Memories Of Her, chapter 8
"Mommy, what's wrong with Bess?" a six-year-old Jakob asked his mother.
Adrienne knelt down next to her small son, who was sitting by the sick, sleeping dog. She looked into the boy's sad brown eyes and smiled weakly.
"Honey, Bess is very sick," she told her young son quietly. Jakob looked over at the golden retriever lying on the dog bed and tears welled up in his eyes. He looked back at his mother quickly.
"We'll take him to the doctors then, so they can fix him," Jakob said wide-eye, excited that he had come up with a plan to save his brother's dog. Adrienne's eyes were beginning to water as well now.
"Oh sweetie, we already have. The doctors can't do anything for her," she said as she placed her hand on Jakob's shoulder. Jakob's eyes lowered and his tears fell onto the hard-wood floor. Adrienne quickly wiped her own tears away so her son wouldn't see, she had to stay strong at a time like this, for her boys.
Just then the front door opened and I entered with an excited expression, totally unaware of the situation. "Honey, Adie, the album is finally done!" I shouted with happiness.
I could tell Adrienne put on a fake smile as she stood and hugged me, I kissed her before she pulled away. I knew she didn't want to ruin my good mood but I could tell she had other things to deal with, and planning a party to celebrate the finishing of the album wasn't one of them. Adrienne looked up at me with her dark eyes and tilted her head down at our youngest son, who was still in tears. My smile faded when I saw this, I looked back up at Adrienne for an explanation.
"The dog won't make it," she whispered to me. She bent back down and took Jakob into her arms and hugged him tight. She rubbed his back and whispered that everything would be alright into his ear. But Jakob was too upset to listen, he just clung to his mother. Eventually Adie picked him up and carried him to the kitchen to calm him down.
I just looked down at the dog with a hint of sadness in my eyes. We'd had Bess for a while now, it was going to be hard to let her go. We had always treated our pets like people, Adie was like a mother to them. But poor Joey, it was his dog. I had bought Bess for him for his third birthday, and now, just six years later, she was going to be leaving him.
I sighed heavily and made my way to the kitchen to check on my wife and younger son. Adie had him sitting on the counter and she was looking at him sadly, as her fingers brushed through his dark hair. I could see tears in her eyes. This dog had been a part of the family and it was difficult to imagine not having her around.
I decided to take a walk and get out of the house, I couldn't be here at the moment. I headed to the front door and exited my house. I decided to walk through the Oakland Park, this is where I came to think often. I sat down on a bench and rubbed my hands together to warm them, I had forgotten gloves. I looked up at the bench opposite from mine, a boy was sitting there with his head in his hands. My eyes became teary, I recognized the boy as my nine-year-old son, Joey. I got up and walked over to the bench and sat down next to him, he didn't seem to notice my presence.
"She was a good dog, wasn't she Joe?" I said. Joey looked up, his eyes were red and his face was chapped.
He looked up at me and nodded, tears welling up in his eyes again. I figured he had been like this all day, that dog had been like a best friend to him. Joey didn't speak, he looked back down at his cold, pale hands.
"I remember the night I picked her up at the kennel, I was so excited cause I knew how happy you'd be. God, at three years old you were already begging mom and me for a dog. I knew from the moment I saw that dog that she was a good one, she was a loyal dog huh?" I asked my son.
Again Joey just nodded, he was probably afraid if he spoke he would burst into sobs, and I knew he didn't like crying around anyone but himself. I put my hand on Joey's shoulder for comfort, I really didn't know what else to do. Comforting the children was usually Adie's department.
"I remember the first moment you saw her, your expression was priceless. I mean, I knew then that I had done good. And then I asked you what you wanted to name her, and you said Bess. I laughed at first thinking you were kidding, but you weren't. I just thought it was a weird name but it grew on me after awhile, the name just fit her," I said trying to avoid the awkward silence. Joey nodded and I could see him smiling weakly.
"I hate thinking she isn't going to be around anymore," Joey said quietly. He let out a sigh and watched his breath that could be seen since it was so cold outside.
"I know everyone and thing has to die but I just figured Bess would be around forever for some reason," Joey said. I smiled slightly knowing what Joey was talking about.
"I know what you're saying man, I've been there and I've thought that too. When I was little I thought my dad was going to live forever, he seemed like such a big, tough guy. He was so strong, nobody messed with him. But then when he got cancer, all that strength just went away," I told my son.
Now tears were fighting to spill from my own eyes, I had always held my father close to my heart and his death was a tough subject to discuss. But at a time like this I found it necessary to share my feelings with my son, he needed to be able to relate to someone, and I wanted it to be with me.
*
Bess died that night, but she wasn't alone. Joey, Adie, Jakob and I were all there with her when she left us. Some people found it ridiculous that we got that emotional over an animal, but to us Bess wasn't an animal. She was a member of our family and a best friend to all of us. It was heartbreaking to realize once she was gone that she wouldn't be around the house anymore, she wouldn't be begging for a treat or crying to go for a walk in the park, there would be an emptiness in our home.
And now two members of our home are gone I thought. Adie and Bess, the two girls of the house. Now it was just us boys here, us helpless, messy, boys. The house was a wreck, I hadn't done laundry in a few weeks and dirty dishes were piled high in the kitchen sink.
I didn't mind and the boys could care less. There was no reason why I couldn't do all the chores, but I guess part of me just figured maybe if we let the house get filthy enough Adie would come back.
I would give anything for her to come back and scold us all for dirtying the house that she had always kept so clean. But I knew in the back of my mind that I could let the house rot and she wouldn't come back, a filthy house couldn't bring a person back from death.
Adrienne knelt down next to her small son, who was sitting by the sick, sleeping dog. She looked into the boy's sad brown eyes and smiled weakly.
"Honey, Bess is very sick," she told her young son quietly. Jakob looked over at the golden retriever lying on the dog bed and tears welled up in his eyes. He looked back at his mother quickly.
"We'll take him to the doctors then, so they can fix him," Jakob said wide-eye, excited that he had come up with a plan to save his brother's dog. Adrienne's eyes were beginning to water as well now.
"Oh sweetie, we already have. The doctors can't do anything for her," she said as she placed her hand on Jakob's shoulder. Jakob's eyes lowered and his tears fell onto the hard-wood floor. Adrienne quickly wiped her own tears away so her son wouldn't see, she had to stay strong at a time like this, for her boys.
Just then the front door opened and I entered with an excited expression, totally unaware of the situation. "Honey, Adie, the album is finally done!" I shouted with happiness.
I could tell Adrienne put on a fake smile as she stood and hugged me, I kissed her before she pulled away. I knew she didn't want to ruin my good mood but I could tell she had other things to deal with, and planning a party to celebrate the finishing of the album wasn't one of them. Adrienne looked up at me with her dark eyes and tilted her head down at our youngest son, who was still in tears. My smile faded when I saw this, I looked back up at Adrienne for an explanation.
"The dog won't make it," she whispered to me. She bent back down and took Jakob into her arms and hugged him tight. She rubbed his back and whispered that everything would be alright into his ear. But Jakob was too upset to listen, he just clung to his mother. Eventually Adie picked him up and carried him to the kitchen to calm him down.
I just looked down at the dog with a hint of sadness in my eyes. We'd had Bess for a while now, it was going to be hard to let her go. We had always treated our pets like people, Adie was like a mother to them. But poor Joey, it was his dog. I had bought Bess for him for his third birthday, and now, just six years later, she was going to be leaving him.
I sighed heavily and made my way to the kitchen to check on my wife and younger son. Adie had him sitting on the counter and she was looking at him sadly, as her fingers brushed through his dark hair. I could see tears in her eyes. This dog had been a part of the family and it was difficult to imagine not having her around.
I decided to take a walk and get out of the house, I couldn't be here at the moment. I headed to the front door and exited my house. I decided to walk through the Oakland Park, this is where I came to think often. I sat down on a bench and rubbed my hands together to warm them, I had forgotten gloves. I looked up at the bench opposite from mine, a boy was sitting there with his head in his hands. My eyes became teary, I recognized the boy as my nine-year-old son, Joey. I got up and walked over to the bench and sat down next to him, he didn't seem to notice my presence.
"She was a good dog, wasn't she Joe?" I said. Joey looked up, his eyes were red and his face was chapped.
He looked up at me and nodded, tears welling up in his eyes again. I figured he had been like this all day, that dog had been like a best friend to him. Joey didn't speak, he looked back down at his cold, pale hands.
"I remember the night I picked her up at the kennel, I was so excited cause I knew how happy you'd be. God, at three years old you were already begging mom and me for a dog. I knew from the moment I saw that dog that she was a good one, she was a loyal dog huh?" I asked my son.
Again Joey just nodded, he was probably afraid if he spoke he would burst into sobs, and I knew he didn't like crying around anyone but himself. I put my hand on Joey's shoulder for comfort, I really didn't know what else to do. Comforting the children was usually Adie's department.
"I remember the first moment you saw her, your expression was priceless. I mean, I knew then that I had done good. And then I asked you what you wanted to name her, and you said Bess. I laughed at first thinking you were kidding, but you weren't. I just thought it was a weird name but it grew on me after awhile, the name just fit her," I said trying to avoid the awkward silence. Joey nodded and I could see him smiling weakly.
"I hate thinking she isn't going to be around anymore," Joey said quietly. He let out a sigh and watched his breath that could be seen since it was so cold outside.
"I know everyone and thing has to die but I just figured Bess would be around forever for some reason," Joey said. I smiled slightly knowing what Joey was talking about.
"I know what you're saying man, I've been there and I've thought that too. When I was little I thought my dad was going to live forever, he seemed like such a big, tough guy. He was so strong, nobody messed with him. But then when he got cancer, all that strength just went away," I told my son.
Now tears were fighting to spill from my own eyes, I had always held my father close to my heart and his death was a tough subject to discuss. But at a time like this I found it necessary to share my feelings with my son, he needed to be able to relate to someone, and I wanted it to be with me.
*
Bess died that night, but she wasn't alone. Joey, Adie, Jakob and I were all there with her when she left us. Some people found it ridiculous that we got that emotional over an animal, but to us Bess wasn't an animal. She was a member of our family and a best friend to all of us. It was heartbreaking to realize once she was gone that she wouldn't be around the house anymore, she wouldn't be begging for a treat or crying to go for a walk in the park, there would be an emptiness in our home.
And now two members of our home are gone I thought. Adie and Bess, the two girls of the house. Now it was just us boys here, us helpless, messy, boys. The house was a wreck, I hadn't done laundry in a few weeks and dirty dishes were piled high in the kitchen sink.
I didn't mind and the boys could care less. There was no reason why I couldn't do all the chores, but I guess part of me just figured maybe if we let the house get filthy enough Adie would come back.
I would give anything for her to come back and scold us all for dirtying the house that she had always kept so clean. But I knew in the back of my mind that I could let the house rot and she wouldn't come back, a filthy house couldn't bring a person back from death.
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