She sat there quietly reading a book, the sunlight making her salt and pepper hair almost glow. She didn’t see him coming, didn’t even really notice when he sat down in front of her, so engrossed in the story was she. He was so quiet, so patient, she might never have noticed him were it not for the fact that his breath was causing one spot on her leg to grow slightly warmer than the rest of her leg. She looked down to see what the reason for that was and he quickly raised his paw as if to shake her hand. She started slightly, having not expected to see anyone or anything sitting in front of her staring so intently with soulful brown eyes, his mouth open and his black spotted tongue hanging out making him look like he was smiling at her. She started to say his name, then stopped herself, thinking it couldn’t be time for him to be there already, but there was no mistaking the spotted tongue, the deep brown eyes, or the way he held his paw so patiently waiting for her to take it.
“Hello Bobdog,” she said as she grasped his paw in her hand. “I didn’t expect to see you here this early. I never thought you would be the first to join me.”
She let go of his paw, but he gently put it back on her leg, so she again grasped it in her hand while she patted his head and stroked his velvety black ears.
“I’ve missed you,” she said gently. “But I know your mommy and daddy must be so sad that you’ve left them. Let me read a bit more and then we’ll go find you some food and play a game, all right?”
He tilted his head to the side as if in agreement, then lay down on the ground, rolled over on his back to scratch it just right all the while making the sounds that had earned him the nickname “Bobzilla” in his home on earth. After a few minutes, he stopped, and lay there on his back as still as can be, all four legs stretched out, looking to the untrained eye as if he were a statue that had flipped upside down.
She looked up from her book, laughed, and leaned over to scratch his tummy. Just what he wanted and enough to finally cause him to curl up and fall asleep at her feet.
A year later (although to them it seemed like only days had passed), they looked across the open green fields and saw a blur of black hurtling towards them.
Bob, who had been lazily lounging at her feet as she read yet another book, all of a sudden sat up, his face alert, his head tilted to the side waiting to see if it was who he thought it was.
When the blur got close enough, he got up and trotted towards it, his starbutt with the cropped tail wagging as only a tailless dog can wag his bottom. The blur slowed down and came to a stop in front of him, immediately going into play position and barking as if to say, “It’s been too long old friend. Let’s play!” The two of them both lunged playfully for the others neck and there was much kicking up of dust and play growling for the next few minutes as they greeted each other in a way that only canine friends can do.
Then the new arrival spotted the woman sitting watching them with the book in her hands, and ran and leaped toward her like an excited gazelle. The woman reached out to stroke her soft black fur and the dog licked her hand until the woman thought it would be licked right off. She looked deep into two of the most intelligent eyes she had ever seen.
“Oh Lady. You know I don’t like it when you lick me, but I have missed you. First Bob, now you. I never thought the two of you would get here first. Your mommy and daddy must be so terribly sad, but at least your sister is still there, so they’re not alone. You and Bob can play a bit more while I finish this chapter and then we’ll find you some treats.”
Lady listened to her every word as if she understood perfectly. Then she barked back at her as if to say, “All right. I’ll wait. But not too long!”
Three months came and went, but to the two beautiful black dogs and the woman, it seemed like only hours had gone by when they thought they heard a familiar voice calling to them.
“She won’t leave us on her own. Please bring Bob and Lady and come and get her. She hurts so much.”
The woman immediately put down her book, got up and started walking toward a bridge in the distance. The two black dogs followed closely at her heels. When they got to the end of the brilliant green fields, they saw a beautiful bridge made up of every color of the rainbow. On the far end of the bridge was a blonde dog standing there proudly, but reluctant to move forward. The dog kept looking over her shoulder at whatever was behind her that was keeping her from rushing forward across the bridge toward the rolling green meadows ahead of her.
The two black dogs started barking and running around in circles when they saw her. Their friend was here! The three of them were finally together again. The blonde dog’s tail began to wag hesitantly when she spotted her friends, but she continued to look over her shoulder. The woman held out her hand and called to her. “Majerle! It’s time to come play in the fields. They’ll be all right without you now. You’ve taken care of them as long as you can. It’s time to rest and play. It’s all right. They understand.” The blonde dog’s tail wagged faster as she looked at the three of them waiting for her. She turned around one last time as if to say goodbye and then she crossed the Rainbow Bridge alone.
The reunion was joyous. The three dogs played as they hadn’t played since they were puppies. Chasing each other, nipping at each other’s necks, barking and finally the familiar singing. The woman smiled and chuckled as she listened to Bob start off sounding like an antique car engine turned by a crank. Then Lady started barking along with him finally breaking into a high pitched howl. And last but not least, Majerle joined in with her own joyous howl. They sang for a very long time because they had missed their three-part-harmony. So had the woman. She closed her eyes and listened smiling to herself.
Many many years later, decades after that joyous reunion, the four of them looked up one day and saw two figures walking hand in hand across the Rainbow Bridge. The dogs stood as still as statues waiting for the figures to get close enough to be able to get a good look at them. The woman put down her book and sat up straight, leaning forward in anticipation. When the two figures were close enough to begin to distinguish their faces, the dogs went flying across those lovely green meadows and even the woman began to run toward them, realizing who it must be - the only two people it could be for those dogs to react that way.
When the two figures saw the three dogs practically flying toward them, they walked faster and faster and as soon as they were close enough, they knelt down on the ground and were knocked over by three exuberant dogs with the spirits of puppies covering them with puppy kisses and sniffing them as of old. One licked slowly. One licked quickly. The third sniffed a few times and then licked only once or twice. The joyous reunion had begun. When the woman finally caught up, she caught the eye of the woman that had just arrived who then disentangled herself from the dogs and threw herself into the other woman’s arms to finally be held tightly in her mother’s embrace once again.
January 4th, 2006 at 4:24 pm
Beautiful
January 4th, 2006 at 4:41 pm
Oh dang it woman! Pass the tissues!
January 4th, 2006 at 9:26 pm
::::Bawling:::::
January 4th, 2006 at 11:45 pm
Ok. I was the first to read this (hehe) and I couldn’t comment because I couldn’t see through the damn tears. I even managed not to cry when James left. You’re good.
January 5th, 2006 at 8:31 am
Karin you have to stop making me cry so hard when I get online. My husband is starting to think something is seriously wrong with me. You write beautifully from your heart and it’s tearing me up inside….
January 5th, 2006 at 12:14 pm
When Theresa is done with the tissues pass them on over this way. Beautiful
For some reason your story made me think of The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold.
January 5th, 2006 at 2:47 pm
So vety beautiful Karin….I’m with everybody else with need of kleenex, but I’v got a carton in my Garage,(lol) and boxes al over the house. Crying is good!
That is just a perfect beautiful story…so sensitively written…this should be published somewhere!!! I mean, other than here…Anyone who has lost a loved one, be they animal, parent, husband, wife, child…would be so very very moved by this…
Much thanks to you for sharing your glorious talent in this time of grief.
January 5th, 2006 at 9:57 pm
Thank you all so much for your kind words. This came to be because I was wishing I would dream about the dogs being with my mom and so I imagined what it might be like. I’m thinking seriously of trying to get it published, but I hate rejection, so we’ll see. Thank you again for your encouragement. :)
January 5th, 2006 at 10:03 pm
This is so beautiful and heartfelt. I like to imagine a scenario like this with my dogs, who I miss so very much. Thanks Karin, I needed a good cry.
I just gave my mom a short synopsis of your story & THAT made her cry. You are good, girl!