Archive of Our Own

I remember that day, I was walking to my apartment after a whole day of working and when I went past a dumpster, I heard a small bark coming from inside of the dumpster. I threw away all of my bags to the ground and rummaged inside. To my surprise, I found a small puppy. He has golden fur, floppy ears and big eyes. He growled at me, probably finding me as a threat. I let the puppy sniffs my hand, gesturing to him that I mean no harm. He sniffed and when he finally decided that I’m not a threat to him, he licked my hand. I chuckled and wondered, who on earth would leave a small puppy in the dumpster? Such a cruel human being. 

I didn’t want him to starve and die in the dumpster. He’s still a puppy. He needs someone to take care of him so I’ve decided to bring him home with me.

Sing commented on my appearance when I came home. “You smell like trash.” He said with a cheeky grin. I told him all about the puppy and showed him the puppy. I’ve decided to take him in as my pet. I wanted to take care of him. Sing smiled at me softly, “Good idea, man.” He said.

I took the puppy with me to the bathroom. Both of us need a bath. He really enjoyed playing in the tub with me… What a cute puppy… His golden fur and playful attitude… He reminded me of him . Him who is no longer in this world… I miss him so much.
Once we’re done, Sing asked me what do I want to name the puppy. I gave it some thought for a bit and smiled when I’ve decided on his name. 

Buddy.

That’s the name of my new friend. According to Sing, he’s a Golden Retriever. He’s going to grow into a big dog… My buddy. 

As time flies, Buddy grew into a big dog.

He really enjoys jumping on me and sometimes he will stand on his feet, trying to hug me. Whenever I’m laying on the couch, he will always come to me and licks my face. He’s really affectionate and sometimes naughty.

Sometimes he will hide my socks and rummages inside the garbage bin. What a mischievous boy!

Whenever I’m sad, he will come to me and sit next to me but sometimes he sits on my lap, whining to me. He’s always there for me. He is my buddy after all. 

One day, I fell asleep on my bed without taking my glasses off nor my shoes. I knew for sure I didn’t take them off but when I woke up the next day, my shoes and glasses were off. Not only that. I was covered with a blanket. At first, I thought that Sing did this but he wasn’t at home last night so that’s impossible. Well, that’s what Sing told me. I don’t know if he came back for a bit to pick up some stuff and then he headed out again. 

I stood up from my bed and walked out to the living room. There are no signs of Sing at all. I could only see Buddy sleeping on the couch. I went up to him and scratched his ears. He looked so peaceful… Ash used to sleep on the couch a lot and he looked so peaceful… I miss him. I wonder if he was at peace when he passed away…

Tears trickled to my cheeks. I took my glasses off and wiped my tears away. Why am I thinking about this early in the morning? I shouldn’t be this sad right now. It’s bad for me. I’ll stop functioning properly if I get really sad… 

I started sobbing on the floor, hugging my knees and buried my head in my arms. I stopped sobbing when I felt a pressure on my head and I heard that sound, the sound of Buddy whining. That’s probably a way for him to tell me that everything is okay. He’s always there for me. I reached for his head and ruffled his fur. He barked happily at me and jumped off the couch, biting on the hem of my shirt and pulling me in the direction to the kitchen.  “Let’s have breakfast! Come on!” is probably what he wanted to tell me. I bet if Buddy can talk, this house will never be in silence.

I got up from the floor, wiped my tears away. I went to the kitchen and fixed us breakfast. 

The next day, the same thing happened to me again but this time, I went to bed while holding my phone and when I woke up, my phone is placed on the side table along with my glasses and my shoes are on the floor. Now, this is odd. This is the second time that this has happened and I know for sure Sing is not home. Did… Ash dropped by and did this during those two nights? Hey, Eiji. That’s impossible. He can only watch over me from above. He can’t touch anything… Is Ash really watching over me from above? I hope so… 

Later that evening, I’ve decided to put a small video camera in my bedroom. This’ll help me to figure out this mystery that I’m having. Once night came, I intentionally slept with my shoes and glasses on. I pushed my blanket to the end of my bed. 

The next day I woke up, my glasses and shoes were removed and I was covered with a blanket again. I rose up and went to my video cam and checked the recording. 

I was shocked to see Buddy came into my room, pulling my shoes and socks off and placing them on the floor. He also took my glasses off and put the blanket on me. I smiled softly at the recording. Buddy is such a clever dog… and he cares so much about me. I put my video cam down on the bed and walked to the living room. When I see Buddy sleeping on the couch, I went up to him and scratched his ears. I even kissed him on his head. I whispered to him, “Thank you for taking care of me, Buddy.” 

When Sing came home, I told him all about this and showed him the recording. Sing laughed and ruffled Buddy’s fur. “Buddy, you’re such a good boy.” He said. 

One night, I don’t know what happened to me but I was crying in the corner of my room. Crying loudly with a bottle of alcohol on my side. I guess I was remembering Ash and my memories with him. I really miss him so much… I wish I could hold him in my arms again. I wish he’s here with me but… No, he’s dead and it’s all because of me. If I didn’t give him the damn letter, he would’ve been alive. He’ll probably has a better life, working or studying. I’m the reason why he didn’t get to do those things. It’s all my fault. 

I heard the door to my room opened slowly. I didn’t take much notice to the other presence in my room until I felt a fur brushes on my arm. I looked at the furry beast that walked into my room and sat next to me. No… It’s not a beast. It’s Buddy. He’s here to cheer me up. He rubbed his head on me and whined loudly. I hugged him and cried my eyes out. “Buddy, I miss him… I really miss him…” Buddy rubbed his head on my face and licked me. Please don’t cry. I’m here with you, is what written on his face. I hugged him again until I stopped crying. I pulled away from him and took my glasses off. I wiped my tears away and smiled at him. “Thank you, Buddy.” His presence really made me feel better. He barked at me happily and jumped on my bed, indicating that I should go to sleep. I chuckled and picked up the bottle from the floor. I threw it in the bin in my room and sat on the bed. I took my glasses and shoes off and laid on my bed with Buddy laying next to me. I looked at him and pet him before I closed my eyes. 

Sing said my mood has been a lot better ever since I took Buddy in. He’s right. Before Buddy came into my life, my heart felt so empty and I was never looking forward for tomorrow but when he came into my life, I feel livelier and always excited to see him in the morning. Yes, I do have some episodes sometimes but Buddy is always there to cheer me up.

He is my buddy. My best buddy. He filled the emptiness in my heart.

Hey, Ash. I hope you don’t get jealous with Buddy! Haha… Just kidding. He can’t replace you but, both of you are so important to me. I love you both equally. I hope you’re doing fine wherever you are right now as I’m doing fine here. I have Buddy taking care of me so don’t worry about me. I hope you’re resting well now.