ORIGIN: The Brush gave us puppy dog eyes, and we didn’t have the heart to tell it no.
Friendships don’t last. Not the best, anyway. Children part ways. No more all-embracing laughter, children grow into well-defined likes and dislikes. I always wanted a dog. I had a key, using it never bothered me. I would have given anything to come home to a lolling tongue and a wagging tail. Whichever word meant the opposite of loneliness. But the sticky note on the fridge was adamant. No means no.
All bark and no bite. I had to look that phrase up. I don’t remember a day when my childhood dog wasn’t happy to see me. I equated barking with playtime. With laughter and sweat. If I had to put a picture in the dictionary under broken promises, it would be one of my father, not my dog.
I have never celebrated with a dogpile. Participation trophies put me off sports. Looking back, I missed out on a once-in-a-lifetime experience. But there are some wounds you can’t lick. Failure and defeat I could have learned to live with. Who knows, maybe I would have come out even stronger. But those trophies sapped my strength. Never mind giving my all, I couldn’t even scrape together a meager 1%.
If nothing else, I should have leafed through the dictionary. Wolves aren’t the picture of pack animals, horses and donkeys are. They are used for carrying heavy loads. But what could be heavier than a child’s loneliness? That’s what dogs are for, isn’t it? So, my definition wasn’t far wrong. When you aren’t alone, when someone has your back, you feel like you can take on the world. At the very least, every parent should buy their child a dog.
Children don’t know better. Someone acquainted with fire should tell them not to play with matches, but I never liked being told how to behave. What’s the point of a childproof friendship? I say let it go up in flames. Hurt feelings and ashes all around. Give me a chance to learn from my mistakes. I’m sorry shouldn’t be something children parrot, it should be something they feel. I say let phoenixes rise from those ashes. Let those first friendships become stronger. Who knows, maybe in the not-too-distant future firehouses will become obsolete.