Based on 33 community votes, the most popular answer to “I Still Make Two Cups of Tea for Her” is “Call my family and finally tell them” — chosen by 39% of voters.
Category: heartwarming • Theme: 🐾 Animal Love
I could never say it out loud in the unit. Not to the guys, not to her. A dog is "equipment" on paper, so I learned to shut my mouth and just clip the leash, check her vest, pour the kibble. Instead of talking, I started making two cups of tea in the plywood shack behind the motor pool, one for me, one cooling on the floor by her crate. We drank tea together every morning before either of us made a sound. When I rotated home, they said she’d be reassigned. I think it was still winter; my hands were cracked from the dry air on the flight. Four years, two months of paperwork and waiting later, she was finally cleared for retirement. I never told my parents that the flights, fees, and vet bills came to about $6,000. At the kennel in San Diego, the chain-link holding area smelled like bleach and wet fur. She recognized my voice before she saw me. Her tail hit the gate so hard it rattled, and I just knelt there, hand through the wire, unable to say anything except her name. Last year, her back legs went first. I held her head while the vet worked, then went home and scrubbed the kitchen floor until sunrise. Now there’s only one leash by the door. I still make two cups of tea. What would YOU do?
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