Roadtrip with a new friend

Gus and I are driving to LA today. I made the trip many times with Jake; it’s my first time driving with Gus.

I think about all those roadtrips Jake and I took together. When he was younger, he couldn’t sit still. He’d either try to sit in my lap, or whine with excitement for the first hour of the drive, probably thinking that we were going to the beach. But, as he got older, he would curl up on the front passenger seat, and sleep, the sun on his face.

I am so glad Gus is in my life, but I still miss Jake. He was an old friend; our friendship was deep and comfortable and predictable. If he were a person, we would have finished each other’s sentences. Gus is like a new relationship. His ways are such a mystery to me. His vocabulary is still pretty limited.

I have no clue how Gus will do on this drive. If our short trips thus far are any indication, he’ll probably be as, um, active as young Jake was. He may move on to crawling under the car seats in search of moldy crumbs. One day, a very long time from now, he will be an old dog, curled up on the passenger seat, snoring away, with the sun on his face. And perhaps, we’ll even finish each other’s sentences.