I was feeling really down today and missing Pie, so Mum said, ‘I know, how about we take a look through the photos and find all the ones of you and Pie together, then maybe you can share them with our Tripawds friends.’
I thought that was a pretty stupid suggestion, to be perfectly honest with you. ‘Won’t that just make me feel worse?’ I said. ‘How’s looking at photos going to help? It’s not going to bring Pie back, is it?’
‘No,’ said Mum. ‘Not physically. But it will bring back lots of memories and although they might make you feel sad, I think they might make you feel happy too.’
‘So how does that work, Mum?’ I said. ‘Happy and sad are opposites. You can’t be both together.’
‘Just come and look through them, Meg,’ said Mum. ‘Come and sit on my lap,’ So I did.
This was my first day with Elsie and Mum. New Year’s Day 2010. They found me on New Year’s Eve
Mum took us to Wales because she said I was a nightmare in London. Apparently, I was a nightmare in Wales too.
Elsie and Mum took me on my first ever trip to the beach
Elsie taught me loads of stuff. Mostly she taught me it was okay to be happy.
She was always pretty chatty
This is us when we first moved to Norfolk. Pie and I enjoyed exploring together.
This was us that time Mum served our dinner five minutes late
And when she told us she was going to be away for our birthday, and Pie and I staged a sit-in protest
And here we are in the MegaWagon. Else wanted to call it the PieMobile, but MegaWagon sounded better
In Pie I had a friend for all seasons.
A partner in humiliation
And a physio buddy too
She was also perfect just to chill with. I hate that empty space on the sofa
This is us listening to a play on the radio
And Pie made a perfect footrest
This was just last Autumn, when we went to see my Auntie and Uncle in Bristol
And this is maybe the last one of the two of us together. Mum says it totally cracks her up. Why? I said. Well just look at you both! she said.
‘Do you see, Meg?’ said Mum when we’d finished looking, and she was smiling at me, but there were tears in her eyes. ‘You can be happy and sad together.’
‘Yes, Mum,’ I said. ‘I do.’