nights

Cooper was in fact the only citizen of Fredericton I had ever loved. That’s not to say there weren’t wonderful qualities in the human population, Cooper was simply exceptional, and a tough act to follow. Our last encounter was a short but sweet one. I popped in to Urban Almanac to buy a wedding present. The experience was awkward, as usual. After my purchase, Cooper followed me outside and hopped up on the street bench where I sat. Cooper was always a stoic and independent yet also sensitive and affectionate dog, a leaner. That day, Cooper leaned on me gently while sniffing the wind and I was in absolutely no hurry to leave. We stretched this perfect summer moment out in silence as I began to consider a permanent move to Fredericton. Over the years I had to watch what I said around Cooper. On occasion, while losing myself in that rough black coat and those deep expressive eyes, I had openly declared Cooper the most loving and sentient life-form Fredericton would ever produce. Humans will tolerate all forms of cuddly chatter between species as long as human superiority is implied and some form of purchase is made but, that was likely one step too far. I still remember how a shop full of customers suddenly grew quiet after such a heartfelt declaration and how I whispered -“I’ll see you later…” to Cooper as I discreetly backed out the front door.