Love at First Sight - a short story

I liked thinking it was a mutual, love-at-first-sight moment when I met Jackson. He and I became instantly close, almost like we were meant to be. We went everywhere together and did everything; time spent with him was so laid-back! I had never had that kind of relationship before! He would take me shopping and was always buying me some trinket or something he thought I’d like, or really, just about anything I picked out. I wasn’t in it for his bank account though, I didn’t care if he spent money on me or not; I just thought he was by far, the coolest guy I had ever met. I moved in with him after a whirlwind of activity; his place just needed a couple of homey touches to make it mine too. He introduced me to his friends which I thought was huge. It was important to him and to me that his friends like me, and I could tell they did!

Jackson and I hung out together a lot and sometimes we simply stayed at home. We often cuddled on the couch and watched sports; football was his favorite. Me? I didn’t care for it, but I liked that he was so passionate about it. I also loved that he liked to cook when we were home. Someone sure taught him well! I’m not saying he was perfect; he had his quirks too. He liked to brush my hair. This wasn’t my thing, but he liked doing it, so I didn’t let on that I found it weird.

When the weather warmed up, we would pack snacks and spend the whole day taking a drive, bouncing down some dusty, country road with the windows rolled down in his beat-up pickup truck, with the music up loud. The spring time weather just felt so good after the confines of winter! He made me so happy on days like that, just the two of us. He would sing to the tunes on the radio and I would sing along, but I don’t think my voice was as good as his, because he’d laugh at me, but I didn’t care. It just felt good to be so carefree. Those were the days!

But things began to change. Jackson began yelling at me for the littlest of things. He quit asking me if I wanted to go with him, and his conversations were almost non-existent when he would get home. And then he began to go out for the evenings, and would come home really late. Once I even found a woman’s hair on his clothing. Last week he stopped coming home at night. The first time it happened, he stumbled into the house the next morning and only stayed long enough to shower and change, before rushing back out again. I didn’t bombard him with accusations, but I could smell a woman’s perfume on him. It hurt me so much! I turned away from him, wounded that he would seek another’s company. He begged me to not be like that, but I was inconsolable. That day he left without saying good-bye.

Then last night he came home late from work, and this time he wasn’t alone. I don’t know if he thought I’d leave, but I’m not like that, so I waited for his key to turn in the lock. He came through the door and guess what, he brought that female with him, the one I knew he was seeing! I could smell her perfume! And he brought her there while I was still there! He had his arm around her and she looked at me nervously. I didn’t know what to do, I was speechless for perhaps the first time in my life! It hurt me, but sadly, I could tell he loved her and I could see why. She was a gorgeous, petite young thing, with gentle brown eyes. She looked at me and then knelt down and offered me one of my favorite doggie treats, and that was when I knew Jackson and I would have to keep her. I wagged my tail and went over to her and licked her face happily and welcomed her to our home.