Narrative

Goodbye

Work was crazy that night. Wing sauces all over my apron like a filthy dish rag. Smelling like the garlic butter we spray on our pizzas, I walked to the door at my grandparents’ house and realized that my dog wasn't in front of the door like he usually was, wagging his tail back and forth like a swinging sword trying to beat me to death. As I walked in, I saw he was lying down in the kitchen.

“Grandma,” I said, in concern, “Ugh..what's wrong with Sabor,”

“Well, he hasn't really gotten up today.. but me and your grandpa think it might be his hip messing with him again,” she replied.

“Do you think it’s anything serious?”

“Well, I'm not sure, but we're going to try and take him to the vet tomorrow.”

I started petting him and caught myself thinking back to when he got hit by a car in 2007, when he was 5 years old. I was twelve and he was laced up in staples on his right side due to the drainage tube where excess blood had to drain out. The surgery the veterinarian had to do to take out his hip bone would prevent him from being able to walk again. Sabor was a warrior; he stayed strong through it all and had a full recovery. Within that year, he was able to run and play just like he had when he was a puppy. Although, there would be days that Sabor wouldn't be able to run and jump  from the pains he would occasionally get in his hip, he still would try to greet you with excitement and beg you to take him on walks.

Since we all thought that it could be his right hip messing with him again,  I tried to exercise his leg to see if he would be able to walk towards me but he still wasn't able to. I started to have more concern since I was only 3 feet away from him. I could tell this was more serious than we thought by the way he looked at me with his cute mahogany piercing eyes. He was screaming  “HELP ME!” so  I tried to pick him up and bring him in the house since he was in the second kitchen, which is out on our patio, and I tried to see if that would make him feel better. When I put him in the living room, he still just laid there. I started to panic and kept telling him that everything would be okay, but since I had school the next morning I decided to go to bed and see how he was doing the next morning.

6:45, Wednesday morning, as I was getting ready for school, I walked to see where Sabor was. There he was again back in the kitchen lying there restless like he had gotten no sleep. I went up to him to see if he was okay but yet again he was still panting and still not acting himself.  I walked away to get dressed and saw my grandma was up.

“Grandma,” I said, urgently,  “I think you should really try and get Sabor in to the vet today.”

My grandma replied, “I know, me and your grandpa are going to call the vet in about an hour to see if they have a open spot for him today.”

“Alright, well I'm going to school.”

“Okay! Have a good day.”

Off to school with all this on mind, I really wasn't able to focus, but, before I knew it, my 11:50 class ended and I was on my way home. As I made it home, I walked in the house STARVING and ready to eat. But I realized something was really different when I walked in the house this time.

“Hey Grandpa!” I said.

“Hey, what’s up.”

“Nothing much, where’s Sabor?”

“Well..he’s at the vet, but I'm going to have your grandma tell you the rest.”

“No, Grandpa. What’s wrong with Sabor?”

“Well..” my grandpa said, “the dog is bleeding internally and..” Before my grandpa could finish, my grandma walked in.

“We had to put him to sleep.” I blankly stared..trying to fight back the tears..

My grandma said, “The surgery for the dog would cost $4,000 dollars and that wouldn't even be a guarantee that he would stay alive and...”

“Okay, Grandma that’s enough; I need time to take this all in,” I said.

I rushed into my room and sat on the bed and cried. I had guilt flinging through my mind just thinking about how I didn't get to say the last goodbye to him and of not being able to take him on his last walk. I've had this dog for eleven years and he is gone. But I know that he had a great life on earth, so, wherever dogs may go, I know he is happy and no longer has to suffer.