Creeping across the floor, hoping not to be noticed, he makes it to the doorway. Tossing a backward glance, he sees her ... and the pair of eyes following him. This was not the escape he intended.
She was lying in repose on the couch, her blonde hair flowing, almost blending into the couch. In her younger years, she was the first to engage. Lacking in beauty, and knowing that she was lacking in beauty, she more than made up for it in energy and heart. But that was in her younger years, and now, she was just trying to grow old with some sort of dignity. The pink of her cheeks now faded, and the bounce in her step gone. Of course, the less anyone noticed, the happier she was. Except that he always noticed, just as he noticed the very air she breathed.
He thought she didn't notice his tiptoeing around her. Well, not most of the time anyway. He wasn't arrogant with his youth. The simple matter of fact was that he loved her more than the breath of life. Of course he knew that in the neighborhood they called her a cougar. Which made him the kid. It didn't matter what they called him, as long as she didn't discover that anyone was saying anything less than kind about her. She walked in beauty and he loved every minute that he was allowed to spend with her. She was the very bane of his existence. His life before she was in it -- meaningless.
He tried to sneak out without her knowing because he knew that each time he went out without her, was one more thing that separated them. He tried so hard to help her. He knew that her time her on earth was nearing an end. It pained him so much. She was his everything. He often would just lie at her side, just the very act of being near her adding more memories. Sometimes he just watched her in her regal repose. Absorbing.
His devotion to her was mirrored by his devotion to his family. A whistle from his owner brought him to his feet, tail whipping wildly, ready for the game. It was these moments when she tried to keep up that she knew you can't teach an old dog new tricks.
