I shed a tear when he fell down and cried. I won't lie.
I have a clear image of Aurelia in my mind, her words clipped, her manner firm and direct. "You look like shit," not one to sugar-coat, not one to ever have done so.
The continual gazing at the dog, and the comparison between the two paint the husband as what he is - a child. Children in the face of a figure of authority, who try to be small, who try to hide behind another, and to find comfort in a pet.
Aurelia in here, even before he breaks down, is his mother, his homeroom teacher, and every other authority figure he had ever had.
I do find her talk, while good, to come a bit out of nowhere. I don't feel we know her enough, even through his eyes, to take what she says. And I do wish we did see a glimpse of that good thing that lies within him, provided it's there.
Oh, I have to say that the ambiguity in the ending made my eyes dry up a tad too quickly :< What ambiguity? I think you meant that he's intending to go and buy Bruno kibble, but I also wondered if he's going to deposit Bruno in the pet-shop, for adoption, while taking care of himself the flophouse way.
But, great story, and great voice!
Oh thank you so much. If there were awards for comment quality you would take the cake. To put your mind at ease, he’s going to buy dog food not kill himself 😉
Edit to say that Carol would of course take the flattery prize 😄
What, you flatter Carol even more than you do me? Inconceivable!
And well, I have a long history of long comments. Short comments aren't really my thing, and if something is only deserving of a short comment, then I often just don't post it.
And yes, length is not quality, but I try not to speak empty words :)
Lol, no, I mean Carol leaves the most flattering comments. Goodness she turns me beet red, but I confess it's wonderful ;)
I know, that was just my crooked sense of humour at work, teasing you :P