Page 91 of Dog Person
“Amelia!” I bark, tearing through the grass. “I love you I love you I love you!”
“I love you, too, you nutty dog!”
Even from here, I can feel her warmth on my fur, and I blink and blink as my eyes fill with tears.
“Aww, Harold. It’s okay,” she tells me. “I know you’ve been through so much. You’ve been such a good boy.”
Yes, yes, I have.
“And you still are. I’m so incredibly happy to see you.”
I am, too, and my tail nub’s wagging, wagging, wagging. Oh, how wrong I was about ever after!
“I’ve been waiting for you, Harold,” says Amelia as she kneels and opens her arms. “So, come here so I can scratch your ears and rub your belly and give you the absolute biggestdog hug of your life. Then we’ll go run and play and spend the rest of time together.”
“Harold?” I can hear Miguel now. He’s farther away, and that old familiar tug to help him almost makes me open my eyes again. He must sense that I am caught between duty and desire, because his voice drops to a murmur. “It’s okay,” he assures me. “It’s okay. Thank you. You saved my life day after day, Harold, and I’ll never forget that. I love you.”
I love him, too.
Of course, Miguel’s already aware of that. And now we both know that he’ll be fine. That heisfine. I’ve done my job; I’ve fulfilled my purpose, which is the most any of us can wish for.
So, I say goodbye—but only for now. Because one day in the far-off future, Amelia and I will greet him in the field that stretches forever.
Then I begin to run as fast as my legs will takeme.
For my person is calling—
And she is my happy ending.
