My Aging Companion By Swetha Amit

Laila, my golden retriever, lay on the porch rug, her brooding brown eyes watching the birds fly in the pink-streaked sky. She had just turned ten last month and spent most of her days napping on that rug, her tail tucked between her legs.

"Laila," I called out loudly. She gradually perked up her ears.

There was a time when she would accompany me on my evening walks with a spring in her gait. My lungs felt drained when she broke free from the leash, chased after the geese on the trail, and jumped into the air to catch them as they squawked and flew away.

I bent down and stroked her golden-brown fur. Laila let out a whimper as she nestled her nose into my hand. When she tried to get up and move, I observed her slow gait for a few steps before she slumped down again. I pulled her closer to me, and we were both wrapped in the deep warmth of our love.

Laila was a puppy when Dad gave her to me for my tenth birthday—a time when he thought I was old enough to care for a pet. During this time, I confided in him about feeling lonely without siblings and struggling to make friends at school. I was the nerdy type who got A grades, making me seem uncool because of my braces and my decision not to kiss the popular guy during Spin the Bottle at a party. Laila witnessed everything: breakups, college application rejections, and Mom's death. She would lick the tears from my face and snuggle closer to me.

A rustling sound emerged from the bushes. Laila attempts to dart toward it like her old, energetic self, but she grows tired and collapses on the grass. We watch the sun dip behind the clouds. A sinking feeling gnawed at my insides as I realized the inevitable loss that would ultimately set in without Laila by my side in the coming months.

ABOUT:

Swetha is a writer from Palo Alto, California. She is the author of three chapbooks, and her works appear in Monkeybicyle, Had, Cream City Review, Door is a Jar, Ghost Parachute, and others. (https://swethaamit.com) Her stories have been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, Best of the Net, and Best Small Fiction. Her writing has received support from the Kenyon Review Writers Workshop, Tin House, the Community of Writers, and Writers Grotto.

EDITOR'S SONG PAIRING: ovrl --- warmth