He Does Love Me

“That was possibly the weirdest dream ever! About Joe? What the HELL!” she screamed. It was a good thing Jackie wasn’t home, it was her house, and it wouldn’t be cool to piss her off for screaming and waking her up.
She turned to look at the clock, it was only six a.m. Way too early, she didn’t have school until nine, and it was within an easy walking distance.
"Damn it! Arrrrrrrgggghhhh!!!" Kathrine said as her dog, Bubba, came into the room. He jumped up on the bed and smiled that warm puppy smile, while wagging his tail. He was a big dog that probably shouldn’t have been on the bed, but she loved this dog too much to tell it to go away.
“You’re lucky that you’re cute,” she said, as Bubba wagged his tail faster, because of the attention, and as if to say “I know”.
“Sometimes life is so hard, isn’t it Bubba. Yes, but not for little puppy boys like you. You get to be pampered all day, and fed, and petted. Life must be hard for you, isn’t that right my handsome man?” she said in a child-like voice, while playing with his fuzzy little ears.
Bubba had been a stray, Kathrine found him one day on her daily walk down the street. He had been roaming around so, she brought him home and put up filers. Yet, no one came for him. It was hard to understand how someone could not be missing this dog. He was the most beautiful golden retriever Kathrine had ever seen, surely he was a purebred. He had big brown eyes that always seemed sincere, even though he couldn’t talk, and a more reddish fur than other Goldens. He was the smartest and kindest too. Sometimes she wondered if he could actually understand everything she said, she would ask a question and Bubba would nod or shake his head, as if he was actually answering her. All she knew was that she loved this dog more than anything in the world, almost to the point where it is incomprehensible. He was her best buddy, and the only one who didn’t judge her.
“Bet you want some food, huh?” she said, as she got up out of bed, and made her way to the kitchen. Her room was the most disheveled place in the world, but she didn’t care. Somehow she could find everything she wanted when it was a mess. If only that applied to life, finding herself in the tangled mess of things was her kryptonite.
She fed Bubba some Gravy Train, and left over chicken from last night’s dinner. He gobbled it up, like he hadn’t eaten in years. Kathrine grabbed a strawberry-vanilla granola bar form the cabinet and sat herself on the cushion in the bay window. She stared up at the rising sun, it had pinks, and blues, and purples, pastel colors that she usually didn’t like, but on a sun rise, it was beautiful. Yet, there was the gray and black on the edge. It was there to attempt to pulverize the other colors, and take over. They wanted to make the sunrise their own, and rule the world with misery as a tool of war. “I bet it will work,” she thought to herself. “One day, they’ll be successful.”
Bubba came over and laid his head on her lap. “Oh, Bubba boy… What are we gonna do for three hours, huh?” Bubba just looked up and smiled showing his cute, little puppy teeth. “Yah, I don’t know either buddy.”
She patted her lap, a gesture for him to come up. They snuggled like mother and son. She loved that dog so much… And he loved her, she just knew it. He always knew when she was sad, or angry, or just wanted company. She didn’t need to tell him, he just sensed it.
He was the only good thing that she loved. The drugs the drinking, were bad, real bad. Bubba was good. Sometimes he was what brought her out if it. Like as if he was Kathrine’s son, she’d stop to think what will happen to Bubba. “Love you, my silly man,” she said. And fell asleep with the big ol’ dog in her arms, he precious son.