A Love Misplaced

When raised in the suburbs, Amelia always had a silent personality. She would usually be that little invisible point in a world that to her, seemed to be moving faster than she wanted. It was the pet shelter in her neighborhood where she walked in every weekend to be with the animals. In the company of the abandoned and strayed pets, she discovered peace and a feeling of being part of them.

It was on a rainy afternoon when the shelter got a new dog. He was a very hairy, mid-size mongrel with historically communicative brown eyes that appeared full of unante dtailed stories that were never expressed by anyone else. An instant connection to the dog was felt by Amelia. She later named him Max.

All the other dogs of the place were very noisy and loose, only Max was quiet and very careful, followed Amelia everywhere with eyes. She shared her days, her dreams, and her fears with him. Most days, Max just lay there and listened to her patent stories, his head tilted to one side as though he understood every word.

As weeks were passing, the relationship between Max and Amelia was getting stronger. Amelia was heartbroken without Max and she was looking forward to the weekend days. She knew that she was growing fond of him in a way that exceeded the love she usually had for pets. Max had turned out to become her best confidant, and her safety in the normally quite chaotic world.

On the weekend, Amelia made her decision which was to adopt Max. She was unable to think of him being with another family; that is why he was allowed to leave with her. She gave the shelter the paper that was needed and on Friday, she excitedly and impatiently waited for the call. Finally, when the call came that Max was ready to go home with her, she was overfilled with happiness.

Life was fantastic with Max. Amelia's pet would be ever-present, moving from area to area, with his presence a thing of relief for her that she was not by herself. Amelia spoke to him while they walked for ages in the park. She talked of the love for him, hope for the future, and what she would do without him. Max would just gaze at her, his expressions being those of steadfast devotion with undivided attention.

But as the weeks turned into months, Amelia observed there was something wrong. Max started to lose weight, wasn't as energetic as before, and his once-clear eyes turned dark. She took him to the doctor, waiting hopefully for the diagnosis. The deductions were despairing: the poor animal had an aggressive form of cancer that is very rare.

Amelia's universe just collapsed! She didn't think she could bear the loss of Max, the one that had fulfilled her with a lot of happiness and consolation. During the day, she was always with him, making his life as comfortable as possible. The folks at the animal shelter that assisted her with the new pet were also sympathetic, but the comfort of the shelter's employees was insignificant compared to her grief.

Realizing that Max is getting worse, Amelia sidelined other emotions as she realized that the most difficult thing she could do was to take him out of his misery. She was not going to let him suffer. With a heavy heart, she made a decision to euthanize him and arrange an appointment with the vet. The night before, she was beside Max, stacking her body on the floor alongside him, quietly talking about the good times they had had for so long.

This time, while she was cuddling Max with her arms and tears were raining down her cheeks, she felt his body begin to soften for the last time. He looked at her with such a longing and gratefulness, and she had a short moment of love and wonder, just for that split second. Then he vanished.

The tragedy of the sudden departure of Max caused a hole in the heart of Amelia. She came back to the refuge where she used to feel safe and lowly but now it was no longer a retreat similar to home. It was as if the other animals knew what she was going through and tried to give her moral support, but they couldn’t cure her from Max’s absence. Notwithstanding, she went on donating her services, and some solace came through caring just for the other animals but the memory of Max bore her very much.

Many weeks went by and with the help of time Amelia began to heal with the ache that never fully heals. She felt the issue still remained but sought to reconcile herself with it as her feeling for Max was real and intense, though contrary to the academic view of the matter. This was the time when she tasted the power of the deep love she could have and the courage to safeguard her from the blows of the broken heart. Though it had taken her but a short period of time, this was the most fulfilling love relationship she has ever had.

Finally, Amelia gained a comfort overall in the bittersweet remnants of Max. She always had his collar with her, and it was like a little token of the bond they had shared together. It was to remind her that love, even though it could dissipate in a moment, was trivially, without a doubt, the worthiest experience a person could ever have.