The Ghost of Dogs Past

Story Sent in by Justin:

The conversation with Angelica over dinner never hit a lull. We talked about everything from what we wanted to be when we grew up to favorite breakfasts to pets we used to own.

I finished telling her about two dogs I had grown up with when all of a sudden she looked really sad. She said that she had had a dog named Chester. "One day he got lost," she said, then she started to cry.

I didn't expect there to be crying on our first date and so I leaped into damage control, soothing her, asking her if she wanted to change the subject, or whatever else.

She wiped her eyes and said, "It's okay. We found him. He was only missing for an hour."

Well that's a relief. I asked her if Chester had passed away.

"No!" she said, "No, he's still living with my parents. He's 14." Then she cried some more.

I asked, "Are you… are you crying about Chester?"

She took a deep breath and said, "I'm crying about every pet that's ever been lost, ever. It's sad!" She sobbed and sobbed.

I guess it was kind of sad. I ate some fries while I waited for her to calm down, which she eventually did.

Perhaps stupidly, I asked her, "Think you might get your own dog, one day?"

The floodgates opened again. I guess I should've changed the subject completely. She eventually recovered and the rest of the date went fine. However, there was no second date.