To Be Alone - Wonder The Movie

To Be Alone

When I was 16 I felt alone. No friends, no family, no one to care. Yet my parents, which did a horrible job at raising any child, sent me out of the house yelling, "when you find your appreciation for us, you can come back!" Truth is, I never did find appreciation for them. However, I found appreciation for something much greater.

Since I had nowhere to go, I drove around until coming across the tiniest animal shelter I've ever seen. I had never had much contact with animals.

My heart pulled at me to stop in and look at the poor creatures, so I did just that. There was something that appealed to me about this place. These animals were unwanted; I guess that's something we had in common.

When I walked into the small building I was shocked to find how many animals were inside. The dogs began barking in welcome and, as if it was a chorus concert, the cats joined in.

I smiled, dragging my fingers along the cage bars as I walked through the rows of animals. For once, I felt as if I truly belonged.

"May I help you?" I turned to look at a middle aged woman, standing with a soft smile. "Are you here to adopt?"

"Um no thank you. I was just looking around." The woman nodded and walked off. I went back to walking through the place and once I was done, I left.

I went back every day to see those animals. The woman there seemed to notice how much I loved the animals so I became a volunteer.

The day a chocolate colored lab was brought into the shelter changed my life. He had soft eyes and a sad demeanor. Yet every time I would make eye contact with him he'd look away immediately. It was like looking at a mirror image of me. I wanted to say to him, "I see you dog. I know you've felt pain" but somehow I think he already knew I knew.

When adoption day came around, I did my best to keep Max away from the people. I knew it was selfish but he was just like me, and I couldn't bear to see him leave. After helping a family find their new cat, I went back to Max's cage only to find it empty. A lump in my throat formed and my eyes tugged with tears. 

"Where's Max?" When I was told he was adopted, I immediately ran out of the shelter looking for the family.

When my eyes landed on Max, I sprinted to catch up. "Wait!" I shoved myself in front of them. "P-please don't take him! He means everything to me!" Tears rushed down my face as I explained to them why he couldn't go. To my surprise, the family handed me the leash and gave me a hug, wishing me luck. I wrapped my arms around Max and cried out of pure joy. My best friend wasn't going anywhere.