A perfect love story

"Chase it away, I don't want any of them around", Ordered my mother

She was talking about a puppy which I picked up from my door. The poor door was sitting sadly outside the gate shivering with the chilly winds of freezing winter morning. When I stepped out in the morning, I couldn't think of anything other than talking to him indoors. I carried him to the area where there was some sunlight and made him lie down. He seemed a bit hungry too so I quickly went inside the kitchen picking up a handful of biscuits and a warm glass of milk. I barely managed to escape my mother who was just about to stream in. When I laid out my possession in front of him, he seemed hesitant. But on petting his head a few times he got quickly into business and finished in with just a few seconds.

He slept in a corner for long under the warm sun. I kept a close watch on him while he was sleeping. Once he woke up, I planned to bathe him. Quickly I arranged lukewarm water and soon he was neat, clean, and looked like a bhiggi billi(drenched cat), I dried him up with one of my old shirts, he jerked himself vigorously a few times, and here he was. The most adorable fur ball creature, I had ever seen.

It started getting dark and keeping him in the home needed a nod from my mother. In all my prayers that day, I kept praying that my mother allowed me to keep him home. But as I anticipated it was a clear and stern NO from her. As I kept pleading with her to allow me to have him, she took a stick and chased him out, and shut the door.

A fifteen-year-old child has no option, but to follow his parent's direction, even though it means giving up on things that you would do anything to have.

Her coldness was probably because a dog injured her hands with his tooth, while she was feeding him. "But that doesn't mean all dogs bite and the small one didn't even have teeth yet", thought my teenage mind.

What followed was tears and anger, a lot of them. I didn't talk to her for the entire next day, waiting for her to bring him back somehow. But she didn't show any sign of meltdown, which meant I had to bear the brunt.

Fast forward, I am 24 years old now but one of her actions still puzzles my mind was "why does the first bite of every meal cooked at home have to be reserved for a dog", Nevertheless this gave me a chance to bring the four-legged bundle of joy closer to home. 

This habit of her feeding the dogs every day, made her grow familiar with one of the dogs that came to eat every time. She used to give him food outside the gate, but then I implanted the Idea of keeping water bowl for him as well. Since water has to be regularly refilled once it's over, it made sense to keep water for him inside the gate, Soon we started keeping water in the pot for him inside. He was a very innocent and well-behaved dog and made a good impression on her heart. Days passed and she started giving him food inside as well. He used to come every day at the correct time for his meals, and go away after eating. This arrangement worked well for both of them. This continued for a few days and their silent relationship grew slowly and steadily on trust. She allowed him to take a nap inside, and it slowly graduated into him sleeping inside our gate on a few nights. 

All this while, I was still around but I carefully made a conscious attempt not to sabotage their slow-growing relationship. I was slowly getting what I wished for a few years ago. 

He accompanied her every time she went outside, and soon it would be impossible for you to find her outside beside him on his side. We named her Rocky, and Rocky was a rock that walked alongside my mother everywhere. Our meals matched and with it, our hearts matched too.

A few days after that, a different female dog gave birth to two puppies beside our house, they stayed there till they learned to walk and once they learned to walk, they occasionally came to our house. We used to feed them every day. Once they grew a little older, the owner of the place where they used to stay chased them out. Now Since we were the only people the puppies knew, they shifted their base to our house, My mother was already familiar with them, and the puppies had nowhere to go she allowed them to stay around. 

Let me tell you a little about them, one of them was completely covered in thick fur, his thick fur made him look a little chubby bear, mostly sleepy, and highly adorable. If you ever got a chance to see him walking with his fluffy body and short bushy tail, it would impossible for you not to fall in love with him. His body size didn't allow him to walk faster. And his looks and speed tempted everyone who ever saw him, to pick him a play a little with him. We named him "Bhalu", for his fur and laziness. The other one is named "Lalu" to rhyme the names.

Bhalu was also the innocent and vulnerable one. Of the food the brothers got, his brother would be quick to pounce on the finish it off. If we fed them separately, "the brother" would first attack Bhalu's share, and after finishing, he would silently carry away his share to a corner are enjoy it, while Bhalu will keep standing in the same place. Feeding them both equally presented an altogether different challenge.

My furry friend also managed to attract a lot of eyeballs, and admiration. They spent most of their time outside playing, chasing each other, and chewing leaves fallen from trees. 

One Saturday after waking up, I headed out straight to play with them, they were enjoying the sunlight lying on the top of a pile of fallen leaves. On seeing me they started wagging their tail rapidly. I went close and picked up Bhalu in my hands, and carried him inside the house. Naturally, his brother followed us. My mother was inside too, we petted his head for a long time. We talked to him in a human language, but he didn't reply. But he was hospitable enough to carefully listen to what we talked to him. After offering them breakfast we let them out to play in the sunlight. 

An hour later, after I completed my bath, I again went to play with them. 

Lalu was sleeping on his pile, Bhalu should be somewhere around too. But I am still unable to find him.

"Have you seen bhalu", I ask my mother worriedly.

"No, but he must be around"

It was yet another attempt by neighbours to kidnap the cute one. I along with my mother spent two hours searching for him around our house, but with little success. Once we reached home we saw him coming towards us with a belt around his neck. He managed to escape once again like he always did. Consequently, our fear of losing him kept reducing. We built them a small home with a tin roof and bricks, and our family size hence increased from 3 to 5.

It seemed like god finally answered my prayers, we got the sweetest two angles living along with us right at our home. We took care of them like our own babies and they admired us as their parents. Watching them play, eat and sleep, filled my heart with a joy barely known to me at that time.

Winter slowly receded, as the summer started to set in. The air got warmer, and days got longer. The diet of both the kids started going down slowly until the chubby one didn't eat for one entire day. He lost some fur, weight and energy in the last few days. He drank water and slept the whole day. I assumed he is slowly adapting to summer, and needed some rest. So, I didn't disturb him and let him sleep. 

The next day as I woke up, I went to check in on his health. It was 7 March 2022, he was was probably in a deep sleep, as he didn't move as I came close to him, this was strange, it never happened that he didn't know my presence around him. I went to his brother to check on him, he wagged his tail while lying just feet away from him. I called my mother asking if he had his breakfast.

She said he was lying there since morning. I tried to wake him by shaking him, no response. I sprinkled a few drops of water on his face, no response. I quickly called an old milkman who came to everyday to deliver milk to check on him. 

He confirmed my worst of fears, he was no more. 

We buried him the same morning. As the evening closed him, the day just got worse as his brother passed away the same day. 

The entire incident took place within just 2 months, where I learnt to love, and got to experience the loss of loved ones.

But our family still remained the same size. Both of our kids sit calmly in our bedroom. If some guests ever ask about my mother excitedly tells everything about them at length with a smile on her face.

Now she loves dogs, and Loves them even more than I do

For those who want to have a look here they are: