Beloved dog

Ten weeks had to be kept aside for loving Biskit. No blog posts, not much of knitting, few emails and Facebook interactions, no visits and chats over tea and hot snacks, few guests and conversations. It was all about cuddling Biskit, taking her for little walks and bringing her back in my arms, savouring the winter sunshine and listening to the music of the forest while she pottered around, dug holes, and in her last days, just sat and looked up at the green trees.

She is buried amidst the trees and foliage now. The birds and butterflies flit around her grave, and the-obstinate-buffalo-of-the-neighbourhood munches the grass growing around her resting place. I stand in the balcony, and salute that darling child with my first sip of hot ginger tea. She would have curled up on my lap, placed her head on the table and just rested quietly while I would sip my tea and think of the emerging day and its duties.

Ten weeks of keeping life on hold..its nothing much for 10 years of complete devotion, love and more love. Biskit gave us a decade of sweet affection, idiosyncratic habits and total love. She made my life richer, my patience levels higher, and my tolerance to dog hair in every possible item of living?!…you will be knocked out of your chair!

We learnt that Pedigree pellets are tasty when they are arranged in alphabets or sinuous curves, that fingers can make deadly spiders, and car keys have a special jingle which can tell sleeping dogs about an approaching treat…the drive!!

Six No-Biskit  days have had friends and family calling and reaching out with their condolences and love. I have had heartwarming chats with old friends who rarely call up now. Morning walkers, the men at the check post, jogging jawans–they  have all stopped to ask about Biskit and her departure. Sometimes, I have replied without bursting into tears…sometimes, the concern would make my face crumple into damp tissue paper..and all the time, little stoic Pepper has stood beside me and waited for the tears to cease.

Pepper has been her usual “oh-what-is-my-routine-and-game-for-the-day?”self. She chases stones, water jets, light rays and the biscuit tin. She resists her morning walk ( as usual), growls at intruders and snores her day away. Meal-times, walk-times, sleep-times–they all continue without a hiccup.

And so, we continue living life without one family member. Pepper has taught us what getting on with life is all about. All our tearful sighs will not bring back that form of Biskit.

Its a different Biskit who is with me now.She slips out of the room just when I am walking in….I can feel the imprint of her curled up body on my pillow….she gambols around us when we go walking…and I just have to stretch out my arms to feel her warm soft body. She walks besides me,  her habits and quirks make me smile, and I am learning to pull out one leash when I go for the morning walk.

I smile and think of Biskit a million times each day. I smile and cuddle Pepper a million times too.

I remind myself to be glad and grateful for the ten joyous years Biskit gave us…and I remind myself to be glad and grateful for the joyous times which Peppu continues to give us.