For the Love of my Dog
Short Story by: Roxanne Byrne
Reads: 389 | Likes: 3 | Shelves: 1 | Comments: 1
Gasping for breath
Barefoot I pounded the cement
And turned the earth a centimeter with every step
No, I won't let you go
Please don't leave
Stinging lungs
But I wouldn't let him go
I love you. I love you. I love you.
Run run run, keep running
Never stop running
A wild dog & a wild woman
Tame one or let go of the other
He would show me what loyalty looked like
"He'll stay with you, I promise"
My boyfriend said as he had his thumb on the latch
"Nooo... no... I don't think"
"Don't take him off his leash"
"Watch, he'll stay."
"No, don't."
As soon as my dog realized he was free
He bolted across the street
"God dammit, mother fucker"
It was 42 degrees outside
And I tipped the earth 1 degree with every step
No, don't go. I won't let you go.
You're the last piece of me I have
You're my only hope
All I had was my boyfriend and my dog
Every inch of my life had been taken away
And within I had one last strand
"Don't leave!"
My dog was having a blast
He loved the game we were playing
I try to catch him
He does figure 8,888's
Sprinting onto the university president's property
Sharp left turn
Rounding the bases
Needing to bring him home
I enter the property
Feet first
Dead of night
So dark
Tracking him
Desperately escaping
Pushing breath
Into my lungs
Twice as hard
Cold wet grass
Patio?
Nope, swimming pool cover
Almost slipped through the crack
Wouldn't have been found till summer
On the surface, a foot deep in freezing water
Every gradient I touched barefoot
And survived somehow
Stabbing woodchips
Rough gravel
And I couldn't be stopped
IVY!
Still trotting and halting so I miss him
Looking back and smiling hard at me
Maybe he was leading me away from him
With all his might
A thousand woodchips I crushed beneath me
Certain my feet were bleeding
One last figure 8
I lunge at him
FINALLY
I hold on as tight as I can
"Don't ever do that to me again!"
Gasping
Good lord he is heavy
I pick him up and drag us toward home
Feet gripping the earth at 164 pounds a foot
Heavier and lighter at the same time
Uggghhhhh, thank God
I had my baby boy back
Relief filled up from within me
My boyfriend’s car pulls up
"Babe, I'm SO sorry"
I turn and growl
I grip my sweet puppy and feel his warmth and it fills me up to the brim
Everything else was stopping me from leaving him
But for the love of my dog.
"A 2017 study showed that 89% of women who had companion animals during an abusive relationship reported that their animals were threatened, harmed, or killed by their abusive partner."
https://aldf.org/article/the-link-between-cruelty-to-animals-and-violence-toward-humans-2/
Submitted: November 20, 2020
© Copyright 2021 Roxanne Byrne. All rights reserved.
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Criss Sole
I was deeply touched as i read this. And i'm glad you brought awareness to animal cruelty.
Wed, November 25th, 2020 4:49pmIvan sounds like such a character, and i am so glad you have each other.
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Thank you so much Criss! I'm sorry it took me a while to get back to this. I'm so happy you were touched by my story. And yes, when I first found out about the connection between animal cruelty and domestic violence I felt that it really needed to be talked about more. It's hard to believe anyone would abuse an innocent little animal.
Mon, January 11th, 2021 8:44pmThank you again for commenting, your thoughts on my work mean so much to me!