Day: Three Hundred and Twenty Nine
Photo taken on Sunday, June 26, 2011 in my bedroom, having a Spanglish-almost-noon-moment with my dog, Sirius.
Yes, there is a dog in this picture. A pug actually. And he likes to visit every now and then and have a Beer Water (so he doesn't lose his girlish figure). He is awesome, charming, and funny. When Sirius used to come to the Surge with me he would don a bow tie since a regular tie would get tangled in his short legs.
I can see you don't believe me about Sirius. Shame really. I swear you would love him.
Let me tell you the story of how Sirius becomes a part of our family in 2004:
I come home from college a different person; for some reason Colorado has mellowed me out, filled me with patience and a creativity I haven't tapped in a long time. My imagination runs wild, sometimes the results are cringe humored other times very silly. I'm in love with the person I have become but it weirds a lot of people out when I try to reconnect with them because I rarely ever curse and I can now admit when I'm wrong. I am also working full time at the Surge and have no mode for transportation unless a parental unit doesn't need their car so I have a lot of time by myself. So I ask for a dog.
That question is met with a resounding, "NO."
I take matters into my own hands and create my very own imaginary dog. I don't tell my parents about this until one night when the three of us are on the couch watching a television program and I suddenly swat the air above the cushion next to me, startling my parents. In my best authoritative voice I say, "Down! Off the couch! You know the rules!" I then point to the floor and then point to the doorway leading out of the den. I tilt my head and give the spot on the floor "the eye" and repeat the pointing. My eyes then trail the pathway out of the room. I sit back on the couch, satisfied to have won the argument.
It is then my parents learn of Sirius.
And they all accept him. Kim thinks it's funny whenever I reprimand him. My coworkers at the Surge find him wandering into their offices at random times of the workday and never seem to mind. Sirius becomes a part of our daily routine and Maeve gets to witness this one night when Kim goes to head upstairs for sleepytime and I demand she says goodnight to my open laptop, Nico.
She refuses.
"Kim, either say goodnight to Nico or you can say goodnight to Sirius." I point to the floor by Maeve.
Kim looks down at the tiled floor. "Goodnight, Sirius."
Maeve bursts out laughing. "Wait, you would rather say goodnight to something imaginary over something you can actually see?" The three of us dissolve into laughter and Sirius barks.
Though there is one evening when dad has had enough of Sirius, who is currently perched in bewteen us in his car on top of the console. I don't know if it's Sirius' snorted breathing or me talking for the dog or the imaginary dog hair all over his nice suit pants but dad has reached his breaking point. At a red light he rolls down the window and grabs for the console, hands in a cupping motion around Sirius, and turns to throw him outside.
"NOOOOOOO!" I scream, lunging across the car to wrench Sirius from his hands. My eyes well up with tears and dad laughs.
I think it is at this point I realize I have become too attached to my make believe pet and I should really invest my time in finding a boyfriend instead.
Too bad he turns out to be imaginary too.
