One More Summer

The Friend

This flow follows Apollo’s aging from the first signs of decline to a final summer marked by care, fear, and a possible farewell.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

The First Signs The First Signs from "The Friend". The First Signs A short-lived breed The Narrator learns that Great Danes often live only six to eight years and that Apollo is already about five.

The First Signs from "The Friend". The First Signs A short-lived breed The Narrator learns that Great Danes often live only six to eight years and that Apollo is already about five.

The First Signs A short-lived breed The Narrator learns that Great Danes often live only six to eight years and that Apollo is already about five. The knowledge turns his rescue into a race against an unexpectedly brief future. Careful observation She watches his movement, appetite, and mood, while hoping that a good home can compensate for the changes he has endured. His age is no longer an abstract fact but a source of daily anxiety.

Arthritis and Anxiety Arthritis and Anxiety from "The Friend". Arthritis and Anxiety A vulnerable body The veterinarian confirms arthritis and warns that Apollo’s lifespan may be short.

Arthritis and Anxiety from "The Friend". Arthritis and Anxiety A vulnerable body The veterinarian confirms arthritis and warns that Apollo’s lifespan may be short.

Arthritis and Anxiety A vulnerable body The veterinarian confirms arthritis and warns that Apollo’s lifespan may be short. He also identifies anxiety after bereavement and repeated changes in surroundings as part of the dog’s difficulty. Limited remedies Exercise, conversation, massage, and perhaps medication may help, but there is no guarantee Apollo will recover. The Narrator must care for him without knowing which measures reach him or how much he suffers.

A Summer Collapse A Summer Collapse from "The Friend". A Summer Collapse Heat and fear On a scorching walk, Apollo buckles and sinks to the pavement before reaching the park.

A Summer Collapse from "The Friend". A Summer Collapse Heat and fear On a scorching walk, Apollo buckles and sinks to the pavement before reaching the park.

A Summer Collapse Heat and fear On a scorching walk, Apollo buckles and sinks to the pavement before reaching the park. The Narrator fears that he may die there, in the middle of an ordinary outing. Help from strangers A passerby brings cold water, another shields Apollo with an umbrella, and a driver offers transport. Apollo revives enough to walk home, but afterward every outing carries a sharper danger.

The Cottage Respite The Cottage Respite from "The Friend". The Cottage Respite A temporary refuge A sympathetic friend lends the Narrator a Long Island cottage before its sale.

The Cottage Respite from "The Friend". The Cottage Respite A temporary refuge A sympathetic friend lends the Narrator a Long Island cottage before its sale.

The Cottage Respite A temporary refuge A sympathetic friend lends the Narrator a Long Island cottage before its sale. A makeshift ramp helps Apollo into the car, and the quiet setting removes the apartment’s stairs and close quarters. A gentler pace Apollo rests in the sun while the Narrator watches the birds and the shore. The reprieve does not reverse his decline, but it gives them a summer shaped by calm rather than constant urban strain.

The Last Summer The Last Summer from "The Friend". The Last Summer A day at a time Apollo walks slowly, takes medication, and sometimes struggles with ordinary tasks.

The Last Summer from "The Friend". The Last Summer A day at a time Apollo walks slowly, takes medication, and sometimes struggles with ordinary tasks.

The Last Summer A day at a time Apollo walks slowly, takes medication, and sometimes struggles with ordinary tasks. The Narrator hopes he will signal when pain becomes unbearable, although she knows she may not read him correctly. Farewell in advance She thinks about the last journey to the veterinarian and about the possibility of one more summer. The present morning becomes precious precisely because she cannot make it last.

Several months after the adoption

The first veterinary examinations

During a severe hot day in the city

The final weeks of summer

Near the end of the book