I Luv U…. Bitch!

I was dying to visit my home-town, Allahabad, after a hectic project, which I finally manage to submit just an hour before catching the train. The demanding timelines and the hectic schedule had drained away all my energies. But the mere excitement of a week-long holiday with the family and company of my brother generated some extra joules that kept me going in the extremely hot and humid compartment of Rewa Express.

The Plan for the week ahead was already in place. I have to only sleep and eat and visiting those boring relatives was out of question even if mom insists.

The Auto stopped in front of my lawns. The sound of the autorikshaw was pretty loud in the serene campus of MNNIT, but still no one came out. Finally we knocked and my mom opened the door smiling. Papa also came out of the drawing room. But when I got down to touch his feet… I noticed something small and black behind him. It was moving swiftly and was apparently upset because two strangers have barged into the house. She was a bitch…. a black bitch.

Me: Whats that thing?
Papa: A female Labrador.

Female for sure, but looks more like a country dog than a Labrador.

Me: How old is she?
Papa: A month and a half and we bought it 25 days back.

Looks smarter than her age.

Me: And may I know what her name is?
Mom: Cherry!

What! She doesn’t look that sweet to me to be named cherry. Actually, I was not able to understand the need for a pet, that too a bitch. I mean, I too like pets but only in a zoo.

My mom went inside the kitchen and brought something… which she kept it in front of the new member of the family. It was milk with torn chapattis in it. And my Dad started caressing her and brushed her back. And here I am, excessively sweating, back after two months working day and night in the office and no one is thinking about me. And this bitch has already started to share the food and love of my parents. Will she also inherit my Dad’s wealth? Don’t want to think about that right now.

On my father’s insistence, I took my hand closer to cherry to touch her, but she opened her mouth as if she will eat my finger. I stared at her and grinned “Excuse me! I belong to this place since last 27 years. And you, not even 27 days. So don’t even dare to think of replacing me”.

My whole next week plan was screwed up. I had to get up early in the mornings (which of course I used to detest) to take Cherry out for a stroll, so that she can attend her natures call. She had a unique taste, other than milk and bread, she used to prefer clothes and papers lying on the floor. Slippers are her personal favorites. So I had to keep a watch on her. I also gave up my shorts and started wearing jeans at home, in this hot weather, in order to avoid any bitch bites. In all she was a problem that I have to live with for the next one week.

On Wednesday afternoon, after having her lunch Cherry was taken out by our servant but in a hurry to play she tried to get in the lawn through the bushes, and landed herself on a brick. I ran outside after hearing painful screams. And there she was, on the grass, limping. She could not keep her rear right leg on the ground. Fearing the worst, I carried her immediately to the radiologist. The X-ray showed a hair line crack. The Doctor gave an injection and bandaged her leg. Somehow I did not realize that my whole Wednesday evening went in this.

On Friday evening, when I returned home after meeting my friends, Cherry literally jumped on me, grabbed my trousers in her mouth and moved briskly around my legs angrily, as if she was trying to say that 'She missed me'! I was so touched that for the first time I felt as if there was no gap between us. Then I sat down, brushed her back, looked into her eyes and for the next half n hour kept on assuring that I will never leave her.

That was a false promise. On Sunday, I have to catch the train for Delhi, again leaving everything behind, my family, my college. And when I will be back again after couple of months, Cherry will be taller and stronger. She will neither remember me nor my smell and will welcome me with loud barks. Then I will have to make her fall in love with me all over again.

For now, its time to go and check how she is doing. But before that, I have to change my status for pets on Orkut.

Pets: I love my pet(s)