The day the airport had nobody in it (just me)

The gate was empty. Not empty like a few people. Empty like NOBODY. Just chairs and a big sign that said Welcome and my leash going tight because Mom was walking fast and I wanted to smell everything before we got on the plane.

I had my vest on. The red one. It says SERVICE DOG on the side and DO NOT PET which I don't love but Mom says it's important so people know I'm working and not just being a good boy for free.

The floor was shiny and cold and smelled like nothing. That's the weird part about airports. No smells. A little bit of coffee somewhere far away and rubber from the floor and that's it. I kept sniffing anyway. Habit.

There was a screen that said C131 in big blue letters. I don't know what that means. Mom looked at it a lot so I figured it mattered. We walked past a bunch of chairs, all empty, all lined up the same way, and I thought about how many butts probably sit there during the day and how none of them were there right now. Just me.

I heard my nails clicking on the floor. Click click click. Loud in the quiet. I like that sound. It means I'm going somewhere.

Mom took a picture of me walking. I was mid-step, tongue out, feeling pretty good about the whole situation. This is the picture. I look happy because I was happy. New floor, new smells even if they were small ones, and Mom right there holding the leash like always.

A truck outside made a noise and my legs did the thing where they freeze for a second. Not scared of trucks. My legs just don't like surprises. We kept walking after that.

If you're bringing a dog to the airport: get there early, the quiet gates are way less scary than the busy ones, and a vest helps people leave you alone which honestly is nice sometimes. I don't always want to be pet by strangers. Sometimes I just want to walk and think about smells.

We got to the gate and sat down. I laid on the cold floor because it felt good on my belly. Where were we even going? Mom didn't say. I guess I'll find out when we land.