Last Night On Earth

2^nd January 2015

Dear Cassi,

       

I bopped off to the store this morning in the hunt for American made frying pans. The Chinese pans tend to bend under fire and I really haven’t tried pans from any other country. Pickle had two pans that started to peal leaving black flakes in his food.

       

I found my American pans and got two for him to replace those that I had deemed unsafe. When Pickle asked how much he owed me I said, “I’ll trade you the pans for more bones for Gus.”

       

Seeing as the dog had only one more day in this world Pickle agreed and we went off to have ribs. We went to a restaurant that I had introduced him to in historic up town and both had a full rack of baby back ribs.

       

Stuffed to near bursting we came home, and I fed the old dog who wagged his stump of a tail. I went to sleep knowing that my old dog’s last night on earth would be a happy one and then I cried. I cried for Gus and my old lab Pork Chop, and my little tuxedo cat Hyde. I cried for my calico Cheshire and my Russian Blue Swift. I cried one tear for each pet I’ve lost in the last ten years. Then I told myself I had no right to cry.

       

Exhausted, I fell to sleep and woke not long before now. I’m off to work before I give my old Gus is last load on bones and tuck him in one last time.

Moments are priceless, little sister,

Richard Leland Neal