More than a Dog

It was the Friday before the long weekend in May of ’99, when my daughter came home from school and asked if she could have a puppy from a litter that a school mates friend had. I told her we would go look at them, considering I had particular preferences when it comes to dogs. Mainly it had to be short haired and preferably female.

We went and picked out a very little female. She was so small , she barely filled both of your hands. Ok, now I said, this dog has to have ground rules. She will have to get used to sleeping at the back door. That evening, we cordoned off the entrance at the back door and went to bed.

I don’t remember how long I laid there and listened to the dog cry and whine, but I eventually got up and brought her to our room. I made a bed for her next to us on the floor and tried to go back to sleep. Being a big softy, that lasted no more than twenty minutes. She was sitting besides the bed whining.

Ok , I thought just for tonight and I reached down and picked her up onto our bed. She snuggled in between us and soon was fast asleep. I had caved and from that point on, she now slept on our bed.

As she grew, she was no longer was just a pet, she had become a part of our family. She was the first one to greet you when you came through the door . After a while mornings took on a routine, make coffee and let the dog out. She would come back in, eat and lay there till I got ready to leave. Once I left, she would go back upstairs and go back to bed with Sherry.

Now I could continue to tell you about all of the things that I remember  most about her, but under the present circumstance , that would be quite difficult. Her health had started to decline and I knew the day had come.

So Pepper and I took one last walk together.

There is now a void in our family, that will be hard to fill. They say a dog is man’s best friend. That statement is not correct, they are a loyal and loving member of your family. With many tears, I had to say goodbye, to a loved member of my family.

No Regrets

So today marks an anniversary , of sorts. To explain, I need to take you back to the fall of ’81.It all starts with a wager made in high school.

It all began when I arrived late for gym class, because I was trying to switch courses to avoid taking advanced French.( Yes it will surprise some that I was taking advanced French.)

As I walked into the class, which by the way we were learning how to golf. I noticed a friend talking to one of the new kids at our school. I stood back and waited at the back of the class. When Ward came back to where I was, the conversation went something like this.

Ward Perrin: “Wondering who she is? Huh”

Me: “What?”

Ward:” That’s Bill Kirk’s daughter. He owns the trailer shop in Martinon.”

Me: “Oh?”

Ward:” Oh man, you’re staring. I can tell, because you’re too damn quiet.”

Me: “ I am not staring, just observing”

At this point I need to stress that the key word was observing. I can still remember in vivid detail, what I was observing. Before me was a girl wearing a white t-shirt, grey gym pants and sneakers. She did not have the loud poufy hair and tons of make-up, that most of the girls in the eighties had. She appeared to be more of the shy type. I never had much interest in the dating scene, because it usually involved loud parties and copious amounts of alcohol, both which to this day I still avoid.

Ward:” You’re staring.”

Me:” I am not!”

Ward:” I have not seen you so much as look at a girl in this school. I was starting to get worried there for a while.”

Me: ” What the h---?” (Edited for the benefit of the reader)

Ward: “Look. I am going to make a little wager with you. Twenty bucks says you are too chicken to go up and talk to her. No better yet, you have to ask her out.”

Me: “ And why would I be crazy enough to take that wager?” (As I continued to observe with quite more interest at that time.)” Is there a time limit on this wager?”

Ward: “ Nope. Take all the time you need.” (Who now by the way, had his classic gotcha grin going )

Me: “ You’re on.”(To which we sealed with a handshake.)

Now I was never, by no means, shy on confidence. But this wager was starting to make me garnish butterflies. So over the next few months I looked for every opportunity to get to know this girl. It was very difficult at first. I mean , we are talking about a guy , who at sixteen , could cross the border driving a tractor trailer, and not even flinch when questioned by Customs.

So, too make a long story short, I did eventually ask her out on a date. That was December 4 1981. Thirty years ago today, we went to a dance at the Grand Bay Centrum , with what in my mind was the most beautiful girl I had ever laid eyes on.

The rest you might say is history. We went together for a long time, till we eventually decided it was time to get married. And even though our wedding anniversary is in August, the date that will be forever be in my mind , is December 4^th.

In the past thirty years we have laughed and cried together. Raised three amazing children, and weathered many challenging times together. The hardest for me , was having to watch the women that I love, battle breast cancer. This really hit me hard, for there was nothing I could do, but give her love and support.

Even now I find that my love for her keeps growing, despite the fact that I do not always deserve her love in return. So my prayer is that we will always be together, until the day when God calls one of us home.

There is so much more that could be said, but just two words come to mind as I write this: “ No regrets”

P.S. I still have yet to collect that twenty, but I figure I won way more than I deserved anyways.....