2 minute read
A Shoe Wil o Until He R turns
Charley, our rescue pup, and Nick, our son, are an unlikely pair due to Charley’s size and her inability, or should I say desire, to hunt. Yet, the two formed a bond that until Nick said his final good-bye to Charley, did the bond truly unfold
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On Sunday, May 8th, our son Nick began his long awaited journey to earn his place as a United States Marine He would be gone for a minimum of 13 weeks (barring no injury), with no communication with his family or friends except for old-fashioned written letters
After Nick left, I gathered all of his shoes that sat by the door and took them up to his room Charley sat up when she saw me and looked around, obviously looking for her buddy The day came to an end and Charley lay quietly in her bed The following morning, I called out for her as I did every morning, but she did not respond. Usually she comes running because she knows she has a small window of opportunity to play. As I walked towards her, she kept her head bowed as if to tell me she doesn’t have the energy or desire to get up I looked into her eyes and all I saw looking back at me was sadness I sat with her for a while and then it dawned on me, there was no shoe in her bed; I had taken all she had left of her brother.
I ran upstairs, grabbed one of Nick’s shoes and a shirt from the hamper and put the items in her bed. Charley stood up, walked around in a circle and then plopped herself down resting her head on his shoe with his shirt tucked up close
When I took her brother’s shoes away, I also broke a routine that she and Nick had established when he first brought her home from the shelter Every night when Nick would come home, he would call out to Charley, and the two of them would go outside to hang out for a bit When they came back into the house, they would wrestle one last time, he would give her a treat and then head upstairs. Once she heard his door close, she would go into the utility room, grab his shoe and take it to bed with her Surprisingly, even as a puppy she never chewed on the shoe; she would simply put it in her bed and, rest her head on it and fall asleep.
Nick graduated in August and came home on a 10-day leave. Charley came flying around the house when she heard her brothers’ truck pull into the driveway She never left Nick’s side while he was home, and there was no denying she was in her happy place
When Nick’s leave came to an end, he gave Charley two shoes and his favorite t-shirt There is sadness in her eyes again, but I believe this time she understands that her brother will be back for her.
