Memoir

When I was about ten years old, I took a trip to California with my older brother, Patrick. We were visiting our first cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents without our mom and dad because they had to work when it was our summer vacation. I remember driving back home from the airport when I noticed that my mom had a pet carrier. My parents had surprised us with a new pet guinea pig. Patrick and I were so excited because we've never had any other pets besides goldfish.

About a year ago, in the spring, my parents were grilling something for supper outside while I was busy bringing blankets and pillows outside. The aroma filled the air and it smelt so good that I was sure that my tummy would be satisfied. I also took my guinea pig, Moe out because it was perfect weather and I thought that he would like some fresh air. I asked my mother if she could watch Moe to make sure that he doesn't run away while I went inside to crab some celery for a snack because moe loves it! She uttered a "sure" and at that point I was already in the kitchen digging in the produce section of my refrigerator. When I came back outside, I noticed that Moe wasn't acting normal. He refused food and drink and that worried me. Moe never misses out on a single meal. I tried to make Moe move around but he just looked around and stayed as still as statue. It was getting dark, so dark, that it seemed to just envelop everything around me. I brought in the blankets and pillows and placed Moe in his cage. I felt bad because I knew in the back of my mind that something was wrong, the only problem is that I don't know. My mom said that he was eating grass when my dad walked in. He knew what we were talking about and told us that he had fertilized the grass not too long ago. My mom immediately called the pet hospital and made an appointment after school the next day. I really wanted to take him to an earlier appointment but there were none available. The only thing I could do is just hope that Moe will be okay.

The next day, my dad picked me up from school. He came earlier than usual. "I came home extra early to make sure how Moe is doing." my dad said in hope that he could cheer me up and comfort me. It made me feel a little bit better to know that he care because ever since we got him, I could tell by the look in his eyes that he wasn't too fond of having Moe around in the house. I felt excited and anxious to come home because I was ready to get my guinea pig and head over to the pet hospital for his appointment. I've had a headache the whole day and I thought about Moe nonstop. I was really worried about him. When we were finally home, I just hopped out of the car, and headed into the garage, skipped up the steps, pushed my way through the door and sprinted up the staircase and turned into the kitchen. I immediately went to Moe's cage and opened up the top. I froze. I honestly thought that I was hallucinating. Moe was sitting there frozen in a position as if his heart stopped in mid-step. He was obviously on his way to the corner of the cage. I screamed at the top of my lungs. I ran all the way back into the garage and was still screaming with tears running down my face like on an episode of Spongebob when he gets jealous of Patrick because Spongebob's grandmother is babying Patrick instead. I could hardly breathe. My dad knew right at that moment that he was forever gone.

I woke up in my room, cozily tucked into my bed. I could feel all of the anger inside of me so I just screamed. I screamed long and hard to get it out. I punched the pillows and kicked everything I saw. I was physically hurt but I did not care. Then suddenly, I just dropped onto the floor and just lay there. I laid there in the middle of the living room for a while thinking about Moe. I was really going to miss that little pig. All that's left of him are some pictures and my memories. Most of the people I befriended knew that too. I also believe that they got annoyed with me for talking about him so much. I got up and went to speak to my parents. My parents hated seeing me cry. We talked about how much we were going to miss Moe. We also planned a funeral for him over the weekend. That year they told me that we were never getting any more pets for fear of me being this angry and emotional when they die. The Thursday before the funeral, I prepared a casket. I wrote some things. I also added a picture, and drew on it. i put a little baby blanket in it and it was all ready. By Saturday, my dad placed Moe inside the homemade casket and placed a part of the blanket on him so that he would always stay comfortable and warm. The seasons were starting to change, so it was pretty chilly outside. We said out last words, and sealed the box. My dad carefully placed the box into the bottom of the hole that he had dug up. He picked up dirt with the shovel and dropped it in the whole, covering up the box. When he was finally finished, I wrote Moe's name and his date of birth and date of death. Then I flipped it over and played it right on the spot where he had been buried.

Over the years, I have learned to let go. I have also learned that life must go on whether you want it to or not. Just because you've hit a bump in the road, you need to keep going strong. After a little more then two years, my family and I went to a christmas party. My brother's girlfriend came in with a Jack Russell Terrier Chiuaua. His fur was mostly black, with little white and brown spots all over. I saw him and found out that he didn't have an owner. I begged my parents for two hours and asked them if I could take him home and have him as a pet. After being bothered for such a long time, they finally said yes. We took him to the pet store that night, picked up a few things, and brought him home. Simba is my current pet, but I will also never forget about my beloved guinea pig, Moe.