One of my favorite memories of Benji, my dog from my teen years, was when I came back from college the first time for a weekend.  Mom had picked me up and dropped me off at home to take care of other things.  It was just me and Benji at home.  Now, for whatever reason, Benj did not like to hang out in my room.  Something about the smell, or size, I will never be sure.  The only time he would come in and stay was during thunderstorms (Again, another one of the those mysteries.)  If you wanted to hang out with him during the day, you had to meet him in his turf, the living room.  This day, after being gone a month at school, I wanted to hang out in my room and was watching TV there.  We were alone in the house, which had not been unusual. He would watch the world from the living room while I whittle away the time in my room.  However, this day, he came down the hall, came into my room, and sat right next to me,  RIGHT next to me, his back side next to mine, and sat for 15 minutes.  He was not coaxed or even invited.  To this day, I think it was his way of saying that my presence was missed.

He has been gone for 11 years and I still miss him.  I wish I could sit next to him but this is as close as I can get...