Monday, July 10, 2017

CHEE WA WA


I was in town yesterday and saw big burly guy cradling a tiny Chihuahua in his arms as he walked down the street.  It reminded me of a story that happened years ago to a good friend of mine I worked with that still makes me smile.

Margie had recently married for the second time to a handsome, rugged former rodeo cowboy who now worked as a line man for the county. There is a country song in there somewhere.

Mike was all man, really into horses and cattle. Animals were tools to be properly cared for but not necessarily pampered.

One day one of our fellow employees came to work with his nasty tempered Chihuahua named Susie.  This dog had been he and his wife's surrogate child for many years till they finally conceived.  Sadly, the once time very pampered only dog did not take well to the new baby and  Susie was heading for the pound if not re-homed.

I was their first choice to save her since I rescued dogs but I knew Susie would be miserable as one of many. Besides, the dog purely didn't like me. I mean teeth baring, snarling dislike. Hey, not everyone loves me. I didn't take it personally.

So I talked Margie into taking the tiny dog for her teenage kids. Susie didn't like her much either at first but she bravely agreed to try as she felt sorry for the little dog being displaced so abruptly.

The only problem turned out to be Mike.  Had she brought home a pit bull, Lab or a cattle dog, all would have been OK.  He took one look at the dog with zero work abilities and said, "What on earth are you thinking by bringing home a
Che Wa Wa?"  That was the only way he ever referred to her, drawing out each syllable and never by using her name.

However the kids loved her and soon Margie was delighted with her. For some reason even though openly ignored, Susie became attached to Mike and would lay at his feet where ever he sat. She would sleep by his side of the bed on the floor at night. It hurt Margie a little that Mike's indifference seemed to win the dog over while all her care and attention only garnered mild acceptance.

Then one night Margie was awakened by a raucous thunder storm. As her eyes adjusted, she saw and heard the strangest thing.
Not Susie but looks a lot like her.
Mike was leaning over the edge of the bed.  "Is Daddy's little girl afraid of this nasty storm?" he whispered softly. He then reached down, picked up the tiny dog in his big hands and slid the trembling dog under the covers close to his body.

Margie's first instinct was to burst out laughing and yell--"You big fraud!!  You are so busted!!!" But she didn't. She stifled her giggles, pretended to be asleep and waited.

It was several days later when Mike was grousing about that darn useless
Che Wa Wa to some of his buddies that Margie slyly said so all could hear, "Oh, are you talking about Daddy's little girl?"  She then recounted the storm episode for the group's delight.

At first his friends were stunned silent, then they roared. The rough, tough cowboy had been outed  He was a Chihuahua lover.  Sometimes exposure is more delicious when properly timed. Margie had played it well.

Have you ever tried to down play something you were a bit embarrassed about liking?

51 comments :

  1. Aw, what a sweet story about Mike and Susie. You tell it so well, Patti. I think it's wonderful that a big cowboy could love a little Chee Wa Wa. And keep the love hidden. :-)

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    1. Djan,
      Ha,ha I think the only one not fooled was Susie. She knew all along.

      Delete
  2. Oh, that's a great story! I'm not fond of Chihuahua so I have no trouble picturing every bit of what you described. My husband was brought up on a farm and animals were for a purpose. But he warmed up to my poodle when we met and became a true dog daddy like Mike.

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    1. Jean,
      It is always fun to see when little dogs get through to the hard core guys. I think they fall the hardest.

      Delete
  3. The little dogs can really get to you, and I can relate to Mike. I always had big dogs, always had my boxer riding in my pickup with me, but after I lost him and when Cindy and I married she had a poodle named Blossom, before long I was the guy riding around town in his pickup truck with a poodle on his shoulder.

    Yes there were a few laughs from the crowd :)

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    1. Jimmy,
      Don't suppose you were ever in Fla? Your comment made me smile. Once I was taking my 160 pound Great Dane to the vet in my tiny S10 pickup. I was literally pasted to the drivers door for room to drive. As I pulled into a service station, a dually, crew cab was pulling out and the guy driving had a toy poodle resting on his neck. We both broke out laughing.

      Delete
  4. My husband was also a lineman for the county! After six years with Larisa, our Designer Cat, he has finally bonded with her. He calls her Rover!

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    1. Linda M,
      How funny that he calls her Rover. Hey what ever works.

      Delete
  5. Dear Patti, thanks for this wonderful story that you told so well. I really enjoyed it. As to embarrassment--I always feel that when I'm eating from my hoard of Pringles!

    I just finished reading my 4th Effie Leland Wilder book. It's the one called "One More time--Just for the Fun of It." I enjoyed it so much that several times I burst out laughing. Thank you, Patti, so much for introducing me to her writing. Peace.

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    1. Dee,
      So glad you enjoyed this story. Even happier that you are enjoying Effie's books. You are ahead of me now. I need to find that one.

      Delete
  6. That is such a sweet and funny story. I'm so glad Mike fell in love with his little Chee Wa Wa.

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    1. robin,
      So glad you liked it. I often wondered how long he would have kept his affection for the little dog secret.

      Delete
  7. Big Daddy obviously loved his little girl!!

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    1. Fran,
      He just prefered keeping his love a secret.

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  8. That is a great story (as are your stories always!)
    My brother and his wife have Italian greyhounds and he has a bumper sticker on his truck: It Takes a Beg Man to Walk a Small Dog."

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    1. Olga,
      That is a priceless bumper sticker. Your brother is a cool guy and I love the Italian Greyhounds.

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  9. HA HA HA---what a wonderful story.... So Daddy's Little Girl won that big ole guy over??? How funny!!!! Love this story.

    Hugs,
    Betsy

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    1. Betsy,
      She definitely got to him. Once he was exposed, he got rather proud of the little dog. She was a fierce watchdog.

      Delete
  10. Haha, it's often the macho men that have the biggest hearts.
    And the answer to your question, yes, sometimes my taste in music.

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    1. Joey,
      I agree. Often the hard outside hides a marshmallow inside. Hey, as long as you don't get caught like G.B. Miller did:))

      Delete
  11. I don't think I've ever denied liking something but I might have led people to think that I enjoyed certain classy pursuits
    like ballet, or other nonsense.

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    1. Stephen,
      At least that is something you can't get caught at-- unless they read my comment section:)

      Delete
  12. Oh that is hilarious...in my experience the biggest guys are often marshmallows.

    I laughed at the Che Wa Wa because my brother calls them Chai Hooha Hoohas. Silly guys!

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    1. Eileen,
      Had to laugh. I had a friend who said it the same way and that is how I learned to spell it. Chi hua hua.

      Delete
  13. I love this story of a strong man growing to love a Chihuahua, especially since I adopted my Chihuahua/terrier last November. The men in my family love my Che Wa Wa lots.

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    1. Terra,
      I keep telling people that you have to own one to love one. Glad your men could see what a fiercely loyal little dog they are.

      Delete
  14. I loved that Glen Campbell song too.
    You really told this story so beautifully, Patti. Mike and Margie obviously have a wonderful marriage. Some men might have been incensed if his wife told his secret to his friends. But, I love it! It's so sweet...

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    1. Kay,
      The great thing about Mike is that he could take a joke-even on himself.
      It took me all day to get that darn song out of my head.

      Delete
  15. I got caught listening to a Olivia Newton-John CD at work and I got merciless mocked by co-workers for a few weeks.

    I Are Writer!

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    1. G.B. Miller,
      That is so funny. Seems you and Joey have similar secrets.

      Delete
  16. Not really. As I informed my football teammates ahead of time when I went for my piano lessons with a fierce warning look which deterred any snide remarks...:)

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    1. TB
      Ha ha, I think that is called a preemptive strike. Smart move.

      Delete
  17. Hahaha. Yes men and their dogs can be so funny. I've given up acting like a normal person when it comes to my dog. It's him and me against the world!

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    1. Barbara,
      Let's face it, they do love us with no strings attached. Hard to find that in a human.

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  18. Love it!!! Dogs know how to worm their way right into someone's heart. That was funny and made me laugh how he got caught putting her under the covers with him. Hugs and nose kisses from us to you, Minnie and Callie

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    1. Maggie,
      Mike was a closet softie which made him quite lovable.

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  19. Replies
    1. Mage,
      At least you never have to worry about being found out.

      Delete
  20. I love this story! My lineman for the county, BG, used to not like cats, but now he is a big cat lover and worries about them and even shed a tear or two when one was run over a few years ago. I wouldn't tell on him, tho. Oh, oh. I think I just did, didn't I? :)

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    1. Cheryl,
      Just let him know there is nothing sexier than a man with a soft heart. Well, a man in an apron is also pretty sexy.

      Delete
  21. That is a great story. I loved it!

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  22. Dear Patti, last night I finished the 5th and final book written by Effie. I enjoyed each and every one of them and my library is so wonderful that it got the books for me from other libraries in Kansas and Ohio. I looked her up on Google and discovered that she was born in August 1909 and died in July 2007 so she was 97, almost 98. What an inspiration she is to me. I am so grateful to you for discovering her books and writing about them. thank you. Peace. Oh, the final book is
    "Oh, My Goodness!" It ends with a short story she wrote.

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    1. Dee,
      I am delighted you are enjoying her books so much. It is just a bit sad that we can't let her know how much we enjoyed her work.

      Delete
  23. Loved the story but really don't have an instance that would fill the bill. My embarrassing stuff is usually having to do with lack of knowledge about something.

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  24. Our dog Slim was supposedly my dog. She rested for days in the spot where Ron's hospital bed had been and where he died. Then we both grieved together. As much as she loves me, I think she was always Ron's "Daddy's Girl".

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    1. Annie,
      Wow, what a powerful and heart tugging comment. So glad you had each other.

      Delete
  25. My husband has always been a dog guy, but my cat Katie has forced him out of that mold. She lays at his feet wherever he is. she whines when it is close to his bedtime so he knows it's time to come to bed. He and her have all kinds of little routines they do every day. Which is not a big story, but Katie doesn't like anyone but Mark and I. She growls at everyone, equal opportunity,...but us. She's a strange one, which makes me laugh that she understands my Type A husband. :)

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