Wednesday, October 5, 2011

By degrees

Dog and I are in the lounge room. Dog is snoring on the floor next to the french doors. Dog perks up when he hears the front door open.
"I've got something for you," Boyfriend calls from the hallway. He walks into the lounge and hands me a postal tube. Dog eyes the package wistfully. I open the parcel and pull out a piece of paper. It is my university degree. I hold it up for Boyfriend and Dog to see. Dog sniffs the degree.
"Let's take a photo and send it to your parents."
"To prove that I that I really did graduate." I add.
Dog tries to lick the piece of paper. I hold it out of his reach.
"You didn't give them a chance to go to your graduation," Boyfriend says.
"I didn't even go."
"You should have. I would have liked to have gone. After all, it did take you ten years to even commit to one darn course."
I give Boyfriend the 'look'. Dog gives Boyfriend a look. Boyfriend gives Dog a pat. Dog is temporarily appeased.
"You are so anti-establishment," Boyfriend says.
I inspect the degree. I wave it around. It flutters through the air. Dog's eyes follow it's movements. His tail thumps on the the ground. He starts to drool.
"It's kind of flimsy isn't it?" I say.
Boyfriend raises his eyebrows.
"I mean, the piece of paper it is printed on. I was expecting something..." I pause, searching for the right words.
"...more substantial. It's kind of anti-climatic."

I roll my degree and re-pack it in the tube and walk to the bedroom. Dog follows me into the room. I place the tube on the bedside table. I walk back to the kitchen. In the bedroom Dog thumps around noisily. He is trying to get our attention. We ignore him.
"What do you want for dinner?" I ask, opening cupboard doors.
"Why don't I take you out to celebrate instead?"
"Okay," I reply eagerly. Any excuse to get out of cooking.
Dog re-enters the kitchen, dragging the tube with him. Gaining our full attention at last, he promptly sits down and begins to chew enthusiastically. Four years of jumping hurdles, clashing with lecturers, fudging lab results and not to mention the stress of deadlines and exams, now reduced to a dog toy.

1 comment:

  1. It rather saddens me that you are not getting more readers. I love the writing style you are using which makes each post so real in the reader's mind. This is especially the case in this one having been a dog lover I could picture his every thought.

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