We all know when two women fall for the same guy it doesn’t typically end well for all. This is a different kind of love story. One where I had the opportunity to share one of the longest loves of my life with another. Even after HE is gone, the love between myself and my dear friend Lucy is still here to remind me of my great, unconditional and endless love and what happens when you share the love.
As I looked across the table at my friend when we were having lunch I couldn’t help but feel grateful. A haircut appointment that turned into a lunch which then to a few hours in the spa. None of this would have happened so easily if we tried to plan the same day in advance. With a couple decades between us, Lucy and my friendship are as organic and spontaneous as she is. I cherish our friendship and genuinely appreciate all her advice and wisdom. I consider it a privilege to be called her family after many many years of getting to know each other through our mutual love for Lewis. In fact, I have made many of my Adult life decisions while thinking “What would Lucy say? “We share a bond.
Like many relationships, ours with Lewis had to come to a physical end. Seventeen and a half years later Lucy was strolling him along in a fancy stroller while I carried him like an infant, somehow feeling better about it as if he could perhaps start the aging process backwards. Ok., I have always been a bit delusional…
I remember the incredible sadness I felt thinking of the news I had to bear to Lucy. It had all happened so sudden. I thought for sure I’d wait until she was home from her travels, but I just couldn’t. I felt guilt as if I had anything to do with timing, as if one could time this. She wailed, cried like a hyena or some wild animal; I could not have prepared for it. I thought I had it under control but when she asked about him and requested I bring him to see her the minute she arrived back in Vancouver I lost it. I told her. We were devastated.
Like many of our visits, the waitress was asking us about desert and it seemed we had only just started. We soon realized we were late for the spa and didn’t care. We talked about our mutual love. We talked about how perfect he was, how unique to both of us he was. He would wipe his feet at the front door before entering HER house…. but he would sleep in MY bed!! We shared stories about how comforting he was to both of us during hardships. We were both so lucky.
As I was having my massage at the spa, I could not help but to think about how two lives could not be any different than mine and Lucy’s. Surely, we would not be friends, never mind FAMILY if it was not for the love of the Champion Chinese Pug named Lewis. We are forever grateful, and we will forever take care of each other now like we took care of Lewis. Let your pet teach you patience and love the way Lewis taught us but also make friendships and relationships that will continue forever. Having a connection to a dog can be a magical experience.