There was a knock at the front door this afternoon following lunch. It was a pair of young ladies from the Jehovah’s Witnesses bringing around their Watchtower magazine. They bring one around each month or so however today the junior one of the pair was a “new” girl in a long floral dress, presumably her senior’s apprentice. Her senior, still in her early twenties was wearing a black skirt and top. We exchanged niceties at the doorway for a minute or two, and then Liquorice walked out the front door pushing me outside to enthusiastically greet our visitors. We do not get many callers where we live. I restrained Liquorice by holding a handful of skin from the base of her neck and telling her to sit. Always eager to please Liquorice sat on my feet gazing up at the young ladies. The senior lass had met Liquorice at each of her calls but her younger apprentice asked all of the usual questions concerning Newfoundlands in general and my little darling in particular. Another couple of minutes passed with Liquorice relaxing I released my grip of her neck so she could lay down. But Liquorice did not lie down! She lowered her head and brought it up under the senior girl’s skirt. In an instant Liquorice managed to get her head, neck and shoulders in this poor girls now tightly stretched skirt. Although wearing high heels she was trying to stand even taller as the expression on her face indicated that Liquorice’s cold, wet nose and slobbery lips, from helping us eat our lunch, had found a target. Liquorice just sat still which meant that this acutely embarrassed envoy of the “good word” could neither move backward or forward. She was immobilized. Her younger assistant was totally beside herself with laughter at her friend’s predicament and so was of no assistance. While I too could see the funny side I was also very embarrassed at the behavior of my little darling. And it hardly seemed appropriate to add to my little darling’s indiscretion by lifting that mortified young lady’s skirt just to free my trapped baby! All I could think to do was push down on Liquorice’s sloping back and saying “Down!” to an unfashionable bulge in the black skirt, which I took to be Liquorice’s head. To the relief of all those involved except the giggling young subordinate and possibly my little darling, Liquorice lay down and wondered what all the excitement was about. To her credit that unsettled girl regained her composure quickly and while neither of us made reference to Liquorice’s faux pas the younger girl could not stop smirking for the rest of their visit.
Arthur Witten
Liquorice – Did I miss something?