Choose: it’s me or the dog! Im fed up with that stench! my husband declared. I chose my husbanddrove the dog out to the woods That evening he packed up, saying he was leaving for another woman.
Rebecca loved her husband, David, to the moon and back. Theyd been married five years. No children yet, but there was Maxa loyal old Labrador Rebecca had rescued as a stray, long before shed even met David.
Max was family. Clever, devoted, he always seemed to know what you were thinking. But age had caught up with him; his hips ached, his coat shed everywhere, and there was a distinct odour about him you couldnt ignore.
David had endured it for years. But when Max, unable to wait for his walk, left a puddle in the hallwaystaining the freshly laid wooden floorDavid finally lost his patience.
Thats it! Ive had enough! he shouted, grabbing Max by the collar and shoving his nose towards the mess. Its like living in a kennel! Doggy stink, fur in the foodnow hes peeing in the house! Rebecca, its me or him!
David, where could I possibly take him? Hes twelve Rebecca sobbed, clinging to the sorry old dog.
To a rescue, out to the woods, have him put down! I dont care! David snapped. If hes not gone by tonight, Im leaving. I want to live in a decent home, not in filth, cleaning up after your flea-ridden child!
Rebecca was never one for confrontation. The thought of being alone terrified her. She dreaded losing Davidthe man who brought in a steady income, who shared plans for holidays, a new mortgage a future.
She chose her husband.
She loaded Max into the car and drove out past the town, tears blurring her vision. Max struggled to get into the backseat, whimpering as his joints protested, but he licked her hand trustingly, thinking they were going for a special walk.
Rebecca wept the entire journey.
She stopped in a woodland clearing, some fifteen miles from home. Tying his lead to a tree so he couldnt follow her, she left a bowl of food by his side.
Im so sorry, Max Forgive me she whispered, unable to meet those grey, loyal eyes, clouded by age.
Max didnt pull against the lead. He just sat and watched her silently, understanding everything.
Rebecca drove away, but in the mirror saw Max rise, forgetting his aching legs, straining against the lead, barking hoarsely, desperately.
That howl echoed in her mind all the way home.
Rebecca staggered inside, crushed, her eyes raw and swollen. David was there, packing a suitcase.
Wh-what are you doing? I did it. I took Max away
David looked right through her, a cold smirk on his lips.
Well done. Quick work. But Im leaving anyway.
What? Where are you going?!
To Helen. You know her, from accounts. Weve been seeing each other six months. Shes expecting a baby.
Rebecca collapsed into a chair as her world slipped away.
But you gave me an ultimatum The dog, or you Why? she stammered.
I was testing you, David said with cruel satisfaction. Wanted to see if youd stick up for yourself. Maybe show a bit of backbone. But you you betrayed your closest friend for a pair of trousers. Makes me wonderif you can ditch a dog whos loved you for a decade, youd toss me out the moment I became a burden.
He zipped the case shut.
Goodbye, Rebecca. And you know what? Max was the only real man in this house. You, youre just a traitor.
The door slammed behind him. Rebecca broke down completely.
It hit her thenwhat shed done. For someone whod never truly loved her, shed broken the heart of the one who had.
Mad with regret, she grabbed her car keys and sped back to the woods.
It was nightfall. Rain poured down relentlessly.
She reached the tree.
The lead had been chewed through. The bowl overturned. Max was gone.
Max! Max! My boy! she screamed, stumbling through mud and brambles, branches clawing at her face.
For three days, she searched. She hung flyers, contacted rescues, scoured online lost pet groups. She didnt sleep, didnt eat.
On the fourth day, her phone rang.
Are you looking for a Labrador? Ones been found by the dual carriageway. A lorry hit him.
Rebecca went to identify the body.
It was Max.
He must have gnawed through the lead and tried to make his way home. On those aching legs, fighting through pain and terror, hed run back to the one hed loved. And hed died at the roadside, waiting for her.
Rebecca buried Max quietly.
Two years have passed.
She lives alone now. Shes never remarriedshe doesnt trust people, nor herself, anymore.
David is happy with his new wife and baby. He forgot Rebecca in a flash; for him, it was just a test, the perfect excuse to leave and pin the blame on her.
Rebecca? She volunteers at a shelter for elderly dogs. She cleans their kennels, scrubs away messes, tends to injuries. Shes searching, always, for some way to make amends.
Every night she has the same dream: she stands at that tree, and Max is watching her. She calls his name, but he never comes. He only watchesnot angry, but filled with endless canine sorrow.
And in that gaze, she sees her guilt laid bare.
Moral: Betrayal is never forgiven. Never give up on loyal friends for someone whod force you to choose. True love doesnt come with ultimatums. If it does, its already goneand you only prolong the inevitable by making a terrible mistake.
