I woke up with a huge smile on my face. It was finally the day. I sprinted downstairs to see if my parents had left yet, and they had. I find my sister, Sarah, sitting on the couch with my cousin, Candice, who had volunteered to babysit us for the day while our parents went to make our dreams come true. What was that dream? Probably the same dream that most first grade and kindergarten kids dream of; a new puppy. We had a dog when we were very young, but he was very old and we barely even remembered him. This would be our dog. We would watch him grow up with us, and that was what excited us.
Our parents left in the morning to start their trip to upstate New York, where our black lab puppy was from. We had already decided that we would name our new dog Remi. Candice took on the monstrous task of watching two super-energetic elementary school kids as they waited for their dream to come true.
The day started great. Candice made us waffles. It was peaceful. It seemed like it would be a great day. When Sarah and I finished breakfast, we went back into the family room to watch TV. We were still full of energy. Candice was cleaning up in the kitchen while me and Sarah were alone in the family room. While we were alone and bored, I decided to lay with my feet on the couch and arms on the table, making a bridge, and I told my sister to crawl over it.
This is where the day started to spiral. As Sarah cautiously started to crawl on top of me, I felt her imbalance above me. Suddenly, I see her fall down on my right and land directly on her side. She started wailing immediately.
I jumped down in a hurry trying to get her to stop before we got in trouble. It did not work. Candice came running in demanding to know what happened. Sarah tried to get the words out in between her sniffles as she continued to cry relentlessly. I told Candice what happened, and she told us to get in the car, because we were going to the hospital.
Candice called our parents while we were in the car. Upon hearing the news, our parents said they were turning around and coming home without the dog. At this point, I started crying, because I cared more about getting this dog than my sister’s health. Eventually, Candice convinced them that she could handle it until they returned and that they should just continue their trip. They eventually agreed and continued their journey.
We pull up to the hospital and Sarah is still crying and holding her arm. Candice parks and goes to help Sarah out of the car. When Sarah began to get out of the car, we heard a pop, and the crying slowed. She said it didn’t hurt anymore. Confused, Candice still brought her inside to get checked. The doctor said that she likely dislocated her shoulder when she fell on her side, and that Candice accidentally popped it back into place when helping her out of the car. We were all relieved that it was nothing more serious. However, the most important thing is that we got to go back home and wait for our puppy.
By the time we got back home, our parents were almost back as well. We sat in the backyard, including Sarah holding an ice pack to her shoulder, and waited. We waited for what felt like an eternity. Eventually, I lay down on the lawn chair and closed my eyes, only to be woken up by a small black lab sniffing my hand as it hung from my side. I jumped when I realized what was happening. He was here. He was finally here. I tried to pick him up but he ran away from me and fell down the steps going up to the deck. I was upset that he wouldn’t let me pick him up, but I knew that he would eventually. I knew that he would be my best friend someday, and I knew that this day would stick with me for the rest of my life.
