Okay, so picture this: Max and Duke are out of the picture, Buddy and Mel are doing their own thing, and Chloe? Well, Chloe’s the only one who remembered today is actually my birthday. It’s still pretty early, just past 10 AM. I’m currently camped out near Buddy’s apartment, playing the waiting game until he steps out. My mission? Follow him wherever he’s going. It’s not the strangest thing I’ve ever done, I admit to myself, a little sheepishly. You know, for a fluffy Pomeranian like me, Gidget from the Secret Life of Pets, sometimes you gotta be a little… resourceful.
I was prepared for a long wait, but then I spotted Buddy, the dachshund, heading towards the window. Quickly, I ducked behind some vibrant flowers on the steps, blending in as best a white fluffball can. He hopped out of his window and casually strolled down the steps. Gotcha now, I thought, a tiny thrill of determination mixed with apprehension running through me.
We walked, and walked, and walked. It felt like seven minutes, maybe more, as I trailed him through the streets. Honestly, I was starting to wonder what was taking so LONG! Finally, he stopped, greeting a couple of other dogs. I quickly took cover behind a lamppost, peeking out. And then I saw them – Max and Duke! There they are, I thought, my mind racing, but what are they doing here? Driven by curiosity, and maybe a little bit of worry, I crept closer, hiding behind some discarded cardboard boxes. They were deep in conversation, and as I strained my ears, I caught snippets: “…Only…now…I…can…get…Gidget…away…from…me,” Max was saying. Wait, what? Moving even closer, now shielded by the corner of a building, I could hear them more clearly. My heart started to pound in my chest.
“How was it?” Duke asked, his voice carrying slightly. How was what? My mind was spinning, trying to catch up.
“It was great. She’s way better than any other female dog I’ve been with,” Max replied. Any other female dog? My ears perked up, and not in a happy way. A cold knot started forming in my stomach.
Then Buddy chimed in, “Are you sure? Because if so, I would want her as well.” My paws went a little numb. This conversation was taking a very strange turn.
“Well, she was a little rough at first,” Max continued, “but in the end, she made me feel a lot more… pleased. I wouldn’t mind having her again.” Pleased?! The word echoed in my mind, laced with a meaning I didn’t want to understand.
“What about Gidget?” Duke asked, finally mentioning my name. Hope flickered for a second, but it was quickly extinguished.
“I wouldn’t know,” Max said dismissively, “Gidget never gave me one.” My heart plummeted. Never gave him what? And why were they talking about other female dogs like this?
“Now I want one again,” Buddy whined, breaking the tense silence.
“Well, to me, it seems like you want more than just one,” Duke joked. They all erupted in laughter. But I wasn’t laughing. I was confused, hurt, and a little bit scared.
“So anyway,” Max changed the subject, “how’s the, you know, thing going?”
“It’s going great,” Buddy replied, “Just have everyone meet up at 3:00,” he added, “at Central Park, remember that.”
And just like that, they all dispersed, going their separate ways.
I stood there, frozen, behind the building. Shock washed over me. I never would have imagined… “Is Max cheating on me?” I whispered, the words hanging heavy in the air.
“He probably is.”
I jumped, startled by the sudden voice, and spun around to see Tiberius, the hawk, perched behind me.
“Tiberius! You scared me!” I exclaimed, my voice a mix of surprise and annoyance.
“Oh, sorry. Heh heh,” he chuckled, a little too pleased with himself.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, trying to regain my composure.
“I was out hunting for breakfast, and I saw your boyfriend and his friends talking,” Tiberius explained, “then I saw you, so I just stood behind you, also spying on them.”
“I wasn’t spying,” I protested weakly, “I was… um…”
“Yeah… not spying,” he smirked, clearly not believing me.
“Whatever,” I huffed, “doesn’t matter. You and I both heard what they said.”
“Yep. Heard it all,” Tiberius confirmed, a hint of amusement in his voice.
“I thought he wouldn’t, but I guess you were right,” I mumbled, the suspicion I’d tried to ignore now solidifying into a painful reality.
“Maybe, or maybe not,” Tiberius said, leaving a sliver of doubt, or perhaps just trying to be less blunt.
“What about my birthday?” I asked, my voice cracking slightly. “Did anyone remember that? Except for Chloe?”
“Well, I did,” Tiberius said, surprisingly gently.
“Well, good for you!” I said, tears welling up in my eyes. I started to cry, but Tiberius wouldn’t let me wallow for long.
“Hey, cheer up,” he said, “it’s not over yet. It’s 2:48. We can still do something at Central Park.”
“-sniff- Well, okay, I guess,” I mumbled, a tiny spark of hope flickering in my chest despite the earlier disappointment. Maybe Central Park could still hold a birthday surprise, even if it wasn’t the one I was expecting from Max. But as the Secret Life of Pets often shows us, things are rarely as they seem, and adventures, both good and bad, are always around the corner.
