One of the things that immediately attracted me to Eric was that he wanted both dogs and kids, and he wanted them as badly as I did.  Once, when I was still dating my old boyfriend Bryan, but after I had stopped living with him, I was at his new apartment when Eric called to invite us out on a double date.  Bryan’s roommate had a cat that was attacking my feet while I was on the phone and I mentioned to Eric how annoying this particular cat could be.  We got to talking about how we were “dog people”, as opposed to “cat people.”  I remember thinking at the time, innocently (or so it seemed), that Eric and I would be a better match for each other than the people we were with.  So, when we finally started dating each other, getting a dog someday was something we always talked about.  As a couple, it represented to us being “settled” and “grown-up.”  A house with a fenced yard big enough for a dog, and beyond that a few babies, that was our shared goal.

© Salahub 2003