Good grief

Yesterday after I’d dropped The Teenager off at her maths tuition, as I walked home on my own I met Maeve who has recently been widowed.  She was walking with her new puppy Sid, who is just 18 weeks old.  Maeve is utterly heart broken, her husband Martin died recently and very suddenly, it was a total shock. 

The two of them, Martin and Maeve, had been together since they were teenagers, they were married young and had three children who are now in their twenties.  They were a concrete couple, although I didn’t know them well, they had a gentle compatibility which I guess many of us are striving for.

As I say, I don’t know Maeve well, I’ve just met her on a few occasions, but we always say, ‘Hi’.  I remember when she told me of Martin’s death, it was as though she could barely even believe it herself, it was painful to witness a person in such grief.

Over the months since Martin’s death I’ve seen Maeve out walking alone, forcing herself to get some fresh air.  I can see it is one almighty struggle, her loss is an almost visible wound.

This is the second time I’ve seen her out with Sid.  It’s not perfect, I think the puppy irritates her a bit, which is understandable.  Maeve is doing her best.  Sid is a small fluffy number, I think possibly a Cockerpoo – he’s cute.  What I find fascinating is how he watches Maeve all the time, with incredible eye contact.  Yes, he skitters about, he’s a puppy, but he looks her right in the eye like a mature dog.

Maybe I’m reading too much into it, but it feels to me as though this little puppy can sense her heartbreak and is responding to her grief.

Photo:  The gaze between dog and guardian.