We aren't buying a god damned dog, and that's final,
The Dad said.
He had to work 80 hours a week to pay for the house they were in. It was a nice house, and the Mom wanted a nice house to raise the Daughter. He used to live in a modest house. It was a 15-minute walk to work. The Dad was happy, but the Mom wanted the Daughter to have a bigger room than the Mom had at her age. Her Dad was a hardworking man who did his best. She vowed to never have to live with her mothers indignity; to live with the pain of having dinner on the table for the family to eat together and celebrate together. The worst was her dad having to rent a suit to walk her down the aisle when she married.
The Dad wanted a family and a loving wife. He liked knowing that he could sacrifice his happiness and that it would make a happy family.
The Mom tried to convince him with every trick she knew: She told the Dad that it would teach the Daughter responsibility. He knew she would forget to feed the Dog and then he would have to. She told him that everyone else would be getting a Dog. He knew that the Mom's friends were fickle and would give their dogs away the moment they became an inconvenience. He knew he would get attached and then have to care for the dog that no one else wanted. She told him that she promised that it wouldn't get in the way of what they had now. The Dad knew that the Mom broke every promise after she got her way.
As far as the Dad could tell, they weren't going to get a Dog, and that was final.
But the Mom knew what was best for him. She knew the Dad better than he knew himself. She would buy the dog, and she would bring it home, and the Dad would learn that it was what was best for the family. And so she went to the pet shop and bought a dog.
The Dog was an average dog. He wasn't a fancy dog or an expensive dog or a tough Dog or a miniature dog or a fluffy Dog. The Dog was a normal dog. The Mom brought the Dog home. The Dog was scared of everything and didn't want to come inside. She tried to cajole him into the house, but her excitement caused the Dog to piss on the floor. The Mom picked the Dog up and entered.
The Dad was playing with the Daughter in the living room. The Mom put the Dog on the floor. The Daughter's eyes lit up. She was happy. He was mad. The Dad wanted to yell at the Mom, to get angry that she went behind his back and did what he said not to. She knew he was mad; she knew he wanted to yell. She also knew that his Dad used to yell at his mom in front of him. He grew up scared of his Dad, and he made a promise never to be like his Dad was in front of the Daughter.
The Dad had a Daughter. The Dad wanted a happy family. And now, the Dad had the Dog.
The Daughter was 7.
The Dad took the Daughter to the store. She needed to learn to take care of the Dog. They needed food, bowls, food, and toys for the Dog to chew so that he didn't chew the furniture. The Dad looked through the aisles and grabbed dry food, which was good enough, then a bowl, a collar, and a leash. The Daughter ran up and down the aisles. She saw the treats and the toys and the neck scarves and the Dog clothing. She returned with a cute toy and a bag of treats for her new Dog to play with.
The Dad was annoyed, but the Mom told him that it would teach the Daughter to be responsible, and everyone else was happy, so the Dad stowed it. He took everything to the till, and the Dad was told it would cost almost four hundred dollars. The Dad thought about how many hours he worked that week to earn that much. It took a week of way more hours a day than he was promised he wouldn't do at the interview. He drove for an hour there and an hour back. The new job told him to wear work boots and not to wear a tie anymore. Safety reasons. He used to love his ties; they were the symbol of his success. A Mexican migrant without insurance dented his door last week. His boss laid off two people, and the Dad had to do the work of three.
But the Daughter was happy, and the Mom assured him it would make him the best Dad and her the best Daughter. It was late when they returned home. The Dad had to get to bed and get up at five in the morning or be late for work. The Mom took the Daughter and asked all about the Dog. They talked until late, screaming and playing and had loud fun. The Dad had to wear earplugs. He was a light sleeper.
It was four in the morning. The Dad was exhausted while getting ready. The lights were off. He stepped on the toy in the middle of the floor. He almost tripped and broke his neck. When he got to the kitchen to make himself a coffee, he saw that the bag from the pet store was unopened on the counter. Inside the bag was the bowl, the unopened bag of food, the collar, the leash, and a small blanket so the Dog had a place to sleep.
Where was the Dog?
The Dog slept by the Dad's bedroom door on the cold floor. He got up when the Dad got up and followed the Dad to the kitchen. The Dad asked the Dog if the Daughter had fed him, but the Dog could not speak. The Dog was able to be happy and excited to see the Dad. The Dad got angry. But the Dog was hungry and happy and the Dad couldn't bring himself to hate the Dog. It wasn't the Dog's fault that the Mom didn't help the Daughter take care of the Dog. It wasn't the Dog's fault that he took a house an hour from the long and dangerous drudgery to afford it. It wasn't the Dog's fault that the Dad made breakfast before dawn.
So the Dad fed the Dog. The Dog ate while the Dad drank his coffee. The Dad arrived at work late. The Boss was angry. When the Dad got home that day the Dog had chewed his slippers. The Dad asked the Daughter where the Dog's chew toy was. The Daughter didn't know; she said she lost it. The Dad told her to feed the Dog. As he went to get changed, he stepped in Dog shit. The Dad wanted to get angry and yell, but he saw his Daughter playing her Nintendo Switch. She was happy, and he wasn't going to ruin that.
He cleaned up the Dog shit. The Dog was happy to see the Dad so close to the floor. The Dog licked him while he cleaned. The Dad felt like the Dog was thanking him for cleaning. The Dog couldn't speak; the only thing he could offer was happiness. The Dad changed his socks and sat down to watch TV. The Dog hopped onto the sofa and laid beside him, using the Dad's leg as a pillow. The Dad found he was instinctively petting the Dog as if his hand just did what it was supposed to do.
The Mom came home. She had been shopping and was tired. She grabbed a glass of wine and sat on the far end of the sofa and stretched her feet out to tickle the Dad, which mildly annoyed him. She knew he would fall in love with the Dog and gloated about how she knew him better than he knew himself.
The Daughter is 15.
The Daughter pleaded with the Dad. She had new friends, and they wanted to go out and hang. She didn't want to miss the greatest time of her life. The Dad asked if she had fed the Dog. She looked at him with puppy dog eyes, pouted lips, and gave him the cutest look she could muster. He had fallen for that look many times before. She looked just like the Mom. The Daughter knew that he wanted to be the best father ever. She knew the Dad better than he knew himself. He couldn't say no; it made her happy. She ran off, thanking the Dad.
He turned around and saw the Dog, wagging his tail, waiting patiently. He had taken the Dog to the store and gotten him a new toy some years back. The Dog picked his favorite. It was a stuffed little dog. He brought it to the Dad and dropped it by his feet when he wanted to play.
The Dad would throw the toy, and the Dog would chase it. The Dog couldn't bring it back, so the Dad had to run to the Dog after he pounced. When he caught up to the Dog, he would pick up the toy, and then the Dog would fight and play over the toy. Eventually he let the Dad win. They did it as many times as the two of them could before getting tired and going home. The Dad fed the dog late and went to bed late and was more tired than usual the next day. He had grown to love that Dog, and the Dog had learned to love him.
The Daughter is 17.
She wants to go on a date with an older man. The Dad told her that she was grounded and had to stay in her room. She really wanted to go out and see him. She waited until the Dad went to bed and knew he would sleep till five. She sneakily dressed for a night out and quietly grabbed her shoes and slowly opened the door. But the Dog was up because he thought it was time for breakfast. The Dad always fed him like clockwork. The Dog saw the Daughter was there and didn't know what that meant. He got excited and jumped up and down and pawed at her. The Daughter got angry and smacked the Dog. She told him he was ruining her plans and he was stupid and to shut up.
When she smacked the Dog he yelped in pain. This woke the Dad. He saw what had happened and for angry. He was angry at the Daughter and yelled at her.
"Don't ever hit the Dog. He's an animal; he just loves you and doesn't know any better."
The Dad sent his Daughter to her room and saw that it was three in the morning. He wouldn't be able to get back to sleep, so he fed the Dog. As a treat, he gave him an extra treat, a big beef bone he was saving for a special occasion. The Dog had the greatest morning of his short Dog life. The Dad felt like shit for breaking his promise. You don't hit the Dog.
That evening, the Mom was lounging on the sofa and fingering her smartphone. She watched short videos on social media: cute dogs posed in cute situations by other owners and women complaining about their husbands and the indignity of subpar customer service. She wasn't happy or sad or angry about it, but sedated on the content. One video had a dog screaming at a woman and the woman screaming back.
The Dog got excited over the commotion. He ran to the sofa and stood on his hind legs. He pawed at the Mom and waited for her to get up. She didn't move. The Dog tried again. Still, she didn't move. Finally, the Dog jumped onto the sofa and onto the Mom. She screamed at the Dog.
"No! No, no, no, no, no! Get down!" The dog didn't know what 'no' meant. She said it for everything. He knew she was excited, and so he was excited. She screamed at the Dad.
"Get your god damned dog! Take him for a walk or feed him dinner or something. I had a hard day. I'm tired, and he won't listen to me."
"He just heard the dog on your phone and got excited. He's a dog, he doesn't know any better, he just loves you. Pet him a bit."
"Take your damned dog!"
The man grabbed the collar and the leash. The jingle from the dog tags caught the Dog's attention. He jumped off the sofa and ran to the door to see the Dad. He had grown to love the Dog, and the Dog, him. The Dad had no time to himself anymore. He worked and he slept and he had to clean the house and take care of the family, and the only time he had left he spent walking and feeding the Dog. Those were his last hours of free time in his day and he had come to love the sacrifice as much as the Dog appreciated him for it. Moreso.
The Dog demanded much from the Dad. He wanted the Dad to throw his toy. He wanted the Dad to run after him since he didn't know how to bring it back. He wanted the Dad to fight with him for a bit before letting the toy go. He wanted the Dad to feed him. The Dad had bought the fancy raw food. He wanted the Dog to live a long and healthy life. The dog waited for the man to tell him it was okay to eat now. He was a good dog. The Dad liked how the Dog listened to him and enjoyed paying extra for the premium food.
After the walk and the dinner the Dog rested on the sofa with the Dad and slept on his leg. All the Dad ever wanted was to be appreciated for what he gave. The Dog didn't know how to give him anything else. The Dad had a nap. The Dog slept a while, then waited for the Dad to wake up before moving.
The Daughter is 18.
She is graduating from high school. It was the Dad's birthday. She had to get a dress for her prom. The Dad was at work. He told his boss that it was his birthday. They had to let another co-worker go and he needed to work later than usual. By the time Dad got home, he was more exhausted than he would have otherwise been. He wondered what was waiting for him. He didn't have the energy for a big party, but if they had one, he would put on a happy face.
When the Dad came home the house was empty, except for the Dog. The Dog was waiting by the door, sitting down and staring. His tail was sweeping across the floor. The Dog had his bowl in his mouth. He dropped the bowl on the floor, the metal rang like a dinner bell. The Dad fed the dog his fancy raw food and grabbed the collar and the leash. The dog got excited again and grabbed his toy in his teeth and ran to the door.
The Dad and the Dog went to the park. They played extra hard. They got home and they were both tired together. The Mom had just parked her car as he walked into the house. She had the Daughter with her. They were cooing over the Daughter's dress. It looked amazing. They were happy to see the Dad and asked him to come over and look at the dress and hear about their adventure. The Dad and the Dog walked over while the Daughter thrust her shopping bag into Dad's hand and told him about the subpar customer service from that bitch at the counter.
The Dad sat down on the sofa. The Dog laid down beside him. He dropped his toy on the Dad's lap. The Dad couldn't help but think the Dog wanted him to have it for his birthday. He picked up the toy. The dog didn't try to wrestle it from him, he wanted the Dad to have it, at least for a while. The Mom had finished off her wine and poured a new glass from a new bottle. She walked over to the sofa and set a small box onto the coffee table.
"Don't think we didn't forget, honey. Happy birthday."
She kissed him on the cheek and sat beside him, pulled out her phone, and started watching videos. She paused briefly to hug him before swiping up for a new adventure in customer service. The Dad grabbed the gift and opened it. It was a small box, and inside was a tie, with the words "Greatest Dad Ever" written lengthwise. The Dad asked,
"Where's our little girl? I didn't get a chance to thank her."
"Oh, she went over to her friend's place. They want to show off the dresses before tomorrow."
The Mom kissed him on the cheek and went to bed. The Dad stayed up a while. The dog rested his head across his lap and just stared at him. His puppy face had gotten older. His hair had turned gray around his eyes and snout. The dog passed out moments later. He must have been dreaming of chasing something, his paws shaking as if running. He pawed at the tie, and it fell to the floor. The Dad had fallen asleep too and didn't notice until four in the morning. The Dad and the dog got up and made breakfast. When he got home from work that evening the tie was still there.
The daughter is 24.
She moved out years ago. The dog is old. They don't run and chase toys and fight anymore. The wife is drinking wine. The daughter is getting married; her fiancé is meeting the dad for the first time. The mom is looking over wedding preparations and says to the dad,
"We need to write a check before tomorrow so our baby can make the down payment to the wedding planner. I'm so excited! Don't forget to buy yourself a nice suit. I don't want us to embarrass her with a rental. It's only money, but this day is forever!"
The dad dutifully signed the check—twenty thousand dollars. He handed it to the daughter, and she tried to snatch it, but the dad held it tight for a second, saying,
"Honey, this is the happiest I've ever been. I sacrificed everything to get you here, and I'm so glad to see you getting married and becoming the woman I always knew you could be."
"Thanks, Dad!"
She kissed him on the cheek. The dog was standing between them, staring and smiling in whatever way a dog can. She ran to her fiancé and jumped into his arms, clinging onto him and the check tightly. Then the family went into the living room and sat down. The dad sat on the sofa. The daughter laid across her fiancé's lap while he sat in a chair. The mom went to the kitchen to grab a celebratory drink. The dog, tired, put his paw on the sofa. He was too old to jump anymore, so the dad lifted him up and set him on his lap. The dog fell asleep.
Everyone else had left. The dad was old himself. He watched TV while the mom was on her phone. The battery needed a charge. She got up and stumbled toward the outlet. She stepped in piss on the rug and freaked out and yelled at the Dad,
"Your god damned dog pissed on the floor again. The vet said if it happens again, it's because the medication isn't working, and his kidneys are failing. You have to take him to get put down. Do it before he pisses on the floor again."
The mom plugged her phone in, grabbed a rag and cleaning solution, and grumbled while scrubbing the floor.
The dad pet his dog, gently waking him. The dog lifted his eyebrows, whatever he had in place of eyebrows. His eyes opened. The dad picked him up, grabbed his toy and a bag of treats he had saved and put everything in the car. The toy was old and haggard, so he drove to the store and bought him another. The Dog preferred his old toy. The Dad walked to the car, savoring the time he had left with the Dog. Cars impatiently passed him, but he didn't care. The dog no longer chewed on his treats, just licked them a bit and collected them under his snout.
The veterinary office was at the end of the street. The dad reached the last red light. He looked at the dog. The dog didn't move his head but turned his eyes to look at the dad. The dad pressed the pedal and drove past the veterinary office. He drove past the next street, and the next one, and the next. The dad and the dog left the city. The highway was barren. Just the two of them.
The dad drove for ten minutes, then an hour, then several. The city lowered until it was hidden by the horizon. The trees along the road turned into farmland. The farmland into grassland. The grassland into desert. The dad pulled over, picked up his dog, and set him down. The dog pissed on the sand.
The dad looked at the car. He looked at the horizon where the city used to be. He turned back to the desert, picked up his dog, and kept walking. They went another hundred fee. The Dad set his dog down on a small patch of grass. He laid down beside him, and they watched the sun set. They were used to falling asleep early because the Dad had to work early and pay for the life his family felt accustomed to. For once, the Dad and the Dog waited as long as they could. They both stayed awake longer than the sun.
It was four in the morning. The man woke up. He was covered in dew. He looked over. His dog was gone. He walked back to his car and opened the trunk. He pulled out a shovel from the emergency kit.
The Dad dug fast, it kept his mind off of why. He dug the hole deep enough so coyotes couldn't scavenge. Hours had passed. The Dad wrapped his Dog in a blanket, still warm, and lowered him into the earth. He covered it and set a large stone at the head and placed the old stuffed toy on top. He walked back to his car, holding a handful of slobbered-on treats. He didn't look back.
His family wasn't there to share in his loss. The only other person on the road was driving a rusted-out pickup truck coming the opposite way. It slowed down, threw an old sack out the window, and sped off. The Dad saw a tail sticking out of the small bag discarded in the desert underneath the dust.
He stopped his car, ran over and opened the bag. A scared, mangy puppy, no older than six months old. The pup was malnourished, haggard, and unharmed, as much as he could be considering the circumstances. The Dad offered the treats from his pocket. The Puppy hesitated. Hunger took over. It at one and then another. It eased the Puppies mind.
The man picked the Puppy up and set him on the passenger seat. He handed it the new toy and left the bag of treats for when he was ready. The puppy ate a few, curled up to the bag and slept.
The Dad drove back home, passing signs for the city. He had driven 50 miles with the Dog on their last day. He didn't care about work today or tomorrow or ever. All that mattered was getting the Puppy home and giving him a good meal. He knew what was best for the Puppy, better than the Puppy had known in his short life.
The puppy slept the rest of the way. When they arrived, the Dad opened the door and set the pup on the ground. The dog grabbed the new toy and followed him. The puppy stuck onto him like velcro, stopping at the front door. The Dad motioned for him to follow, wanting the puppy to feel safe, to know that this was home. The puppy was hesitant at first but trusted the Dad and followed.
The Dad grabbed a bowl and a puck of meat from the fridge. This dog had never had raw food before and it was the best meal he'd ever eaten. The Mom looked over, noticed the haggard puppy, mangy from the desert sun and the family that had abandoned him. She caught the smell of salt and sand and glared at the Dad.
"We're not getting another god damned dog, and that's final" she snapped. "I'm not taking care of it."
The Dad looked at her, after twenty four years of the best family he could have and said,
"Shut up, you drunk cunt. After the wedding, we're getting a divorce."