August 2012
The adults are going up to my
Aunt Linda’s cabin. As a 19 year old, I am vaguely miffed that I don’t qualify
as an “adult.” However, when I am told that my cousins were similarly not
invited, I calm down substantially. I had been living in a town house in River
Falls over the summer. I chose not to go back home, but rather to stay near
campus and my new jobs. I am a peer advisor at Global Connections, curtesy of
my recent trip to Belize, as well as a Front End manager at Family Fresh,
curtesy of my years of grocery store work at Church Street Market.
Mom and I had recently learned
the hard way that Sammy couldn’t come to my place. Campus View Real Estate has
a very strict “no dogs” policy and for having her simply visit one time
resulted in a $150 fine. However, someone needed to watch Sammy while the
adults went to the cabin, and so I was to stay at Grandma’s house with Sammy.
Grandma had gone north with the rest of the adults, so it was going to be just
Sammy and me.
The first thing I noticed was
that Sammy didn’t have any toys. I would have to fix that. However, I have a
bit of a dilemma. I haven’t really driven anywhere in almost a year. So even
though I have my mother’s car, the thought of driving in the suburbs of
Minneapolis is more than scary.
My first attempt results in a stuffed
animal which I find at a nearby Good Will. I know this is only a temporary fix,
and that she’ll destroy it well before my mom returns. However, it will do
until I can find something better.
Sam and I spend our days
taking long walks around my Grandma’s neighbourhood. My grandma has lived here
most of my life, but I had never really explored her neighbourhood; I’d never
had a reason to. Sammy seemed to enjoy the long walks. She’s never really
developed a liking for other dogs, but she still loves to smell where other
dogs have been. Grandma’s neighbourhood is a maze of new smells and streets
that keep her thoroughly entertained for hours.
When we’re at grandma’s house she doesn’t seem
to remember the difference between a bone and a toy, but she still likes to
pay. In the evenings, I watch reruns of Kyle XY while Sam lays curled up next
to my legs. It’s good to have my dog back, and it’s clear that she loves me,
but when mom gets back its clear that she’s now Mom’s dog. My place in Sammy’s
life truly has been replaced. I’ve had about a year to come to terms with this,
and truthfully I’m mostly okay with it. But it’s still hard to admit this to
myself.
This is not the beginning
of the end of anything for anyone, but me. I know this and so I say nothing. My
family would have their beginning of the end two years later.
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