Doggone it, I could never stay mad at you.

The closet in my childhood bedroom has seen some things. Clothes off of their hangers and in desperate need of a wash (company was coming, so sue me), my old dog giving birth in there (shouts out to Missy. You'll forever be loved and missed in RP), and well...

I've always been seen as weird by my family. They loved having dogs around, while I was more practical. I knew I was the one doing most of the work, but we were all very busy, and I figured the house would run smoother if we didn't have a pet. Yet, I always made sure to keep the dogs on nice schedules where they got to play outside, eat dog food I extensively researched to make sure it was good for them, and made sure they knew how good of a dog they were. So, they said I was in love with them and didn't wanna admit it.

I don't know. All I know is that, I managed to get one dog that made me feel a little...giddy when I came home from weekends away, long days after school, and eventually during college breaks.

One particular college spring break, I was...excited, I'll admit, to see my dog (birthed in my very own closet). Her name is Lola (nicknamed Lil Lay Low by moi), she's the runt of the litter, and she is by far the best dog we've ever had because she never ran fifty blocks away when you opened the door for a split second as if she wasn't gonna come right back crying 'cause the outside world didn't have treats or rubs.

Low stayed by my side at all times when I was home. So, leaving her made me feel horrible. Like, I was committing a crime for trying to get an education. But, I needed to go and promised I'd come back. Every time I did make it to the front door, she'd be right there looking out the window with this excitement nothing and no one else has ever given me. And the second I opened the door, it was WALK TIME BABY.

Lola and I would run that town. We had to take our usual stops, and make sure everything was going well. We checked in on her fans and let kids oo and ahhh at her like she was the queen. All while she walked by my side without a lease because she was just that good.

So, since she did that EVERY time I came back home, you'd imagine my surprise when I reached the front door without seeing her head poking through the blinds. Then, I walked in...nothing. So, I called her name. Silence.

"Yo, where's my dog"

"I thought she was our dog and not yours?"

"When you guys treat her as well as I do, then she'll be your dogg. Where is she?"

That's when my mom told me she hadn't seen her most of the day. My sisters said they saw her to feed her, but then she disappeared.

That's when the panic settled in. The front doors had been opened and closed multiple times that day, and the last time was when my mom went to get me. Sure, she wasn't known for her need for adventure and to be out in the world alone, but anything could have happened in my head.

I somewhat looked through the house. Her be--she never slept in that actually, the downstairs couch she used as her throne...

But she wasn't answering me, so my fear told me she must've left out.

I got everyone to look outside with me. We called her name, I asked our neighbors if they saw her...but we came up low or Low.

And it was late. So, I put out her food, water and one of her little bandanas by the front door, and nervously went back up to my room.

I smelled myself, and realized I smelled like I had been in a car for hours, then outside looking for my dog for over an hour, all the while sweating due to nerves.

I opened my bedroom door, went to my closet, and heard a little squeak. A squeak that could only be described as the attempt at a bark from a tiny tiny dog who very rarely barks.

Guess who was there with her head just barely over the mound of clothes and tossed shoes. Chilling as if nothing ever happened. As if we weren't just looking for her all through the house (minus my bedroom which I saw was closed just as I left it...Don't judge me).

Guess who had been using my bedroom to chill in every now and then and forgot to let Lay sneak out with her when she realized she needed to clean up and sneak out before my arrival.

My sister.

Apparently Lola liked sleeping in there when I was gone just as she did when I was there (if she wasn't choosing the best spot on my bed). But she snuck in with my sister, who (without my permission) hungg out in there at times. Although, I was upset with my sister for both trapping Lola inside and staying in my room without me knowing, I was also happy with her. She was the reason everyone noticed two things that day:

1. My sister really wanted her own room, and eventually got that

2. Lil Lay Low loved me more than everyone

I don't really know how she feels about me these days. We talk on the phone, but I'm never able to see her now that I have an adult life. Yet, she's still my bestfriend and I'm really happy she was always there for me. Knowing she cared about me was the best moment ever.