The Friend

The narrator sees parallels between the lives of her dead friend and the writer, J. R. Ackerley, who wrote “a memoir about a love affair between a man and a dog” (53). On rereading the book, the narrator discovers that she likes the author much less than before. The love of dogs for men, the narrator says, “keeps [her] from becoming a complete misanthrope” (55). When walking Apollo, the narrator encounters a similar problem as one described by Ackerley: “that a dog going its business in the street—especially a big dog—could get hit by a car” (55). To resolve this, the narrator stands in the road, putting herself in danger. These moments, she says, are “especially trying.”

Many people comment about the dog. One woman chides the narrator for “keeping a dog that size cooped up in an apartment” (56). While visiting a vet, the narrator learns that Apollo’s arthritis means that he is unlikely to live much longer. She describes to the vet fits which Apollo suffers, in which he spends up to a half hour shivering and huddled up, fits which can bring the narrator to tears.

The vet recommends lots of exercise, massages, and never leaving Apollo alone for long.