After finding out Greg and I couldn’t have kids, the silence in our marriage just felt louder. One day, I suggested getting a dog. “Something to love,” I said. Greg wasn’t thrilled but agreed, as long as it wasn’t “some yappy little thing.”
At the shelter, I saw her—Maggie. A frail, gray-faced senior dog curled up in the back. Her tag said, 12 years old. Hospice adoption only. She looked so tired, so defeated. But when I knelt down, her tail wagged, just barely. I knew she was the one.
Greg, though, was fixated on Maggie—maybe more so on her apparent health. “That dog was at death’s door,” he hissed, his voice low with disbelief. “How is she still alive? She can barely walk, yet here she is, trotting around like a show pony. This is ridiculous.”
“She had a few health issues,” I said quietly. “The shelter believed she was hospice-only. But…Sam and the clinic discovered otherwise. Yes, Maggie has arthritis and a heart murmur, but with the right care, medication, and therapy, she’s improved. She might not have the years of a young pup left, but she’s certainly got more than they first thought.” I paused, placing a gentle hand on Maggie’s head. She looked up at me, her soulful eyes reflecting gratitude. “And she’s happy,” I added softly.
Greg’s knuckles were turning white as he gripped the strap of his briefcase. His new girlfriend—Melanie, I think he’d called her—looked between Greg and me, seeming less certain about her territory. Possibly she was just now realizing that the man she’d clung to so confidently had more baggage than she signed up for.
“You threw me away for a dog,” Greg snapped. “You wasted our marriage on this…this mutt. And now you’re standing here—clearly you’ve just replaced me with him.” He nodded venomously toward Sam.
I swallowed the burning retort that rose to my lips. I never liked conflict, but seeing Greg try to drag Sam into his bitterness made my blood boil. I had spent months discovering that I was stronger and more capable than I had ever given myself credit for—months learning that the love I poured into caring for Maggie, especially in her fragile state, was worth everything. Still, anger rattled in my chest, and I fought to keep my composure.
“You left me,” I said. My voice came out calmer than I felt. “I chose to save a life. Maybe that wasn’t convenient for you, but it was the right thing for me. And I don’t regret it.”