You and I

puppy love on bad times

"Yes ma'am," he replied. "Thank you. I'll walk you out," he held her waist to walk with her to the front door.

Benny carried Apolo while Frida put on her coat and boot again, while the puppy licked his thumb and he gladly left him. "Are you going home now?" He asked.

Frida fixed the collar of her jacket and buttoned it. "Yes, I'll go home to see how Heléne is doing and then I'll let you know if I'm going to visit Agnetha in the afternoon," she replied.

"Good! Tell me if anything, especially if Heléne tells you what's happening to her," he said to her.

"We'll talk tonight," she said, reaching out to take Apolo into her arms and kiss Benny goodbye.

"Take care," he said.

***

Frida entered the house from the back, it had drizzled and she and Apolo suffered the consequences. She put the pup down immediately as she walked into the kitchen and he brushed his fur dry. Frida removed her boots and coat, then ran her hands through her hair to get it out of her face. Apolo ran to the living room and began to bark, which Frida decided to ignore for a moment, until she no longer heard him barking.

Once she put things in place, she went to the living room finding Apolo on his back and moving his paws while Heléne caressed his belly. "Pampered puppy," Frida commented upon seeing the scene.

Heléne tore her gaze from him and fixed it on her stepmother. "Who is this buddy?" she asked curious.

"Apolo," Frida smiled. "We adopted him two days ago," she added.

"He's so cute!" Heléne exclaimed, withdrawing her hand and stopping stroking him, to which Apolo grunted and she was forced to continue stroking his belly.

"How are you today?" Frida dared to ask.

Heléne cleared her throat and continued to play with Apolo, "I'm fine," she looked down but realized it was a bad idea, tears would probably start to fall.

"But..." Frida moved a little closer, sitting on the sofa. "Heléne , look at me."

Heléne sighed and raised her head, sitting in a butterfly shape on the floor, Apolo by that time had already gotten on all fours again and leaned on her. "Mats and I are done," she finally replied. "Now I have to find a place to live, I don't want to stay with him for another day," she added, sighing and trying not to cry.

"I'm sorry," Frida replied, not knowing exactly what position to take in the situation. "I don't know what the problem is or the magnitude of it but I hope that everything that happens to you now is for the better," she said.

"He cheated on me with one of his friends," Heléne pursed her lips, taking the initiative to tell Frida, she trusted her. "Yesterday when I got back from college I saw them having sex in my bed," she tensed and covered her eyes with a shake of her head, inadvertently causing Apolo to rise from her. "I can't even think about it."

Frida felt her stomach turn, "that's very disgusting," she frowned. "And I'm sorry that you have to be living that," Frida lowered herself to the ground next to her, because by that time Heléne was already a sea of tears. She laid her head down and Frida hugged her.

"I don't know what to do," Heléne said sobbing. "Now I am homeless and heartbroken," she said devastated.

"You're not," Frida lifted her head and looked at her, "at least not homeless. Benny and I can work that out. Not the heartbreak, but we'll help," she assured her. Heléne, feeling the heaviness in her body, lay on the rug face up to relax her body a bit, she had cried almost all night and part of the morning.