Dying will

Whizz

The weather was cool, no more than a few degrees Celsius over zero. The sun hung over the sky, radiant as ever but the man felt no warm from it. He felt a bit of irony from it, so hot the sun was, yet so cold it felt. The refreshing weather fell on the world and he was one of the people feeling it, wind cutting on his cheek, the breeze had become a bit stronger since he came out of the apartment and walked towards the store. It was as if it wanted to cleanse him from the smell of smoke and ashes.

Walking with gentle and relaxed steps, the man just felt the cold trespassing to his body. He never took care much of his body, he wasn't fit, but he wasn't fat either, just average because of his routine of eating slightly well. Cooking was one of his few hobbies, it let him immerse in another world, though his cooking skills were just a bit above average, he never cooked well-designed dishes. It was just to remember those times when he could cook with a smile on his face, she never asked him of too difficult to do dishes or fancy ones. He could feel warm from them but not anymore, now they tasted cold, just like the weather today.

- Live well…

The words came again, it has been a while since they appeared so often, they always felt like the sharpest dagger and the softest pillow. Piercing his heart and embracing his body, closing his eyes and thinking which one he preferred more, yet he didn't know, he just wanted to rest. He felt the words once again and closed his eyes as he walked, he was almost noiseless as if he was never there to begin with.

Bark!

A bark surprised him, making him snap from his reverie, he halted his steps and opened his eyes to look at the thing that did it. 'A dog, huh" recognizing what had made the noise, he looked at the dog again, this time more carefully. It was medium-sized, such a mix between races that he couldn't recognize from which the dog came from, its slightly long hair was black yet it was so dirty that it seemed gray and brown in some places, he looked to be a few years old, not so young yet not so old, somehow it kind of resembled him, untidy and not so well maintained. The dog didn't have a collar, nor it looked that he came from a house, it was as much from the street as it could ever be.

Then, he realized something, the dog's eyes were a light brown, sand like and as profound as a desert. Man and dog looked at each other eyes, lost in each other stares for a bit. The man then noticed a small scar on the dog's forehead, maybe it was hit by a person or by another dog, maybe it had more of such wounds around its body. He didn't know what came to him as he got closer to the dog and started petting its head. The dog's fur was a bit rough and untamed, and it didn't feel so good petting it, but the man didn't stop.

Whimper.

The man heard the dog whimper as it started lowering its head. 'What a cute dog' He smiled slightly.

- Live well…

He shuddered as he heard the words in his head again, his hand stopping abruptly as he felt a sharp pain in his heart again, a bitter expression appeared on his face as he said, "Well buddy, I have to go".

Bark! Bark!

He heard the dog barking at his back again, surprised he looked behind himself. It was looking at him intensely, wagging its tail and looked to the side. He followed the dog's sight and looked at the park that was on the other side of the street. The park was very small and lonesome, there were no kids playing on it nor people hanging on its grass, or lack of it, as it didn't look too well kept. There were a few benches inside the little park and some sort of playground, which made it look even more lonesome with no one using them.

The man shook his head and looked at the dog briefly, "No," he looked towards the store and started walking again "I am busy, maybe another time". The man looked desolate, maybe if someone passed by, the contrast of the man, the dog and the park would make him feel that all of them were very similar.

- Live well…

The words continued to haunt him, his steps felt heavier as he walked closer to the store, his eyes lost in memories. 'Live well…,' the man thought, 'you said that, and I am trying my best but… maybe this is as far as I can go' his eyes were duller and duller, as if he was sleep walking to the store, and then he felt something going besides him and to his front.

Bark! Bark!

The dog barked again and this time it stood up, put its front paws on the man's body, pushing him slightly with them. The man snapped again and looked surprised at the dog, its eyes were firm and not pleading, its tail was wagging a bit, clearly adamant in wanting to go to the park with the man.

The man sighed resignedly "All right, all right," he said as he put his hand on the dog's head and pet it again, "I'll go with you but let me buy something first" He said as he walked towards the store again as the dog got off him.

Then, he saw the dog running a bit to the other street and looked towards him, urging him on. The man sighed, 'So willful' and smiled bitterly, looking at the store one last time 'Well, the cigarettes can wait for a bit'.

The man started crossing the street without verifying if any car came, and the dog simply ran off to the end, waiting for him impatiently as its tail was wagging.

The man chuckles at the cute sight and thought, 'She was very willful, too', and smiled at that, musing in his heart.

'Live well… yeah, maybe having a dog wouldn't be too bad'.

The gentle breeze moved a few fallen leaves as man and dog got closer to the park, as if it was welcoming its longtime friends.