When her dad finally collected himself, he sat back on the couch and took a deep breath. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know that you thought the stupid mutt ran away because he didn’t like you. Had I known that I would’ve told you the truth. But you had just lost your mom the year before, and I was only trying to keep you from getting hurt. Please don’t be mad. I truly am sorry.”

She smiled. Her dad had always tried his best to keep her from getting hurt. Whether he was threatening her dates, or putting up with a scruffy dog who chewed all of his shoes because he didn’t have the heart to tell her she couldn’t keep him. So how could she ever be mad at him for anything?

“I’m not mad. I am sorry that the dog died though. Now I feel bad. Maybe if I hadn’t rescued him from behind that grocery store, he would still be alive.”

“No, honey. I don’t think things work quite like that. I believe that when it’s your time to go, then it’s your time to go. No matter where you are or who you’re with.” Then he smiled wide. “But if it makes you feel any better, I buried him with the last sneaker of mine that he chewed up. Figured he might need a little snack on his way to heaven,” he said, another chuckle spilling from his lips.

Preslee laughed too, which only set her father off again. She wasn’t sure why they were laughing, but they did so until both of them had tears streaming down their faces. Finally, she caught her breath and managed to say, “Why are we laughing? It’s not at all funny.”

Her dad’s laughter slowed to a halt and he took another deep breath. “You’re right. It’s not. Sorry. But sometimes you just have to laugh. It makes life easier to deal with.”

She wiped at her eyes with the tissue she was still holding. “We’re horrible people.”

Her father shook his head. “Nah. You know how it is. Something might not be funny when it first happens. But eventually, over time, you can find humor in a situation. This is sort of like that.”

“Yeah, but there’s really nothing funny about my dog dying.” She pushed a strand of hair out of her face. “I was more laughing because you got so tickled by it. Though it still isn’t funny.”

“Honey, I wasn’t laughing about the dog dying either. I started laughing because I realized I never told you that the dog died. Then I got amused when you accused me of killing him.” He smirked. “I’m glad to know that you think your old man is capable of running over an innocent dog all because I didn’t like him.”

“Uh, yeah. Sorry.”