I wasn’t supposed to be on this train. After spending a sleepless night outside my ex-boyfriend’s flat, desperately clinging to a love that was already gone, I finally broke down. Without thinking, I bought the first ticket I could find out of town, not caring where it was going. I just needed to get away from my own thoughts.
That’s when I noticed him-a golden retriever sitting across from me, his wise eyes seeming to stare straight into my soul. There was an unusual calmness about him. When he suddenly came over and laid his heavy head on my knee, even his owner looked surprised. ‘He never does that with strangers,’ the man remarked.
But Buddy stayed on.
As the train rumbled by, I whispered my secrets to this gentle creature – about heartache, about humiliation, about how I had completely lost track of who I was. He listened without judgement, his warm brown eyes never straying from mine.
And then the unthinkable happened. His host, a quiet man named Sam, invited me to spend the weekend at his remote cabin on the shores of Lake Crescent. ‘No expectations,’ he assured me. ‘But Buddy obviously trusts you.’
Maybe it was the enthusiasm. Maybe it was the dog’s unconditional acceptance. Or maybe I just needed to believe in kindness again. Whatever the reason, against all logic, I said yes.
WHAT HAPPENED IN THAT CABIN WOULD CHANGE ME FOREVER…..
