My Eternal Friend

That night I was sitting in the balcony, sky gazing. The watchman, Shyam Bhaiya, was whistling tunelessly and hitting his stick at the colony gate from time to time.

It was a clear night and the moon was shining bright. The beauty and serenity of the ambience was broken by a sudden whimpering from downstairs.

I hate dogs, I literally do. I hate them to the core. So naturally, I just ignored the howling. I thought Bhaiya would do something. After a fifteen minute break, I returned to the balcony again. The voice was still audible. It struck my mind….I decided to go down and check.

On the way, I hastened by the guard house and saw Shyam Bhaiya dreaming and snoring away to glory…I decided not to wake him up. Just made a face at him and ran on.

There was construction going on in the colony. So the workmen had dug a shallow hole in the ground, which hadn’t been closed. It was pitch dark and I knew the noise was coming from within. It was 11:30 Pm at night so naturally everyone was asleep. I was so stupid and sick, to run down three stories this late at night just to check a stupid dog.

Fortunately, I was wearing my digital clock with a light. I pressed the light button and stooped down and looked into the hole. Pebble like black eyes stared back at me….and then I remembered.

A week ago, my friends at the colony had brought an injured pup and mom back with them. The pair was badly injured as a car had almost run over them. The mother of the small pup died on the way, and the pup, who was just two days old, was left alone.

The children brought it home and gave it milk and food. I watched from a distance. I disliked the pup just at first glance. It was dirty and stinking, all swathed with mud. The black ears poked from the back and a stinky, red, saliva drooling tongue. It was hate, detest, abhor for it, at first sight.

And then the hate strengthened furthermore. My friends forgot me and played with the pup. All their time was devoted to her. I hated it and blamed her for stealing my friends from me.

Back to today, it was the same pup who was staring back at me.

The revulsion strengthened to the limits. I just spat and moved away. It whimpered again.

But this time, don’t know what happened to me. I came back running, stooped the little pup in my hands and gently took it out.

I stared at my pup again and it stared back. Big black eyes looked into mine. The eyes had a depth….a fire….but something was missing. Yes, the love…..the care….the affection….of a mother. I looked at it again, but this time with a different outlook. It stood before me as an orphan. An orphan who had someone right now, but no idea what would happen next. An orphan who looked up to others.

I picked up the dirty and bruised pup in my hands and carried it home. I wiped her well with a damp soft towel. It was gleaming now. It’s bright coat shining in the light. It had a really sweet face that I had ignored before. I boiled some milk and gave it to her in my favorite saucer.

The pup was so small that it could fit into my small drawer. I took it with me, and wrapped her in my mother’s shawl. And then we slept together…..today….and for days to come.

I named her Abha, which means light. For she is the gem of my life now. She is the best friend I have and will ever have!

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