FICTION — 543 WORDS: DOGS
I wanted to have a dog as a child, but I never got one. I begged whenever I saw one on the street, but my father never gave in. I was around six, when I saw a young Labrador sniffing our fence. I wanted to touch him, scratch his head, and give him a treat.
I was walking on the tips of my toes, trying my best not to scare him off. I didn’t mean to frighten him. When I touched his tail, he jumped around, got scared and bit me. I felt a sharp pain in my forearm and blood ran down to my tiny fingers and dripped on the floor. It was an excruciating feeling, and I ran back inside screaming.
My mom was home, and she took care of my wound. She said that it isn’t deep and that it won’t need stitches. Even after the incident I still wanted to have a dog, so I begged my mother not to tell dad. I knew that if he found out, I would never be allowed to have one.
Months passed and Christmas was up ahead. I wrote in big letters on a piece of paper: “I WANT DOG”. I wrote at least 10 letters to Santa, just to make sure he will bring me one. I was behaving super well. I went to church every Sunday with my mom, and I helped my dad whenever I could. He never appreciated it, as he later explained to me, because I was a bigger nuisance than usual.
The Christmas morning came, and I was full of hope. For every box I opened, my belief grew stronger. Even when I was opening the last one, I was convinced that a dog would jump out. There was a dog in the last box alright, but not the one I wanted. It was a toy.
“I don’t understand, mom.” I looked up with tears in my eyes. “I was so good mom. What have I done wrong?”
“Nothing! What are you talking about? Look, press here!” After she pressed the toy’s paw the big doggo said: “WUF, WUF.” I’ve never cried so much as that day. When I was finally done, my dad came to my room and sat down on my bed. “Listen, kiddo. We can’t have a dog. Dogs are dangerous, just look at this scar you have, right here on your arm.”
“No dad, that was my fault. I promise I will never scare our dog.” He stood up and went to the door. “There is no easy way to say this, but NO is the final answer.” Even though his words hurt I wasn’t planning to give up. I was clever enough to choose my battles.
I could never win alone against dad, but I knew mom could. I was slowly gaining her on my side, and I thought everything was going well until one day they called me down to the kitchen. They have decided to get a divorce and I was convinced it was my fault. I thought that it was because mom tried to persuade dad to get me a dog. Even though they kept telling me that it wasn’t my fault, I didn’t believe them. I never wanted to have a dog again.
Questions
1. Was there ever something you wanted as a kid, but never got it? Did you ever give a present to your kids/friends and it turned out to be a huge disappointment (or success)?
You should answer yourself.
2. Are kids whose parents get a divorce emotionally damaged?
Almost 50 percent of all marriages in the United States end in divorce or separation, but this doesn’t mean all of those kids are carrying emotional baggage. Young kids find it hard to understand why they must choose between two homes. Kids who are already in school may worry that the divorce is their fault, and the teenagers can become quite angry and often blame one of the parents. While divorce is stressful for all children, some kids rebound faster than others. Additionally, parents can take steps to reduce the psychological effects of divorce on children.
3. Why do so many people get divorced?
It’s a strange world we live in. We never seem to find to be happy. We are always wanting more. Instead of fixing our problems, we find someone, who we believe is the solution to all of our failures. Does that work? Not really. Never be with someone to fix yourself, be with someone who complements you, for who you are.
4. Depression is soon to become the #1 chronic disease in the world. What is happening?
Oh, if we only knew…Perhaps we raise our kids to have unrealistic expectations. Perhaps it’s the rising stress and isolation, modern style of living, losing the importance of strong relationships, aging population (who are more likely to suffer than other age groups), maybe it’s a combination of all these things. One fact is true though — the world is becoming a sad place. What can you do? For today think of five things or people you’re grateful for and wherever you go, do one good thing.
5. Do you agree or disagree with this sentence: “People who have less are happier than people who have more.”