He looked around with eyes full of excitement, observing the toys, bags of food, and leashes hanging on the walls.
“Sir,” she asked timidly, “how much do the puppies cost?”
The shop owner, a man with a friendly smile, replied
—Between thirty and fifty reales, boy.
The boy put his hand in his pocket and took out some crumpled coins and bills.
“But… I only have three reales,” he said softly.
“Could I at least see them?”
The man smiled tenderly and called out:
—Lady! Come and show us your babies.
Lady, the mother dog, trotted happily in, followed by five little balls of fur wobbling behind her. But one of the puppies lagged behind, limping noticeably.
The boy pointed it out immediately.
—What’s wrong with him?
The owner sighed.
—The vet examined him. He has a problem with his hip joint. He’ll limp for life. He won’t be able to run like the others.
But the boy’s eyes shone as if he had found treasure.
—That’s the one! That’s the one I want!
The man looked at him in surprise.
—No, no… you wouldn’t want to take that one. If you really want it, I’ll give it to you.
The boy was silent for a moment. His eyes filled with tears, but he spoke with a firmness unexpected from someone so small:
—I don’t want it for free.
That puppy is worth just as much as the others.
I’m going to pay the full price.
I’ll give you three reales now and fifty cents a month until I pay the full amount.
The shop owner opened his eyes in amazement.
—But, son… you can’t just love this puppy. He’ll never be able to run, jump, or play like the others.
Then, very seriously, the boy bent down, slowly lifted his left leg out of his pants, and revealed the prosthesis he used to walk.
He looked the owner straight in the eyes and said:
—Look… I don’t have a leg either.
I’m not very good at running.
That puppy is going to need someone who understands him.
The store fell silent.
Then the owner knelt beside the boy, placed a hand on his shoulder, and did something that would change both of their lives forever.
He took the lame puppy, carefully placed it in the child’s arms, and said:
“From today on, you two will learn together what it means to walk at your own pace.
Pay me when you can. The important thing is that it found the right owner.”
The boy hugged the puppy with all the care in the world… and the puppy, as if understanding the depth of the moment, licked his cheek, thus sealing a friendship they would never forget.
