Goodbye, Fritz

Fritz was always a good guy- we had our ups and downs, but I loved him and I like to think he loved me, though he didn't always show it. He could be cantankerous at times, to say the least. Sometimes I'd politely ask him to do something and he wouldn't even acknowledge me. Or everything would be going along perfectly in our relationship, and suddenly some stupid little thing would get in the cogs and the machinery would come to a screeching halt. But for the most part, he was a great pal, always ready to help. That was a long time ago, though. As Fritz got older,he grew weaker and more distant, and it put a lot of strain on our friendship. Ultimately, I was forced to move on to other, younger friends, but the transition was an emotional one. It wasn't easy to forget Fritz and all he'd done for me.

So, my first new friend was a younger, feistier member of Fritz's family. The resemblance was remarkable. Except for a lighter complexion, this new friend- Udo by name- was the spitting image of Fritz. Udo and I frolicked together aplenty, but Fritz never left. He just kept waiting for me. He wouldn't- or couldn't- leave, and I didn't have the heart to send him away. Even as I brazenly would take bits of clothing and accessories literally off Fritz's back to give to Udo- they were the same size, after all- Fritz would just sit there and take it. Sometimes it almost felt as if I was actually taking pieces of Fritz's body and soul, and inserting them into Udo, but Fritz still never said a word about it. He just sat and sat, getting worn around the edges, as I continued to degrade him.

Eventually my fling with Udo came to an end, and I succumbed to the beguiling Asian charms of my current companion, Sosumi. Udo didn't take well to the new state of things, and pointedly left to live with another family. I heard they didn't treat him well, which saddens me greatly. But through it all, Fritz never left, becoming a forlorn, neglected hulk of a creature, but still by my side, waiting, waiting..... It's been almost ten years now that he's been sitting there, first being stripped for Udo's enhancement, then losing even that contact. Out of sight, out of mind- but when I would see him, it forcefully reminded me that his glory days were long gone and I would have to turn him over to someone else who could care for him in the way that he needed. I'd stopped visiting him entirely, and I'd put off the inevitable for years- finally, this week, I decided it was time to do something. I made some inquiries and found a home for Fritz to live out his days.

It was bittersweet to see them take Fritz away, but I knew it was for the best. I couldn't take care of him, and nobody else wanted to, so it was something that needed to be done. As he disappeared down my street, my thoughts went to all the good times- the awkward first dates when he went along to help, the daily tasks, the holiday shopping, the many road trips in the U.S. and beyond.

Goodbye, Fritz. I hope they treat you well in the Home. And nevermind those awful stories of vital organs being harvested and sold- I'm sure they're not true.