The Weekend Dog

The Weekend Dog.

Being on the brink of eight, there were a lot of things Taryn didn’t understand.

Things that even her older sister Hope, having just turned nine, wasn’t able to explain to her either.

Taryn didn’t understand why her mom and her dad didn’t live together, or why she was in first grade combo class with the Kinders or why her mom let her right pierced ear close up when her earring fell out so that she could only wear one earring in her left ear.

But the main thing Taryn couldn’t understand was why she couldn’t have a dog.

Hope and Taryn lived at Aunt CeCe and Uncle Jim’s house with their mom.

Grandy, who was Aunt CeCe’s mom, lived with them too. On Fridays, after school, their dad would pick them up for the weekend.

Dad’s mom would also drive to his house Friday night or Saturday morning to spend the weekend with Taryn and Hope.

Auntie Dani had a dog named Skittles.

If Aunt Dani was on a layover for her airlines, Grammy Lipton would bring Skittles with her.

Taryn loved Skittles.

She loved playing with Skittles, holding Skittles, laying on the floor and watching TV with Skittles.

Grammy Lipton showed Taryn how much and when to feed Skittles.

Grammy Lipton and also taught Taryn how to hold the leash and let Taryn take Skittles for her walk.

On Saturdays, when Dad went to work, Grammy Lipton would take Taryn and Hope to the kids club to play while she went to swim laps at the pool.

Afterwards, Grammy Lipton, Hope and Taryn would get something to eat and then run errands.

One Saturday, they went to the pet store to buy some food for Skittles. Taryn chose a new bone for Skittles to chew on.

Skittles love to lick, and Taryn was happy to let Skittles lick her, but sometimes it was just better to give Skittles a bone!

The pet store had several dogs in a pen in the middle of the entrance that were available for adoption.

Taryn and Hope asked if they could PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE play with the dogs and Grammy Lipton said OK.

Hope picked up a little dog named Max. She snuggled Max, and Max wriggled in her arms. Taryn saw that Max was going to squirm out of Hope’s grasp and Hope was laughing so hard she could barely hold onto Max. Taryn went to grab Max and held Max tight. Taryn petted Max and played with him for a while. When it was time to go, Taryn was reluctant to put Max down.

When they got to Grammy Lipton’s car, Taryn and Hope got into the backseat. Grammy Lipton asked “are you buckled in?” Grammy Lipton looked up into the rearview mirror to check and saw Taryn’s face.

Grammy Lipton took off her seatbelt, got out of the car, and went around to the passenger side backseat and opened Taryn’s door.

She hugged Taryn and said, “What is wrong?” Taryn started crying big, fat tears. “I want Max” she heaved. “He’s my dog.” Grammy Lipton and Hope were both hugging Taryn.

Grammy Lipton said “I know Sweetheart, but it would be hard for you to take care of Max when you are at school.” Taryn was trying so hard to stop crying, and then Grammy Lipton said “I have an idea.

Do you think that Skittles could be your weekend dog?” Taryn nodded her head up and down through her tears. “Yes” she replied.

“I want Skittles to be my weekend dog.”

Skittles has been an anchor of unconditional love and stability for everyone in my family and my best friends.

She is one of the only constants when everything is changing.

She's my favorite part about coming home from a long trip at the airlines.

She's who I am grateful for everyday. Life wouldn't be as magical without her and she's always reminding me and everyone around her the frequency of which love vibrates.

She's everyones best pal, and we're excited for our next adventure as we move downtown, and she becomes a downtown dog.