My Favorite Guys

by Trish Hubschman

That honor, of course, goes to my husband, Kevin, and our dog, Henry (pictured below).

Kevin and I met through a newspaper Personal ad shortly after I graduated college in 1988. We corresponded via letters for a while, then he asked if he could call me. My hearing wasn’t as bad thirty years ago, nonetheless I was not a big fan of the telephone.
But what could I do? I liked the guy and wanted to meet him in person, so I gave him my phone number. He called and we set up our first date. We met at a diner around the corner from my house.

My best friend, Cindy, made an unexpected appearance at the diner. She was keeping an eye on me. And, as I found out years later, Mom had also followed me to the diner and was sitting at a nearby table. I got both their approval.

Henry joined our family on June 1, 2019. We were just looking that day when we went to the animal shelter, but then we saw Henry and had to grab him. If we didn’t right then, we wouldn’t get another chance. He’s our everything and he knows it too. But he’s such a good dog and so sweet.

On many occasions, I wake up in the wee hours of the morning, feeling nervous. I don’t know why or what of. To relax myself, I sit up and reach down toward the end of the bed and pet Henry. This morning, he wasn’t on our bed. My anxiety grew. I had to find Henry, so I slid out of bed and crawled across the dark room, looking for his furry dog bed on the floor.  But it wasn’t where it usually was and I couldn’t find Henry. I was close to having a panic attack. But what could I do? I climbed back into my own bed. Suddenly, I heard the jangle of the tags on his collar. I sighed with relief and patted the bed. He jumped up, came to the top and gave me a kiss, then turned around and plopped down, rested his head on my lap and fell asleep.

I placed my hand on his back and closed my eyes too.

Kevin teases me that I’m obsessed with Henry. He’s right. Henry is my best buddy.

Yesterday, Kevin said that Valentine’s Day was coming up. I had forgotten. I snuggled closer to Kevin and said ‘Be my valentine”?  He gave me a raspberry. I swatted him and told him he loved me.  He nodded and gave me a big hug.   Then I turned to Henry, who was on the sofa on my other side and asked him to be my valentine. He jumped up, put his paws on my shoulders and gave me kisses.

Okay, now this is love! I know it is. I love my two favorite guys and they love me.

About the Author

Trish is the creator of the Tracy Gayle mystery series, Tidalwave, Stiff Competition and Ratings Game. She also writes short stories, poetry, creative non-fiction and articles. She is a graduate of Long Island University’s Southampton Campus and has a bachelors degree in English-Writing. She lives with her husband, Kevin, and dog, Henry, in Northeast Pennsylvania. Her website is https://www.dldbooks.com/Hubschman/.

• Favorite Guys
• Trish Hubschman