Page 45 of The Things That Hold Us

He turns and looks at me, and I swear I see his eyes drop to my ring finger. He’s assuming I’m single and lonely and am going to use an animal to fill the void in my empty heart.

Well, he’s right, but he doesn't have to know that.

He nods, then says, “We have cats. If you want to look at those.”

“I don’t think a cat is the right fit. I honestly don't know what I’d want. I guess I just want to look until something stands out?”

“Well, you're welcome to walk through our dog kennels. Those are open for anyone to walk through. Everything else, I’ll have to walk with you.”

I feel like that’s his way of trying to get out of helping me, so I tell him that will work, and he shows me where to go. After he leaves, I enter the dog kennels.

So. Much. Barking.

Am I even allowed to have a dog in my building? I’ll worry about that problem later.

I walk for a minute looking at all the dogs. There are big ones that are probably the size of my apartment, and tiny ones I could carry in a purse.

Coming around the corner, I spot a dog just sitting there, watching through his bars.

As I get closer, his tail starts to wag, so I walk over and let him sniff my hand through the cage.

He’s an odd-looking thing. He has big floppy ears, a short nose, and chocolate colored fur.

He’s kind of cute.

“I see you found Pudding.” A guy says behind me, and I half expect to see the man from earlier, but this is someone different.

“The dog's name is Pudding?” I ask.

He laughs, “Yeah. He was brought in about a week ago. His owner passed away, and his family didn't want to keep him. Sad, really.”

“I know the feeling, guy.” I whisper to the dog, but the man looks at me confused.

I just shake it off, not feeling like explaining that.

“Do you wanna play with him?” he asks.

My eyebrows pinch, confused.

“We have a yard for potential adoptions. So you can take the dog out and see if you're compatible without the cage in the way.”

“Oh. How would I know if I’m compatible with a dog?” I ask him.

He must think I’m joking, because he just laughs, and then grabs a leash.

“Come on, the door is right through there,” he points to a door that looks like it leads outside. “You can go ahead and go out, and I’ll bring him to you. There's treats on that table too, if you want to grab him some.”

Nodding, I walk towards the door. What am I doing?

I grab a handful of dog bone shaped treats, then push the door open and walk to the little bench under a tree.

It takes a minute, but the man finally emerges, with Pudding trailing next to him on a leash.

The poor guy has his tail between his legs, but it's wagging. My heart feels like it might break open.

“Pudding, this is..” the guy says, and it takes a second to realize he’s introducing me to the dog. Is that normal?

“Oh.” I clear my throat, “Charlie. I’m Charlie.”

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