He doesnât speak a word, but he knows everything. Every high. Every comedown. Every heartbreak. Every mile Iâve walked alone Monkey walked it too. I call him my dog, but truth is, heâs my son. My best friend. My compass when the rest of the world spins like a broken record. Monkey's seen me at my lowest When I couldnât stand, when I didnât care if I woke up the next day. When the only thing that kept me going was the sound of his paws pacing beside me, like he was saying, "Come on, Dad. One more step. Donât give up on me yet." Iou Iâve put him through hell. Too many car rides with nowhere to land. Too many nights curled up in the backseat with nothing but my hoodie for a pillow. Too many fights he never asked to hear. I look in his eyes sometimes and I swear I see disappointment, not the kind you get from someone whoâs mad at you, but the kind that comes from love. The kind that hurts because he still believes in me. And damn, that belief⌠Thatâs heavier than any judgeâs gavel. Because he didnât sign up for this life, but heâs stayed anyway. He knows when Iâm about to break before I even speak. And still, he never leaves. He lays his head in my lap like to say, "You can lose everything, but you still got me." Some days, I feel like heâs the only reason I havenât given up. Because how the hell do you look into those eyes and walk away? How do you explain to a soul that pure that life just keeps kicking you in the teeth? You donât. You fight not for yourself, maybe not yet but for him. Because Monkey didn't choose this ride. I did. And I dragged him with me. But if thereâs one thing I know⌠When I finally get it right when I find peace, when Iâve built a life that doesnât hurt to wake up to Heâll be there. Tail wagging. Tongue out. Still looking at me like Iâm the goddamn hero of the story. So this is for him. The one who kept loving me when I couldnât love myself. The one who knew when I was lying. The one who knew when I was broken. Because Monkey knows.