The first trip Michael had taken in years was one he felt he needed to make. He needed to get away from the struggles of everyday life.
Not so long ago, he had lost his dog, and it had been devastating. In the months since the passing of his beloved friend, he had been living with mixed feelings.
And so, for the first time in years, he decided to take a trip.
To the south of France, where the Pyrenees meet the Spanish-French border.
A group trip.
With people he had never met before.
During the first week, they stayed at a small campsite, where they had the chance to meet and get to know each other.
Now, they had been divided into groups of two and sent on a hiking trip for the weekend.
A chance to get to know one person even better.
Michael’s companion was a woman around his age who had never travelled alone before.
Anna.
She was a smart woman, and over the past few days, the two of them had grown closer, talking and spending quite a lot of time together.
She was a very nice woman, but she had one habit Michael wasn’t particularly fond of: she talked a lot.
About anything and nothing in particular.
He had managed to live with it, though, and so far, he hadn’t really minded.
Now, for the first time, they were alone together, following the route that had been given to them.
During the hike, Anna was still talking.
A lot.
About everything they saw along the way. Sometimes even to herself.
So every now and then, Michael simply tuned her out.
For him, the hike felt different.
For the first time since losing his dog, he was out walking.
Without him by his side.
It felt strange.
Almost as if he were betraying his best buddy.
Of course, he wasn’t.
Nevertheless, he kept thinking about Janco, his Weimaraner, who had been by his side for the past twelve years and was no longer there.
Michael wiped away a tear as he thought about his dog.
He could still hear Anna talking when suddenly a particular question caught his attention.
She had been talking about animals — wild animals as well as pets — when she asked:
“Do you have any pets?”
Something inside Michael snapped.
He wiped away another tear and answered more sharply than he intended.
“Not anymore!”
Anna’s eyes widened at his harsh response.
“I’m sorry for asking. It was just a question, though.”
She mumbled something under her breath.
Michael turned towards her.
“Leave it be, okay!?”
He turned around again and continued walking, with Anna following a short distance behind him.
The next few hours were quieter.
Much quieter.
She only gave brief responses whenever Michael said something about the route.
By the time they arrived near the border, where France meets Spain in the Pyrenees, the sun had slowly begun its descent.
They decided to set up camp.
Once the tent was up and dinner was finished, they sat by the small fire they had made while the sun quietly slipped away behind the horizon.
As the last rays of daylight disappeared, Anna took a seat beside Michael.
He hadn’t said much for the past few hours.
For a moment, she simply sat there with him.
Then she looked at him and softly asked:
“A penny for your thoughts?”
And for the first time since they had met, Michael saw that Anna was genuinely interested in listening to his story.
In memory of Janco, and Tucker Budzyn — two beloved dogs who left their paw prints behind.