Max’s Day
Victoria K Martin
The long, quiet days are the worst. Max spends these days on the couch where he can see the door. He watches and waits—these days are all about waiting. If he waits long enough, Mom always comes back through the door. She always comes back and is so happy to see him, almost as happy as he is to see her.
There is a noise outside and Max rushes to the door. It is earlier than usual but sometimes Mom comes back now and lies in bed, where he can stretch out beside her. But the door doesn’t make the familiar squeak before it opens and finally he gives up and lies back down. His eyes close and soon he is outside, chasing squirrels.
Eventually, he has to get up and do anything else. He chews on his second-best bone for awhile, before remembering where the best bone
