Every winter, Holden would visit Miss Morgenstern’s first grade class to give a quick lesson on snow safety basics. It started years back when he became a Search and Rescue volunteer, but the students’ interest definitely piqued when Holden began bringing Scout along with him. That golden gal always stole the show.
A quieter young girl obscured behind another student slid her hand into the air. Holden called upon her next. “What can I answer for you?”
“Are we allowed to pet her?” She quickly tugged her hand down.
“Absolutely! Part of Scout’s training is socialization, which means she needs to learn to be on her best behavior in all sorts of situations.”
“And a classroom full of energetic kids is a good place for that,” Miss Morgenstern said. A murmur of excitement quickly grew into shouts of glee and the teacher clapped her hands three times to rally her tiny troops. “Class, if you’d like to pet Scout, please line up two by two with your lunch line buddy. We’ll file through quietly and on our very best behavior. No rough-housing and no shoving to get to the front. We all wait our turn. Yes, students?”
“Yes Miss Morgenstern,” all twenty-four voices replied in sing-song accord.
Holden stepped to the side to stand by his old teacher. “Thanks for letting me bring her in.”
“Are you kidding me? This day is always a favorite for the students—right up there with corndog day in the cafeteria.”
“Corndogs are worth the excitement. I get it.”
He slipped his hands into his pockets and leaned against the whiteboard while keeping a watchful eye on Scout. She held her proud head high as each child came through and stroked her fur. Some wrapped her neck in a hug. Holden even saw one sweet girl plant a kiss on the tip of her wet nose.
“You know,” Miss Morgenstern began, “I’m not at all surprised by this, Holden.” She gestured toward the golden retriever and then brought her gaze back to her former student. “I’m not one bit surprised you became a Search and Rescue volunteer and that you’re now training your dog to be one too. Even as a young boy, you had a heart for helping others.”
Holden shrugged within his jacket. “Really?” That wasn’t how he remembered it. He remembered getting in more trouble than the rest of his first grade class combined.
“Oh, definitely. I remember you once brought in that poor kitten you found out on the playground during recess. It was stuck up in a tree. Do you remember that?”
A laugh rose with the memory. “How could I forget Miss Kitty?”
“You scaled that fifteen-foot tree to get her down. I remember not knowing whether to give you detention or a gold star.”
“I think a phone call home was the final decision.”
“And I remember that call. Your father was so proud of you. Said you were in line to be the next great Hart firefighter.”
“That had been his hope,” Holden admitted. He knew his father was proud of the life Holden had made for himself, even if he disguised that praise under sarcastic jabs, often comparing Holden’s job to a child that essentially got to play in the snow all day.
For Holden, it was the best of both worlds. He got his adrenaline fix out there on his snowmobile, but he also got to give back by volunteering his time to help others when needed.
And having a good dog by his side throughout it all was just the icing on the cake.
“I know you originally wanted to go to school to study medicine.” Miss Morgenstern continued their sidebar conversation. “What ever happened with that?”
“It wasn’t in the cards.” Or in the bank account. “Plus, I don’t know that I’d ever be happy in a doctor’s office. I think I’ve discovered that the best prescription for most any ailment is a large dose of fresh mountain air.”
“For what it’s worth, I think you could have taken your pick when it came to your profession. With that smart brain and relentless drive of yours, the sky was the limit.” Her hand came down over his shoulder. “I love to see my students doing so well for themselves. It’s been wonderful following your journey all these years, Holden.”
“Having teachers like you who believed in me and saw my energy as more than just something to wrangle made all the difference.”
The redheaded boy from earlier spoke up. “Can we go back through and pet her again?” His mouth stretched into a pleading grin that had his little neck straining. “Please?”
Miss Morgenstern returned to her place at the front of the classroom. “I think we need to let Mr. Hart and Scout be on their way. Class, can we give them one more thank-you for coming in today?”
“Thank you, Mr. Hart and Scout,” the class tried to echo, but the words jumbled into a conglomeration of out of sync voices.
“Anytime,” Holden replied. “And hopefully next time you see Scout, she will be a fully validated Avalanche Rescue Dog.”
“Paws crossed,” Miss Morgenstern said with a smile.
* * *
