It was a chilly winter morning. Cold air enveloped the city and gouged at his cheeks while Manny, a young boy, dribbled his basketball.  

A few months ago, during the summer, his dad left him and his mom. Ever since then, he had played basketball early every morning to disconnect from the world and clear his mind. 

Manny had a strange home life. He lived alone with his mom and didn’t have many friends. He didn’t feel included when around them they made him feel invisible. He was lonely especially since his friends weren’t present for him.

Manny had a dog since he was little. It was his constant companion, his best friend. He loved their friendship and even though it was his dad’s it  was someone that he could rely on before anyone.

That night as Manny and his mom ate dinner, he blurted out, “I wish I had a dog, Mom.”

“Well, Manny, you'll have to take care of it, give it your full attention, and love it. I don’t think you’re ready for that kind of responsibility besides you already have your hands full with basketball season coming up.

Manny needed a companion and he felt a dog would be the perfect option. He looked online at animal shelters looking for a puppy. A black lab in particular. He texted his friends asking about any puppies and see if there were any other options.

The next day he arrived at the animal shelter. Ready to find a dog that would be the best fit for him. 

He was excited, he had his money ready but first, it was a test to see how they reacted with him. When Manny picked up one of the puppies, it whimpered with intolerable comfort. He picked up another one, and it growled as he held it and put it against his chest. They were all distracted as they saw other customers. They were puppies, young, naive and didn’t care for Manny. 

“Well, I guess that was worth a try.” The last thing Manny needed was for someone or something to not care or make him feel invisible. 

After visiting the shelter, Manny was off to visit his friend's house to see the litter of puppies he had. 

Once he arrived at his friend's house, he rang the doorbell. “Hey, Manny! They're over here.” His friend told him with an anticipated hopeful voice.

Manny had held all the puppies but out of all of them, this one didn’t cry or whimper. He continuously kept licking Manny. “I love this one!” he told his friend as Manny kept petting it. 

They both got to connect and as Manny held the dog he rapidly said with excitement, “I’ll buy him! How much is he? I have my money with me.”

Only holding 200 dollars the friend said “He’ll be 800.” “Excuse me?” Manny said. “800 is way too much for me man and you know that.” “I’m sorry but that’s how much my parents want them for. I could do 500 and that’s the lowest I can do."

“I’m sorry but that’s too much my mom wouldn’t let me. Thank you for letting me come see them though. I appreciate it.”

“Yeah, sorry about that. Good luck with finding a dog though, especially that’s less than that.” Manny ignored his snarky comment and left the house quickly. 

Manny walked home with slouched shoulders and tears slowly ran down his face.