The Dog I Used to Be and the Dad Who Became a Vegetable: Chapter 4 #CreativeAward2024

Chapter 4: "I Became Depressed"

"Let's stay together with Dad forever and ever."

Even though I had decided that, one late night, Dad came home drunk and said to San-chan,
"I'm just going to pop over to Vietnam for a bit, hic!"
He saluted, stuffed some underwear and a T-shirt into a small bag that looked like a pochette, and said,
"San-chan, my passport, my passport, hic!"
"Eh? Huh?! Vietnam?!"
He made a surprised San-chan look for his passport.

"Well then, San-chan, Gon, be good, okay? Hic. Gon, I'm counting on you to look after San-chan!"

That was all Dad said before he hurriedly left, wearing just a T-shirt, denim jeans, and flip-flops. It was past 3:00 AM, and he had been home for less than 15 minutes.

"Vietnam? Vietnam, Gon-chan..."
Left behind, Gon and San-chan were, of course, at a loss.
I mean, Dad wasn't just kind and strong; he had always been a bit of a "wild card," but this was the first time he'd told us he was going abroad only 15 minutes before leaving.

"Gon, what should we do about the office starting tomorrow?"
San-chan took a beer out of the fridge in the middle of the night, downed it in one go, and threw a cushion at the wall.
"Ugh, you muscle-brained idiot!!"
Boing, boing... roll, roll...
The cushion hit the wall, bounced off weakly, and rolled away. San-chan is stingy, so no matter how angry she got, she never did anything that would break things.
As for me, all I could do was tilt my head. I wish dogs could drink "drowning-sorrows-in-alcohol" too.
Vietnam? Where is Vietnam? Is it further than Nagoya, where Dad took me?

For the first time, I disobeyed Dad's orders. Dad always used to tell me,
"Gon, you're a man, right? When the time comes, protect San-chan, she's a girl."

"What kind of man can't protect the woman he loves?"
That was Dad's favorite saying. Even though his actions were off-the-wall, his way of thinking was old-fashioned. But since I'm Dad's buddy, I had intended to follow his instructions as much as possible. Still, this was the one time I prioritized my own feelings. I'm sorry, Dad. But it's your fault. You left me behind so suddenly.
Dad was a person with a wide "social circle," and he was out all year round. Plus, he was a playboy. Surfing, golf, snowboarding, drinking parties... if he was invited, he'd go here, there, and everywhere. But you know, he always talked to me before he left. Like he was trying to talk me into it (laughs).
This time, he didn't say anything to me at all. I had always put up with being left behind, but this time, I decided that was the last straw.

The next morning—well, a few hours later—we were woken up by a call from Dad.
"Hello, San-chan."
Dad's ridiculously cheerful voice rang out from San-chan's phone.
"I've arrived at Narita! Hey, hey, San-chan, what was that CHANEL thing you wanted again?"
"W-w-wait a minute, never mind the souvenir, what are you going to do about the office?"
"Oh, I've already given proper instructions to all the employees!"
"Huh?"
"Yeah, yeah, don't worry! Everything is ready. So, about that CHANEL..."
"I don't know!"
"You don't want it?"
"No, I want it, but..."

Well, that's how it is. San-chan is always being talked into things by Dad like this.
"Gon, Da-chan says he's going to buy us souvenirs!!"
See? But I'm not going to be fooled this time.

Eventually, when it was time to go to work, San-chan grabbed her usual office bag and tried to put my leash on.
Hmph, I'm not going to a company where Dad isn't there. As I sulked and ran away,
"If you go to the office, Da-chan might be there, you know~"
San-chan whispered like a devil.
Eh? Is that true? Is Vietnam that close? Caught off guard, I fell right into San-chan's trap and went to the office.

"Woof, woof!!" (Dad, where are you? Where are you?)

Even after searching every corner of the office, Dad was nowhere to be found. San-chan-mama is a liar!!

From the next day on, I decided to refuse to go to work.
No matter how much San-chan called me, I crawled into the kotatsu and wouldn't come out. San-chan gave up and started going to the office alone. I decided that I wouldn't take a single step out of the kotatsu until Dad came back. Of course, only while San-chan was there. When San-chan was gone, I would drink water, and I would finish off the food and treats she left behind. Refusing to go to work? I went on strike.

However, San-chan, who knows that I am sensitive and smart, started to misunderstand that I had "depression." Since San-chan is a worrier, she made a huge fuss. She called our regular vet and asked,
"Dogs can get depression, right?"
And when Dad called, she would wail,
"Gon-chan has become depressed, so come home right now!!"
I didn't have any grudge against San-chan, but my resolve was firm. From then on, I continued my strike until Dad came home. A week later, Dad finally returned from Vietnam.

"Gon-chan won't come out of the kotatsu."
With Mom's rough explanation,
"Let's see here."
Dad flipped up the kotatsu blanket and peered at me. His face was tanned pitch-black, and I could only see his eyes and white teeth.
"I'm hoooome, Gon-chan!"
Hmph! Don't treat me like a child. Even if you use such a sweet voice, I won't forgive you.
In the end, I continued my strike for two days even after Dad came back. But you know, seeing the happy-go-lucky Dad and Mom, it started to feel stupid to keep rebelling. Two days later, in the morning,
"Gon, we're going to the office!!"
I jumped out of the kotatsu energetically at Dad's voice.
"Woof, woof woof!" (Oh well, I guess I'll forgive you.)
Because, after all, Dad and Mom really can't do without me.

To be continued

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