After the Breakup, She Refused His Apology

Dale walked in, put the dog in the room and left in a hurry. He didn't even take off his shoes. It was Sunday and Dale would be working tomorrow. He wouldn't want to spend his last day off at home and I suspected he would go play chess. Before leaving, he told me to get Rex some food.

“Don't worry, I'll feed him,” I assured, just before I heard the door slammed shut. It was time for me to get started. The damn dog seemed a bit uneasy since its return. It sniffed the air, looking defensive, as if warning me to stay away.

Knowing he had rabies, I put on my gloves before going inside. When I came out of my room, he was standing on the couch, peeing. The pee ran down into the cracks of the couch, imparting a pungent, foul odor. Trying to stay calm, I put his favorite canned food in the corner. It seemed like he knew there was medicine in his food because after sniffing it, he turned and trotted off. My patience ran out and I rushed over to grab him. He was sensitive and very agile. He turned his head so quickly to bite at my wrist. Reacting instinctively, I dodged to the side.

He darted under the bedroom bed, growling at me. I grabbed the ashtray and hurled it at the dog, causing him to flee to the windowsill and jump over the railing. Living on the ground floor, I knew the fall wouldn't be lethal. With urgency, I swung open the door and dashed outside to pursue the dog. Perhaps upon landing, he had hurt itself; he limped away from me, seeking refuge under a nearby car. From there, he continued to snarl at me, clearly agitated and defensive.

"What are you doing?” Mable Prince’s voice cut through the tension as she spotted me crouched on the ground, peering intently. She was my neighbor, always sticking her nose into everything and often twisting situations around. Honestly, I tried to avoid getting involved with her whenever possible.

I grabbed a stone and threw it at the dog, causing him to scurry into the bushes and hide in a corner. As I chased after him, Mrs. Prince suddenly yanked me back.

“What’s gotten into you? Dale treats that dog like his own child. If you have a fight with him, don't take your anger out on that dog. That poor creature doesn’t know a thing about human’s business!” Because of her loud shouting, a crowd started to gather around us. Soon, more and more people joined in, their voices rising in accusation about me abusing the dog.

“She seemed like a nice woman, turns out she's a horrible an animal abuser.”

“Look, the dog seems terrified, he's shaking so hard he's drooling. It must be because she beat him so badly.”

I remember when the dog drooled, it meant the virus had already entered its brain and there was no chance for him to recover. To prevent Rex from biting anyone else, I picked up the nearest tree branch and approached the rabid dog slowly.

Just as I took a couple of steps, Mrs. Prince grabbed me tightly, “Get a hold of yourself, will you? This is not how you should handle this. There’s plenty-”

“You want to get bitten? This dog has rabies!” I snapped. “Don't say I didn't warn you.” I made my voice icy cold as I spouted the least sentence.

Mrs. Prince froze instantly. She stared at me with wide eyes, her face filled with horror.

“If the dog has rabies, why would she want to catch it?

“Shouldn't we call animal control?”

“That's why we have to look at things from both sides. As far as I know, Harper isn't someone who is cruel to animals. She's doing this because she's trying to protect others.”

“What do you know about what's in people's hearts? A lot of people seem nice to dogs on the outside but they're actually a dog fight breeder. She could be saying this because a lot of people have caught her. Moreover, this is a terrier, they are used a lot in dog fighting.”

As I looked at several ‘morally-good-people attempting to block my way, I took a big stone. I gripped the stone tightly, intending to strike the dog directly, smashing it to death. But just as I lifted my hand, someone grabbed it firmly, stopping me in my tracks.

“Harper, are you crazy?”

The news traveled fast. Dale, who was playing chess in the next unit, came over as soon as he heard that his wife was beating a dog in the parking lot. He came with Eileen in tow. Eileen was beautifully dressed and put on a beautiful make-up. When she saw her lovely dog cowering in the corner of the park, she covered her mouth with her shiny nails.

“Oh my God, what happened to Rex? Why’s he drooling? What have you done to him?” She shot me a fierce glare before rushing to hug the dog. The moment her hand made contact with Rex, he bit down hard, causing her hand to bleed profusely.

Dale grabbed a tissue to gently wipe her wound, while concerned onlookers urged him to take her to the hospital.

“Your wife said that this dog has rabies. You should take her to hospital to get an anti-rabies shot,” someone insisted.

“Bullshit. How could a domestic dog have rabies?” Dale retorted.

Eileen winced in pain as she clutched her bitten hand, frustration evident in her curses directed at the well-intentioned crowd. Ignoring her discomfort, she bravely attempted to approach the frightened dog once more, hoping to reassure it and calm its fears. However, Dale intervened swiftly, his grip firm as he pulled her back, concerned for both her safety and the dog's agitation.

“Rex looks freak out. Let’s give him a break.” He said softly, “Go to the hospital. I’ll be waiting here so no one would touch him.”

Dale glared at me as if he wanted to strangle me. Meanwhile, Eileen wept in anguish. Dale frowned, unable to comprehend why I had persuaded him to retrieve the dog with gentle words, only for things to end up like this. He was now focused on resolving the issue.

“Did Liam annoy him so Rex bit him and you went out after him to hit him?” It was nothing but an accusatory tone. “Didn't I tell you two not to bother him? Why don’t you get it?”

I wanted desperately to tell him that his son had passed away. Yet, in the heat of my anger, the words lodged in my throat, refusing to come out. Deep inside, regret gnawed at me, realizing the immense mistake I had made in marrying someone like him.

The dog was going to die anyway and I didn't want to waste time explaining, so I turned and walked away.

Just as I took a few steps, someone suddenly shouted in a shrill voice, “There's something wrong with the dog!”

The dying dog was foaming at the mouth, his limbs were all twitching uncontrollably. He was thrashing around, hitting his body to the walls. The onlookers were horrified. “This dog really must have rabies.”

Eileen collapsed, broke free from Dale's grasp and ran towards the dog, crying uncontrollably.

“Shut the fuck up! There’s no way my baby has rabies. It definitely because this damn woman kicked him so hard in the head!”

She distanced herself from her beloved pet. She was surely too afraid to approach the dog, seeing how crazy it was.

A few minutes later, the dog fell on the floor. He convulsed violently, emitting a pitiful whimper as his final breath left his body. Eileen turned towards Dale, tears streaming down her face. Her lips moved but no sound came out.

“Dale, what are you waiting for? Go take our boy to the vet!”

As soon as her words dropped, the crowd erupted in shock.

“Wait, what? Am I hearing this right? Their son? So the dog was her pet?”

“Oh my goodness, I always thought they were just friends.”

“It seems like she found out they were having an affair and therefore took out her anger on this dog.”

The people around started to show sympathy towards me, though not everyone did. Because a second later, some of them started speaking up for the dog.

“She has every right to be angry after finding out her husband cheated, but that doesn't mean she can take it out on this dog. The dog is innocent.”

“Exactly,” answered the other.

Not wanting to bother arguing with them, I turned around to leave. However, before I could take a step, Eileen rushed towards me with surprising speed. Her hand swung and struck my face with force, the sound echoing in the tense atmosphere around us.