June 4 1999
Guinea Pig
My little friend my guinea pig
Korky died a short while back. I will always miss him.
I got him after the kids decided they wanted a dog so I opted to
take care of him instead of giving him away.
The last days of his life spent going back and forth to doctors,
he spent sitting next to me in the car on the seat laying
there just staring at me smiling (so it seemed to me).
He loved going places with me and even though he wasn’t
feeling well he still was happy to be with me.
The last night of his life I sat up with him and watched TV just
watching him watch me and petted him.
He looked really tired and pained but just sat there with me
and made his usual cooing sounds of contentment.
But he was tired. It was 1 in the morning and I needed to go to bed,
so I petted him and said goodnight and went downstairs.
Suddenly I just needed to go back upstairs.
It felt like I was being pulled up the stairs by my heart.
I went to his cage and he was laying on his side gasping for breath.
He had sat with me and as long as I was in his sight he kept fighting.
Finally when I went downstairs he tired and decided to lay down
and take the long sleep. If I had known that I would not have left
his side not for all my capacity to stay awake.
I would have stayed awake for a week if need be.
Instead I had to sit and pet him as his breathing slowed.
I saw his breathing ceased but before it did I told him I loved him
and said I would miss him.
I buried him underneath the tree out in the back.
It seems the land is now sacred as if other animals know that
an lived and was loved here.
Bunnies squirrels and tons of birds a turtle and a baby groundhog
have all made our yard part of their daily reconnoitering.
But even more I couldn’t handle being without my Korky anymore
so I went to the pet store and bought two small guinea pigs,
both females or so I was told. Now very soon in the next three
to four days we will have babies.
Angelica (Angel) is a female as she is pregnant.
But Helga……well she/he will need to have a new fitting name.
I should have figured it out when he started carrying lettuce to
Angel inside her little nested area.
I still miss my little purring cooing sometimes clicking baby boy.
I only had four years with him.
| Korky |