1

	The morning began slowly for the inhabitants in the Portuguese town of Gondomar. The sun still had its morning hue of bright orange, slowly turning to yellow, and the dew on the grass was just beginning to evaporate into the air. There was very little activity amongst the city dwellers at the prime hour of seven in the morning, but it could be told in the atmosphere that most were just waking up and starting their new day in the comfort of their homes. Even the birds were beginning to chirp a bit as the public transportation vehicles roared to life, becoming the constant natural sound of the city. The inner suburbs were a particularly beautiful sight to see at this hour. The grass was always well kept in the different neighborhoods and the houses themselves reflected the light of the sun perfectly off of their exteriors, sending reflections into the front yard ponds.
	One house always had a tendency of waking up rather quickly compared to other residences of this part of town. The first noise was always the sound of little footsteps scampering across the hardwood floors of the living room, making their way across carpet, and back onto the tile of the kitchen. This soothing noise came from one little Siberian tiger cub named Sambinon, who would always naturally wake up early and personally make it his duty to get his mother and father excited for the new day. He was six years old, and was quite literally a ball of energy. He had very distinct stripes that covered his icy blue eyes and drew up around his brow as if there were dark flames shooting out of them. The rest of his stripes ran vertical up the length of his cheeks, stopping before the horizontal ones that drifted away from the crown of his head. As he ran through the house, he whipped by the living room couches, under the bar of the kitchen, and to the small hallway that was the nook where his parents’ room was located.
	Sambinon came to a stop and turned to face the tall, wooden door of the bedroom. Leaning forward on his tiptoes, he placed his ear next to the cold wood and listened for any kind of movement or talking. He knew this was futile because his parents always woke up after him, but he honestly just liked the feeling of being a spy in case his parents were planning something fun for him as they often did. He heard nothing, only the far off sound of a bus blowing its horn at someone who had already altered their timed schedule for the bus stops. He reached up slowly for the brass knob of the door and turned it very gently. He had become very skilled at opening the door without making a sound, making him feel even more like a spy that was a master of stealth. Pushing the door just enough so he could squeeze his slightly pudgy frame through, he peered in and saw the two lumps on the bed that was his mother and father. 
	His father was rolled over on his stomach, one arm hanging off the side of the bed, and mouth gaping wide. He snored, but not so loud that it kept anyone awake, not even Sambinon’s mother, who was on her side with an arm draped over her husband was awoken by the verbal slumber. His mother was a very sweet, soft looking tiger that always seemed to have a smile on her face. She was thinner than her rather bulky husband, but she definitely was not frail by any means in comparison to her peers. They both lay in their bed, covered by their incredibly soft deep red sheets, which were also one of the reasons Sambinon liked to catch them while they were still in bed. 
	Sambinon stepped all the way inside onto the hardwood flooring and silently shut the door behind him. He crept up next to the foot of the bed and peered up over the mattress at the two bundles, grinning deviously. Squatting down on his haunches, he wiggled his rear in preparation for a pounce. He looked up and took aim for the area in the middle of bed between his parents. Having done this plenty of times before, it didn’t take him long to figure out the angle at which he wanted to leap. He then sprung up high, spreading his arms and legs wide as he soared through the air, focusing his attention on that one spot where he could make the bed bounce and wake both of them up. After reaching the peak height of his leap, he saw the bed start to grow closer and closer as he held his hands out for a solid landing. He hit the bed and felt the springs underneath him give way, sending an aftershock toward the outsides of the mattress. He had his eyes closed but he could feel his parents get jolted by the mattress being disturbed. 
	His father, already very close to the edge was pushed even further to the side, making him jump awake from sudden fear of falling. He gripped the side of the mattress tightly and exclaiming, “Woah!” It was so loud that Sambinon’s mother woke with a short scream, shooting straight up and clasping her hand across her breast. She sat there gasping for breath for a couple of moments while his father pulled himself onto the bed again and turned around. “What in the…Oh my sweet Jesus.” The father breathed out in relief once he realized it was just his little son doing his normal routine of scaring them half to death as their own personal alarm clock. “Why you little devil,” he said as he leaned forward and scooped Sambinon up from under his arms, lifting him in the air and growling playfully.
	The mother sat there stunned for a second before she too exhaled in relief. She giggled between breaths, “Oh my. He got us again, didn’t he dear?” She places a hand on the father’s shoulder with a smile.
	“Yes he did! He’s getting really good at this,” the father replied as he smiled up at a giggling Sambinon before setting him down on the bed between the two of them. He ruffled the little cub’s headfur. “He’s growing up to be quite the strong guy, too.”
	“He sure is. Don’t forget that today is a big day for our little guy as he’s growing up,” the mother replied with a smile, straightening up some of Sambinon’s ruffled fur.
	The father rubbed his chin and looked around the room as if he were trying to remember. “Oh man, I can’t seem to remember what’s so special about today though,” he thought out loud, obviously playing around. This, however, was not apparent to Sambinon as he got really excited to tell his father what today was, balling his fists up and bouncing on the bed.
	The mother watched her son bouncing and giggled lightly again. “Oh come now, Dad. You know what today is,” she said, going along with the game her husband was playing.
	Sambinon could not hold it back any longer. He jumped up on his feet and raised his arms up high in proclamation. “It’s my first day of school, Daddy! How could you forget?” He was grinning from ear to ear, extremely excited that he was finally able to go to an actual school for the first time. 
	His father turned back to him and smiled, seeing the excitement in his son’s face. “How could I forget?” he asked himself with a smile. “Alright, well let’s get the big man ready for school!” The father shifted his weight to get off the bed and headed for the doorway. 
	“Yay! I’m so excited Daddy!” Sambinon jumped off the bed after his dad, only coming up to about his thigh, running in place while his dad walked slower through the door than his energetic self had anticipated. As the two left the room, the mother smiled to herself and got up, beginning to make the bed. After she pulled the sheets to the corners of the mattress and straightened the pillows, she began her own way out of the room. She passed the dresser that had the family photo placed in the center with her, her husband, and Sambinon smiling happily before exiting the room and shutting the door behind her.
	The father was at the bar, leaning on it gently as he watched little Sambinon turn on the television to the children’s cartoon channel which was currently featuring two characters that were having a staring contest. That is, until one of the contestant’s eyes caught on fire. This caused Sambinon to laugh shrill and hysterical, clapping his hands together. His father called over to him, “Hey, sport. How about we turn to the news for a bit? If you’re growing up to be a man, you have to learn to like that too.” He chuckled to himself as Sambinon whined.
	“Awww,” complained Sambinon. “I don’t wanna watch the boring old news! It’s just a bunch of old people talking about how long they’ve been married or that they found their wedding ring after a ba-jillion years.”
	“Oh, come on. Just for a little bit, kiddo,” the father asked.
	Sambinon groaned and changed the channel to the local news where the news anchor began to report, “Live in breaking news…”
	The mother caught up to the father and placed her hands on his shoulders. She called out to Sambinon, who had found a good distraction in packing up his new backpack. “Hey, honey, what do you want for breakfast?” she asked.
	“Toast and jelly, Mommy!” he responded without looking up away from his backpack.
	“The usual,” the mother said, playfully rolling her eyes at the father She crossed the kitchen and began preparing the toast as the news anchor continued on. 
	The father was paying attention to the news cast. “Police have yet to confirm the whereabouts or the motives of the robbers, but investigations are being made as we speak,” reported the news anchor.
	“So what do you have planned for the day, dear?” the mother asked the father as she dropped the bread in the toaster and pushed down the lever for the bread to begin toasting. She then walked over and leaned on the counter with one arm beside her husband.
	The father drew his attention away from the television to respond. “It’s a pretty important day. I finally get to talk to corporate about my new plan for the company. If they like it, that means I get a new position and a better salary.” He sighed from the nerves that were working on him.
	The mother read this perfectly and placed her hand on his shoulder again. “You’ll do fine, I know it. Just remember that no matter what happens, we are always here for you.” They smiled at each other for a moment before kissing once. The mother looked over at Sambinon who was trying desperately to get his last school supply of crayons into his bright blue and yellow bag that already seemed too stuffed for his little body to carry on his back. “He thinks the world of you, you know,” she continued. “And so do I,” she rubbed his shoulder gently as the toast popped out of the toaster. She walked over to it and finished preparing the breakfast as the father directed his attention back onto the news.
	The reporter continued, “We will keep you informed on the latest events as they unfold. This is Channel 10 Morning News.”
	The father stood straight up again and walked into the living room. “Alright, little guy. Go ahead and watch what you want,” he said as he sat down on the couch, beginning to mentally prepare himself for his presentation.
	Sambinon immediately jumped off of the leather couch and grabbed the remote control from the glass coffee table and changed it back to the children’s cartoons. He set his backpack on the floor beside the couch and made his way back to the kitchen where his mother had just finished spreading his favorite strawberry jelly onto the toast. She smiled as she handed it to him on a plate. “Thank you, Mommy,” he said to her, grabbing the plate and taking it back to the living room. He set the plate down on the couch as he climbed up to sit right beside his father, getting as close as he could. His father draped his arm around the back of the couch over his son, relaxing as much as possible as his little cub could barely contain his excitement, bouncing idly on the seat beside him. He picked up the toast in both hands and chomped down on the bread, making a loud crunching sound. He sat and watched the cartoons as he finished his breakfast up. 
	The mother had begun to wipe off the excess bread crumbs from the countertop with a white bar towel, scooping the little pieces into her hand before going over to the trashcan and disposing of them. She hung the bar towel back onto the rack in front of the oven and then made her way into the living room with her family. She walked next to the couch and kneeled down to Sambinon’s backpack, checking the pockets and pouches to make sure he had gotten everything ready for his first day. 
	Sambinon noticed the jingling of the zippers and turned to look at her as he swallowed the last bit of toast. “Did I do a good job, Mommy?” he asked.
	The mother was still looking through the backpack as she responded, “Looks like everything is all here. You did a great job packing, honey,” she stopped looking through the backpack to smile up at her son. She stood up and placed the backpack on the couch next to Sambinon.
	Sambinon scooted off of the couch, hopping down to the carpeted floor once more, and grabbed his plate to put it back into the kitchen. He knew that it was time for school soon, so he felt he needed to hurry. He scampered quickly into the kitchen and stretched up with both his arms to barely place the plate on the edge of the counter. He held his arms up for a few seconds just to make sure that it didn’t start to fall back down like it sometimes would do. When he was satisfied that the plate was securely positioned on the counter, he turned around and started to head back toward the living room. But in his excitement, he didn’t notice the bar towel that had been hung from the stove, running straight into it. He jumped back so suddenly that he couldn’t catch his footing and fell back onto the floor on his back. “Ahhh!” Sambinon yelled from in the kitchen before his back made contact with the tiled floor, sending his head back which also lightly tapped the hard surface.
	The mother and father jumped from the yelling and looked into the kitchen just before they heard the loud thud. They both hurried from the couch and ran around the bar where the stove was located. Looking down, they saw Sambinon, his eyes closed, tensed up from the fall.
	Sambinon lay there for a moment, more scared than hurt, before opening his eyes slowly. His vision was fuzzy for a moment, but his mother and his father’s form came into clear view on either side of him. They were holding out their hands to each grab one of his. He reached up, feeling them grip them as he was pulled up to his feet. He looked up at his mother, frowning just a bit from feeling just a little pain. She smiled and hugged him close to her leg as she leaned down and kissed the back of his head gently. “It’s okay, sweetie. You just had a little fall, that’s all,” she consoled him.
	Sambinon looked up at her once more, nodding in agreement. He then felt strong hands underneath his arms again as his father lifted him into the air, sending him soaring and somewhat disorienting him more. He stared wide eyed down at his dad. “You’ll be okay little man. There’s no floor that can beat you up,” his father joked, throwing him up in the air a couple of times. The wind picked up Sambinon’s fur a little each time he would go up and come back down into the strong arms of his father. He always had a way of making Sambinon feel better whenever he had managed to accidently hurt himself.
	He started to laugh again when his father stopped tossing him up playfully, which was met with a warm smile. His father then set him back down on the floor and ruffled his headfur once more. “There we are,” his father continued. He kneeled down, resting his hands on his knees as he got on the same level as his son. “Now, who’s ready for school?” he grinned.
	“Me!” Sambinon proclaimed, throwing his hands in the air once more, smiling from ear to ear.
	His mother placed her hands on Sambinon’s shoulders and gently directed him to his room. “Then you need to go and get dressed quickly. We don’t want you to be late on your very first day. Big men are never late,” she instructed. Sambinon nodded and rushed to his room, the pattering of his footsteps echoing through the house once more as it did at the beginning of the morning.
	His parents went into their own room to get dressed for the day as well. Once inside, they each went to their own closets, located on opposite sides of the bedroom to match their sides of the bed, and began searching. The father pulled out a couple of suits that he believed would give the best impression to the corporate board. They consisted of a blue pinstripe blazer with a black vest and red tie, a black blazer with a black vest and green tie, and a green blazer with a white shirt and black tie. He laid each of the assemblies on the bed and rubbed his chin. His wife was already slipping on her bright red turtleneck sweater with her black business slacks before she noticed his dilemma. “Having trouble?” she asked with a light hearted laugh.
	“I just can’t decide what is too much and what is too boring,” he explained to her. “I don’t want to go in there looking like a fool, but I certainly don’t want to seem like I don’t care what I wear. This is such a big deal for me.”
	She leaned over the bed and looked at the outfits. “Mhmm, that one,” she said, pointing at the blue pinstripe blazer. “It’s got just enough flash to look like you’re high class, but not a total whack job,” she smiled at him slyly.
	“Oh, you know it’s too late for that,” he chuckled, hanging up the other two outfits that didn’t quite satisfy the objective. He slipped on the pants, buckling his belt up, and then put on the vest underneath and the blazer on top. He walked to the mirror and looked at himself, further adjusting the clothing so no wrinkles would form. 
	The mother walked up behind him in the mirror and rested her head on his broad shoulders. “You look like you could be their boss,” she said.
	The father just sighed, “Yeah that will be a glorious day when I can tell those snobby old men that they’ve been screwing up the company from day one. It would be so much easier to be the supervisor of my own building at least.”
	The mother began walking to the bedroom door. “You will do great,” she reassured him. “There’s nothing you can’t do. You’ve been working so hard for this that those snobby old men will have to see the passion in your eyes.” She opened the door and stepped out with the father following right behind her, shutting the door as they both exited the room.
	Sambinon’s father went to the front door to grab his briefcase. It was a very dark green case with manila folders inside that separated all of the different documents inside. He came back to the couch and laid it on the coffee table in front of him and unclipped the gold colored locks. He flipped it open and pulled out a document from a middle folder that had blueprints for a building design on them. On the page of blueprints there were handwritten notes in red ink that the father had made to help him gather his thoughts about the presentation. He felt the cushion beside him sink down as his wife took a seat. He spoke to her without looking away from the paper. “I don’t know if it will work this time. I’ve tried to do this same presentation to corporate for so long, and there always seems to be someone who outshines me at the last minute,” he explained to her. “I’m tired of working this dead end job for the company. It’s time to start moving up. That’s why I’ve made some changes.” He leaned over slightly, showing her the paper.
	She studied the paper as he explained the diagram. It showed a new building that the father’s finance company had requested he draw up for them. It was supposed to be an expansion of their business, intended to reach out to those citizens that had to rely more on public transportation or walking. It was centered directly on the outskirts of a more clustered community downtown in the city of Gondomar. The father had drawn up the plan for the building based on cost efficiency of space the company had already bought. “See here?” he began to explain to her. “Having a wider space for employees makes it easier for the people walking in to be able to get help quickly. This also eliminates the need for a waiting room, which is something my company obviously didn’t think about when buying such a small piece of land.” He shook his head, thinking about what he had to deal with while working for his employers. They always seemed to focus more on the best possible use of an area without considering this as they were buying the land. This was true in their existing offices as well. They would constantly complain to their employees that everyone was not doing all they could to keep the flow of customers steady, even though it was clear that there were too few spaces for employees to work.
	The mother looked away from the paper to smile at him. “It sounds like a wonderful plan, honey. Your bosses just have to like it,” she explained. “They’d have to be blind to see this as any less than perfect.”
	The father sighed as he slipped the document back into its folder and closed the briefcase. “This is just so important to us right now. I’m tired of feeling like we’ll have to give up this perfect place one day. Times are just getting too hard,” he explained as he clipped the gold colored locks together. 
	“I’m ready!” an excited Sambinon announced as he came back into the room in his favorite green jacket and khaki pants. He ran to the couch and picked up his backpack.
	The father sat up and smiled, returning to his happy demeanor. “Alright,” he started, helping out Sambinon as he put the straps of the backpack around his son’s arms and onto his shoulders. “Let’s go, Mom,” he smiled at his wife.
	Sambinon ran to the door, reaching up and grabbing the handle. He pulled it open and was greeted by the now bright yellow light of the sun. He had to squint a moment because the light was so intense, putting his hand over his brow to help his eyes adjust. When he walked outside, he saw some of his neighbors coming out of their own houses and getting in their cars to drive to work. Sambinon stepped out and went down the front steps onto the sidewalk, his sneakers making a loud pounding sound as he galloped across it towards the car. His mother and father exited the front door shortly after. His father took a deep breath of the fresh air and let out a big sigh. As he looked around he saw the wonderful view of their neighborhood. The greenest grass he had ever seen and the fountain they had assembled during the summer was spraying out a refreshing mist into the pond below. As the mother moved down the steps, the father turned and locked the door with his key, making sure it clicked before putting the keys into the inside pocket of his pinstripe blue blazer. 
	Sambinon was waiting at the door of the black SUV, jumping up and down in excitement when he heard the sound of one of his neighbors. “How are you all?” the beagle in the lawn next to the car asked. He had been their neighbor ever since they moved in and always made it a habit to ask this whenever he saw the family. He was waving at the two parents.
	“We’re doing great,” the father answered as he started walking to the driver’s side of the car and unlocking the doors for them.
	“It’s my first day of school, sir!” Sambinon informed the neighbor, laughing with excitement.
	The beagle made an over dramatic face. “Oh, my gosh! You are growing up so fast, you know that?” he said with his hand on his forehead. “You better stop now or you’re going to catch up to me.” He laughed at his own joke.
	The father called from over the hood of the SUV, “It’s a big day today. This is his first day of school, and possibly my first day in a new position at the company.”
	“Oh wow, good luck to both of you then!” the neighbor nodded, waving to them. Sambinon and his father hopped into the car while his mother waved good bye to their neighbor, returning the smile as her sleeve slid down her forearm a bit. She too then got in the car and closed the door.
	Sambinon took off his backpack and set it in the floorboard of the backseat before clipping his seatbelt and sitting back. Although he was extremely excited for his first day, this was the first time he would be away from his parents for such a long time and under someone else’s care. It was a foreign concept to him that was beginning to make him nervous as the day had finally arrived for him to really go to school. His dad started the car and looked behind them as he backed out of the driveway, slowly going down the slight incline before leveling out on the pavement of the road. He swung the car around gently, then put the car in drive and started heading toward the school.
	All of this movement of the car and the bumps in the road started to make the butterflies wake up within Sambinon’s stomach. He had gone from a very bouncy and excited cub to very reserved and quiet. He stared out the window at the houses that zipped by as his father drove. It made the distance feel even longer than it actually was, sending more anxiety through him as he stared around at the pedestrians on the sidewalk at the stoplight. They were reaching the inner city, a place where he had been many times, but was just now starting to notice how busy and crowded it was.
	Sambinon’s mother noticed the change of silence in the SUV and turned around to check on her son. “Everything okay back there?” she asked.
	Sambinon snapped out of his trancelike state for a moment and looked forward at her. “Umm, I guess so Mommy,” he started. “I guess I’m just a little scared of being alone.” He looked down in between his sneakers and then out the window again. He began messing with the strings of his jacket, trying to feel more secure about the situation he was being thrown into.
	“Oh, baby, you’ll be okay. You aren’t going to be alone at school,” she explained. “You’re going to have your teacher and plenty of new friends to make.” The father started moving the car forward again as the light changed to green.
	Sambinon just sigh. “I guess you’re right, I’m just a little nervous,” he explained, still looking out the window at all the things that were just passing him by and the people that happened to look his direction as they passed.
	“You’ll do fine,” she consoled him, reaching her hand to the back seat for him to hold. He reached his own hand out to meet hers, scooting over to the middle of the seat. He kept his eyes to the front so that his parents were still in his view. His father was concentrating on the road and his mother had started looking around, appreciating the scenery of the inner city.
	After driving for a couple of minutes, his father turned onto a road that had a line of cars stopping and starting for kids that were being dropped off in front of the school. Even though Sambinon had not been through this process, he instinctively knew what it was. He gulped down and slid to the edge of the back seat, gripping onto his mothers hand tightly. The line seemed to be moving along really quickly, only stopping for about ten seconds at a time which was assumedly just enough for the kids to get out of their cars and go to their classrooms. 
	“You’re going to love this school, sport,” Sambinon’s fathered tried to reassure him. “It’s really big and has tons of nice teachers and kids. No one’s going to be mean to you here.” Sambinon watched his father as he spoke, turning that last turn to the front of the school. When it fully came in to view, Sambinon noticed how big it really was. The entire campus was surrounded with chain-link fencing, but the building was open and spread out along the property. There were sidewalks that traced along the outside of the classrooms that would take the students to their different destinations easily. Sambinon also noticed a playground with a huge slide and other assorted obstacles for the children to play on, including a merry-go-round that looked like it could fit around ten students at a time. The playground was not enough, however, to kill those pesky butterflies in Sambinon’s stomach.
Sambinon’s father pulled up to the very front of the main entrance and stopped at a teacher who was there to help the first years find their classroom. This particular teacher was a border collie wearing a nice, long burgundy skirt with a white blouse. She had rectangular glasses on and was smiling wide as Sambinon’s father stopped the SUV. His mother rolled down the window. “Well hello there,” the teacher greeted the mother. “Who do you have with you today?” 
	The mother and father smiled at the teacher as the mother responded, “Our son’s name is Sambinon and this is his first day of school.” She looked behind her seat. “Go ahead and open the door,” she instructed Sambinon. 
	He reluctantly pulled on the handle and opened the door, holding his backpack in his lap with both arms wrapped tightly around it. He was looking down as he sat in the seat of the SUV. The teacher walked up to him and smiled warmly. “Hello Sambinon. How are you today?” She leaned down to his level and looked at him.
	“I…I’m fine, ma’am,” he responded, only looking up slightly before turning his attention to his mother. His mother returned his look with a smile and nodded for him to follow her. He then looked at his father.
	“It’s okay, she’s a nice lady, Sambinon,” his father assured him. Sambinon looked at the teacher, who was still smiling, and hopped out of the car and onto the ground. His crayon box started to poke out of one of his pouches as he put his backpack on.
	“Oops,” the teacher said, catching the crayon box and stuffing it securely back into his backpack. “Looks like we almost lost something,” she leaned down to his level again. “Hey, do you like to color Sambinon?” she asked, rubbing his shoulder gently. Sambinon responded by looking at her with a slight perk in his ears and nodding. “Well I believe you are one of my students this year. How about we go back to the classroom and you can color all the pictures you want to?” she asked him sweetly. “And while you’re doing that, you can tell me all about your wonderful family and how much you love your mommy and daddy.”
	Sambinon’s eyes lit up from the suggestion. His tail started swaying happily as he looked back at his parents who were watching the entire transaction. He looked back at the teacher, his eyes lit up with excitement of earlier that morning. “I would love to do that, ma’am!” He said happily. “I have so much to tell you! I want to show you how good I can color!” He jumped up a couple of times.
	The teacher giggled and focused her attention back on the parents. “I think he’s going to be fine,” she told them. “You two have a wonderful day!” She smiled and held her hand out for Sambinon to hold as she turned and began leading him to his classroom.
	Sambinon turned to his parents again, smiling and waving. “Goodbye mommy and daddy!” he yelled. “I’ll see you after school!” 
	His mother and father both watched as the teacher led Sambinon off into the campus. They were both extremely happy that he was able to go into this new experience with a good attitude and he seemed very enthusiastic about it. This was one of those life changing moments for him, and both of his parents started to remember all the other important moments of his life. His father was sent back through the years of Sambinon growing up to this point, witnessing his first steps, first words, and the many games of catch they would play with Sambinon’s bright red ball that he loved so much. His mother also was remembering all of the wonderful memories of her little boy and how much she loved him. He would always come up to her when he had hurt himself, asking for a kiss on the injured spot, and tugged on her apron when she was cooking to ask her what Mommy was fixing for dinner.
	The mother then felt the strong hand of her husband on her shoulder. She turned to look at him, a tear forming in her eyes. “He’s gonna be okay,” he told her with a smile. He then put his hands back on the wheel and started to drive off. As he did, the mother turned to see her little son walking with the teacher into the classroom, smiling with excitement, until they turned the corner again, going out of sight.
	The father drove back to the house to drop off his wife. He turned down their street and into their driveway, going up the slight incline, and parking in front of the house. He shifted the car into park and sighed. “Alright,” he said as he turned to look at the mother. “This is it.” 
She leaned over and smiled, kissing her husband on the cheek. “Good luck.” She said with a wink. He nodded as she pulled the handle and stepped out of the car. She closed the door and waved at the father as he put the SUV in reverse and started to back out of the driveway once more. She turned, her hands over one another in front of her, and watched as he too drove away down the street, turning out of sight. She then started heading back into the house, unlocking the front door with a click, turning the brass knob, and stepping inside. 
	After closing the door again and locking it from the inside, she looked over at the clock hanging from the wall in the living room. It was an old fashioned clock with a basic face that had roman numerals for the numbers and a pendulum at the bottom that swung to indicate the seconds passing. It had a wooden frame and read eight-thirty. She crossed the living room and entered Sambinon’s room.
	Her son’s room was always a mess in the morning. It had dark blue carpet and light blue painted walls. The sliding door to his closet was white and his bedspread had his favorite cartoon character he had watched that morning on it with his eyes on fire. The bed was the first thing she drew her attention to, taking off the comforter and throwing it to the floor in order to fix the sheets underneath. She took the dark blue sheets by the corners and threw it up in the air to spread it out, bringing it down carefully to the mattress. The white ceiling fan in the room was on high speed, so this made it slightly difficult for her. When she was satisfied with the placement, she tucked the corners and did the same with the mattress, straightening the pillows afterward. She then studied the ground for miscellaneous toys that were scattered throughout the room and picked them up, placing them in the little wooden toy chest in the corner next to the closet. Having been satisfied with the look of the room for the moment, she straightened the bottom of her shirt and walked back into the living room after shutting the door behind her.
	The mother was very used to being at the house by herself. She had learned to really enjoy the peace and quiet, not really needing any noise from the television or a radio. She walked around the corner, through the living room, and back into the kitchen to see if there was anything else that needed maintenance. Grabbing the white bar towel again, she casually wiped off the bar area and the stove just to have something to do. She then sighed out, realizing that there wasn’t too much to be done. She hung the bar towel in front of the stove and made her way back into the living room where she plopped down on the leather sofa in front of the television. She lay there for a couple moments, looking up at the light that hung from the ceiling, crossing her hands over her breasts. As she rested her head on one of the couch pillows, she looked over at the clock again. This time it read nine-fifteen. She let out another long sigh, finding herself getting lost in the silence of the room. All she could hear was the ticking of the seconds going by and the air conditioning running constantly in the background. She was becoming very relaxed on the sofa, kicking her black high heels off of her feet. It had been a very busy and important morning for everyone in her family, so she started entertaining the idea of taking a quick morning nap. As she looked up, the sight of the hanging light got smaller and smaller as her eyelids shut and she drifted off into a peaceful snooze.

*   *   *

	There was a honking noise that sounded like it was coming from underwater. It was very low and repetitive at the beginning but seemed to be getting more high-pitched the more it sounded. It seemed to be pulling something towards it, almost like it was calling for someone to pay attention. The presence of it was getting stronger by the second, eventually pulling the mother awake with a start. She gasped as she sat straight up on the couch, looking at the clock. This time it read eleven-twenty seven. “What on Earth!” she exclaimed, half from the shock that she was asleep for over two hours and half from the incredible honking noise that disoriented her as she stood up. She stood and listened for a few moments, waiting for her mind to come back to sanity. Then she realized that the noise was coming from a car outside of her house. She ran to the lacy curtains and pulled them aside to check her front yard. What she saw confused her at first, but then brought a smile to her face. 
	Her husband came to a stop in their driveway, honking the horn of the SUV furiously as to get everyone’s attention that he could. The neighbor ran out of his home to see what all the loud noise was about, his face looking totally dumbfounded and his eyes wide. The father threw open the door, yelling and hollering as loud as he could. He went around the front of the SUV and almost barreled into the neighbor, wrapping his big arms around the beagle. “I did it!” he exclaimed. “They like the idea, I got the job!” He was picking the beagle up off the ground, not realizing he was squeezing his neighbor a bit too hard.
	The neighbor grunted a couple of times before barely being able to utter. “Congrats, man.” He was gasping as he was set down. “I’m happy for ya.”
	The mother then stepped out of the house and hurried up to her husband. “What’s going on?” she asked him.
	“Honey, you won’t believe it.” He was bursting with joy somewhat similarly to his son earlier that morning. “They told me I got the job! I’m the supervisor of my own building! I got a raise and everything!” 
	The mother’s mouth hung open from shock. “Oh my gosh, I’m so happy for you!” She jumped into his arms, wrapping hers around his neck. He swung her around once, her legs dangling in the air before he set her down on the sidewalk again. She cupped his face in her hands and leaned forward, kissing his muzzle tenderly for a few seconds. The neighbor was stretching out, rubbing his back behind them, in pain still from the huge celebration hug. 
	When the kiss was broken, the father smiled down to his wife. “Things are going to be so much easier now,” he explained. “We don’t have to worry about moving or getting Sambinon enrolled in another school or anything.”
	She returned the smile. “I knew you could do it,” she reassured him. “You’re so amazing, you know that?” The father blushed a little as she said this.
	The neighbor then waved at them. “Yeah, I’m glad you were able to pull through,” he began. “The way you came into your yard, I thought your car was on fire.”
	The father turned and laughed at his neighbor’s statement. “Sorry about that,” he apologized. “I was so excited I didn’t know how to handle it once I finally got home. I guess now we know where Sambinon gets his energy from.”
	The beagle chuckled, “Yeah, I guess we do. Well, like I said, congratulations on the huge achievement. You two take care!” He turned and started heading toward his front door again.
	“We will,” said the father as he turned back to his wife, taking her hands in his. “What time does Sambinon get out of school today?” he asked her.
	“I think the first years get out a little earlier today,” she answered. She took a glance at her watch that read eleven-forty nine. “He should be getting out in the next half hour, actually.”
	“Great,” he said. “I can’t wait to tell him the good news. I hope he had as good a day at school as I did at work.”
	“I’m sure he did,” she smiled. “Come on. Let’s get ready to go pick him up. Knowing him, he’s probably the most anxious one in his class to tell his parents about his day.” The father nodded in agreement as they both went back into their house, locking the door behind them.

*   *   *

	Inside of the classroom, there was a bunch of commotion around Sambinon as he was hunched over his desk. He was working on coloring the last bit of his classwork, a picture of his family doing what he thought was the most fun for all of them to do together. He was scribbling on the paper with his black crayon, his tongue licking his lips as he did so. He chose to draw a picture of he and his father playing catch with his big red ball as his mother was coming out of the house with drinks during the summer. The sun was shining in the top left corner of the page onto a tan and brown colored house. The black outlines of the characters depicted his father throwing the ball to Sambinon, who was ready to catch it with arms spread open. They were all smiling happily with big eyes.
	The classroom was set up with single desks all arranged in a big square around the room, arranged in rows and columns, all facing toward the front of the class where a huge green chalkboard hung on the wall. There were small counters along the walls that were low enough for the students to easily reach things on them, and the walls themselves had student drawn pictures from years before. There was also the alphabet, with animals or objects that had the specific letter as the first in the word that described them, hanging above the chalkboard. The teacher had even invested in a small aquarium that had a couple of frogs in it sitting by the window for the kids to look at, all of which found it extremely fascinating.
	The teacher was walking around the students, sometimes looking over their shoulders as she peered down at their artwork. She was always praising the hard work they put into their pictures, asking them questions that would prompt answers only that student would know in order make them feel like a special individual of the class. As she was looking around, the student next to Sambinon, a male cougar cub, leaned over to see what Sambinon was drawing. His sleeves were a little bit too long for his arms, and his shoe laces had come untied during the day. He had somewhat scraggly hair atop his head. “Hey,” he said to Sambinon. “What are your parents doing in your picture?”
	Sambinon looked over at the boy and smiled shyly. “It’s me and my dad playing with my ball,” he explained. He pointed down at the paper to the things he was explaining as the classmate leaned further over, almost falling out of his chair. “And here’s my mom giving us something to drink so we don’t get thirsty while we play.” 
	The cougar cub seemed to be most enthralled by Sambinon’s artwork. “Wow,” he gasped as he was studying the picture. “You draw really good.” His mouth was now hanging open as he looked up at Sambinon. 
	“Thank you,” Sambinon replied. He smiled wider now knowing that someone else thought he was a good artist.
	“You and you’re family must be really happy together,” the cougar cub said. “I bet you guys are gonna be happy forever and ever.”
	Sambinon giggled, “I sure hope so!” They were suddenly both interrupted by a loud bell that seemed to ring throughout the school. All of the students just looked up, trying to figure out what the noise was and what it meant. There were a few moments of chatter amongst the kids before the teacher stood in front of the class. 
	“Okay, kids,” she began. “That bell means that all of you get to go home now. Don’t worry because your parents already know about it, so they all should be waiting outside for you. If not, then they should be soon. Feel free to take your pictures home and show them what you did in class today. If anyone needs someone to stand with, I will be forming a group right outside my door. Have a nice day!”
	There was an eruption of cheering in the classroom as chairs were scooted back under the desks, making a shrill sound of metal scraping against tile ring throughout the room. It seemed as if all the students had grabbed their backpacks and came storming out of the classroom at once. They were met by the bright sun of mid afternoon, all looking around to see if their parents were here. As Sambinon exited the building, he looked to his left and right, searching for his parents. He didn’t see them at first, but then heard his father’s voice, “Hey, big guy!” 
	Sambinon turned to look forward, seeing the frames of his mother and father walking up to him side by side. He ran out, his arms wide and his backpack lifting off his back because of how fast he was going, “Mommy! Daddy!” he shouted. He caught up to them and was met with a big hug from his father, being picked up high into the air.
	The father was laughing as he held his son up over his head. “How was your first day at school?” he asked.
	Still in the air, Sambinon giggled, “It was great, daddy. We drew pictures and learned about the teacher. I had a lot of fun!” 
	The father sat Sambinon back on the ground and slipped his backpack off his sons back, carrying it by the strap at the top with one hand. Sambinon then went to his mother and hugged her leg, purring lightly. She leaned over and hugged him back. “I’m glad to hear you had such a good day,” she said. He clenched her pants leg for a moment before looking up and nodding. 
	“Well, you ready to go now?” his father asked him.
	“Yep!” Sambinon replied, looking back to wave at his teacher who was already forming a group around her of kids that were waiting for their parents. As he waved, he noticed the cougar cub standing next to the teacher, clinging to her skirt with a sort of scared look on his face. His parents had not shown up yet and he wasn’t quite comfortable with talking to anyone, so he just stuck to the teacher for security. “Hold on a minute,” Sambinon told his parents. He ran back across the open middle section of grass between him and his classroom to the teacher and the cougar cub. He stopped in front of the cougar cub, breathing heavily for a few seconds. “Hey,” he said to the cub.
	The cougar looked out from behind the teacher for a moment to see who was speaking. He looked nervous until he noticed it was Sambinon who was saying hello again, making him look more inquisitive than scared. “Hello,” he responded.
	“My name is Sambinon, and I want to be your friend,” he said with a big smile. He held out his hand to the cougar in hopes that he could get a hand shake to seal the deal.
	The cougar slowly reached out his hand and grabbed Sambinon’s, shaking it loosely for a brief moment. “Okay, Sambinon. I’ll be friends with you.” The cougar smiled weakly, still half clinging to the skirt of the teacher. 
	Sambinon grinned and nodded to the cougar. “Okay, great. You should ask your parents if you can come over sometime and we can play together with all my toys.”
	The cougar smile a little more excitedly from the offer. “Even the big red ball you have?” he asked, his eyes lighting up.
	“Of course!” Sambinon replied. “I’m sure my dad would love to play catch with both of us. It’s more fun with more people!” They stood there smiling at each other, before Sambinon started to turn around, waving to his new friend and teacher. “Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow! Bye teacher!” He started to run back to his parents, meeting them as they all turned around and began their walk to the SUV, his mothers hand on his shoulder.
	The teacher had been smiling during the entire transaction, looking down at the cougar as Sambinon left with his family. “See,” she said to him. “I told you that someone would be your friend.” She rubbed the cougar’s shoulder as he kept his big eyes on Sambinon’s family, his tail wagging as they walked off.
	As the family approached the car, Sambinon ran ahead the short difference and stood near the door, his hand on the handle as he waited for his mother and father to catch up. He had a smile on his face again and was clearly just as, if more excited than he was earlier that morning. His father pulled out the keys and pressed the button that automatically unlocked the car doors. Sambinon then pulled the handle and stepped inside, followed shortly by his parents. They all shut the doors, his father turning the key in the ignition, and then they made their way back to their home.  During the entire drive, Sambinon was telling his parents everything he had done that day at school. He told them about the frog aquarium, how nice his teacher was to everyone, and even about the bell sound that he’d never heard before. It was almost draining to hear how excited he was and all he had to say, but his parents kept smiles on their faces, actively listening as Sambinon went on and on. This continued the entire trip back home.
	Sambinon took a brief pause when his dad pulled into their driveway to grab his backpack and jump out of the car once it had stopped. His parents were also getting out of the car when his father asked, “So who was the other boy you were talking to before we left?” They all walked up to the front door and waited for him to unlock it.
	Sambinon turned and looked up at his father. “Oh, that’s a new friend I made today in school!” he replied. “He seems really shy, but I asked him if he wanted to play catch with us one day.  He said that I draw really well.” After the key clicked, the father opened the door, allowing his wife and son to go inside. 
	His father chuckled to himself, “Of course he can come over and play with you some time. It’s good you were able to make him feel good. You were nervous yourself when we first dropped you off this morning.”
“Yeah, I know. Oh, that’s right!” Sambinon exclaimed. “I drew a picture at school today that I wanted to show you two!” Sambinon drug his backpack across the floor, onto the carpet, and in front of the couch. He grasped it with both hands and hoisted it up as best he could onto the couch, grunting a little in the process. He laid it down and unzipped the main pocket. His parents walked behind him and looked down at the bag as he rummaged through it. “There it is!” Sambinon announced. He slipped it out and held it up to them with both of his hands, showing them the picture that the cougar cub had commented on. “See?”
	His parents looked down and studied it for a moment. A smile lit up on both their faces when they realized he had drawn them on a typical summer day when the father could take time to play catch with his son. The mother was filled with excitement. “Oh would you look at that. He drew his family,” she said, turning to look at her husband. 
	The father looked back at his son and placed his hand on the top of Sambinon’s head, ruffling his headfur once more. “That’s a fine piece of artwork, sport,” he complimented.
	“Thank you!” Sambinon replied. “I’m glad you guys like it. It took a long time to get the house to look right.” He reached over and handed the drawing over to his mother.
	She began to walk to the kitchen with the picture in hand. “This will have to go on the refrigerator where all of our guests can see it,” she said. She took a couple of floral magnets off the door of the refrigerator and flattened the paper against it. She then took the colorful magnets and placed them on the four corners of the picture to secure its place.
	Sambinon was so proud of himself for his accomplishment. He jumped up and down a couple times in one spot before zipping his backpack and laying it on the floor beside the couch.
	His father then kneeled down next to Sambinon. “And guess what?” he asked. When his son looked blankly at him and just shrugged, he continued. “Daddy got a new job that’s going to give him a lot more money now. It’s called a promotion.”
	Sambinon was still confused, but nodded and responded, “That sounds like that’s a good thing, Daddy.”
	The father chuckled loudly and patted the top of Sambinon’s head. “Yes, that means that all three of us will be able to do a lot more things. We can go out to eat more, go out to movies.” He paused as a sly grin came across his face. “Buy you more toys…”
	Sambinon’s eyes lit up. “Oh yeah, that’s a wonderful thing! That makes me really happy!” He giggled.
	The mother was also giggling as she approached the two once more from the kitchen. “You mention anything about buying him toys, and he’s sold on the idea.”
	The father looked up at her before standing straight up again. “You know what? I think that tonight is a good night to go to a nice restaurant and have a great time,” he suggested.
	She looks at him with a smirk and wags her finger at him. “And that’s how you sell me,” she laughed. “Sounds like a great idea. How about we go for some seafood tonight, guys?” she asked, looking down at Sambinon. 
	“Oh, yay! That sounds delicious.” Sambinon licked his lips, tugging on his mother’s pants leg once more.
	“Alright then, it’s settled,” said the father. “We’ll go get seafood tonight and have a great time.” Sambinon cheered once more, jumping up with his arms spread out. The mother laughed at her son’s antics while placing a hand on her husband’s shoulder. She knew that tonight was the beginning of a new life for her and her family. She was so happy that things were going to be a lot better after today.