcox from Leesville, Louisiana to start a church there.

Willcox was a small town that had one traffic light and two grocery stores at the time.

Shawn says Willcox was so quiet, you could count all the trains going through.

He is around the age of 10 or 11 when our story takes place…

One day after school, Shawn went to a friend’s house.

And even though he wasn’t really having any fun there, his feet stayed put as it got later and later.

Finally, Shawn busted out of there as if the devil himself was nipping at his dry heels.

But he knew.

He knew it was already after five because it was starting to get dark.

Five was when the Wead household gathered around the table for dinner.

He knew he was going to get in trouble and wished he had left his friend’s house sooner.

Shawn’s house is now in front of him, and under normal circumstances, he would enter through the kitchen door.

But entering through the kitchen door meant facing his accusers instantly who would be gathered round the table.

Instead, Shawn decided to take the long way, using the front door that never got used.

This front door opened to a room filled with his mom’s sewing and other loose ends.

He walks across this room towards the sliding glass door filled with regret for getting home late.

He opens the sliding glass door and steps into the living room.

He can hear them eating in the other room.

A quiver forms on his lips as he gets closer to the kitchen and the tinkling of silverware against the dishes sound more like cymbals crashing to his trembling ears.

Shawn takes a deep breath, and steps into the kitchen. To his astonishment, the only person at the table is their dog, Whiskers!

Whiskers is standing up on a chair, with his front paws resting on the table.

In front of him is a bowl. In fact, there are three bowls on the table.

Whiskers is chasing a chicken bone around the bowl and the bone keeps hitting the spoon.

Shawn lets out a sigh of relief and even more so when he remembers that it’s Monday!

Why on Mondays, his dad would go preach at the Fort Grant prison over by Safford.

Which means, his dad would have had to leave the house earlier so he probably wouldn’t even know that Shawn was late getting home for dinner.

Turns out, Shawn’s mom and brother had gone somewhere too.

PRAISE GOD AND HALLELUJAH!

Shawn walks over to the stove and serves himself a bowl of chicken soup. It was chicken soup for a saved soul indeed.

~missy salcido wead