Member-only story
Today I Buried a Part of My Life, Today I Buried a Friend
It was a cloudy afternoon in May. We had just left the cafe and were driving home to spend the rest of the afternoon watching movies and enjoying each other's company. We had been dating for four months and I was happier than I’d ever been.
Although we were both in our mid-twenties, we still lived with our parents. We used to have lunch at our respective homes, and then I would pick her up and drive to a friend’s cafe. We typically spent about an hour there before heading out.
A recent relationship, but already with a few routines.
But on that afternoon, under the muted skies, we were about to stumble upon something that would change our lives for years to come.
Fooled by a Leash
We left the cafe and drove up the street, turning left at the top. A few seconds later, I hit the brakes.
A young puppy with dark hair and a little red leash was sitting in the middle of the road, looking at us with the saddest look you can imagine.
He must be lost — I said to my girlfriend — he has a leash, he must have escaped from someone!
Since we were still living with our parents, the idea of keeping this puppy with us didn’t even cross our minds, but we couldn’t just leave him there, and since he had a leash we were sure he had an owner that was probably looking for him, so we picked him up and put him in the car, between my girlfriend’s feet.
He didn’t try to run, but he was scared. Scared and hot!
He had little hair, and we could see all his skin, filled with little wrinkles that just made him look even cuter.
We drove slowly through the residential area, searching for someone who might be looking for their lost dog, but there was no one to be found.
After half an hour we gave up. Since we had picked him up from the street, we couldn’t put him back, so he was our responsibility now.
