Puppy Love

When Sally moved in last summer, it was the happiest day of my life. I’ve lived here all my life, and honestly, with everything pretty much the same day in and day out, it was starting to get pretty boring. The sights, the sounds, the smells all blended into one boring canopy. That is until a bright flash of light suddenly erupted, adding color to that blank slate. And that is exactly what Sally was for me - the brightest ray of sunshine. 

Every day, I would go for a walk with my roommate. What started off as just something to do turned into a great chance to just relax as Dave and I strolled around the neighborhood for some casual exercise. In truth though, neither of us was doing for fun or the steps or even each other’s company - we got enough of that back at the house. We were each hoping for a glimpse of the best looking ladies on the block - Sally and her roommate Julianna. It’s amazing how many days we ran into them, how easy that is to do when you are actively trying to do it. Every day, we would happen to run into each other and chat for a bit, before finally parting with a quick “goodbye” and “see you later.” It was wonderful.

Then it hit.

The pandemic.

Everything we knew went up in smoke faster than we could blink once March hit - people were panicking - over-buying, hoarding, fighting. We holed up, hiding in the safety of our apartment as we watched the world descend into chaos. The governors responded quickly - mandating a complete quarantine save for essential services. For what seemed like forever, I was shut away in this house. If the world had been an empty slate and Sally the splash of color, this new world was cold and dark. Isolating. It took all of the color away as I was forcibly separated from the light of my heart. I almost couldn’t stand it, as the world I knew was torn away in favor of this new torrent of a never-ending parade of disasters. It felt like an entiternity, each seconds stretching into hours into months into years, when in reality it had probably only been a few weeks.

April brought me my first glimmer of hope in ages. The quarantine’s strict measures were lifted in favor of more relaxed guidelines, attempting to help people return to some semblance of normalcy while still protecting people. Dave and I resumed our walks, though he insisted on going several times a day after being cooped up for so long, leaving me to collapse on the couch by the end of the day. We hadn’t seen Sally and Julianna in a while, until one day, we finally caught them on one of our walks.

“Sally!” I cried. She immediately perked her head up, calling back to me. I didn’t even hesitate, before I took off, with Dave trailing behind me. I was inches from Sally, when I felt a painful tug.

“No Spike! Bad dog!” Dave yanked the leash harder, pulling me away from Sally, who seemed to be struggling with the same thing as Julianna tried to hold her back. “Sorry about that” Dave apologized, giving me a harsh tug. I finally gave up, panting as the harness stopped digging into my skin.

“No no. Not at all. I don’t know what’s gotten into Sally either.” Julianna grabbed Sally by the collar, holding her back. I looked forlornly at her. It had been who knows how long, and now our reunion was being halted by our very best friends. We couldn’t even get a proper greeting. I felt another tug from the leash, pulling me away from my love. With one last look back at her, I hung my head and followed Dave. Throughout the entire walk, I refused to look at him. He didn’t even seem to notice, the jerk. We finally arrived back at the house. I made my way over my bed in the cage and sat down, back turned to my stupid roommate. Dave went about his day while I stayed there. At night, he fed me and gave me a couple of pets before turning in for the night. I went to bed in the cage rather than sleeping in his bed like normal. I couldn’t help but think about Sally that night. It made me too sad to sleep.

The next day we ran into them again. And the next day. And the next day. But no matter how many times I tried, Dave wouldn’t let me get close to Sally. He kept citing social distancing, and other human things. I didn’t care. I kept trying, not that it made any difference. I also spent more time away from Dave. I loved him, I really did, but I was mad. And to teach him a lesson, I did my best to socially distance from him in the house. I started spending more time in the backyard, something I never did before. I normally hated the tiny backyard, preferring the comfy couch and indoor toilet mat Dave bought for me for rainy days. But I started to like that yard as it gave me some distance. The chain fence allowed me to watch the people and cars going by - everyone desperate to spend some time outside of their homes. It was then that I made the greatest discovery.

I was sitting in the grass staring at the street when I heard my name. Confused, I turned around only to find Sally sitting on the other side of the chain link fence. In the house next door! We were neighbors! I bounded over as fast as I could, my world taking on new brilliances of color. We rubbed noses, finally coming to rest with our foreheads touching - as best they could with the fence - staring into each other's' eyes. We were neighbors!

It may not have been much, but we could actually be with each other, even if it was only through a fence. I finally found my love, and she was right next door. We spent many days together there after that. Maybe someday when the pandemic ends, we will be able to spend some time in each other’s yards, together. But until then, I am still happy. I know it will be fine now that we are together.

My Sally and me.