A Dog's Life

 

First day of Spring! I opened my eyes early this morning and nudged Mama awake. The room was warm, the weather was good, and the sun was shining. I just knew this was going to be a great day. I jumped out of bed and to the breakfast bowl. Mama was slower to get up. She finally creaked out of bed, (she is getting so old these days)  and opened the door and down the stairs we went just as we had every single morning for the last 11 years. Well except for this last year. First brother Sam died and I was so sad. We had always been together. Even though I spent every single minute showing him I was the boss, I still loved him, and I missed him. Then Mama and Daddy had to leave a lot and I was alone most of the time. I was always so excited to see them, though, when they returned, and they were so excited to see me, I could tell they were worried though, and Daddy didn't seem like he was feeling very well. It worried me, especially when I knew they were leaving. Sometimes I would just stand in the door and watch them, dreading the moment they were gone. Sometimes we would ride in the car and I would get to stay with Grandma and Grandpa. I knew Grandpa and Grandma loved me very much. Sometimes they would talk to me and I wished I could answer them back. They never forgot to feed me and I loved their back yard. There were rabbits to chase and the grass was soft. There were toys to play with and walks with Grandpa to the mailbox. At night I had a soft bed to lay on. I wondered where Mama and Daddy had gone. I loved being with Grandpa and Grandma but I missed my mom and Dad. Then, suddenly, they would return and we would go home and all would be well for awhile. Then came a week of lots of hustle and bustle. Mama was cleaning and organizing and packing. I knew what it meant when she was packing. I knew there was a car ride coming. And there was. They loaded the car with a lot of stuff this time, and somehow they fit me in the back with a big blanket and then we were off! At Grandpa and Grandma's I was greeted with shouts of welcome and lots of loves and pats. I told myself it would be ok, Mama and Daddy wouldn't be gone long, they would be back soon, as they always had. But day after day went by and they didn't return. Grandpa bought me a new sweet bed to sleep on at night. Sometimes I would sneak over and get in his chair when nobody was looking. One time they couldn't find me. They looked all over the house in a frantic panic, thinking they had lost me, but I was just relaxing in Grandpa's chair. Grandpa's chair was black and so am I, so they just didn't see me there. Everybody had a good laugh when they realized I had been hiding in plain sight all along. Time passed. I waited and waited for them. I stared out the cracks in the fence to see if they were coming up the walk. I sniffed the fading scent of their footprints in the grass and in the house. I wandered in the room where they slept, but they weren't there. And then day, while I was laying on my bed, I heard a car. I jumped up and ran to the door and I knew. I knew! They had returned! They hadn't forgotten me! I jumped up and down as high as I could jump and barked with so much joy! I couldn't stop barking, I was so happy! Then Mama reached down and picked me and held me in her arms and I could feel her heartbeat and all was right with the world again. When we got home, things seemed to be returning to normal. No more being alone. Daddy seemed like he was getting better and Mama spent a lot of time taking care of him, but nobody was leaving any more. And sometimes, if they had to leave they even took me with them! I got to go to Arya's birthday party at Katie (my favorite person in the WHOLE world) and Jeff's house. Car rides weren't so bad anymore. Until last month. We had to go to Grandma and Grandma's again. I guess they were in a hurry and forgot to fix up the back seat for me. I had nothing to lay on and kept slipping off the slippery seat and onto the floor. We finally arrived, though, and they took me out in the back yard for a minute, a necessity after that long ride. But then they played a trick on me. They left! I saw them get in the car through the fence and as they drove off down the street I was overtaken by grief. I began to howl and cry at the top of my lungs with heartbreak as I watched their tail lights disappear into the night. They were leaving me again! What I didn't know was that it was only for five minutes. They came back right away. But I wasn't feeling well. I wasn't hungry and my eyes were watery. I just wanted to sleep. Mama was worried about me. I hoped she was worried enough to stay with me, but it wasn't to be. This time she didn't trick me. She said goodbye the proper way. She leaned down and patted me on the head and told me she would be back. I was still upset, though, and not feeling well. My stomach was rumbling and after she left I threw up. I hoped it wouldn't be too long until they returned. At the end of the weekend, laying in my bed I heard the door but I didn't get up. I knew I was just dreaming. I heard Mama calling me. I was lost in the dream. This was such a good dream. I was dreaming that Mama and Daddy had come back for me. They were calling and the sound got closer. Then I realized I wasn't dreaming and they were here! I jumped up so fast I flipped clean over on my back, legs scrabbling in the air trying to right myself while everyone burst into laughter. I wasn't upset. I knew they were laughing with me, not at me. They picked me up and got into the car with me and we started the long ride home. It was raining and Mama didn't want me sliding around all over the back seat again, so she had decided to hold me on her lap. This was difficult for both of us, and I knew my claws were digging into her legs but I couldn't do anything about it. Being in the front seat was making me a little frightened. I really didn't like it. But finally we arrived. I settled down for a nap while the car was unpacked, glad I was home. I think Mama and Daddy were glad to be home too.