J. Rusolo Ward

“Everybody is going.  You really must join me.”  Gwen was worried about him.  Ever since Maggie died, he only left the house for work.

“I was planning on putting on some sweats, and watching the game.”

She tried to entice him.  “Every local celebrity will be there.”

“So, basically the mayor, that girl who won the blue ribbon in the state fair for growing the largest pumpkin, and the guy with the goiter that looks like Elvis.  The goiter, that is, not the guy.”

“You need to get out of the house every now and then.  Your lifestyle isn’t healthy.”

“I work hard and I’m tired,” he pursed his lips.

“John, it’s been a year since Maggie died.”

He crossed his arms.  “I didn’t realize there was a time limit on grief.”

“There’s not, but you’re depressed and things haven’t changed.  Maybe you should go back to your therapist.”

“That insensitive troll said I should replace Maggie.  Can you believe it?  As if I could snap my fingers and replace someone who meant so much to me.  We were together for twelve years.”  He started sobbing.

She felt bad for him, but pressed on, “Perhaps you should find a new therapist?”

“You want me to open myself up to another charlatan?  To belittle my years with Maggie?  All I have are the memories of our long walks on the beach, our drives through the country and our shared love of action films.”

She put an arm around him, and placed her forehead against his.  “Everyone loved Maggie.  I adored the old girl.”

“She never judged me, Gwen, and she was loyal to a fault.”

“I’m not saying to forget her.  I’m just saying that she wouldn’t want you to stop living.”

“She was the best dog a man ever had.”

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN JOINING THE FORTNIGHTLY 300 WORD STORY GROUP (EITHER TO CONTRIBUTE OR TO READ CONTRIBUTIONS) PLEASE CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING LINK FOR MORE INFORMATION:

300 Word Story Group