Times like these

Never saw it coming...

This past week I suffered from a terrible case of the flu. Being asthmatic, when I get sick - I get deathly sick. I try to avoid getting sick as much as I can, but it's hard to do when your immune system is being a big bitch!

Anyways, I came home from work feeling terrible one day this week. I stumbled into my apartment and dropped everything on my way to the bedroom. As I turned the corner I made sure to let Trot out of the kitchen. I opened his gate and heard his collar and tags jingle from under the kitchen table. I dragged my feet towards my bedroom and smacked my touch-sensitive lamp a couple times to get some light on. I turned a slight right around the trunk at the base of my bed and eyeball-fucked my pillow as I unbuttoned my work shirt. Before I could get my second button undone, Trot came flying around the corner and leaped like a fucking gazelle. He landed in the middle of the bed, hair flying around and tongue hanging out. Just as he found his bearings, he rolled over onto his back and curled in his front paws exposing his chest for his daily rubbing.

Even with death looming overhead, even with my arms in so much pain I couldn't lift them for more than a moment, even with my head throbbing in pain so hard I swore I drank a gallon of whiskey the night before, even with the room spinning around me as my lungs worked overtime and drew oxygen from the rest of my body---

I managed to draw a smile. I looked at that little puppy and it all came crashing down in that moment. I never saw it coming on that day (September 9), but this little puppy was going to develop the most wonderful and amazing personality. He looked at me with his dark eyes covered with fur; so much fur that I'm surprised he doesn't run into the walls more often. His tongue hung out as he panted in excitement; slightly rolling back and forth as if to say..

"HURRY UP FUCKER! RUB MY BELLY!"

I leaned over to that beautiful puppy and kissed him on the head as I rubbed his little furry belly. He wiggled and wiggled until he couldn't take it anymore. He jumped up onto his feet and began staring at me and watching my every movement. I dropped on my back to the bed, throwing my arms out to the side. He jumped up on top of me and began licking my face, neck, mouth, ears and hands. As he always does, when he licks my face, he stops so suddenly and looks around for his bone. I get up and dry my face off, feeling almost a little better about my day. Trot leaps off the bed and rounds the corner in full speed. I know exactly where he is going. I get my work shirt off and toss it in my dry-cleaning pile just as he bolts around and hops onto the bed with his destroyed bone in mouth. He curls up next to me on the end of the bed and plays with that bone like he was born to play.

About 20 minutes later, Trot hears a beep from outside... Kelly locking her car. He dashes off the bed and runs full speed into the living room to greet her. His little bitty tail wags so fast and he sits in front of that door waiting for her to open the door. For Kelly, he sits down and waits for his head to be rubbed. He chases her around and jumps on her; doing none of the things he does with me; as if he has developed his own personal relationship with Kelly and his own way of greeting each of us.

I never saw it coming when we picked him up that day, but this little guy has really changed my life.

posted by David Malloy @ 3:59 PM