Love From Afar

Part 6- Dog

Today the girl got her report card. She has all A's, no surprise there. As a reward, she went with her parents to get a present. I don't know where they went, or what the present is. I just know that the girl seemed excited about it. I heard her say something about protection. I don't know if that was related to the gift though. She might have been referring her dog. Her dog is getting older, so he might need protecting. He's a chocolate lab. The chocolate in his coat brings out the gold in the girl's hair, and the blue in her eyes. They are almost inseparable after school lets out. She loves to go to this abandoned field outside town with him and play fetch. I love to watch them play. The dog has almost caught me once or twice, but I am experienced. That dog will never catch me completely. I love the girl too much for the dog to catch me. I always know when the girl is going out to play fetch with the dog, because the girl will put on this red sweatshirt. Red, like sunsets and the hidden flame in her hair when the sun catches it just right. The girl loves sunsets. I do too, because she loves it. And when the girl goes out to play with the dog, they always stay to watch the sunset together. Then, once the sun goes down and the stars turn my girl into a shimmering wraith with the combination of inky darkness and pinpricks of light, they walk back towards town together, the girl walking straight and tall, her arms swinging casually by her side, while the dog leaps around her like a fish in a swiftly running stream. I want that girl to be mine. I NEED that girl to be mine.