For several days, Zoé has been counting down the hours until she returns.

The seaside holiday was fantastic: warm sand, swimming in the ocean, magnificent sunsets.

But something was missing. Or rather, someone.

Every evening, she called Grandma to get news of Moka. On the screen, her little dog wagged its tail when it heard her voice, but Zoé couldn't touch it or hug it.

Now there's only one day left before the return.

And yet, deep down, a little fear begins to take hold.

"Mom, do you think he still remembers me?" she asks hesitantly.

Her mother placed a hand on her shoulder. "Of course, Zoé. A dog never forgets those it loves."

Zoé would like to be certain, but she can't help having doubts.
The big day is finally here.

On the way back, Zoé can't sit still.

"How long until we arrive?" she asks for the third time.

"Five more minutes, my Zoé," her mother replied, laughing.

When the car stops in front of Grandma's house, Zoé opens the door even before the engine is turned off.

She runs downstairs, her heart pounding wildly.

Grandma is waiting for him on the doorstep, a smile on her face.

But it's not her that Zoé is looking for.

"Where is Moka?"

Before she could even finish her sentence, a flash of lightning came from the house!

Moka runs straight towards her, leaping with joy.

"Oh, my little Moka!"

Zoé crouched down just in time to receive him in her arms.

The little dog jumps on her, raises his paws, and spins around. He whines with happiness, licks her face, and his tail wags so fast it becomes blurry.

Zoé laughed, tears in her eyes.

"You haven't forgotten either, have you?"

Moka barks happily, then rolls onto her back, offering her belly for caresses.

Grandma approaches with a tender smile.

"He's been waiting for this moment as much as you have, my darling."

Zoé caresses Moka's belly, who closes her eyes in pleasure.

She feels reassured: their bond hasn't changed at all.

Once the reunion was over, Zoé followed Grandma inside.

"So, tell me everything!" she asks, curious.

Grandma laughed. "Oh, he was adorable! Well, there was the whole slipper thing..."

Zoé blushed at the thought. "I'm so sorry about that, Grandma."

"Don't worry, it's forgotten!"

Then Grandma takes on a mischievous look. "But imagine, he's learned new things!"

Zoé raised an eyebrow. "What? Moka learned something without me?"

Grandma takes a treat out of her pocket. "Look closely."

She raises her finger and calmly says, "Moka, sit down!"

Moka complies, staring intently at Grandma.

Zoé bursts out laughing. "No, this is a joke?! He can sit down on command now?!"

Grandma hands him the treat, which Moka takes delicately.

"Yes! We trained every day, and he understood very quickly!"

Zoé looks at Moka, impressed. "You're too good!"

She takes a treat in turn. "Moka, sit down!"

Once again, Moka obeyed, ears pricked and eyes sparkling.

Zoé gives him the treat and hugs himagainst her.

Moka responds with a big lick on her cheek.

Zoé bursts out laughing.

On the way back, Zoé felt her heart light.

She looks at Moka, asleep on the back seat.

She now understands that time spent away from someone does not change the love they have for them.

And sometimes, this separation makes us even closer.

She smiled as she stroked Moka's head.

"Come on, let's go home, my dear. We have lots of new adventures to experience!"

Moka opens one eye, wags her tail, and falls back asleep.

But once they're back home, how will things go? After these two weeks of separation, will they easily resume their routines?

For several days, Zoé has been counting down the hours until she returns.

The seaside holiday was wonderful: the warm sand under her bare feet, the long swims in the waves of the Atlantic Ocean, the sandcastles she built with passion, the ice creams enjoyed while watching the sunsets that set the horizon ablaze with orange and purple hues.

But despite all these wonderful moments, despite all the beauty and carefree spirit of the holidays, something essential to her happiness was missing. Or rather, someone. A warm presence that would have made every moment even more precious.

Every evening without fail, she called Grandma to get news of Moka. On the phone screen, her little dog appeared, wagging its tail energetically at the sound of her familiar voice coming from the speakerphone. But it was insufficient consolation. Zoé couldn't touch him, couldn't feel the softness of his fur beneath her fingers, couldn't hug him as she longed to, couldn't bury her face in his warm neck.

Now, finally, there's only one day left before the long-awaited return home. One last night to wait.

And yet, deep down, a little fear begins to take hold, growing as the moment of reunion approaches.

"Mom," she asks hesitantly, looking out at the ocean one last time from their hotel room, "do you think he still remembers me after all this time? A week is a long time for a dog, isn't it?"

Her mother, who is folding clothes into the suitcase, stops for a moment and places a hand on her shoulder.

"Of course he remembers you, my darling. A dog never forgets those he loves. Their emotional memory is extraordinary."

Zoé wanted to be certain of this statement, she wanted to believe it without a shadow of a doubt. But she couldn't shake this nagging worry that persisted, that gnawed at her. What if Moka had become so accustomed to Grandma that he had somehow replaced her in his heart? What if he didn't recognize her?

Finally, after a restless night where she struggled to fall asleep, the big day arrives.

On the long journey home, settled in the back seat of the car speeding along the highway, Zoé can't sit still. She fidgets, looks at her watch every five minutes, watches the passing scenery while trying to calculate the remaining distance.

"How long until we arrive?" she asks, for what must be the third or fourth time since leaving the hotel.

"About five more minutes now, my Zoe," replies her mother, smiling in the rearview mirror, understanding her impatience.

When the car finally slows down and stops in front of Grandma's pretty house with its flower garden, Zoé opens the back door even before the engine is off, in a gesture of impatience that she cannot control.

She runs down at full speed, her heart pounding wildly in her chest like a mad drum, her legs trembling with the intense emotion that overwhelms her.

Grandma is waiting for them on the doorstep of her house, smiling, happy to see them return.

But it is not her that Zoé is looking for, scanning the garden and the entrance to the house with anxious and impatient eyes.

"Where is Moka?" she asks in a trembling voice.

Before she had even finished speaking her sentence, she had time to resumeWith his breath, a flash of light erupted like a rocket from inside the house!

Moka runs straight towards her at an impressive speed, leaping with pure joy, his paws barely touching the ground as he seems to be flying towards his reunited young mistress.

"Oh, my darling little Moka!"

Zoé crouched down just in time to receive him in her wide-open arms, prepared to absorb the joyful shock of this emotional impact.

The little dog, overjoyed at their reunion, leaped upon her with boundless exuberance, placed his front paws on her shoulders, and spun around in a joyful dance as if he could no longer contain the overwhelming emotion within him. He whimpered with happiness, emitted high-pitched yelps of excitement, licked her face with unrestrained tenderness, and his tail wagged so rapidly, with such frenzy, that it became almost blurred, like the blades of a moving helicopter.

Zoé laughed out loud, overwhelmed by this wave of love, but she also felt tears of joy and pure emotion rising to her eyes, blurring her vision.
"You haven't forgotten either, have you, my handsome one? You remember me!"
Moka barks happily in response, as if to confirm this obvious fact, then in a gesture of affectionate submission, he rolls onto his back at her feet, offering his belly to receive caresses, the ultimate sign of trust and love among dogs.

Grandma approaches, observing this touching scene with a tender smile that lights up her face.

"He's been waiting for this moment as much as you have, my darling. These last two days, he's been increasingly restless, as if he sensed your return was near."
Zoé caresses Moka's soft belly, who closes her eyes in pure pleasure, letting out little sighs of contentment.

She now feels reassured, freed from the anguish that had been gnawing at her: their special bond hasn't changed, it hasn't been altered by the separation. On the contrary, it even seems to have strengthened, intensified by the absence and the waiting.

Once the initial reunion was over, once the most intense emotion had subsided and her heartbeat had returned to a more normal rhythm, Zoé followed Grandma inside her house, Moka glued to her heels like a faithful shadow, refusing to move away from her even a meter.

"So, tell me everything in detail! How did it go?" Zoé asks curiously, settling down on the flowery sofa in the living room.

Grandma laughed fondly, her eyes sparkling mischievously behind her glasses. "Oh, he was adorable and very well-behaved! Well, I must admit there was that famous story about the chewed-up slipper in the first few days..."

Zoé blushed to the roots of her hair at the thought, feeling the guilt return. "I'm still sorry about that, Grandma."

"Don't worry, my dear, it's forgotten and forgiven!" Grandma reassured her with a wave of her hand that brushed the detail aside. "They were just slippers after all."

Then Grandma suddenly takes on a mischievous and mysterious look that piques Zoé's curiosity.

"But guess what? He learned several new things while you were gone!"
Zoé raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "What? Moka learned something new without me?"

Grandma taps her pocket and, with a theatrical gesture, pulls out a dog treat she had been keeping ready for this demonstration.

"Look closely."

She raised her index finger straight in front of her and said in a clear, calm voice: "Moka, sit down!"

Immediately, asMoved by a spring, Moka complies, placing her rear end on the ground, standing straight, staring at Granny with bright, attentive eyes, in a perfect posture of obedience.

Zoé bursts out laughing, simultaneously surprised, impressed and delighted by this unexpected discovery.

"No, that's impossible, this is a joke?! He can sit down on command now?! Since when?!"

Grandma hands him the well-deserved treat, which Moka accepts delicately, taking it gently between his teeth without biting his fingers, thus demonstrating his excellent recent training.

"Yes, that's the absolute truth! We trained every day, morning and evening, and he grasped the concept very quickly! He's an intelligent dog, you know."
Zoé looks at Moka with eyes full of admiration and pride. "You're amazing! A real little canine genius!"

She takes a treat herself from the bag that Grandma hands her, wanting to test this new talent.

"Moka, sit down!" she commands in a voice she tries to make firm.
Once again, without hesitation, Moka obeyed his command, her ears pricked attentively and her eyes sparkling with intelligence and anticipation of the reward.

Zoé gives him the promised treat and hugs him warmly.

Moka responds to this display of affection with a big, wet lick on her cheek, making her burst out laughing once again.
On the long journey back to their blue house, sitting on the back seat of the moving car, Zoé feels her heart light, as if freed from an invisible weight that was oppressing her.

She looks at Moka, asleep on the bench next to her, exhausted by all the intense emotions of the day, curled up in an adorable position.
She now understands with perfect clarity, with a deep and soothing certainty, that time spent away from someone you love does not change, does not diminish in any way the deep love you have for them, this invisible but indestructible bond that unites two beings.

And sometimes, this separation, this lack, this painful absence, makes us even closer, makes us realize the value of what we have, strengthens the bonds rather than weakening them.

She smiled as she stroked Moka's sleeping head, lightly touching her soft ears.
"Come on, we're finally going home, my dear. We have lots of new adventures to experience together now!"

Moka half opens one eye, wags her tail in recognition, then falls back asleep, lulled by the purring of the engine and the presence of her rediscovered young mistress.

But once they return to the blue house, once the joy of reunion has subsided and daily life resumes its normal course, how will things turn out? After this long week of separation, after this break in their routine, will they easily find their way back to their established habits? Or will they have to relearn everything?