Page 315 of Tell Me I'm Enough

Mason doesn’t answer. He just starts walking closer to him, so slowly, like he’s afraid to scare him away or something. Or maybehe’sthe scared one. He kneels in front of the dog bed as his tail hits his bed weakly, but I can tell how excited he is. Mason’s face changes. He looks sad? Or maybe just really happy that he might cry…I can’t tell.

“What’s…what’s his name?” Mason asks, voice cracking.

I blink. “Thor?”

Mason’s eyes fill with unshed tears now, and it makes my stomach drop, worried something’s wrong.

“What’s going on?” I whisper. “Why are you acting like this?”

He just looks up at me from the floor, with his hand on top of the dog’s head, looking like he can’t even breathe properly right now.

“Can someone explain,” he says, voice shaking, “how this dog is here right now?”

My mom steps closer, confused. “Honey…what are you talking about?”

I stare at Mason. “Yeah, you gotta be more specific. That’s kind of a weird question.”

His eyes flick down to Thor again. “How did you get him?” he whispers.

I’m so confused, and my brain is stalling on how to answer that.

“We…um, my aunt had him,” I say slowly. “When she moved to Atlanta, she couldn’t keep him, so…we took him.”

“Where…where did your aunt move from?”

I’m so confused right now.

“She moved from Florida,” my mom tells him.

Something clicks in my head, but it’s like I have more pieces, yet I still don’t know how the puzzle is supposed to come together.

Mason’s face completely crumples. “Thor was…my childhood dog,” he whispers.

Everyone goes silent, taking that in, ortryingto take it in. I think I’m still lost, or it’s just not fully clicking, not believing that could be true.

“What?” I ask, disbelievingly.

Mason’s hands tremble as he continues to gently stroke Thor’s head.

“I got him when I was four,” he says, voice breaking. “My dad…he made me take him to the pound when I was eight after I got in trouble one day.” I see him visibly swallow back the emotions. “I haven’t seen him since,” Mason whispers. “I never thought I’d see him again.”

Thor whines softly, licking Mason’s hand the best he can. Mason looks like his heart is splitting open at the reality. Then he leans down and presses his forehead against Thor’s head. “I’m sorry, buddy. I’m so sorry. I never wanted to leave you that day.”

My eyes fill instantly.

My mom crouches beside him, tears already falling dramatically. “Oh, honey…” She places her hand on his shoulder, gently stroking his back. “He really is the sweetest boy. He’s been very loved, very well taken care of, and very spoiled all these years, I promise.”

Mason nods, smiling at that.

Thor’s tail thumps again.

And I’m stuck standing there watching the universe do something so strange and so specific that it feels like itcan’tbe random.

None of this life is random.

We’renot random.

Like it was always supposed to be us.