Foley Monster's Tales From Rainbow Bridge: Tango Goes Home and Becomes Whole

 

When a dog loses a limb or an eye, the missing body part arrives at the Bridge where it waits to be reunited with the dog it left. When a pup gets older and starts to combat senility, the bits of their brain that stopped working also go to the Bridge.  These brain cells slowly take on the form of the dog they once belonged to. The more brain cells are lost, the clearer the apparition becomes. When this happens, it often means that the mortal who belongs to the cells will soon arrive at the Bridge to be made whole.

    Lately, while our friend Tango has struggled with senility on the mortal side, his brain cells were forming a perfect copy of his body, waiting for him to finally let go, dip into the River of Life, come to Rainbow Bridge, and be made whole again. 

    Even though Tango’s lucid moments were becoming more infrequent, the ones he experienced made him yearn for more time with his mom, their pack of three dogs, and three auxiliary members belonging to their mom’s boyfriend.  Tango still had a lot to teach his siblings and his mom, who he knew needed him much.

    But, when he tried to teach, his thoughts  became cloudy, and he made a muck of things.  His mom sat him down and told him that, while she appreciated his hard work and devotion, it was time for him to go.  He had given everything he had to her and the pack.  It was time for him to be whole again. 

    His devoted grandpa took tango’s brain cells, now an angel, mainly devoted to the little dog. When word spread that Tango would be arriving, Grandpa brought the “shadow” Tango that he had been protecting to Hobo’s Landing for the reunion. 

    Moma Lisa has had dogs throughout her life, and many of them are now at the Bridge.  Tango’s angel siblings learned of his arrival and were standing next to me as I prepared to swear him in, ready to live up to the pack name “The Wild Ones” and make Tango’s arrival one we would remember forever.  

    We saw the brave little dog climbing out of the River.  He had yet to retrieve his missing brain cells, and his mind was still a couple of steps behind.  We had to yell to get his attention.  When he saw the angels, he shook his head, trying to clear it.  Then he recognized himself, realized that the body contained his missing brain cells, and he happily ran towards it.  

    He ran up the stairs, and his grandpa let go of the faux  Tango.  They ran into one another and became one.  Tango stopped, saw everyone, and recited Pi to the fifteenth decimal point.  When you get your brain cells back, you often get a rush of knowledge. 

    Not only was Tango mentally sound again, but all the aches and pains that he had accumulated in his long life melted away.  He was young, smart, and ready to play, which is good because his pack mates, who were now angels, jumped on him and began to chase him all over the Bridge.

    I thought they would go on forever, but finally, Tango joined me to be sworn in and immediately went to work as his mom’s angel.  He knows in these troubled times; every person needs as many angels that they can get.  And now Momma Lisa has one that is, at least temporarily, a newly minted genius. 

    While Tango’s mom is saddened over his passing, she is happy that he is whole again and no longer suffering.  Parents will take on all the pain in the world so their kids won’t have a moment's discomfort. That is what letting us go to the Bridge is about.