The dog waited outside the courtroom

Dear Delyara, My younger brother was sentenced today. He pleaded guilty to assault after a fight outside a pub. Our mother refused to attend, so I sat behind him alone while the judge spoke about violence, consequences, and public safety. My brother did not turn around once. Outside the courthouse, his dog, Buster, was tied beside a bench with a neighbour waiting. The moment my brother appeared between two officers, Buster began pulling so hard against the lead that his paws slipped on the pavement. My brother finally looked up. For the first time all day, his face changed. He called the dog’s name once before the officers moved him toward the van. Buster kept crying after the door closed. I knelt beside him, and he pushed his whole body into mine, confused by a world where the person he trusted had been visible and unreachable at the same time. I am angry with my brother. The victim needed stitches and will carry what happened longer than any sentence. Still, tonight Buster is asleep by my front door waiting for footsteps that will not come for eighteen months. I do not know how to explain justice to an animal. I barely know how to explain it to myself.