Boo and the Price of Fame

I was sleeping in bed when I was awoken by the sounds of a hard rain falling on my roof and a soft scratching coming from the window screen.

I rightly figured the rain was caused by the passing of a well-loved pup. I wondered what dog could have prompted such an outpouring of tears. The scratching remained a mystery that could only be solved by me sitting up in bed and yelling “Who Dat?”

“Foley Monster,” a voice squeaked, “I had to come to the Bridge incognito because I was afraid my notoriety would cause a stampede of angels to greet me. If you could please administer my oath and help me, I would be very appreciative.”

Great, just what I needed, another little dog with delusions of grandeur. I opened the front door and let the little guy inside. I could barely see his face because his long hair was soaked. I gave him a towel and a hairdryer and let him fix himself up.

He was finished drying, and his hair was poofed up I recognized him. “I know you,”  I said. “You’re Boo the Pomeranian. I've seen your pictures on Facebook and Instagram.”

“Yes,” he said sheepishly. “I guess people thought I was cute which caused me to become the world's most famous dog. It's not something I ever wanted.”

“Well, one of the most famous,” I said trying to hide my jealousy.  “I got a blog, and the most popular posts have been read by somewhere between five and ten thousand people.”

“That's great. My Facebook page has 17.5 million-dollar likes but between 5 and 10,000 is good too. You should be proud of yourself.”

17.5 million my tail! I reminded myself it didn't matter who was famous and who was almost famous, it was my duty to give Boo the Angel oath, which I did, and then I helped him acclimate to his new surrounding at the Bridge.

I told Boo it would be best for him to wait until dawn to make his first appearance public appearance.  He sat in my rocking chair and told me about the circumstances that brought him to the Bridge. He liked being a famous dog.  He got to go places most dogs could only imagine. He met people from all over the globe. But what he loved most was the time with his brother Buddy, who Boo could escape from all the trappings of fame with, and just be a dog.

 “When Buddy left us in 2017 I missed him so much my heart sped up, and I quickly began to burn through my remaining heartbeats. My grieving mom, who was the best parent in the world, had to let me live with Buddy again. Can you help me find him?”

I put an alert on The Angel Network asking for help from anyone who could find Buddy. I then made Bo a delicious cup of hot chocolate, something he had never been able to try before,  He was very appreciative.

We talked for 112 minutes until I heard the familiar sound of a tail slapping against my door. I opened it and saw my bestie Odie accompanied by another furry little Pom. When the dog saw Boo, it yipped in excitement and sped across the floor. Boo jumped down from the chair and gave his brother Buddy a long hug.  Then they began to run around my house barking loudly, nipping at one another, rolling up into one Pom ball, untangling and running again until Boo ran out the door followed by Buddy and they yipped loudly and bounced high until they were across the horizon. Odie, who never missed a good dog run, happily took off after them leaving me to clean up the mugs and the mess that the reunited rambunctious two caused.

As I did, I reflected on the price of fame. Certainly not more valuable than a good romp with a loved one.