There's something magical about stale peanut butter cookies. They're really sweet and nutty, but also have that musty flavor that smells really good....

Where do I get such a cookie? Well. Every Wednesday, which just happens to be today, Lynde's Bakery sets out the cookies that they weren't able to sell out the previous week for a dollar off, making the cookies fifty cents apiece. I usually overindulged on these sweet but gummy treats with my siblings, taking advantage of the sale, because a dollar fifty cents is extremely overpriced in our humble opinions.

So this afternoon, I purchased a paper bag of slightly stale cookies and leashed up Aspen for a walk on the beach, since Wednesday was one of the days that I bore responsibility for exercising him.

I stuffed the spare apartment key into my pocket and headed off with my dog trotting beside me.

Once we got down to the ground, I pulled my bicycle out of the shed and tied Aspen's extra-long leash to the handlebars.

He looked back at me, prancing on his paws and smiling his doggie smile with his eyes all squinty and his tongue hanging out. I grinned back and pulled up the kickstand. "Let's go."

. . .

We walked slowly along the beach. I stood in the shallows with my jeans rolled up while Aspen jumped around in the surf, chasing after the little silver fish that darted to and fro inside the waves. He never caught one, though. They were too small and fast, like little streaks of silver lightning.

I bit into a cookie thoughtfully. Aspen smelled the treat and looked up imploringly, his great dark eyes begging adorably. Please, Nikki, please? I imagined him saying if he could speak.

"No, sorry, buddy. You can't have one! They're full of sugar and would make you sick."

Yeah, I talked to my pets.

He snuffled the water around my feet, searching for dropped crumbs. I sighed. He looked like a little beggar dog and my heart twinged for him.

Sighing and rolling my eyes dramatically, I broke off a tiny piece of cookie and held it out to him on my palm. Aspen woofed cheerfully and licked up the crumb. He danced around my feet, his puppy tail wagging like helicopter blades against my knees.

I dropped to the wet sand and put my arms around him, not caring about the water. "I love you, buddy." His damp fur smelled of salt and brine and all the things that make up the distinctly ocean smell.

Aspen snuffled my hair in response, and then licked my nose and ear thoroughly. I giggled, feeling like a little kid again, and hugged him tight.

Sometimes, when you're lonely, animals can make you feel loved in ways that humans can't. They're such simple, dependable, imprintable creatures that they love you with an unconditional love, not caring if you're ugly or have anger issues or can't stand yourself, because they love you anyways, and for almost no reason. Maybe a dog was all I needed to possibly get over the terrible losses I had gone through. Just thinking about them made me ache all over, inside and out. But when I was with my dog, I didn't even think about those things, those awful, ruining things. He took all of that away, and used his doggie heart to patch up mine.

Maybe I was overthinking it, but it felt right. Dogs are Man's best friend, I realized. Sometimes. If you just found the right one.

My phone buzzed in my pocket and I reluctantly let got of my sweet canine friend to look at it.

As soon as I did, my stomach dropped. Not exactly in an unpleasant way... just in an old way, that I wasn't used to.

After all, it had been nearly a year.

Hadn't it? My birthday was in a couple of days.

My eyes never made it past the picture beside the message.

An impish, gorgeous, smiling boy looked up at me.

My heart nearly burst with an emotion I couldn't even recognize.

Vince.

My breath caught in my throat.

Then...

I stared at the screen. A smile spread across my face.

I answered.

I imagined I was finally taking a step in the right direction. This felt right. I'd been running ever since we'd left. Running as fast as I could.

But now? Now I was taking a step towards the future. Was it good? Was it bad? I couldn't know. But what I did know was that a Vince was asking for a second chance, one that I would give happily. Because I was ready now.

Ready to finally move in the right direction, hopefully toward a brighter, better future. Because I had hope, and hope makes everything seem brighter.

And yeah, I'm a little young to be talking this way. But that means I have so much more to live for — so much more to do in my life. And I'm ready. Are you?

Fin.

What though the radiance

which was once so bright

Be now for ever taken from my sight,

Though nothing can bring

back the hour

Of splendor in the grass of

glory in the flower;

We will grieve not, rather find

Strength in what remains

behind.

~ William Wordsworth