On Monday ten days before Thanksgiving, I took Rudy with me to Chase’s house while Harley volunteered his time at the shelter. Chase said, “You look like you’re hanging in there. The circles aren’t too dark under your eyes. When do you go to Chicago for the first time?”

I said, “I’m taking a trip there late this week. As much as I hate leaving Charlotte, I’m looking forward to seeing Chicago. I want to get past where we are now and start putting together the next chapter in my life. I want to figure out how Harley can be a big part of it even if he’s just a friend.”

Chase reached out and rubbed my shoulder with one hand and took Rudy’s leash with the other. “If I haven’t said it yet, buddy, I want to tell you that I’m proud of you. You’re a strong guy. It’s horrible to have to choose between your career and the guy you love. That would crush some men. I’m not sure I could handle it.”

I sighed and stared into Chase’s eyes. “I love you, Chase. You’re my best friend, but comments like that don’t help much. I do feel like a heel because I’m deciding to keep playing baseball. It is the lifelong dream for both Harley and me. It’s the focus for this point in our lives. Maybe we’ll both be single when we decide to retire. I’ll leap into his arms if that’s the case.”

Chase grinned. “Oh, that would be exciting. That would be like a romantic movie. Maybe you could sell the rights.” Chase’s expression grew serious again. He pointed down at Rudy. “And are you leaving this guy here in Charlotte?”

I nodded. “I’m giving Rudy to Harley. We built such a great family for Rudy here in Charlotte. He will be much better here than he would be with me dragging him north to a strange city and a strange new home.”

Chase asked, “Have you explained it to him?”

“He’s a dog.”

“Don’t you think he’ll miss you? You can’t disappear one day without telling him what’s going on and why. If it’s a horrible thing to do to a kid, it’s a horrible thing to do with your pets. You need to talk to Rudy.”

I was frustrated with the direction of the conversation. I knew that Chase didn’t intend it to sound that way, but I couldn’t shake a gut sensation that he was trying to blame the situation on me. He was criticizing my choices and making it sound like I wasn’t thinking things through.

I decided to deal with the Rudy situation immediately. I knew that I couldn’t talk to our dog in front of Harley without breaking down, but maybe I could do it with Chase around. I said, “Okay, can I talk to Rudy before we go for a walk? Is that okay with you?”

Chase smiled. “That sounds perfect. I’ll step away so the two of you can have some privacy. You’re a good man, Eric. I’m in the other room if you need me.”

I watched Chase disappear into the living room and fell to one knee to talk to Rudy. My heart always melted when I looked into Rudy’s eyes. Unlike some dogs that I’d known who had blank expressions on their faces, Rudy’s soulful gaze made me think that he understood every word.

As a child, I was taught never to look a dog in the eye up close. My parents told me it made them uncomfortable, and it could lead to an aggressive outburst or even a bite. It wasn’t that way with Rudy. He stared back into my eyes and didn’t look away when we made contact. I reached out and scratched his chin.

I wasn’t sure how to start. I said, “I don’t know if you’ve figured it out, but I’m going away soon. You will stay here with Harley. It’s not like I won’t ever see you again. You’re always in my heart, Rudy.”

Pausing, I swallowed hard. In the past few days, it was challenging to say Harley’s name out loud. Every time I uttered the word, my throat closed up and made it difficult to breathe.

I pulled my hand back from Rudy’s chin and reached up to scratch between his ears. He opened his mouth and panted lightly. I said, “I don’t have any idea what you understand about baseball, but there’s this thing that can happen to any young player at any time. It’s called a trade.”

Rudy raised a paw like he was reaching for my leg and then set it back down. I said, “The people in charge in baseball decide to send players like me where they think it will benefit their teams most. We don’t get to choose. I have to go where they send me.”

I leaned forward, lifted one of Rudy’s floppy ears with my fingers, and spoke softly. “Believe me, if I got to choose, I would stay right here in Charlotte with you and Harley. I love both of you.”

Rudy immediately turned his head and licked my hand before I could pull it away. I might have been putting thoughts into a dog’s head that weren’t there, but I thought he was saying that he understood.

As he turned to look into my face again, I said, “There’s one more thing.” I gripped his chin. “I want you to do this for me, and I know you can. I want you to be the best dog in the world for Harley. He deserves it. He loves every animal in the world, and he will do the very best he can for you.”

I heard noises behind me. Chase asked, “Are you finished? You don’t have to be like Lou Gehrig saying goodbye at Yankee Stadium. He’s a dog, Eric. I suspect simple words are understood best.”

I reached out and scratched between Rudy’s ears again before I stood up. I said, “That was hard. He acted like he understood.”

“Of course he understood. Who said dogs are dumb? Sometimes I think they’re a whole lot smarter than we are. I’m proud of you. I’m glad you did that. I’m sure far too many dogs are tossed around from place to place with nobody bothering to explain.”

That night I clung to Harley in bed. He asked me three times if I was okay. I said, “In an overall sense, no, but I’m hanging in there right now. I don’t want to let you go, so I’m holding on.”

Each time he asked about my wellbeing, Harley kissed me and whispered, “It will be okay.”

After the restless night, we slept late. I woke to the sound of my cell phone ringing. To my surprise, when I answered it in a groggy voice, Medford Post was on the other end. He was a legendary sports reporter in Charlotte.

He asked, “Is this Eric Hinsdale? I apologize for calling so early, but Chase O’Rourke thought I could reach you at home. I won’t share this number with anyone, but he assured me it would be okay to call it. Could I speak to you briefly? I won’t take much time.”

I wiped my eyes with my free hand and tried to wake up. Harley rolled over and asked, “Who is it?”

I slipped out of bed and whispered, “Reporter.”

Turning my attention to the phone call, I asked, “Can you tell me the reason for your call?”

Medford Post said, “The viral video. I suspect that you already know what’s happened overnight. If you haven’t experienced a flood yet, you might need to brace yourself for the phone calls you’ll receive soon.”

“Viral video? I’m confused?”

“Of you and your dog. I believe his name is Rudy.”

I reached up and scratched my head with my free hand. “How do you know my dog’s name? There’s a video of Rudy and me? I’m sorry. I’m confused.”

Medford said, “The video that Chase O’Rourke posted on YouTube. He filmed it on his cell phone, so the footage is a little bouncy and grainy, but I was moved along with more than a million other people already.”

A chill raced up my spine. I suddenly understood the reason for the call. Chase filmed me with Rudy. He posted it online and in less than a day, enough people watched that it drew a reporter’s attention. I said, “Let me do this if it’s okay with you. I will take your phone number. I need to place a call of my own, and I will call you back. Trust me. You get first shot at this story if there is one.”

Medford said, “That sounds like a genuine offer. Of course, we can do that. Could you call in an hour? Can we make a deal on that? I could meet you somewhere if you prefer.”

“No, the phone call is fine. Yes, I’ll call you back in an hour.”

After I hung up, Harley rolled back over and asked, “What is the call about?”

I sat on the edge of the bed and said, “You’re not going to believe this. I don’t think I do, and I hope it’s not too painful.”

Harley sighed. “Life is hellishly painful right now. What could be any worse?”

“Well, Chase convinced me to explain the situation to Rudy, so to make him happy and out of concern for our dog, I did.”

“I bet that was sweet to see. Thank you for that.”

I reached up and scratched my head again. “I think you will get to see it. Chase filmed it somehow, and he posted the video online, and it has gone viral. That’s what the call was about.” I shook my head, “I’m so fucking sorry, but I didn’t mean to bring all the damned reporters back into this mess again.”

Harley said, “Maybe it’s not all bad. Surely something good could come of this.”