Without you

Grace sits at a table in a bleak kitchen that almost seems uninhabited. Her entire house is practically empty, lacking any signs of warmth or personality. Money is tight, and the constant struggle to make ends meet does not make her home décor a priority. A newspaper, stack of past due bills, and cut up credit cards scattered across the table paint a clear picture of her current financial situation. She walks to a cupboard and takes out a shoe box full of money and counts it. She is not pleased with its contents. She picks up the newspaper and looks through the want ads. She circles jobs from the general section but becomes very frustrated with the lack of choices. Her resume and skills are as bare as her cupboards.

BLAIR, her miniature schnauzer, moseys into the room. She is old yet the grey in her coat is the only sign of life in the room. Grace sets down the paper, and lovingly strokes the dog as happiness consumes her once stoic face. She picks Blair up and places her in her lap. As she cuddles with her dog, she forgets her troubles, at least for a moment, and drifts off to sleep. The next morning Grace goes job hunting. The day is spent interviewing at mediocre minimum wage jobs. She knows she has enough street smarts to be perform any of these bosses, yet due to her lack of education and work experience, she is not hired. Grace walks out of an interview at Target, want ads in hand, stomps over to a trash can and rips the newspaper into tiny little pieces. Grace comes home to finds a EVICTION notice on her door. It reads “RENT THREE MONTHS PAST DUE, OCCUPANT TO PAY TWO THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED FIFTY DOLLARS BY FRIDAY OR VACATE” Completely defeated she removes it from door. Grace sulks in her bed as drinks a bottle of very cheap wine. There are several pictures of Blair throughout the years on her nightstand, but no pictures of any people, which emphasizes the bond and love she has for her dog. Blair slowly walks into the room and the very sight of her beloved pet instantly comforts Grace. She helps the old dog onto the bed, and they fall asleep next to each other.

The next day Grace puts a for sale sign in her car window. Her neighbor, Billy, comes over and checks out the car for sale. They agree on a price and Billy writes Grace a check for $4,000.00. Grace sits at the table with her calculator totaling unpaid bills. Her shoebox full of money and her check for the sale of her car are also on the table next to her eviction notice. After totaling all bills, including the past due rent, she has fifty dollars left over. Things are starting to look brighter, and she is relieved to know everything will work out. Blair walks in and looks in her bowl for dinner. Grace goes to the cupboard, and it too is empty. She grabs the petty cash, her coat and purse, and races out the door.

Later that night, Grace prepares two steak dinners. One for herself and one for Blair. They enjoy their fine meal and Grace drinks an expensive bottle of wine. Grace cleans up after dinner and looks at her calendar on the fridge. It indicates she has an interview at Starbucks in the morning. She whistles for Blair to come into the bedroom, and they both pass out effortlessly with full bellies.

Grace wakes up and prepares for her day. Once she is dressed, she notices Blair is missing. She frantically searches each room. After searching the entire house, she finds Blair balled up in the corner of her bathroom unresponsive. Grace rushes to her and see that she is not breathing properly. She also feels a massive lump on Blair’s chest. She rushes her to the Pet Hospital. Grace carries Blair into the Veterinarian's office, and is there for many hours until finally she leaves the clinic, distraught and without her dog. That night in her bed all alone, she looks at old photos of Blair and gets terribly upset. She finishes her bottle of wine as she reads the estimate from the Vet for a $3,000 surgery necessary for Blair’s survival. The procedure must be done in the next 24hours, or Blair will die. She holds the eviction notice is in her other hand, looks at the calendar and realizes that tomorrow is Friday.

The next morning, Grace clings to a picture of Blair while she sobs. Her tears pour as she sets the photo down as if saying a final goodbye. She kisses the photo, grabs the Eviction letter and leaves. Later that night, fresh snow silently falls as Grace lies on a park bench, she has a garbage bag full of clothes by her side and a sign that reads “WILL WORK FOR FOOD”. Blair is asleep by her feet keeping her safe and warm. THE END.