**Diary Entry**
The night was bitter, the kind of cold that seeps into your bones. I sat on a weathered bench in the park, my hands and feet numb, my old coat no match for the biting wind. Snowflakes settled on my shoulders, a cruel reminder of the warmth I once knew. It had been hoursor was it days?since my own son, the boy Id raised in that house for forty years, shut the door on me.
Emily and I need the space, and looking after you is just too much. You understand, dont you, Dad? His voice had been steady, his eyes avoiding mine.
Id nodded, whispered, I understand, though nothing in me did. How could he do this? After everything.
Leaving home that day was a blur of shamea tattered bag in my hand, my head bowed, tears I couldnt hold back. The city felt alien, the neighbours turning away, the thought of a care home twisting my stomach. Where was I to go?
As I sat there, memories of my wife flooded in. The house wed built together, the dreams wed shared. When were old, she used to say, well sit by the fire and remember it all. But she was gone now, two years gone, and to my son and his wife, I was nothing but a burden.
My breath grew shallow, my thoughts muddled. Is this how it ends? Thensomething warm, gentle against my cheek. I forced my eyes open and froze.
There she was. An old stray dog Id fed for years near our house. Her brown eyes, kind and worried, locked onto mine. She licked my hand, whining softly, as if pleading with me to get up.
You came, girl? I managed a weak smile.
She wagged her tail, pressing against my frozen legs, sharing what little warmth she had. Tears spilled down my face. No one else had remembered me. No one but her.
With effort, I pushed myself up. She trotted ahead, glancing back as if to say, *Follow me.*
Where to, love? I murmured.
She led me through empty streets to an old, abandoned shedonce a storage place, now just a shell. The door creaked as she nudged it open. Inside, the air was damp, the floor strewn with straw, but it was shelter. I sank down, pulling her close, stroking her scruffy fur.
Thank you, I whispered. At least you didnt leave me.
I closed my eyes, her warmth pressed against me. The past faded, leaving only a frail hopethat maybe God hadnt forgotten me after all.
Morning came. A passerby found me trembling on the sheds step, the dog curled tight beside me. Shed kept me alive through the night. An ambulance took me away, but when I woke, my first words were, Wheres my dog?
The nurse smiled. Waiting for you at the door. She hasnt moved.
That day, I learned loyalty isnt about blood. Sometimes, those closest to you let you down, while strangersor straysbecome family.
I never went back. My son sold the house soon after. I found a place in sheltered housing, but the real blessing was herthat loyal dog whod found me in the dark. She stayed by my side, always. And in the end, that was enough.
