MY PET PUPPY, PÉPE PAPINO

By Kevin "Gus" Hall

When sixty-year-old Mr. Papino moved in next door to twelve-year-old Kyle's home in a small town in Illinois, everything changed for the better!

Mr. P had an old house with one of those wrap-around front porches, and here is where the magic begins and happens!

In this story, the nostalgia of the good old days is almost supernatural, as each day brings excitement to a little world that centers around Mr. P's famous front porch and the garage where he works. Here, all the kids from the neighborhood would congregate--even if he wasn't with them! It was a time of fun and adventure that every boy yearns for.

While with them, Jose Papino would share stories about his life as a real cowboy in Spain! There, Kyle and his friends would learn all about life, earning money, and being an entrepreneur while contributing to the community and the church and making their neighborhood something right out of the dreams of yesteryear! Each day brings excitement, adventure, life lessons, and, of course, Mr. Papino's puppy dog named Pepe, or Peppy, is along for the ride!

This book is for all ages, and in twenty-seven chapters, it chronicles the last year of Kyle's youth, as he goes from being a twelve-year-old to a real teenager! In parallel, Peppy the puppy goes from being a puppy to an adult dog! Be prepared to be enveloped in this front porch world of wonder, fun, nostalgic magic, and page-turning excitement!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Oct 19, 2022
• ISBN: 9798886168440

Book preview

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MY PET PUPPY, PA%0PE PAPINO

Kevin Gus Hall

ISBN 979-8-88616-843-3 (paperback)

ISBN 979-8-88616-844-0 (digital)

Copyright © 2022 by Kevin Gus Hall

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Cover art is by Chris Soulé

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

About the Author

Chapter 1

Once upon a time, there lived a man named Jose Papino. He moved into our town when he was about sixty years old. We thought at the time that he was Mexican, but he was actually from Europe. He grew up in Spain and moved to America when he was about twenty years old.

Mr. Papino's wife had recently passed on due to cancer. He decided he needed a fresh start in a nice new town, he told us.

He would sit on his front porch each morning, sipping coffee and reading the local newspaper. He retired early but continued to work in his garage, making leather-type stuff. He made custom saddles for horses, leather boots, belts, and other custom-made leather items.

I guess he was an artisan. He was good at his craft, and it seemed like he did well in his trade. By the look of things, it appeared that he had some money. He had nice things, he didn't have to work, and all his days were spent either on his front porch or in his garage that he turned into a type of barnlike or stable-like workshop.

He did live in town, so he couldn't keep horses. But the decor or theme of his home and outbuildings were all about horses.

My name is Kyle, his next-door neighbor. I was twelve years old when I met Mr. Papino, and we quickly became best friends. We hung out together all the time.

Our favorite thing to do together was to hang out on his covered wraparound front porch on rainy days, just kicking back, sipping lemonade, and listening to Mr. Papino tell me stories about life in Spain. He'd tell stories about how he grew up on a ranch and how he practically lived like a cowboy—a Spanish cowboy, that is.

Many kids would hang out on Mr. Papino's front porch. Sometimes, we would hang out there even if he wasn't with us. We kind of adopted him and his home as our neighborhood hangout, and he didn't mind it at all. He was actually kind of lonely, and he liked our company.

One day, Mr. Papino told me that he had a surprise to show me.

Hey, Kyle, Mr. Papino said. I have something to show you. Wait right here, and I'll go and get it.

He went inside his house while I waited on his front porch anxiously. I was intrigued as to what this surprise was! As I waited patiently on the old front porch, I could hear Mr. Papino talking to someone in the background. But I didn't know to whom he was talking.

As he approach the front screen door, I could see he was holding a cardboard box. I helped him by opening and holding open the door while he brought his special package outside to show me.

Go ahead and open it, he insisted.

I got down on my knees and pulled on one of the flaps on top of the box, and much to my surprise and amazement, out popped a puppy dog—the cutest puppy dog ever!

Oh boy! I exclaimed. You got a new puppy…awe!

The puppy was now licking my entire face, and it appeared to be very happy to see me as well. It kept making some whining and grunting sounds as it licked away at my face while enjoying my hugs, kisses, and interactions too.

The puppy was a mixed breed, a little of this and a little of that—a mutt, I was told. Mr. Papino saw an ad in the paper and decided that he wanted a full-time friend to call his buddy.

What shall we call him? he asked me.

The dog was so active and peppy, so I said, Let's call him Peppy, and that was the name that stuck.

Now, it really wasn't my puppy at all. But it did appear that Mr. Papino was more than willing to share him with me because my folks wouldn't allow me to own or have a pet. It was our dog or puppy, as Mr. Papino insisted.

Here's the deal, Mr. Papino went on. "If you help me walk him and help me take care of him, we can share him, and he will be our puppy dog."

Oh boy! I shouted while hugging my new pet.

I embraced that little puppy like it was a big ol' teddy bear. What a deal—I get to have a puppy, but I don't have to watch it all the time. I could instead visit it as often as I wanted!

I didn't know it, but Mr. Papino thought that I named the puppy Peppy as in Pépe, a Spanish name. But I named him Peppy because he was so peppy. It worked both ways—Pépe, Peppy, same difference.

So he called him Pépe, and I called him Peppy.

That was the day I met my pet puppy, Peppy—Pépe—Papino.

Chapter 2

So that summer flew by, and Peppy grew some but not much. It was easy to see that Pépe was going to be a small dog someday. He seemed like a mix of a Chihuahua, a Boston, or a pug. He had slick fur that was black and white and a permanent smile on his face. He was always peppy, and he was always happy.

That Halloween, Mr. Papino asked me, What are you going to be for Halloween?

I stopped to think about it and said, I don't know, maybe a superhero?

I didn't know it, but in addition to working with leather, Mr. Papino was also a type of tailor. He had an old sewing machine in his workshop and was very good at making things. He asked me what type of superhero I wanted to be.

I don't know. One that wears a cape and is able to fly, I guess, I said.

And what are your superhero powers? he asked.

Well, besides being able to fly, I am super strong, I have X-ray vision, and I sing.

A singing superhero, huh?

I liked to sing a lot. If I wasn't singing, I would be humming, humming a tune, a favorite song, or just humming along as I went about my days.

He had some material on a shelf that was shiny and smooth.

If you want, I could make you a cape and a little outfit for Halloween? Mr. Papino said.

I hadn't really given it much thought, but if he was willing, I answered, Heck, why not!

We lived in a nice neighborhood in a small town in Byron, Illinois. It was a river town, and there were a lot of old houses along the river and in town. During the fall, our town was big on football, corn mazes, Octoberfest, fall festivals, and a big one called Turkey Testicle Festival. We were famous for that one!

Since our town was on the river and since we had a lot of bars in town, motorcyclists or bikers often came through the town. And on Turkey Testicle Festival, thousands of bikers emerge in our small town. Since it was in the fall, bikers often look at this party or festival as the last one of the year before they put their bikes away for the winter. It could get cold here in Byron, Illinois, but they bundled up in their leather gear and came out anyway.

Since Mr. Papino was all about leather, he opened up his shop to the many bikers that came through the town on that day. He actually sold a lot of leather goods that he made throughout the year in his workshop.

He made these leather chaps for the riders, custom leather coats and gear, and other custom leather products that the bikers just love. That one day per year, he probably brought in enough money to live through the next year. Whatever he made, they bought. He sold out each year! I guess he was kind of famous for such products. I never really knew that because I wasn't a biker. But the bikers knew him or knew of him—he was famous among the bikers!

So the day before Halloween of my twelfth year, as I was walking to school, Mr. Papino shouted out to me, Hey, stop by when you have a moment. I have something to show you.

The last time he said that, I got to meet Peppy! What did he want to show me now?

All day long at school, I wondered what it was that Mr. Papino wanted to show me. I kept daydreaming about this now-new mystery.

As soon as the school bell rang, I dashed out of class and went straight to Mr. Papino's house. I jumped three stairs and started pounding on his door.

Mr. Papino, Mr. Papino, I called out while knocking or pounding on his screen doorframe.

He didn't answer, so I ran out back to the workshop where I found him working at the old sewing machine—the type you had to use your feet to make it work.

Hey! I shouted over the sound of the machine.

He looked up over the top of his bifocal glasses, smiled, and, in return, shouted back, Hey you!

He took a few seconds to finish his stitching, and then silence entered the shop as he stopped the sewing machine.

So, he stated while holding up an item, what do you think?

Much to my amazement, he had made me a superhero cape that was awesome. It had fantastic colors, and it had a string to tie it around my neck. Then he showed me the rest of the outfit. He made me superhero pants and a superhero eye mask out of the same material. He made me a custom-made superhero outfit that my folks told me must have cost a fortune.

Later, I found out that he was such an artisan that although the material didn't cost him much, his time and master craftsmanship made this suit or outfit actually worth a lot of money. That is, had I had to pay somebody to make it.

I was so impressed that I started to cry and laugh at the same time! I hugged him tightly while thanking him, and I couldn't wait to try it on.

He tied the cape around my neck, and I ran off with my arms outstretched as though I were flying. The cape was weightless, and that was perfect as the cape actually caught some air and added to the impression that I was really flying through the air!

In my mind, I was flying. I was soaring higher and higher, filled with glee, joy, and imagination! I was running around flying, humming my superhero theme song, Da-dada-da-da, as Mr. Papino looked upon this moment with true joy. It was joy at his accomplishment and joy at how well received his gift was. It brought a tear to his eyes, I could tell, and a big huge smile—a vision I will never forget!

Peppy was sleeping in the corner, but now he was awake because I was making so much noise flying around, shouting, humming, laughing, and thanking Mr. Papino. So now Peppy started running in circles around me!

I picked him up and spread out his legs and pretended that he was flying too! We were both flying, flying high—so high that it truly was one of the best moments of my life.

Then Mr. Papino outstretched his arms, started running in circles, and joined in on the fun. What a sight we must have been, laughing, humming, singing, flying, and celebrating the accomplishment of this custom-made Halloween costume! Wow!

The costume fit me well, and eventually, I came down from cloud nine and returned back to reality. I brought Peppy to a safe landing, and we all kind of just laughed and hugged together—Mr. Papino, Peppy, and I! We continued laughing, hugging, and crying all at the same time.

*****

The next day was Halloween. I couldn't wait to get home from school to go out trick-or-treating. I wore my costume to school, and everybody was envious. I had the nicest costume ever made!

That morning, on my way to school, I stopped by Mr. Papino's to show him the entire outfit supplemented by a shirt my mom found that worked with the outfit and my tennis shoes.

Wow, you really are a superhero, Mr. Papino said.

And boy did I feel like one! I really felt that I could fly. And I was flying, still flying, flying high since the night before when we had all that fun. And for today, the fun was just beginning!

Stop by before going trick-or-treating, he said to me. I want to show you something!

Here we go again!

Every time he would say that, something big would happen! The first time, it was