Years ago, I was working in Pennsylvania for the summer, and I'd met a nice girl. We had a good time together, and became boyfriend and girlfriend after knowing each other only a short time. However, the fact that I lived in Tucson and she lived near Pittsburgh meant that as the summer came and went, so would our relationship.
Because I'm adventurous and easily intrigued by weird situations, I took her up on an offer to spend a few days at her parents' house shortly before heading back to Tucson. Delaying the inevitable seemed like a good idea at the time. Also, kicking it with her and her parents sounded, well....interesting.
Of course, the days flew by. I talked cars with her dad, body building with her brother, and her mom showed me baby pictures. It was everything I'd hoped it would be.
Our last day together arrived all too soon, but we made the best of it. We went to her best friend's house for dinner. He best friend kept looking at me and I felt really awkward when she made a couple enticing comments apparently aimed at taking me away from my girlfriend/her best friend. It was weird.
I resisted temptation and we said goodbye to her and went back to my girlfriend's parents' house. My girlfriend and I said some sweet words to each other and we started kissing each other. Things began to get a little steamy. She said, "Oh Ryan" and I said "Oh Sierra."
"What did you call me?" she asked.
You see, her name was Katy. My dog's name is Sierra. I wasn't really sure if she was aware of that, but right when I said it I hoped she wouldn't notice or at least think I'd said something like "Oh see hair" or maybe think I was saying something romantic in Spanish.
Not a chance.
Unfortunately, that's where the story ends. I can't recall what I said to escape impending doom, but I don't think it turned out too bad.
What can I say though? I love my dog. Always have, always will. She loves me. Sure, we've had our ups and downs. One time she peed in my bean bag chair and I ended up sitting in it. And, one time I hit her with my car when she wasn't looking. (Just joking, I didn't really sit in it.) But, for the most part, we've made each other really happy.
She lives half a world away now (or, rather, I do), and I don't get to scratch her ears or take her on walks anymore or pick up her poop. I know her time here is almost finished, and I wish I could explain to her how I never thought things would be like this. Actually, that's a lie. I always kind of figured we'd be split up eventually. It's just a fact of life.
Regardless, here's what I would say to her if I could:
Sierra, you're a good dog and a good friend. Maybe I'll see you again, maybe I won't. I'll always cringe when I think of how I called Katy by your name, but when I think about that story, I think about you. That really sucks that you've taken to killing baby rabbits in your old age, but I know you're just trying to keep the house safe. Keep up the good work. I miss you. Always will.
No comments:
Post a Comment