Today is Saturday and Anna is sick. I know it’s Saturday because she told me once. Anna gets up early on Saturdays and we do things together. Anna hasn’t come downstairs, and I’m not allowed on her bed. I tried crying, but she isn’t listening. Something is not okay—this never happens. 

The door cracked open. I could see Anna walk to the bathroom from between the sticks on the stairs. I sat proper—she likes it when I do this. 

Anna walked out of the bathroom and looked down at me. 

“Hey Pal, I’m sorry. You must be hungry.”  

Hungry? Yes! I like food a lot. I forgot about food today. We’re on a first name basis…I’ve known Anna my whole life. I circled her fuzzy legs as she walked to the food. When she bent down I jumped up and kissed her face. She smelled like the sidewalk after the snow disappears. Anna usually smells like flowers and sometimes food that I’m not allowed to eat. Never like sidewalk. 

“Enough Pal, sit.” I sat, but I wanted to clean her face. She needed my help. 

I watched as she made herself some food. Some crunchy brown treat she eats on Saturdays. 

“Eat your food Pal.” But I wasn’t hungry.

Anna threw her brown treat into the trash. She wasn’t hungry either. She sat at the table and stared out at the bright light. She tapped her fingers on the table. Tap…tap…tap. I left and grabbed my leash. She needed to go outside. 

“No Pal, we’ll go later.” She says that sometimes, but I don’t understand what later means. I figure it means no. Anna doesn’t always know whats best for her, especially when she’s sick. She got up and walked downstairs. I followed close behind, but she went into the little room that I’m not allowed in. I could hear her crying. It sounded like a bird, but I knew it was Anna. She came out with a big box—we were finally going to play. 

“Hey Pal. Go lay down.”

I wasn’t tired. I dropped my mouth onto her knee as she sat down against the couch. She was shaking. Not like when you get wet and need to shake off, but shaking as if we were in the snow. 

Anna pulled a soft sweater out of the box. It smelled like Debbie. I haven’t seen Debbie in at least ten Saturdays. Debbie was sick the last time she was here. Maybe that’s why Anna is sick. 

Maybe this is Saturday now.