I didn’t bringthe dog home.
But maybe someday.
After I stop trying to prove I’ve changed, and I actually become the change.
Anyway.That’s me this Friday.
ChapterSeventy-Six
StringTheory27:Get the dog!
DeadStrings:Excuse me?
StringTheory27:You heard me, go get your soulmate back.
DeadStrings:My soulmate?
StringTheory27:You said it yourself—he followed you around like you were meant to be his person.You two were in perfect sync.Just because you messed up a human relationship doesn’t mean you have to keep punishing yourself forever.
DeadStrings:I’m not ready.
StringTheory27:Who decides when you’re ready for love?You do.That pup doesn’t need perfection.He needs consistency.Someone to walk him, sit beside him on slow mornings, toss a tennis ball when the world feels too quiet.You’re already halfway there.
DeadStrings:What if I mess it up?
StringTheory27:You’re not adopting a philosophical concept—you’re adopting a dog.He’s not asking for all your answers, just your time.Your presence.Maybe a treat or two.
DeadStrings:What if I can’t give enough?
StringTheory27:Then you’ll learn as you go.That’s what love is.Messy, unrehearsed, often full of drool.But sometimes you need someone who sees you at your worst and still nudges your hand with their nose like, “Hey, we’re doing this day together.”
DeadStrings:You’re about a sentence away from starting a motivational calendar.
StringTheory27:And you’re close to letting a good dog slip through your fingers because you’re scared of starting again.
DeadStrings:...what would I even name him?
StringTheory27:Oh, no.I’m naming him.You lost naming privileges when you tried to walk away.
DeadStrings:He’s my dog.You don’t get to name him.
StringTheory27:Too late.I’ve already decided.His name is Otis.
DeadStrings:Otis??What, like the elevator?
StringTheory27:No.Like Otis Redding, you uncultured insomniac.
DeadStrings:Still sounds like a janitor with bad taste in music.
StringTheory27:Wow.So rude to a soul legend and a hypothetical Great Dane.
DeadStrings:He’s not even in the house yet, and you’ve already decided he listens to vinyl and wears corduroy.
StringTheory27:Don’t act like you wouldn’t give him a flannel and teach him to mope to Elliott Smith.
DeadStrings:Touché.But I was thinking something cooler.Maybe Zeppelin.
StringTheory27:You want to name your dog after a flaming airship disaster?
