I wiped my eyes.
I had a talk with Rusty today, the note continued. He’s getting old, just like me. I told him I have one last job for him. I told him: “Boy, when I start to drift, you got to be the anchor. If I walk out that door, you don’t let me go alone. You guard me. You watch her. You be the memory I lose.”
He looked at me and wagged that tail. I think he understands. He’s a good soldier.
Elise, if you’re reading this, and I’m still here but not really ‘here,’ don’t be mad at the dog for getting in the way. He’s just following orders. He’s working his last shift.
I closed the book and pressed it to my chest. A sob broke loose from my throat, echoing in the empty barn.
For years, I thought I was carrying this burden alone. I thought Travis had left me long ago.
I was wrong.
Even as his mind was fading, even as the darkness was closing in, he was loving me. He was protecting me. He knew he couldn’t stay, so he appointed a guardian to stand watch in his place.
I walked back to the house. Travis was awake, staring out the window at the empty spot on the porch where Rusty used to sleep.
He looked at me. For a second, the fog cleared.
