He died today. And I was the only one who cried for him.
I never expected to wake up and find the one I love died next to me. It felt like my heart exploded. Cries and screams escaped my mouth, causing my mother to run into our room. She comforted me as they came to take him. She never approved of him. She kept saying he was lazy and a slob, that all he did was cling to me like a lost puppy. I never listen to her. How could I when I loved him so much? We were best friends, and I loved him. Everyone thought I was insane for sticking with him after all the destruction he caused, and for taking him everywhere like I was the boss in the relationship. People didn’t understand how I felt when I was with him. How he would kept me safe and made me feel loved when nobody else would. He was willing to lie on the couch with me as I watched sappy love movies. We would share food and I would play with him because he was so hyperactive. I loved his blonde hair and big brown eyes. I would melt every time I saw them. He had me hooked when we were kids. We grew up together and never slipped apart.
My mother wanted him gone, but I begged her to give another chance. She never approved of my relationship with him. She thought it was unhealthy for me to be with him all the time and not with my friends. They didn’t like him either. Sometimes I would get him to come but then he would scare them and try too hard to play around. Nobody understood him like I did, that is why he was so hard to get along with.
But now he is gone. My world has come crashing down. We have had thirteen years together. I’m selfish for wanting more. But it would not have been healthy if he stayed that way. He was already having problems. He had begun limping and would not run as fast. He lost his energy. I knew that something was wrong, but I kept telling myself that he would get better, that we were together forever.
I never understood death. The reason it drags people out from our world. The loneliness it makes us feel. I want to blame my mother for consistently putting him down and my friends who never wanted him around. But really I want someone or something to blame for taking my Henry away. How can any other dog in this world take his place in my heart? He will always be loved in my heart and memories. It was a special bond I never thought I would have. The bond between two friends that will now set the bar for every other man who tries to come into my life. God bless Henry and to all the wonderful times together.