1. The puppies are all dead. It’s Sunday night, and they have suffocated in the womb.
2. Watch their would-be mother try to nurse stuffed animals. Her belly, swollen.
3. Be thankful you chose business school instead of becoming a vet.
4. Know the dread you feel in your own gut is very much alive.
5. Keep the Mother’s Day card on the mantle, the one that says “Can’t wait for puppy kisses!” Hide it when your mother comes to visit.
6. Bring home Disney movies and a Frosty.
7. Know you are not the child here.
8. Watch the dog try to nurse the purple squeaky cow.
9. Watch your mother break down.
10. Cry with her.