An old friend's visit

I was laying on my bed when I felt a sticky tongue on my face leaving drool all over my blanket. I had not felt that for a long time. Then I remembered Charlie and I could not be happier to see him. I got up my bed and hugged him like you hug a friend you have missed. I did not understand why he was there, but I did not think about it either.

First I looked right into his eyes.Being looked by him felt like sitting by the fireplace in winter. I touched his head and ears, soft as always. I hugged him again and kissed his forehead. You could tell he liked that.

Charlie was a golden retriever. It is hard to use this word for a dog, but he was kind. He had this urge to please everyone. He was also small and we always made fun of that. Golden Retrievers are supposed to be big, but Charlie never grew up as much as he should have. That was just fine, we lived in an apartment.

I get up wanting to do as many things as possible with my old best friend. I take the leash and he comes waving his tail and jumping. I hugged him again and he looked back at me as if smiling. We go out and I decide to take him for a ride. He loved taking his head out of the window, but not too much. He never liked being too far away from me.

I stopped at a park we used to go to when he was a puppy. He used to run around one tree while I chased him. He seemed happy to be back, although he did not run like before. He smelled some plants and then sat down near me. The smell of the grass brought back many memories of my childhood and of him being a puppy.

Then I remembered I had always felt guilty because we never took him to the beach and we used to live near one. After deciding to finally take him there, I said:  “come on Charlie, you’re gonna love this”. He looked at me and raised his paw, like he did when he wanted to let me know he was paying attention. Then I felt bad. I had this bitter feeling of knowing that someone you love has to leave soon.

The sunlight makes its way through the curtains of my bedroom and I move under the blankets. I have a smile on my face but I cannot tell why. Then I think of Charlie and excited, I look for him next to my bed. He is not there. Of course he isn’t. He has not been there for three years. It felt so real. Disappointed, I try to remember as much as I can about the dream. It was good to see him one more time.