Nea Fane – Un Biet Român Pripășit în America / A Hapless Romanian Stuck in The US

Gicu isn’t a cuddler.

He’s a respect-my-personal-space kind of dog – stoic, dignified, and deeply uninterested in human neediness, unless a treat is involved. Some say he’s part cat, or at least spiritually feline. Maybe it’s all the time he spent with Bill the Cat, who apparently taught him the fine art of ignoring people with elegance.

But twice a year he lowers his guard, his head, and his full emotional weight… right onto my legs.

We don’t speak during these moments. We just pretend it’s no big deal, while internally I’m peeing myself a little.

Then he remembers who he is, and quietly retreats to the other end of the couch, where emotions can’t reach him.