Jake’s eyes snap open, and he quickly turns to the side. But like his aching heart, the spot where Max always sat on the couch remains empty.
JAKEBy Jim Bartlett
For fifteen years they were inseparable. Always side by side.
Though he knows that in some ways he should be thankful for just having their time together – those moments forever etched in his heart – and that the sickness took Max quickly rather than dragging out the pain for weeks, maybe even months, he still feels cheated.
Unable to sleep, he looks around the all too empty room, letting his gaze fall upon the leash, which still hangs from the peg by the door.
It is then he hears a shuffle from behind and turns to see Martha standing in the doorway, her shoulder resting against the frame.
I thought you might be in here
I miss him, too, Jake. More than you’ll ever know.
There’s a faraway melancholy tone to her voice, but he knows that her heart, like his, has a hole too big to fill.