carving memories
Laying tracks
Mama called Lassie Boy and me her second litter. Seven years separated him and the next youngest, and another three years after I was born, the last of five.
It's funny how some memories bring tears and others joy. Some bring a little of both, carving memory tracks so deeply that the lessons learned never leave.
My earliest memory is of our dog Rex when he was jes a slip of a pup, hiding under the kitchen table, his angry bark warning whatever had frightened him that a reckonin' was comin'.
But rememberin’ the pup means rememberin’ Rex grown old and blind. After the third time that our poor dog tried to helplessly cross the road in front of a passing car, the wheels shrieking as the driver braked and swerved to avoid it, Daddy said it was time to put him out of his misery.
The followin' mornin' Lassie Boy and I dug a grave for him in the backyard afore leavin' for school. We returned straight home followin’ our lessons and I went out on the porch to say goodbye to him, pettin' Rex gently when I discovered that he wasn't sleepin' but dead.
I feel my shock and sense of betrayal even now, and I'm not ashamed to say that I began to bawl my eyes out then and there. Lassie Boy rushed out onto the porch when he heard me, and he fixed to bawling himself. He put his arm around my shoulder and said Come on Koot and we walked into the kitchen and sat at the table with Mama and she began to bawl too.
Next daddy came into the kitchen. Pretty sure he felt bad that Lassie Boy and I couldn't say goodbye to ole Rex, but he sat there and didn't say nuthin, three of us bawling and him staring at the sugar bowl in the table's center like it had more to say than him.
Our daddy wasn't a crier but his eyes got red, his hair stickin' out the sides of his head like Dagwood Bumstead. If we weren't all so damn miserable, we would'a laughed out loud.
But when the dam was ready to burst, he roared - Gawd dammit to hell and back! and smacked the table so hard it sounded like a rifle shot. Mama, me and Lassie Boy fairly jump'd from our chairs with fright.
Stompin’ out of the room, the echo of his heavy steps followed him down the hall, the bathroom door slammin' behind him.
After we recovered and settled back in our chairs, Lassie Boy gave the table a comic whack and we fixed to laugh and cry in equal measure.
Daddy meant well and we all knew it. He loved poor Rex but dared not share his tears with us. But we knew he had grieved just the same and with him dead and buried long since, the memory of his hidden tears means so much more to me now.
About the Creator
John Cox
Twisted teller of mind bending tales. I never met a myth I didn't love or a subject that I couldn't twist out of joint. I have a little something for almost everyone here. Cept AI. Aint got none of that.
Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
Top insights
Excellent storytelling
Original narrative & well developed characters
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
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Comments (26)
"Totally agree!"
This was such an intimate and heart-wrenching painting of family and hardship. My heart goes out to Rex ♥️♥️
Congrats on your Top Story!🥳🥳🥳
Thank you for sharing such a deeply personal and touching memory.
Poor Rex 😭
This brought tears to my eyes.The way you weave memory, live, and loss into your words feels so familiar.
A poignant tale of a much loved doggy & complex family relationships. Well deserved Top Story!🤩✅
Darn it I meant to say congratulations on TS too 🎊🥳🎊🎉🥳
Aww you have woven a heart rending tale once again! Rex - many people had a dog named that. Poor Rex and the poor kids - and poor us for remembering our gone pets through this story! Great job, John! 🥲🥲
Well-wrought! I think it not so bad a thing to learn to keep one's composure, as the men of bygone days did, though I also think it not so bad a thing for tears to fall freely. So long as the sentiment is sincere and not merely a performance, in either case.
Those hidden tears are the strongest tears. Beautifully written story, John. Congratulations on the top story.
Excellent story, John, and a well-deserved TS! Congratulations!
🎉 Congrats on your Top Story! 📰✨ Super proud of you—so well deserved! 💪👏 Keep shining! 🌟😊
Back to say congratulations on your Top Story! 🎉💖🎊🎉💖🎊
Losing a pet is hard and what a great tribute poem to your dog and dad.
This is so splendid, John! I can see why the Vocal Top story selectors beat me to it yet again! You captured so much emotion and sense of family dynamic in so few words! Just downright wonderful storytelling!
A moving slice of life and the hidden tears raised it to the heavens.
Wow John - truly moved and blown away by this brief and deeply feeling piece. I have to echo Paul, it really does have the brilliant and emotive spirit of Steinbeck baked into every line. Stellar work, and a well-deserved Top Story!!
This felt like a Steinback short! love the authentic mix of sadness and humour that so often happens in life! masterful storytelling, John! congrats on Top Story!
I love this glimpse into their lives. It reveals a relatable situation through the uniqueness of their family unit. And I agree with JBaz. It reads like an American classic!
Such a touching story of family dynamics and the way we learn to deal with death. Loved the language and the slow pace so we could feel it all. I've been the kid in this situation and I've been the parent too. It's never easy.
Poor Rex 😭😭😭😭😭😭 Loved your story!
So lovely to read made me cry very touching ⭐️💙⭐️
THis reads like an American Classic. Anyone born in our time knows the hidden emotions of a father. Beautiful, heartfelt and emotional story John.
Parents showing emotion can shake the bedrock of what we think we know of them, sometimes for good, depending on what that emotion is. Loved your story, John. I was absorbed by your storytelling.