Missing Natasha
I was a somewhat troubled teenager who rarely listened to my parents, and as a result I had a lot of sad, sleepless nights in high school. Despite my constant troublemaking, my parents were kind enough to let me have a dog. She was a very good friend during the angst filled days of my youth.
Her favorite snack was popcorn. If I left a bag of freshly microwaved popcorn on my bed during a movie bathroom break, I’d come back to find it stuck on her head.
From the first night that we brought her home she slept in my bed, and years later when I visited from college she still slept in my bed. This was difficult, since it was a twin size and we both weighed 100+ pounds, but we made it work.
When she was a puppy she fought with her reflection in the mirror, and I thought this was so funny I’d nearly pee myself laughing every time. As she got older she pretty much just wanted to take naps and eat snacks, which made us a perfect match.
Tonight she died of cancer we didn’t know she had. It had spread to all her major organs, and into her bones. My parents and brother held her and told her they loved her while she died. I wish I could’ve been there.
This is the second recent death in my small circle of people I’m close to, and though the first loss was much more significant, this just adds to the growing sense that life is so painfully short. I feel much older now that my puppy, who it seems I was just playing with yesterday, is gone. She’ll be very missed.
Natasha, left, with her brother Jack. This was taken last month, the last time I saw her.
12 People are talking. Say something »