An ode to my canine soulmate

My life changed the day our house welcomed this giant fur-ball called Tubby. A Golden Retriever, he was this big fluffy puppy with the sweetest eyes I had ever seen. We always had dogs growing up and loved all of them, but I knew there was something special about this not-so-little one. One look and I was smitten!

As a pup Tubby followed me around the house and loved the sound of my anklets, his version of a musical dog whistle. Whenever I turned around, there he was curiously staring at me with his pretty eyes. As he grew up, the similarities were uncanny. We both were on the full-figured side :-), loved gazing into space, were good listeners and loved to cuddle. And it wasn't just me. Everyone adored him, talked to him and hugged him whenever they could. Tubby managed to convert many a dog hater by just being himself.

Tubby was a lazy dog; food and the possibility of a good rub down motivated him the most! But whenever he sensed someone was upset he ambled up to them and just listened and lay down so that you could hug him. When he looked at you with this chocolate brown eyes, you could sense a wisdom and kinship and instantly feel better. He helped me and my brother through disappointments, heart-breaks and frustrations.

Unfortunately, my beloved had hereditary health problems and left us far before he should have. I lived away from home at that time and was devastated for a long, long time. I couldn't bear going home for a while because I knew Tubby wouldn't be around to greet me. It's been a few years now but I still miss him every single day. The memories, all of them happy, will last forever.

Tubby left behind a legacy of love, understanding and companionship. He gave everyone a chance and loved unconditionally, something which very few of us humans manage!

...this short story began a few years ago on one rainy evening outside Café Basho in Pune. I had just spent the afternoon lazing and reading at the café and a few coffee cups later, couple of my friends dropped in to join me. It was one of the waiters who brought it to our notice; two abandoned kittens, so tiny that even their eyes had not yet opened, so drenched that their fur had formed small curly balls of fluff. We were informed that their mother had abandoned them or more likely was lost and these two kittens had been meowing for the past two days, alone, frightened and hungry as hell.

After a lot of contemplation it was decided one of us should do something, but who, that was the question. I listened as all my friends made valid excuses one-by-one passing the buck. In the meanwhile I was planning my excuse. Yes! They were cute, in need, but I was a loner, a poet with no money and currently free of any responsibility, added to that one of my friend had mentioned that they would not survive without mother’s milk. Anyways in nature life takes care of itself, its best not to interfere, so I had read in a magazine somewhere. I had my excuses ready, all planned to justify my position. When my turn came I had a hundred excuses why I could not take the kittens, but there was just one reason why I should take them.

Maybe it was the weather, or maybe I had become soft in the heart, I will never know. The next thing I knew I was driving my bike back home with two kittens bundled warmly in a blanket I had borrowed from the café. The next week I learnt the joys of fatherhood, feeding them with a dropper every three hours, often to hungry cries. I had found newfound respect for my mother back in Bombay for all those years of looking after. One was named ‘kulu’ and the other ‘malana’. Together we formed a little family of our own. We would eat, play, sleep, eat, play and sleep all the time, and off course we all loved to listen to music - all the time. Any yes by end of the week, their eyes opened to the world and to me. I was ecstatic.

The next week I spent worrying, ‘malana’ had been feeling very low, not eating at all and I had to force milk down her throat. I had taken her to the vet, who too looked worried much to my annoyance. They are supposed to be doctors, treat sickness, and here they had no real answer for me…other than vitamins. The sickness continued through the week and the other vets I visited were not too positive either. But I was. After all there had to be a higher power at play that had landed these kittens in my lap, and there had to be a reason I was there to save them. For the first time…I sat in a silent prayer.

The next morning I woke up with a start, I hurried over to the little castle I had built for them out of towels, bed sheets and cardboard boxes. ‘Malana’ was shivering and her little paws were stiff and cold. I looked into her eyes, and they looked sad and frightened. I did not know what to do, whom to call, so I cradled her in my arms and wrapped a towel around her to keep her warm and safe. She would not make it. I knew in that moment. I looked in her eyes and sang her songs I knew she loved - and as I sang, her eyes went calm, no more sadness; she just looked calmly and deeply into my eyes…listening.

The next week her sister ‘kulu’ heartbroken followed ‘malana’ to the place where they would be happy forever…Gods own children. Well I wept and wept, and as tears rolled down my eyes, words formed on paper and I realised their gift to me…those 15 days I would cherish and remember forever. It was not me who had saved them, but it was they who had saved me.

Well friends its time to say goodbye, but before I do…a month later two more cats found me ‘Lilo’ and ‘Stich’ and they both grew up to have a litter of ten kittens…but that’s another story.

In Loving Memory

She came into my life
Like a gentle breeze
Warm…loving, tenderly
Touching unchartered regions of my heart
Which were long forgotten

A gift for which always grateful
Those few days of her life
She choose me to love her,
To be loved by her

In those last moments, her eyes
Gently held onto mine
Peaceful…calm
Her last breath
Her last gift

Of tears which has run dry
And as they flowed
Silent…formless, the drops
Poured onto the paper
Forming words
Of those few moments
In life
In death
That get etched on our hearts forever
Precious as pearls

- In loving memory of Malana and her sister Kulu greedy for more little more love, passed away a week later. Nevil D