My Manifesto: The Incoherent Ramblings of a Madman

The last overseas trip I had I got a call from my mother - this was unusual because I had been calling her regularly just to keep her mind at ease because I knew that she would be finding it hard to sleep at night worrying about me. This call was about my pet dog, Spike, and that he had to be put to sleep because he was in so much pain. I was really sad. He had been alive as long as my cousin had, however, unlike my cousin Spike was a friend who you could rely on. He had been there with me for 3/4 of my life. Now he was gone - and I didn't even get to say good bye to him. What made it worse was that he didn't get the chance to die of natural causes - or even the option to choose whether to live or die. His life was taken from him.

After coming back to Australia and home for a few months. I was driving in my car and noticed that there was Spike's hair all through it. I made a joke about how he must be haunting me - then my father blurts out: "That's probably from when I took Spike out to Wal's in your car to shoot him!". Sensitivity is something my father has never had. His straight forward honest approach is both refreshing and brutal. Afterwhich my mother quickly responded with: "Peter! Don't make jokes about that!". My mother's attempts like that at kerbing my father's tongue only ever seem to egg him on in an almost rebellious fashion.

After first being in shock - I was again crying. Not only had they taken my pet dog's life before his time without him getting the chance to even choose whether or not to die - but the last thing Spike would have seen was MY FUCKING CAR. MY CAR - the car that he had always associated with me taking him for a walk or a jog or a car ride or a trip to our Grandmother's (I say our - because he was my brother) or a visit from me. Now my car was nothing to him more than a hearse.

I wish I had gotten the chance to say goodbye to him before he went. I wish they had used any other car to take him to his death bed other than mine. I know it was for the best. I only wish that my family members get the same opportunity when their time comes.