A Dog and His Boy

Part One (A work of fiction)

“A boy needs a dog,” I heard my dad tell my mom as I pressed my face against my bedroom door. I had spent all of dinner explaining to them why we need a dog.

“A dog will protect us and he can watch me when you can’t find a sitter and I promise I’ll feed him and clean up after him and dogs are cute!” My mom looked at me like I was the cutest, saddest little thing she’d ever seen. My dad would try to get a word in from time-to-time, but I wouldn’t let him because I knew he was going to say, “no” without really giving it any real thought. “And dogs are cuddly and soft and …”

So I was sent to bed a little early so they could “talk about it.”

“Really, you promise you’re really gonna talk ‘bout it?”

“Yeah, kid, we promise we’ll talk about it. That does not mean we’re promising you a dog, understand?” I stood there in my Minions pajamas contemplating what my dad had just said for a moment and said, “okay. But dogs are really the best…”

“I SAID WE’LL TALK ABOUT IT! Now go to bed, I love you.”

…