Happy New Year's Charlie Brown

Charlie Brown was depressed. He would have been the first one to tell you that. Last summer’s baseball season was another string of relentless defeats.  In September school started off on the wrong foot and things only seemed to get worse. It was a struggle to keep his grades just barely above a failing average. All of this would have been tolerable if it wasn’t for Snoopy.

Snoopy had be sick, not really that sick but he wasn’t right. He wasn’t playful and he always was tired. Charlie Brown’s Father said in his trombone voice it was time to take Snoopy to the Veterinarian and see what is wrong.  The Veterinarian broke the bad news, Snoopy wasn’t going to be around very much longer.

Charlie Brown held back his tears. He wanted to cry but he also felt this boiling rage. It was almost Christmas, it was only a couple of weeks away. Even the winter weather was depressingly dismal, it was constantly cold but no snow had yet fallen. Without any snow everything was dull and grey.  After feeding Snoopy that night Charlie Brown looked up at the stars. In the vast dark sky he wondered if anybody was up there listening.

“This is so unfair! Good Greif! This is so unfair” he shouted.  The tears came finally came and he couldn’t stop. Snoopy slowly walked over and rested his body against Charlie Brown’s. 

The next day and the day after that and the day after that and so forth, school dragged on. Even the Christmas pageant felt like a waste time. When the gang found the most beautiful Christmas tree to put on stage, Charlie Brown could only say “so what”.

Linus knew something was really wrong and privately approached Charlie Brown. Charlie Brown had kept Snoopy’s condition a secret until then. He told Linus the whole story and Linus paused for a moment before he quoted passages from the Book of Job. This was not what Charlie Brown wanted to hear and he fought back the urge to repeat something rude and nasty that he overheard high school kids say. 

Charlie Brown felt all alone.  Sally was still writing out her Christmas list for Santa. His Mom kept on baking cookies. His Dad was planning out the family Christmas party.  But Snoopy was dying, didn’t anybody understand? Snoopy was dying!

The last day of school before the Christmas vacation started was the worse. All the other students were happy except him. All the other students were looking forward to Christmas except Charlie Brown.  Charlie Brown’s Dad promised not to take Snoopy to the Veterinarian for that last trip until New Year’s Day. The thought of it made him sick. He was sick and filled with guilt because Snoopy needed more and more care and attention.  The extra work was a burden but he knew it wasn’t Snoopy’s fault. He wanted it to end but he wasn’t ready to let his friend go.

The family Christmas party at Charlie Brown’s house was a big event.  There were cousins and Aunts and Uncles invited. There was his Dad’s brother, Charlie Brown’s favorite Uncle.  As other adults talked in that silly trombone voice, Charlie Brown’s favorite Uncle had a clear voice like a trumpet, like a trumpet playing Miles Davis. Charlie Brown’s favorite Uncle was not like the other member of the family. He drove a convertible sports car and though he was not married he always had a girlfriend. Charlie Brown’s favorite Uncle was special and Charlie Brown thought he was the smartest man in the world.  

It wasn’t easy for Charlie Brown to start the conversation about Snoopy, even if it was with his favorite Uncle.  Charlie Brown surprised himself when all the words came rushing out.  There was so much history between him and Snoopy.  His favorite Uncle didn’t try to give him advice or just say everything would be alright.

Charlie Brown had million questions like if dogs went to heaven or wondered if life had a meaning? They talked about time. Charlie Brown wondered if one year of human life really equaled seven years of a dog’s life?  Were dog’s lives faster or just shorter? And if they were just shorter was ever moment more precious?

Charlie Brown’s favorite Uncle assured him that it didn’t matter if you were a dog or a person, every moment was precious. So only focus on what is important and don’t worry about anything else. As much as you want to plan on a future, nothing in life was guaranteed; each single moment we live in is all we really have.  Charlie Brown wasn’t sure if that was the answer to his questions but Charlie Brown didn’t feel alone any more.

In the next few days Snoopy got worse. He was unable to eat without throwing up. He would mess himself and could no longer stay in his dog house.  Charlie Brown’s Mom made a place in the laundry room for Snoopy to stay in. With all of his heart Charlie Brown did his best to make Snoopy feel comfortable.

Christmas came and went. Sally was disappointed that she didn’t get everything on her list and began to add the missing presents from this year on to her next year’s list.  Charlie Brown would take an hour or two for himself in afternoons. The weather was still bitterly cold with no snow in the forecast.  As he walked past the school yard he saw Lucy with a football in her hands.

“Come on Charlie Brown. I’ll hold the football for you” Lucy called out.

Of course Charlie Brown was suspicious. He had been fooled Lucy before but maybe Linus had told her about Snoopy.  This time out of kindness Lucy would let him kick the ball.

 Lucy got down on her knees and held the football in proper position. “What are you waiting for Charlie Brown?”

Charlie Brown ran at her with all of his might but this time he focused on the football.  He watched that football as closely as he could and at the last possible second he saw Lucy’s hand begin to pull the ball back. Charlie Brown thought to himself -no, not this time. He leaned a little to his right and instead of trying to kick the ball he kicked Lucy. He kicked her square in bottom and kicked so hard that she lunged forward several feet and landed face first in the frozen turf.

For a moment Charlie Brown was horrified by what he done but only for a moment. To be honest this was what he always wanted to do. Luck rolled over to face him and with a vengeful scream she roared “you blockhead!”

“I’m sorry Lucy” Charlie Brown said but Lucy could see that he was smiling. She wasn’t sure what to make of the situation; this wasn’t the same old Charlie Brown. She was unexplainably excited with the same kind of feeling you get when the roller coaster reaches the very top. That scary moment just before the wild part of the ride begins.  Lucy wanted to run back to her Psychologist stand in front of her house.  She secretly had hidden a couple of books on Freudian analysis there and wanted to see if she could find out why she was feeling what she was feeling. 

Charlie Brown went home feeling happy, maybe this was the happiest he felt in months. When he got home he saw Snoopy lying in the doggie bed his Mom made. The laundry room was warm but Snoopy shivered with cold. Charlie Brown wrapped his friend in blanket and then laid next to him. He told Snoopy what happened with Lucy and didn’t skip a single detail.  He could hear Snoopy softly laughing.

He held Snoopy to keep him warm. Each breath Snoopy took was becoming more shallow and slower. Charlie Brown’s breathing began to match Snoopy’s.  He couldn’t tell if it was minutes or hours later -or if he was awake, asleep or somewhere in between but that’s when Snoopy died. 

Years later Charlie Brown tried to recall exactly what his favorite Uncle said to him about cherishing each moment. Somehow he forgot the wording but retained the message. He thought if he was lucky he would live to a ripe old age of seven or eight dog lives but even if everything should end right now, he has had a good life. What happened with Lucy and Snoopy that cold winter’s day was the beginning of when everything else changed for Charlie Brown. It was the beginning of a new year and a new life.

 Well Happy New Years everyone.