Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hi
You’re right. I’ve never even played Pokémon, but I hear it’s really popular with, well, just about everyone. I hate to break it to you, but I am not a secret fan fiction writer of anything, although I have been known to read quite a bit of it in my spare time.
And thank you for the compliments on Missy. Unfortunately, she passed away a few months ago. I miss her terribly.
To: BessNavarre
From: TheFlyingJosh
Subject: Time for a new subject
That’s so sad. I’m sorry to hear that. My dog, Monster, died a couple of years ago. We haven’t gotten another pet because my parents don’t want to bother with it. As soon as I’m out on my own though, you can bet I’m rescuing a puppy. Maybe even a cat, too.
To: TheFlyingJosh
From: BessNavarre
Subject: Re: Time for a new subject
Get a cat! Cats are the best! They’re aloof and private, quiet and furry. The best possible combination. I desperately want a new cat, but I haven’t found the energy to go down to the shelter yet. It’s just too painful, and I’ll want to adopt them all. :-(
I kind of regret it the moment I press send. Telling him about Missy was a little too personal, but I just typed it all up without realizing it. He doesn’t deserve to know those things about me, doesn’t get to see inside to the real me. After all, I’m still not convinced that his supposed interest in me isn’t just some elaborate joke. Like one of those lame movies where a guy bets his friends he can make an ugly girl popular, or maybe he lost a bet and now has to ask out an ugly girl. Whatever the case, when Josh is done talking to me, it will not end up in us falling in love like it does in the movies. It just won’t.
My heart aches with the pain of sharing my story to a stranger. Maybe I’m just too lonely, and that’s why I went off talking about stuff he has no business knowing. Luckily, he probably won’t care. My phone chimes with another new email and this time my fingers shake as I click on it.
To: BessNavarre
From: TheFlyingJosh
Subject: Re: Re: Time for a new subject
You’ll get there. I read this poem one time when I was a kid, and it was told from the dog’s point of view. He told his owner that when he died, he wanted the owner to give his food bowl and all his toys to a new dog. He said it wasn’t about forgetting him, but about sharing the love of an animal with one who didn’t have it. Of course, I’m not telling it to you nearly as eloquent as the original, (plus that one rhymed) but trust me, it was pretty powerful. It made me want a new dog even more. And yeah, you can’t adopt every single one, but you can give one a loving home, when it otherwise would be sitting alone in a shelter somewhere. That’s a really good feeling, I think. So maybe you can find it in you to seek out another cat soon. :-)
Tears roll down my eyes, and soon I am a sniffling sobbing mess.
To: TheFlyingJosh
From: BessNavarre
Subject: Thanks
Thank you for saying that.
I put the phone on my nightstand and roll over to face the wall. Now I want a new cat more than ever. The thought of them sitting there all alone in a cage in some shelter makes my heart hurt worse than it has since Missy died. If only the world were a perfect place, where animals were never abandoned, hearts never got broken, and happiness never faded.
My phone alerts me to a new email, and I can’t grab my phone fast enough.
To: BessNavarre
From: TheFlyingJosh
Subject: Re: Thanks
:-) So anyway, I hate to change the subject, but I actually emailed you for a reason, I’ve just been beating around the bush to get there. There’s a bonfire party at the barn this Saturday, you know that shack out off county road 59? If you want to come and hang out, that would be cool. I could even pick you up if you want. No big deal. Just, we both have the same friends so I figured we could hang out, right? Let me know. :-) I have to get to sleep now… work will suck enough as it is without being a zombie.
Have a goodnight!
-Josh
