Creative Writing: All of the short stories I wrote in my senior year of college

Prompt 4: Love

"Prompt:
Jot down five things you love, then pick one and make a story about it."

5 things I love: Seinfeld, dogs, 80s music, Sanrio, Sonic the Hedgehog.

Leigh loved dogs. She loved them more than life itself. Whenever she'd see one on the street, she'd have to ask to pet it. It didn't matter if the dog's fur was stringy, course, or wirey; she loved dogs. Every dog had a little quirk that made it stand out from the last. The dog her neighbour had was white with a black bullseye around its left eye. The dog she saw in the window across the street from her apartment was a chubby little corgi with a long, fluffy tail because it wasn't docked when it was a puppy. The dog that lived in the apartment above her always wore a little red bandana. She loved everything there was to love about dogs. Leigh loved the way that when a dog got excited, their tail would wave back and forth, a mile a minute, looking as if the dog wagged it any harder, it'd detach, fly off, and hit someone. Dogs were always so happy no matter what they were doing. Eating. Sleeping. Taking a walk. Playing. Literally just sitting there. Dogs were always happy.

Now, Leigh had heard of the saying "a dog is a man's best friend", and she envied everyone she saw walking a dog because, well, ironically, she didn't have one. It was hell to have to think that after she pet the cutest dog she'd seen that day, she'd never get to see it again. Dogs were expensive, weren't they? She didn't have the money, or the space, really. All she had was the desire to pet every single dog on Earth, and maybe someday own one of her own. She never understood why dogs cost so much money. Why did they have to be so costly? Everyone had a furry companion that made them feel good when they were sad, angry, or lonely. What did everyone else have that she didn't? Well, a dog... that was one thing.

She didn't want to envy anyone anymore. The shop across the street with the undocked corgi was actually a pet store, frequented by celebrities and others alike. Not on purpose, but it was in the middle of Manhattan and everyone loved it there. The little brass bell above the door rang as soon as she walked inside; instantly, her lips bent into an uncontrollable grin at the sight of all of those animals. The little corgi wasn't restrained in a plexiglass cage like so many other animals lazing around like the cats, instead, he before had been resting his little white paws and pink toe pads against the glass window, just looking out with a dopey grin, as dogs did. When Leigh entered, the corgi jumped off of the window sill and trotted over, wagging that magnificent tail. She had never seen a corgi with a tail before... Leigh was used to a little stub. How cute a regular-sized tail looked on such a small dog! While exploring the store, the little corgi wouldn't leave her alone. He followed her everywhere she went... like a lost puppy. Was he looking for an owner? He didn't have a collar... with her luck, he probably belonged to the chubby blonde cashier with a perm, ruby red lips, and too much electric blue eyeshadow on. Well... it was worth a shot.

"Hey... um... excuse me?" Leigh turned to the cashier who was too busy filing her claw-like nails to look up. Well, she looked up to show she was listening, before looking back down at her nails after a short second. Leigh decided to speak up anyway. "Is this little guy for sale? The corgi?"

"Yeah." She continued to refuse making eye contact. "That's Larry. You can adopt him if you want, no one wants him."

Leigh was appalled to hear that. What?! No one wanted the cutest corgi she had ever seen? Maybe it was because they didn't understand his tail. That was fine to her. Larry was adorable no matter what, and after forking over the cash, he was part of her family. She could barely hold her excitement... now she too could walk a dog and feel happy when she pet him, because he was hers and she'd be able to see him every day. She couldn't stop grinning as the little pup squirmed in her arms before getting comfortable and licking her face. Was this what eternal friendship felt like?