My feet carry me to the riverside; its serene flowing water serves my nerves well. Jack doesn’t mind that my attention shifts from him to the river when we arrive. I see him pounce and play with the butterflies that wander the river’s bank. He’s probably forgotten I’m even here; watching him among the pine trees, along the riverside. Our feet carry us to the riverside; it’s fresh cold water serves Jack well on humid days like this. I bend down along the bank beside him, running my hands through his thick brown coat. I know he likes my attention now; I can feel his tail swinging against my thigh as I continue up behind his ears. After the water has done all it can for Jack, he lies at my feet, as if the butterflies weren’t even there. We watch the pine trees sway with the breeze; along the riverside. My feet carry me to the riverside, the distracting sounds of the water serve my nerves well. My eyes drift over to the butterflies. As beautiful as they are, my stomach still churns at their sight. I wonder if they miss him? If they even know he’s not in their view. Sometimes I wish to be them, so I could be as ignorant as they. I depart the river’s bank, the butterflies, and the pines. They don’t know how lucky they are, to still have Jack with them, lying along the riverside.