Colby’s light snores brought tears to Meredith’s eyes. They were one of many things she was going to miss. Listening to music waft softly around the room, she retreated to happier days.
“Happy Birthday, Darling,” Charles whispered as he handed her the furry mass of energy.
“Oh, he’s beautiful!”
“He’s a handful, hold him tight.”
“He’s just perfect,” Meredith gushed as the puppy wiggled his way into the crook of her arm. “Look, Charles, he likes me. He’s settled right down.”
The crackling of the fire when the last log fell into the flames brought Meredith back. Colby raised his head, making sure she was ok. Once satisfied all was well, he rested his nose back on his front paws, waiting.
“Come here, boy,” Meredith whispered.
Getting to his feet was no longer easy for Colby, Meredith knew, but he never refused her. Arthritic legs carried him slowly across the floor, and he settled his head in her lap. The tears finally spilled over while she rubbed his head.
Colby snuggled his nose into Meredith’s side, trying to get as close as possible. Although it was difficult, she knelt on the floor at his side. Licking her face in gratitude, Colby lay across her lap.
Meredith sat holding Colby for a while. Listening to his shallow breathing when he fell asleep, and petting him to assure him of her presence. How many times have I done this? She wondered, stroking his silky fur.
“Oh, how I’m going to miss you, boy,” she cried.
Colby licked the tears streaming down her face. When that didn’t help, he started nuzzling his head under her chin and whimpering.
Knowing she was causing him distress, Meredith quickly dried her tears and offered, “It’s okay, boy, I’m all right.”
Getting to her feet, Meredith walked to the kitchen in search of Colby’s treats. Following along slowly, Colby sat patiently, waiting. Hands cramping and hurting, she nevertheless continued until getting the box open.
“Here you go, boy.”
Colby gobbled the treat in two bites. Laughing, Meredith tossed him another. Before her laughter could turn to tears again, she made her way back to the rocker.
Sighing heavily, she watched while Colby hobbled across the floor. Lying down on her feet, he went fast to sleep.
A knock at the door woke them both a few hours later. Composing herself the best she could, Meredith answered the door. The sight of Jacob almost undid her. Managing to calm down, she called Colby over.
“Are you sure you don’t want to go, Mom?”
“I’m sure, son,” she replied, kneeling to give Colby a hug. “We’ve said our goodbyes.”
Angel Sharum is a Georgia Peach ripening in Alabama. Putting what friends and family called a vivid and sometimes twisted imagination to use, she began writing poetry and short fiction. Writing short stories allows her to take readers on journeys of imagination that linger beyond “The End”, and poetry offers a way for her to shake up people’s emotions and make them think. According to Angel, if she accomplishes these goals a truly special connection is found between her and her readers.
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19 Responses to “SAYING GOODBYE • by Angel Sharum”
Comments
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June 24th, 2009 at 6:01 am
A real tear-jerker, not my kind of story at all, Reasonably well written for what it was, but I didn’t like it.
And the beginning was confusing, trying to sort out the characters (Colby and Charles … two boyfriends?) until we finally discover that Colby is the dog. (From the first paragraph, we might think Colby was her boyfriend/bed partner.).
June 24th, 2009 at 6:10 am
I think it was a heartbreaking story, sensitively written. Anyone who has had to end the suffering of a beloved pet can empathize with this kind of pathos. Well done, Angel!
June 24th, 2009 at 6:58 am
Must agree that I was confused by who was who (or what) at the beginning.
June 24th, 2009 at 7:06 am
“Hands cramping and hurting” – I thought she expected that she and her faithful dog were going together. One could always suggest that the creature to which the writer is referring be made more explicit, but I think it was written to be a kind of puzzlement, including the cryptic “Are you sure you don’t want to go, Mom?” and the Mom’s answer, “I’m sure son,”…”We’ve said our goodbyes.”
June 24th, 2009 at 7:09 am
Not my kind of story, but very nicely written and not too mawkish. I didn’t find the structure or characters confusing, I thought you clarified things fairly quickly. A solid 4 from me.
June 24th, 2009 at 7:30 am
A well written story. I had the same thought as Roberta that the story could take a darker turn that the woman was considering “leaving” with her dog as well.
June 24th, 2009 at 8:02 am
A sad story, but really well written. This is absolutly true to anyone who’s lost a pet.
June 24th, 2009 at 8:07 am
Thank you for the comments, everyone.
June 24th, 2009 at 8:39 am
Having been through this too many times, your story is too close for comfort… nicely written but too close.
June 24th, 2009 at 8:57 am
I’ve read this before, Angel, when you were working on it and it still breaks my heart. Nice job.
June 24th, 2009 at 9:28 am
Well written Angel.
June 24th, 2009 at 9:49 am
I’ve been in a similar situation before. Saying goodbye to a beloved and loyal friend is difficult. You did a nice job of allowing the reader to experience the feelings of love, loss and grief with Meredith. Great job, Angel.
June 24th, 2009 at 9:50 am
This may have confused some, but as a pet owner that has had to put several down due to old age and infirmities, she hits it right on the heart strings, I’ve often wished I didn’t have to be the one to do it, so I recognized instantly what she meant with her ending. Thanks for the good, but sad, story for the day.
June 24th, 2009 at 11:58 am
Heart breaking! Every pet I’ve ever had to see put down flashed before my eyes, and my heart tightened with the remembered grief and abiding love. Thank you for your wonderfully written and sensitive piece of flash-truth.
June 24th, 2009 at 4:03 pm
Thank you all so much for the comments. All of them help! I’m glad I was able to touch some of you with my writing, even though it was with sadness.
June 24th, 2009 at 6:56 pm
When I read “furry mass of energy” I thought of Tribbles and wondered if this would be sci-fi. Later on, “Hands cramping and hurting, she nevertheless continued until getting the box open” confused me a bit because I thought the story was about the dog and *his* suffering, not the owner’s arthritis.
I was also kinda hoping for a twist at the end, and was a little let down that there wasn’t one.
June 25th, 2009 at 7:27 am
Yes, this was very sad and brought back a lot of painful memories. Anyone who has had a pet can relate to this kind of sorrow. However, I do have to say, where is the story? This, like some others recently, is more like a journal entry than a story.
June 25th, 2009 at 11:15 am
This story is a hard one for me . . . if the dog can still walk, well, is it really time yet?
I’ve had several pets, and I still face a dilemma each time one of them reaches old age . . . is it better to let them go naturally, or take their life for them? Which is really more humane?
The story definitely hit home.
July 1st, 2009 at 11:54 am
This was so sad…