(December 26/27th, 2013)
It’s weird, I know, but my dog was my one true love; that
and hot sauce. But, my dog was WAY above hot sauce. December 26th,
2013 I was up late in my bed searching for jobs on my phone on a winter night
in Madison, Virginia. I had moved home with the intent of ditching the Utah
scene and getting back to my east coast roots. All I found there were dead
ends, and a huge feeling of regression, distractions, trials, and
temptations. The only true source of happiness I had was found in watching my
rambunctious puppy play and grow. I was never used to a side-kick yet he became
mine. He was the Robin to my Batman and no matter how much I thought I didn’t
need anyone—I needed him.
So, there I was late at night, trying to find a full-time
job to go along with my 4-year degree, sick of the retail and part-time life. I
barely scrapped by every paycheck and more than a few times I had thought about
a move back to UT where my friends were. I had no doubt I could more easily
find a job there, yet, I couldn’t bring myself to leave. Mateo had 10 acres of
land to roam on. Why would I take him from that? It was my responsibility to
give him the best doggy-life, you know, EVER, and to my irrational mind, that
would be the best place for him. We tried the small apartment in Provo life,
and it didn’t go over well. He hated it. We kind of had a telepathic thing
going on.
While I was scrolling through job descriptions, I found one
to apply for. The house, dark and quiet, started to make a presence known. I
heard footsteps coming down the hall. I heard my door-handle jitter. As I sat
up in my bed and turned on my book-light, my eyes were fixated on what could be
behind my door. Sometimes Mateo slept in my Parent’s bedroom, and I didn’t
mind. He was a free-spirit. The door opened slowly, and I saw a tiny creature
with his ears pushed back, eyes squinted, and it was as though he was as happy to see me as I him.
His tail fluttered back and forth, as did my heart. Mateo took a leap onto the
bed and came to cuddle with me. He had never found his way toward me during the
night like that. How was I to know this would be our last night together.
He curled up after circling by my feet a few times and got
comfortable. I smiled. Deciding that he was in my domain and he wouldn’t mind, I
slowly drug him toward me. There he lay limp on his side. He let me so I gave him
a big hug and just held him close to my chest, hugging him and kissing him. I
savored the moment. He was like my little baby. I remember the day I picked him
from the back of a black SUV at a gas station in Guatemala City.
The dog-breeder opened his trunk and I felt as though I was
part of an illegal transaction. Wondering if anything good could come from this
type of situation, there my eyes beheld two of the most gorgeous male beagle
puppies. Mateo was the one with white strip going down his face. He was also the one
who pounced on me right away and it was as though he said, over and over again,
“Hi! Hi!,” with some licks and jumping on me, I thought I heard him say, “Pick
me! Pick me!” he basically guilt-tripped me into picking him. I guess you could
cheesily say he picked me. But literally, he did. His brother found a spot to the back of the
trunk and licked his paws. How could I pick a nonchalant dog over my attentive
Mateo? I had me a new pooch. Our adventures were not exclusive to his : airports
travels, pooping and peeing in homes (him, not me, and me being overly embarrassed for his primitive
behavior), road trips together, and trick-learning in two language. I was there
to give him his first walk outside, and I was there the first time he lifted his let go pee. I had my very own dog-baby.
There, back in Virginia, in the comfort of my down blanket,
pillows, and a sweet visit, I kept snuggling my baby. It felt slightly nostalgic,
and we fell asleep content as ever.
The night went by in a flash and soon I was up to get ready
for work. With no time for much, I started
to get ready for my shift and Mateo followed me. This was his classic act, yet it felt extremely loving and extremely special. But, I had to get to the bathroom and get washed
up. He waited for me outside of my bathroom door as I showered. He was there
when I opened it and slept in the hall as I left the door open to finish up in
there. He followed me to my room and made my bed his home as I put my make-up
on. He followed me all the way to the door to see me off when I would see him
for the last time. I said my “good-byes” and told him I would see him later. I’m
still waiting for the later.
He was hit by a car while let out while I was working. To my
surprise, he was perfectly intact, perfectly beautiful, even without his
vivacious spirit to give life to his body.
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