Two Scenes:
Last month, a friend had a major repair issue with his apartment, so he and his dog stayed with me for about three weeks. It was fun to have a pupper in the house. And this dog isn’t just any dog. He’s my favorite pup in the whole world. I enjoyed playing with him and receiving snuggles.
Early in his time here, I was going to let him out, and before I could open the screen door, he just ran into it headlong and bounced back, confused. I mean, he could see outside — what the heck! Poor, buddy. Then for the rest of the time at the house, he had a hard time believing he could walk through the fully open threshold once I did open the screen door. It was super cute. Sometimes, we had to show that our hand could move through the open area, and a few times, we had to step through to coax him. He would walk to the door hesitantly, then start to move through, then hop through the open area so pleased with himself. He did it!
Months before, in June, I went to open my mailbox, a task I do six days a week. And to my great shock, BABY ORB WEAVER SPIDERS fell out. And even more mysterious, they were DEAD. Again, I say, what the heck!
It’s been 4 months since this happened, and still, every day, I open the mailbox so hesitantly. Some part of me still expects the Nopelings.
Touche, pupper friend. I get it.
–Renee Roederer
Smuggling Grace 