Max

     I looked outside the sliding glass window, he looked back at me. My best friend I would call him and the keeper of all my secrets. He laid on the porch with his long flowing black hair. I pulled open the door and sat on the steps leading to my backyard. 

“Hey baby”. 

I looked into his eyes and petted him slowly on the top of his head and down his back. 

“It’s been a little while since we last talked”. 

It had been a whole semester I was away at college. 

“School has been fun…” 

He turned around in a circle and cuddled closer to me pushing his body into my side. 

“I like it…I mean I met a girl…” 

My heart spun into itself as I told my dog Max about my new girlfriend. These are the conversations we always had. I would pour my emotions out to him and he would just lay there ears poked upwards. A few days passed and during those few days I really noticed him. I noticed the slowing down of his gracious trot as he ran around my backyard, the slow way that he walked up the stairs from my basement to the main level of my house and how every time I would feed him his bowl would be staring at me the same way I left it full. It had been thirteen years. Thirteen years of confessions, playtime and friendship.

            I sat on the couch watching T.V. until my father came home. He would know what to do about Max. He would know how to make him better. He walked in the door and took a seat on the couch placing his gun on the side table and his belt next to it.

“Hey” I looked at him with kind of a serious demeanor.

“What’s up?” He looked at me somewhat concerned, but more just genuinely interested in what I had to say.

“You know Max hasn’t been eating his food…right? I think he is sick”

“Yeah…I know. He has been real sluggish lately. He is getting old…you know.”

My eyes went directly to the ground. All I could think about was the first time I ever saw him. I was five years old and it was Christmas. We were all so excited running downstairs when our parents said breakfast was ready. I couldn’t tell you who saw him first or even exactly how my parents revealed him to us, but I saw him. I saw a little black puff ball of fur and puppy power. I kissed him that day just like I would for years to come.

My dad looked at me. “I’ll go to the store tonight and get some dog treats maybe he will eat those.”

I looked back at him. “Maybe”

He had gone and was back with a huge bag of bacon strips. I fed him some. He ate a few and I laid next to him. It was late so everyone else in my house had gone to bed. I just stared at him, looking into his eyes and replaying every memory we have ever had together.    

“Maxamillion…you know I love you. We may not have that much longer with each other, but that is one thing I want you to remember.” I leaned down to his face and kissed the top of his head. I went to bed with a heavy heart that night. A few tears flew out of my eyes before I closed them. I didn’t know that would be the last night like that me and him would be able to spend together.

I don’t quite remember what I was doing that morning, but clearly etched into my mind was that car ride. My father had told me that morning he was taking Max to the vet to see what was wrong. As soon as I got in the car I could feel the thick tension in the air. I just sat there waiting for someone to say something to me…anything, but the tension kept overflowing. We pulled into our driveway when I asked my mom.

“How’s Max doing?” My voice cracked a little when it finally came out.

“Well…I wanted to wait until your dad could tell you, but he was real sick…”  She didn’t even have to finish. I knew. Tears came down my face and I just sat there and sniffled as I tried to wipe them away. I walked into the house and looked outside the clear glass sliding door and my heart fell below my feet. I walked outside and sat on those same steps I did a few days before, looking around.