“Glad you liked it,” said Amber.
“I love it, this is great!” I said.
“I got you something too; I left it in my dad’s car.”
I shared the entire photo album with Mr. and Mrs. Sanders, most of the photos were new to me and I had a hard time remembering how or when Amber could have taken them.
Dad arrived close to ten and I went to his car to get Amber’s diary, I felt a little ashamed knowing she had spent a lot of time on my present and I had only spent a couple of dollars on hers. I asked dad for a pen and paper and wrote something inside to try and make thing up. I came back inside and held the diary to my back.
“It’s nowhere as good as yours, but I hope you like it,” I said giving her the diary. I dodged anything she had to say and fled back inside dad’s car.
“Bye!” I screamed from inside dad’s car.
***
The sixth grade went smooth for me. I was the best in every class except in P.E where Levi Goldberg had the best performance in every single sport. He loved to show his muscles to the girls and even seventh and eighth graders would ask for his phone number. But not me, in fact nobody knew I had a phone except for Amber. The only thing I had to compete against Levi was my first prize in the science fair. Me and Isabella had absolutely killed the science fair and had been invited to the State Championship Science Fair where more than twenty schools competed. Isabella and I knew we could make something much better for the state championship but unfortunately we had to compete with the project which we had won locally. We got a second place which was not bad, but it motivated us to start thinking about our new project and win first place next year.
I was really hyped about the seventh grade and mostly about the science fair but it got cancelled and Isabella and I postposed the science project for next year. I didn’t talk much to Isabella in the seventh grade. Michael Pence an eighth grader from the basketball team had asked her out and ever since Isabella hardly talked to anyone. They were so in love some rumors said they had been spotted kissing at the library several times.
I accompanied Amber on her chemo’s and finally got to meet her doctor, Dr. Nahal. He said Amber was progressing well and that made all of us happy.
Michael dating Isabella helped me be the smartest in the seventh grade, teachers reached out to me and often congratulated me for my academic results, while others got irritated by me and wouldn’t allow me to participate in their classes. I had become exactly what I had promised my seven year self I would never be, a nerd.
The summer before the eighth grade couldn’t have been any harder for me. The only thing that I loved had me waiting to return for the next two months. Mom and dad weren’t the same anymore and I was getting used to it, mom spent most of her days with a friend of hers while dad did the same. Divorce was near according to Nick, and he was the one suffering from it. I decided to introduce him to Grace knowing Grace could also use a friend, never did I imagine Nick having a crush on Grace so fast. Or at least that’s what it looked like.
Amber had mention several times that Ernest was acting funny, he seemed perfectly fine to me, but she knew him more than me and something about him had her concerned. We skipped a visit to the movies which we had planned for and went downtown and took Ernest with us instead. Nick and Grace also came along and the more time they spent together the more they seemed to be the perfect match. I hadn’t seen Grace smile so much and the last time I remembered Nick smiling this way was back when he dated Judy. We had a blast walking and being goofy all around downtown, still Amber insisted on taking Ernest to vet so we did.
The vet asked Grace and Amber to wait while he had a look at Ernest; it was a long time before the vet came out and told us anything.
The door finally opened and Ernest came running out freely into my arms.
“Are you two the owners?” I heard the vet ask.
“Yes,” answered Grace.
“Ernest seems okay to me, but I do want you to give him this, it will help me not be so tired all the time. His belly is quite swollen and his bluish gums tell me he might have suffered dehydration or can be the beginning of heart failure,” he explained.
“Heart failure?” asked Grace.
“Yes, and for that I would like for Ernest to start taking these,” he said handing Grace some pills.
“He won’t love it, but you will have to give it to him,” he added.
I asked Amber almost every day how Ernest was doing, and apparently he hated the meds the vet had gave him and according to Amber they weren’t helping him.
On Tuesday after school Amber and I walked to her house but Mrs. Sanders and Ernest weren’t there. I feared the worst and offered to call Mrs. Sanders but she didn’t pick up.
“Maybe she took Ernest to the vet again,” said Amber.
“Yeah, maybe,” I said. I still feared the worst. Ernest was close to being my dog as much as he was Amber’s. I walked in Amber’s front yard trying to stay calm a. A few minutes when I heard Amber scream.
“There’s mom!” she screamed pointing out to the street.
“Where’s Ernest?” I asked looking around. Mrs. Sanders didn’t seem okay, her eyes were watery and she refused to look at Amber. Mrs. Sanders wept but didn’t dare to look at us, she finally answered and said:
“I don’t know,” she finally said wiping the tears from her face.
“What do you mean you don’t know?” asked Amber in an angry tone.
“I left the living room window open for a few minutes and he was gone,” said Mr. Sanders.
Amber rolled her eyes and walked out to look for Ernest. I followed her without saying a word. Amber turned left than right and looked all over for Ernest, she screamed his name and asked those walking by if they had seen him. I didn’t say much for the first thirty minutes and she didn’t either. We looked for Ernest for nearly an hour with no luck.
“It’s getting late, we should go back home,” I said. Amber didn’t say a word but began walking back home. Amber said goodbye and went inside, before she closed the door she told what she was planning on doing. Her plan was to hang fliers all around town first thing tomorrow morning but I had something else in mind. I ran back home to tell Nick all about my plan.
“Nick! Nick!” I screamed outside his room. He slightly opened his door wide enough for me to see his face.
“What?” he asked.
“I need your help, Ernest, Grace’s and Amber’s dog is lost and I need your help finding it,” I explained. Nick opened the rest of the door and asked me to tell him more.
“Wouldn’t it be great for us to find him?” I asked.
“Grace and Amber will be so happy if we do,” I asked.
“Dogs leave for one reason and one reason only,” said Nick as he put on his shoes.
“I’ll help you look for him, but I’m not sure how we might find him,” he added. “Some dogs try to get away from owners when they are close to dying,” explained Nick.
“We have to find him,” I said. Nick put on a heavy coat and went into dad’s garage for a pair of flashlights.
We started looking around Amber’s first then went down to blocks and searched the first open area. It was hard to tell if Ernest could be around, we searched the first hour with no luck. We tried going to the areas where Amber and I had taken Ernest before and still had no luck. It was nearly ten when Nick began yawning,
“Half an hour more,” I said as Nick slowly began to quit.
“We’ve walked for two hours,” he complained.
“Were doing this for Grace and Amber, come on,” I insisted.
“Okay, but the next park we see, we rest for at least for ten minutes,” said Nick. The wind blew hard hitting our faces. Nick tucked his head down and his eyes were the only thing visible in his face, the next park was a block away but quitting wasn’t an option.
Nick cleaned the park’s bench for us to sit and complained on how cold it was. I felt sorry for Ernest, he was a smart dog and surel
y he would find a warm place to stay away from the cold but I knew he would be much warmer inside Amber’s bed. I let Nick rest and walked the perimeter of the park in search for Ernest. I called his name and whistled every twenty steps hoping to hear his unique bark. It took me a few minutes to realize that this was the same park Amber and I had brought Ernest when we had first met. It had a huge playground and many pine trees around it.
“Ernest!” I called for a last time. I looked around and then I heard it. A bark full of agony and I sprinted to find it.
“Ernest!” I called again. I ran as fast as I could as the barks seemed closer.
“Noah wait!” screamed Nick behind me. The barks continued and when I reached the playground I saw him. Ernest lying underneath the big slide with his body covered in snow and his head lay on top of the dry sand. His body was soaking wet and his feet were buried in snow. I cleaned him up and took my top jacket off and covered him with it. Nick helped me carry him to the nearest light post where we could have a better look at him. I placed on my lap and he couldn’t stop licking my hands.
“Let’s get you home,” I said. Ernest was safe, we reached home and Nick and I gave Ernest a warm bath. He enjoyed it so much he nearly fell asleep as we shampooed his lower body. I dried him up and carried him to my bed. He cuddled underneath my neck and licked my face goodnight.
Ernest was still asleep when my alarm went off I knocked on Nick’s room to wake him.
“C’mon we have to get there before nine!” I screamed from the hall.
I knocked at Amber’s front door hiding Ernest behind me, after several knocks Amber finally answered.
“Are you two here to help?” she asked. I was waiting on Nick to say something but apparently he was waiting on me to do the same. It was Ernest unique bark that triggered the smile in Amber’s face.
“Ernest!” she screamed. I couldn’t help smiling and handed Ernest onto her arms.
“Where’d you find him?” she asked.
“Underneath the slide in the park,” Nick answered. Grace hurried out and snatched Ernest from Amber’s hands.
“Thank you, thank you,” said Grace.
We stayed and told Grace and Amber all about our hunt last night on the search for Ernest. Nick took most of the credit but I was happy to see Amber play with Ernest one more time. I’m not a dog expert, but I’ve knew Ernest for a while and he didn’t seem the same anymore, he seemed so tired and shy, I knew his life was soon to end.
Chapter Twenty-One
Amber: I wish death didn’t exist. I wished animals and all living things lived forever. I couldn’t stand seeing Ernest the way he was. He struggled to stand up and it killed me to see him wear a dog diaper. He was suffering. Mom had asked Grace and me if we wanted to put him to sleep but we refused at all cost. Something inside me believed Ernest would get better, he was the best of dogs and he didn’t deserve to die. Not yet, not now.
I looked him in the eyes every day before school. He had sad eyes but he would always find the way to lick my face goodbye. On Friday I woke up extra early and fed Ernest his favorite food. I got ready for school and had my breakfast sitting down on the floor next to Ernest. I kissed him goodbye and whispered into his ear.
“I love you Ernest, you’re the best dog I could have asked for,” I said. He moved his head up and licked my forehead.
It was hard to pay attention to any of my classes. I struggled to participate in class and answered just three questions from Mrs. Campbell’s pop quiz. At lunch Noah and I sat at a far corner away from everyone else. We hardly touched our food and remained in the cafeteria until the bell rang.
After school the sun shone at our faces, Noah and I walked back home with the snow melting underneath us. Something triggered inside as we walked inside my house, everything hit me fast. Mom’s cries, Noah sprinting out to Ernest and dad trying to act tough only like dad would. Ernest was gone. I knew it. I saw him lay motionless and something inside my chest wanted to burst out. I didn’t have to ask any of them to tell me. I saw Noah crying for the first time, he didn’t hold his tears. He cried more than Grace, and more than mom and dad. I didn’t cry, not one tear. It was horrible to say goodbye, Ernest had been my best friend for years but I glad he wasn’t suffering anymore.
Ernest’s death made me feel different; it made me think about death a lot more. For the first time it scared me to die, it scared me to see Grace cry like she did now, it scared me to see mom and dad trying to keep it together, but what scared me the most was the way Noah cried. He had known Ernest only for a couple of years and he cried more than any of us. It hurt to imagine what he would feel if something happened to me.
We decided to bury Ernest in our backyard; dad got a pair of shovels and pieces of wood to make a colorful cross.
Noah helped dad in the backyard while mom and me tried to console Grace who still cried to Ernest. Mom got a blanket for him and put his favorite treat on top of it. We came out to the backyard to find Noah and dad completing Ernest’s grave. Dad and Grace carried him out and placed him in the blanket. It was the worst day of my life, I wasn’t prepared to feel this way, I felt a hole inside my chest and I wanted to scream at the entire world. I wanted to be alone, alone with Ernest’s grave. I felt the sadness build up inside me but for some reason I couldn’t show it. Something was hurting my chest I wanted to scream loud and make everyone leave including Grace, I wanted to be alone. Alone so no one could hear me, I wanted Ernest back and I wanted him back now. The dirt accumulated on top of Ernest and little by little my emotions started to show. I didn’t want to be rude but I asked Noah to leave as soon at dad placed the cross on top of the grave. Mom and dad stepped inside but Grace stayed. It didn’t bother me for her to stay but I wanted to be alone. Ernest had been our puppy, and now he was gone. Grace finally went inside and I was left alone like I wanted to and I cried like I’ve never cried before, it hurt me believe I would never see him again, it hurt to know I wouldn’t hear his bark anymore. I cried a good hour next to Ernest’s grave when I felt that horrible ache in my stomach again. At first I thought it had been from all the crying I had just done but then the pain grew as it did that time when Dr. Nahal confirmed the cancer in my stomach. I tried walking fast to tell mom and dad but the pain grew and I was forced down to my knees. The pain burned inside me and it avoided me to scream, I was soon in tears but mom and dad didn’t seem to hear me. I crawled to the door and picked up a rock and threw it at the window. The pain was severe and I was slowly losing consciousness. I heard the kitchen’s window smash and mom and dad came screaming out to help me. The last thing I remember was dad picking me up hurrying himself into the garage.
***
I felt something touch my stomach; it was something cold and stiff. I opened my eyes to find Dr. Nahal smiling at me. I was in a room where I had never been before and it was then that I realized my feet felt funny. Dr. Nahal seemed exhausted and he left my room without saying a word. I felt tired and sick; I looked at my arms and felt my fingers numb. A rumble inside my stomach told me I was starving.
Mom came in first and I noticed she was wearing a different shirt.
“How long have I been here?” I asked.
“A couple of hours,” she answered smiling.
“What happened?” I asked seeing Grace and dad walk in.
“It was your stomach again,” said Grace. I was glad to see her, I knew it had only been a couple of days since Ernest had passed and without me knowing my visit to hospital had us get through it faster.
“You were in surgery,” said dad. “Part of your intestine was removed, and everything went well,” he added.
Dr. Nahal called my family out to the hall and he dismissed Grace down to the waiting room. Mom asked lots of questions and so did dad. I saw them wave goodbye and Dr. Nahal stepped in my room and shut the door.
“How are you doing?” he asked.
“Fine,” I answered. Dr. Nahal explained the reason why they had removed part of my lower intesti
ne and that my stomach should stop aching the way it had. I was glad to hear I would feel no more pain but Dr. Nahal hadn’t finished.
“Amber I will be seeing you every three months for the next year to evaluate you and tell you how your body is reacting to the surgery,” he said.
***
The rest of seventh and eighth grade I went in and out of the hospital, Dr. Nahal always seemed to have a new term to explain to me, for some reason the cancer inside didn’t seem to go away. My hair grew an inch every now and then but I would go bald every time I attended a new chemo. I decided to attend high school with no wig, the bullying didn’t stop but I learned that if I placed no attention to them they would eventually stop. I was getting used to living with the constant visits to the doctor and every day I felt more like myself without a wig. By the start of sophomore year Noah had gotten much smarter and I seriously thought he would finish high school before me. The boy was a genius. He was the smartest sophomore and he came close to being the most mature in the entire school.
He had won the first prize in the science fair in the state championship last year and he had run for president on his freshman year. Noah was different from all the other nerds. He had a good sense of humor and was quite handsome. I was happy to call him my best friend.
On our sixteenth birthday me and Noah decided to do something different and we both cooked for my family, Grace and Nick were very good friends and they tasted the food we made too. Noah joked about the food we cooked being better than moms but that was impossible. Mom could have become a professional chef if she wanted to.
Life was going great but on December 22nd my life changed completely.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Noah: It was a matter of time before Ernest passed away. I planned everything so that I could support Amber. But when the day came I was devastated. I cried like I had never cried before, it hurt me to see Ernest gone. We reached Amber’s house after school and he had just passed. Mr. and Mrs. Sanders didn’t have time for anything. Ernest lay in the same spot where Amber had left him that morning. Grace couldn’t stop crying, I went out to dig out Ernest’s grave with Mr. Sanders. His eyes were watery and he said something I’ll never forget.
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