Who Gets the Dog?

A break-up leaves a man reeling and unsure of his next step.

            Anne sits on the floor next to the couch sorting through their CDs. James holds Mindy in his lap, petting her soft brown fur as she wags her tail. He feels almost relieved that he was not the one to take action- he never wanted to be the one to break Anne’s heart.

            Mindy leaps off of James’s lap and runs into the kitchen. He gets up and walks to the window, thinking about how he’ll miss the view.

            It’s for the best, he thinks as his eyes graze over the garden behind their apartment. He knows it’s a cliché, but in this case it’s true. How could he stay if there was nothing left?

            Anne sighs and stands up. “A lot of boxes,” she says, stepping over one in her way to stand next to him.

            “Yeah,” he agrees, looking at her.

            She smiles, but her eyes have none of their usual light. “I’m glad this wasn’t some big dramatic fight.”

            “That would have been pointless. I actually think it’s miraculous we spent so long together.”

            “Since high school,” she says, looking out the window, sounding astonished.

            James returns to the couch as Mindy runs back in, this time right to Anne. She picks Mindy up and holds the small dog in her arms affectionately. James pulls the box of CDs into his lap and looks through the ones Anne deemed unnecessary for her own collection, thus allowing James to have them. He finds his favorite album in the box and decides that is good enough.

            “I’m keeping Mindy,” Anne says, jarring James out of his own head.

            “What?” He looks up.

            “I’m keeping Mindy,” she repeats matter-of-factly, nuzzling Mindy’s fur.

            He stares at her as she kisses the dog on the head. His throat feels dry, but he speaks anyway. “You can’t keep Mindy.”

            Anne narrows her eyes at him, but he stands and takes the dog from her. “You can’t be serious,” Anne says, her tone dripping with disdain. She stands with her hands on her hips as James picks up Mindy’s favorite toy and walks to the door.

            “I’m serious,” he says, and walks out.

            He’s two blocks away from the apartment when he realizes he has nowhere to go. He won’t go back, though. That much is for sure.

            Instead he goes to the park and lets Mindy run around as he sits on the bench wondering what to do.

            As his mind runs circles, an older gentleman sits next to James. The afternoon is sunny and there are plenty of people out. Perhaps under different circumstances it would be more enjoyable.

            Mindy runs over to James excitedly with her toy in her mouth. James smiles and pets her before she runs off again. The man next to him chuckles. “Dog’s sure are a man’s best friend,” he says, his voice gravelly and warm.

            James smiles politely. “Sure are.”

            “Woman’s best friend, too, sometimes- I know my wife loves our dogs as if they were our kids.”

            James nods, not sure what to say. “Better than cats,” he says finally, looking at the man.

            He laughs. “You know it. My wife and I have three dogs. Best part of our life.”

            James looks at the man in wonder. He extends his hand in a greeting. “I’m James.”

            The man smiles warmly and takes his hand. “Albert.” He points over at Mindy, “How long have you had your dog?”

            Mindy runs around in circles. James smiles and answers, “Two years. We found her wandering the streets as a puppy and took her in.” He casts his eyes down at his hands as he remembers the cold of that early February morning, holding hands with Anne as they went for a cup of coffee.

            “We?” asks Albert.

            Nodding his head, James smiles sadly. “Yeah, me and my girlfriend. Well… I guess she’s my ex-girlfriend now.” His brow creases as he turns the idea over in his head.

            Albert sighs. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

            James nods. “Thanks,” he replies awkwardly, folding his hands in his lap. He feels the need to say more, but he’s not sure if it’s because he wants to fill the silence between him and Albert or if it’s because he wants someone to tell him what he’s doing isn’t wrong.

            Albert takes a slow breath. “Break-ups are hard. I’ve had a few of those in my days.” He turns and smiles at James.

            James returns a small smile. “Even the mutual ones?”

            “Absolutely. That’s just how it is. It’s nobody’s fault.”

            It’s nobody’s fault, he thinks, examining the idea. He leans forward, resting his elbows on his thighs and burying his face in his hands as he thinks.

            It’s not Anne’s fault. But it’s not my fault, either. We both just need something different.

What do I need?

            He looks up and sees his little dog running around with new playmates. Mindy.

            James shakes his head. So then what does Anne need? He thinks back to the day they found the little brown puppy on the street, thin and frightened. James had insisted they continue walking, but Anne stopped, searching her pockets for anything suitable to feed the little thing.

            He closes his eyes remembering the way Anne had pleaded with him with her eyes as she crouched next to the little dog. She loved Mindy from the start.

            James looks over at Albert. He looks serene, content as he watches over the park from his seat on the bench. James looks over at Mindy, assuring himself what he’s going to do will be the right thing.

            Albert looks up as James stands, rubbing the back of his neck. “Thank you for the talk, Albert. It was great meeting you.” He extends his hand once more and they bid each other farewell.

            James takes Mindy into his arms; she is now dirty from running around. She holds her toy in her mouth as he walks back to the apartment.

            He stands at the door and knocks, staring at his feet. Mindy licks his face but he can’t look at her anymore if he’s going to do it.

            Anne opens the door, doesn’t seem all that surprised. James hands the dog over. Anne puts her down and hands him a duffel bag. “Just the essentials,” she explains. “I also called ahead to this motel,” she says, handing him a card.

            “Thanks,” he says, mustering a small smile. “How’d you know I’d be back?”

            Anne shrugs. “I didn’t. Why did you come back?”

            “I thought it’d be for the best. It’s not her fault.”

Author's Note

I've been working on this one for a while. I'm still not sure whether the dialogue with the man in the park is good or not, someone told me it sounded a little stiff. Any thoughts?

Reviews

[Lindsay T]

This was really good. I'm a dog-lover too, so I couldn't imagine losing one of my pooches :( I thought the dialogue was realistic & flowed well. Keep up the great writing.

[Dean Kuch®]

Being a dog lover myself, an owner of four lttle dogs, it would be so hard to part with even one of them because of a break up or divorce. To be quite honest, I half expected Albert to be Annes' new beau, having been told by her to wait in the nearby park until James had gathred all of his things and left. But, I just suppose that is the way my mind works. Always trying to get that evil little "twist" in there somehow. I enjoyed this story immensely because I could relate to how James was feeling. Great write!