The End Of The Road

Wyatt smiled as the driver behind him blasted their horn.

The man in the large truck proceeded to speed around him, shaking his finger up in the air angrily.

“Some people are so impatient, huh?” he chuckled, turning to his passenger seat.

Sunny drew a deep breath out, her little black snout dripping with condensation.

“I’ll take that as a yes.” 

He pet the top of her head tenderly.

Sure, he had somewhere to be too, but he wasn’t in a rush.

This would be his last normal day for a while.

His white 2001 Toyota hummed tiredly at the red light.

“Now I didn’t want to tell you right away, but guess where we’re going?”

Sunny, who was snuggling with her favorite purple butterfly blanket, started lightly snoring. Wyatt’s question caused her to look up curiously.

“The dog park!” he shouted, ruffling her golden fur and planting a kiss atop her head.

She wagged her tail.

“We just have to make a few stops first.”

Wyatt pulled into his favorite coffee drive through.

“Welcome to Crazy Beans, my name is Emily. How can I help you?” the chipper voice echoed through the speakers.

His mind trailed off for a moment.

“No sugar,” Dr. Graham’s stern advice sent Wyatt into a dissociative state. He quickly shook his head and cleared his throat nervously.

“Hi, can I get a super large caramel sundae iced latte, with extra caramel and a pup cup please?” he asked.

He checked himself in the rearview mirror, brushing back his long, dark curls before pulling up to the pick-up window.

“Aw, what a cute dog! What breed is he?” Emily asked as she handed him his order.

“She’s a golden retriever and collie mix, or so we’ve been told,” he said, holding out the paper cup of whipped cream to her nose, “Her name is Sunny.”

“Can I get a picture for our dog board?” she asked eagerly.

Wyatt agreed, and laughed as the barista snapped a photo of Sunny, who was now going to town on the little cup of cream.

She licked the container continuously until there was nothing left. 

“Bye, Sunny!”

She turned to Wyatt.

“Have a nice day,” she said with a smile.

God she was cute, Wyatt thought as he sped away from the coffee spot. 

Dr. Graham’s stern, hard face cut through his daydreams, remembering his visit from late last month.

“How much time?” 

The doctor checked his notepad.

“A month, maximum. Unfortunately the cancer has spread too rapidly for us to attempt to operate, amongst other reasons.”

Wyatt’s brain had gone blank at the diagnosis.

The entire world as he knew it, had already changed and he couldn’t accept it.

How had Dr. Graham been so calm? How could you possibly get used to telling someone the worst news of their life?

He shook his head, taking large gulps of his coffee. The cool, sweet beverage was refreshing on this hot summer day. It helped clear his mind.

He would enjoy today. Take it slow, spend some time with his best friend.

Sunny seemed to bark on queue, licking her empty paper cup.

“Oh you’re a hungry baby girl, aren’t you?” he said warmly. 

Perfect. Time for his Wallop, his favorite burger joint.

Dr. Graham interrupted his thoughts again.

“No heavy foods, nothing greasy.”

At his next drive-through location, he ordered a triple decker burger, smothered in barbeque sauce, onions and extra pickles. And on the side, four burger patties, and a side of pickles.

He drove out to the beach and parked across from the waterfront.

“This is exceptional, don’t you think?” 

Sunny was busy digging through her third patty, pausing occasionally to grab a pickle. She always loved pickles, what a crazy dog.

Wyatt didn’t usually feed her this kind of junk, but today, on his last day of normalcy, it was okay.

He remembered telling his family the diagnosis. How he watched their eyes cloud with thoughts of the near future. He spent a lot of time thinking, what constitutes a fulfilling life when you’re given a limit?

After they finished their burgers, he took in the ocean one last time, holding up Sunny to the window so she could see the aquamarine waves crash down onto the shore.

“Beautiful, huh? Can you see the end of the ocean, girl?”

It had to end somewhere, just like most things. He took in a big breath of that salty, misty air.

Wyatt slowly pulled out of the parking lot, it was time for the dog park.

He drove for what seemed like 100 miles, but in reality was only 30 minutes. The sun had reached its summer peak. The golden rays softened the breeze that danced through his open windows, tangling both his hair and Sunny’s golden fur simultaneously.

He had circled the lot a few times before deciding on the perfect spot, and pulled in slowly. 

After repositioning the spot three times, Wyatt finally put the car in park and looked up.

“Well, here we are, girl. The dog park.”

He stared lifelessly up at the Greendale Animal Hospital, a sterile, white building that radiated an unfriendly aura.

Dr. Graham told him to take his time, but be in no later than 6:30 for the appointment.

He glanced down at Sunny. Instead of her usual response, jumping up and pressing her paws to the window, anxiously wagging her tail, she was still laying down in the seat, attempting to lick some crumbs off of the upholstery.

Wyatt’s heart fell below his knees, feeling the weight of the world fall onto his lap.

He held out a shaky hand and brushed her fur, and she looked up at him tenderly.

He smiled, holding back tears.

“You’re gonna love it here, they’ve got all the best toys and treats.”

Her ear perked up at one of her favorite words.

“There’s fields you can run in for miles and miles, and not get tired.”

He pet her back and she licked his hand, trying her best to stand but falling back onto her blanket tiredly. Years of memories poured through his brain as if they were on a film reel, eventually taking him back to his first memory of her. 

She was a tiny little thing, more fluff than dog. And so full of energy, dancing all around the house, needing to explore every crevice, but always coming back to lay in his lap.

“And the best part?” He paused, a single tear trickling down his nose, “They’ve got a rainbow bridge.”