Life has been pretty stressful these past few days but I got a welcome reprieve this morning on my ride to work. As I drove on one of the backstreets leading up to my company, a school bus traveling in the opposite direction started blinking its lights. I slowed to a stop as the bus pulled up to a Dad and his son standing at the side of the road. A blonde labrador laid down obediently between them.
As the bus door opened, the Dad handed his son a lunch box and the boy set off towards the bus. The labrador immediately sat upright and stared anxiously as the boy raced away. The restraint of the dog was palpable. It shifted its weight and glanced from the boy to the dad nervously once and then again and then again. Its body shaking just slightly as it eagerly wanted to both follow the boy and obey its sit command.
After the boy got on the bus the bus driver looked out to the dog which looked like it was going to explode in a nervous breakdown. The driver reached down as if to call for the dog. The labrador looked up to the Dad anxiously who smiled and waved it forward. The dog then bounded full speed down the driveway and up the stairs into the bus, tail wagging with the force of a thousand tails. The dog said one last goodbye to the boy and then returned to its position beside the Dad, gleefully content.
I looked at the cars around me and every single person witnessing the interaction had a smile on their face. It was a great moment.
What a happy and sweet story!
Nice writing, Mike!