The Chocolate Lab lies between
his master and mistress looking
up lovingly past the light into
the man’s face as the man flips
another page of the mystery his
sister inadvertently left behind
in the hurry of packing. It had
been a rough day for everyone
at the animal surgeon’s office.
To cut or not to cut — that is
the question. The vet had work-
ed the knee hard and detailed
previous wounds in the rescue
dog’s legs. The dog, seemingly
serene, took it without a mur-
mur. Surgery or not — that is
the question. Life together wou-
ld change irrevocably surgery
or not. Walks in, running out;
sidewalks in, sand dunes out;
stairs? slow, slower, slowest.
The man knows the dog’s knee
has to hurt because the stoical
dog has grown still and very
quiet. He wonders about the
light in the dog’s eyes. He
turns off the lamp and puts
down the book.