(the beginning of this post was somehow mysteriously lost, but i'm too lazy to fill it in) I got home at 4:10, hopped in the shower, and rushed off to Shiki Sushi for my dinner shift still hyped on my adrenaline rush from getting so many ideas knocked out. Post-dinner, I headed over to Katharine's with Greg (sans costume) for some introductory Halloween fun, sprinted to East End with Greg and Sarah for a good half hour of dancin at the DJ booth, witnessed a break-in behind Chipotle on Franklin St., then spent the last of our time out at Emily's house party. On Saturday, I woke up for my 10:45AM - 4:30PM shift, furiously texting Greg about Jethro's arrival and settling in. I was so excited to meet him. When I first walked into Greg's house, I instantly knew that Jethro was gentle, and unquestionably handsome. He had just arrived from the shelter, and was understandably scared of loud noises (the refrigerator ice dispenser, water running in the upstairs bathroom, a car door slamming outside, the start of an engine in the neighborhood, heavy footsteps on the stairs, etc). He even ran away from the TV when it flashed brightly. He walked with his tail between his legs, cautious enough to be ready to take a few steps back into his self-projected fenced in area (aka Greg's dining area that is blocked off by a couch). He approached us slowly. He wouldn't walk anywhere outside of where he felt comfortable. He is such a good walker, never jerking on the leash. Completely house-trained, no mess ups. Beautiful light brown eyes. A thick coat of brown, black, white, and gold. Curious ears. Never barked. Never bit. Never growled. Quite a licker. By Sunday, he latched on to me. Everywhere I went, he went. If I went into the bathroom, he'd wait until I came out. On Sunday, I had a GlobeMed Exec lunch at Weaver Street Market (what a beautiful day), where we celebrated our birthdays (Nick, me, Julie, Aurelien) with some yummy chocolate-raspberry cake from Sindhya + some Maple View Farms whole milk, yum! When I left, the roommates said he would wait at the door wondering where I had been. Justina and I sat outside on the patio with him and our sweet tea for a good hour before I took him to the woman's house who was thinking of adopting him for good. Her house was ENORMOUS, and definitely HGTV-material, complete with her red accented living room/kitchen and hardwood floor sunroom. Jethro ran around in her backyard with her two little Pomeranians, while I sat there and listened to the woman's friend assess Jethro's personality (he happens to also be the trainer for Coach K's dog!). I know she can offer him a better home. But I don't want to let him go. Last night, he slept next to my bed. I couldn't fall asleep and got overwhelmed with grief when I thought about the too-fresh loss of Benny this past August to chronic renal failure. I haven't written about it because it's too hard to bear, but he was with me for more than half my life. I started to cry, thinking about the night I slept next to Benny in my den the day before we had to take him to the vet to be put down. I'm crying now just even thinking about it again. When Jethro heard me sniffling, he got up and put his face next to mine and started to lick me.
I miss the comfort a dog can give you.
Long story short... I'm holding onto Jethro for one more night, and then I'm taking him to his new home tomorrow. It will most certainly be bittersweet though it will err on the side of 'bitter' and disregard the 'sweet' entirely. It will definitely be hard to let go of him tomorrow.
And to end this entry in loving memory of my first man's-best-friend, Benny:
