Amelia W.’s Memoir: Behind the Door

Behind the Door

 

My sister and I have always asked for a dog. Just like any other kid, it was always at the top of my Christmas list. It wasn’t until last year, that we actually started looking. This is because we used to have a cat.

Bad.

We had seen many, many dogs.

One time we went to the adoption center and met a husky named Tally who could only see out of one eye. My sister and I liked her….but.

No. My dad said Tally was “too excited.”

Later, we met some really cute puppies that were only a few weeks old. It was anyone’s dream.

He said no. Again. The dogs were too young, so you could not see their personalities, since they were not developed yet.

I gave up hope. I thought we would never have a dog. Never. We would be a dogless family. It was until one very day. A day of history. A day where everything was different. A day that changed my life.

“Hello,” I said as I strided into the kitchen to see my parents.

“How was your day?” my mom asked.

“Good! How about yours?”

“It was okay. I had a lot of teleconferences, but it was still nice to work from home.”

Turning to my dad I asked, “How was your day?”

“It was good,” he responded with a smile. Turning to the den door, I noticed it was closed.

That’s odd, I thought to myself. Usually the door was open. I walked along preparing to drop my heavy backpack filled with lots of notes, and binders, and books in the den after a long week.

Creak. The wood floor squeaked under my feet. When I was a foot away from the door, my dad raised his phone, as if he was going to take a picture.

“Why are you doing that?” I asked.

“No reason,” he answered with a different type of tone.

Suspicious.

I ran my hand over the cold, metal doorknob.

Click.

The door opened. My eyes were wide open, my mouth opened in pure shock, a single tear streaming down my face. I could smell the familiar old wood aroma mixed with dirt. I sniffed. Fur. I could hear the jingle of a collar, the heavy breathing of myself and the creature in sync.

Everything went silent.

The glow of the computer screen in the background. I turned around to see the light in my parents’ eyes. Both, smiling. I turned back around to view the creature.

A puppy.

“This is Max,” my mom said.

Mostly black with brown patterns on his feet and soft ears. A white patch on his neck. It was surreal. I approached the creature slowly, getting closer to his classic puppy dog eyes, with a million questions.

“How old is he…where did you get him…how long have you been planning this???”

As I sat down next to him my Dad replied, “Today, we went to the Humane Society and we weren’t expecting to bring home a dog. As soon as we walked him in the backyard of the Humane Society to see how he was walking around, he rolled onto his back and wanted a belly rub, and we instantly knew he was the right dog.”

“Also, in the shelter all of the dogs were barking except for Max,” my mom said. I looked from my dad, to my mom.

To Max.

“Thank you!” I smiled.

I was in utter disbelief. We had a puppy.

A dog.

After all these years of asking, I lost hope. I thought it would never happen. I thought we would be a family without a dog forever. I didn’t believe in them at the end. I should have. This is why I was in shock. They did it. My childhood wish.

Believe in people. Don’t lose hope.

They’ll come around.

 

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2 thoughts on “Amelia W.’s Memoir: Behind the Door

  1. I really like how you explained how exited the character was with detail and hoe they felt. I would like to know more about how the other sister felt about the puppy.

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