It had been a long summer. Besides being a hot one, which summers usually are, it had also been a very fun one. My first dog. Oh, it was so cute and cuddly, the little tiny fellow, furry with its long tail and it devil face. I know not of its breed or how it had seemed to have suddenly appeared on our lawn but boy we had fun. My parent did not wish for me to keep it, the work they said would not be done by me and in the end they would have to bear the weight of this decision but as kids usually are, stubborn, I kept at them relentlessly, pestering them when a chance presented it self and finally they gave in and permitted me to keep it in the house. Oh God, my new pet, the excitement of it all, I could not sleep and was awake for the most part of the night playing with the dog. School was almost neglected by me, and homework was more than a bore the scoldings from my parents set me right and I joked with them how that I now have the excuse that the dog ate my homework. My father who pretended to hate him, was the one who would play with him the most. This fact was a surprise to me, when I saw him feed him bits of bacon to him while petting and calling him a playful name all while he was fixing his car and I was supposed to be studying.
The chores, which I had hated for the most part of my life I loved, my dog, Sox would follow my around as I played with him, while doing my chores. Life had become a great unknown without Sox, he bought joy in my life, we would play and when life would beat my up, down into a pulp, when everyone I knew seemed to be moving away I had him, he would snuggle with me, and lick my tears and stare at me feeling my pain and sharing it with me, lifting the burden off my little shoulders and bearing the load.
Life moves on, fast and before I knew it, I was in college, the only time I could see him was on the holidays, each time I visited he would be playful he would be him and my parents would say, oh he misses you so much all this while he just sits and waits for you by the door. I would feel bad for a moment and then would continue with life, it was after all a very busy time.
It was a morning, the day I would never forget. My fiance and me got a call from my father, come quickly he said, Sox has been involved in and accident come to the vet. I knew which vet and I hurried with my fiance by my side. Tears had filled my eyes and all I could remember was his sad face him sitting there all alone and I wasn’t there. We reached the vet and my father looked sad, it was one of those rare times when I have seen tears in his eyes, he hugged me and whispered he is dead. I burst out, wailing, he was a part of me, he was my best friend , my protector the one who would be there by my side when I would be alone and I could not be by his, I had deserted him, left him to die alone, to leave this world in agony and pain without someone to bear his pain.
My requests to see him were met with soft replies, you should not see him, it is not the condition you should remember him by his memories. I was devastated, and we rode home, leaving his cold dead body with the vet, donated to science. I went to my room and there beside my bed were letters arranged into words, words which would be with me forever, words which made me hate myself.
“I am coming to see you”.