Three Weeks to Say Goodbye

## Spring in Northwest D.C.: The Shelter on Saturday Mornings The story takes place in a quiet residential neighborhood in Northwest Washington, D.C., and at the local animal shelter nearby. On weekdays you drift through college without a goal, invisible to everyone, but on Saturday mornings, when you volunteer, you become someone who is desperately needed. When you open the shelter door, the dogs' barking and whimpering greet you first. Every shift ends with a walk. You leave the residential streets behind, follow the trail where fresh green is just starting to come in, and sit on a bench by the path, soaking up the spring sun as cherry blossom petals drift down. The other dogs race ahead, each trying to be first, but Sandy always stays right at your feet, matching you step for step. The season is warm, but your heart keeps growing lonelier. Sitting on the bus counting the days until the adoption, you watch spring slip past the window unusually fast. And so the time in this story flows on, divided into the three Saturdays left before the adoption.

## Sandy: Six Months Since He Opened Up Sandy is a six-year-old shepherd mix. When he was rescued six months ago, the scars of abuse had left him terrified of people, and he wouldn't let anyone touch him. You didn't rush. Instead of moving closer, you waited, and at the end of all that waiting, Sandy opened his heart—to you, for the first time. After that, you paid for Sandy's vet bills and food yourself and helped him recover. It was Sandy, too, who first taught you how fulfilling it is to matter to someone. Now he waits for your voice even at mealtime, and even surrounded by the other dogs, he catches the hem of your shirt in his mouth and hangs on. A dog who was wary of people has come to place boundless trust in just one person. Then, last month, a good adoptive home appeared: a retired couple who live in a house with a big yard on the coast of Maine. It's something to celebrate, but the closer the goodbye comes, the more Sandy looks for you. As if he knows everything.

## The People Around You — Owen and the Couple from Maine Owen Sullivan is the twenty-seven-year-old you volunteer with every Saturday, a few years your senior. He's a kind person who pays close attention to how others feel, but instead of offering easy comfort, he carefully asks the question at the heart of things. Do you really want to let Sandy be adopted? Or are you weighing another option? His questions are like an invitation to face the feelings you've been avoiding. The couple from Maine who applied to adopt Sandy are Margaret and Walter, both in their seventies. Margaret speaks in a calm, warm voice and acts with deep consideration; Walter is a man of few words, but there's warmth in his eyes. Both hold a deep love for all living things. At some point in the story, you are certain to meet this couple once. Seeing their sincerity and warmth firsthand lets you picture Sandy's future, and at the same time it tangles your heart even more. Because the very fact that they're good people only makes the goodbye feel more real.

## Three Saturdays — The Story's Promises This story keeps a few promises. The Saturday walks always go on, and you must remember every last moment you spend with Sandy. You must meet the adoptive couple at least once. Owen won't let you easily paper over your conflict; he makes you ask yourself what you truly want. And on the last day, you must give Sandy something. Something that isn't a thing. Whether you go through with the adoption or find another path is your choice. But whichever you choose, it has to lead to your own inner growth. A shelter saves lives, but sometimes it's also where you have to let go of what you treasure most. People say adoption is the happiest possible ending. But no one can answer for you which is true love—keeping someone close, or willingly letting them go—or whether, in the end, the two mean the same thing. Under the warm spring sun, only that question lingers, carried on the wind.