The magic collar

After ages the sun shone today. I’m just going to snooze the day
off.
Yawn!!! Life’s good.
Not long ago things were different. I’d hang around the shops near
here. My favourite haunt was the tiny library sandwiched between the fish shop
and the bakery. The lady who runs it is really sweet. She always had a smile
for me and a pat, fleas and all. Occasionally she’d toss me a biscuit.

I’m a friendly kind of fellow but not everyone appreciates that. Till I was a pup I was petted by lots of people. But as I grew up I sensed a change. People grew suspicious. And if I got too close they shrank from me. How that hurt!

Do you know we are cursed with an amazing sense of smell? Yes
cursed. Have you imagined what it would be like to smell fresh fish from the
fish seller? Or soft sweet buns from the bakery? Great, you think? Now imagine
them on an empty stomach. Pure torture.
Once I hadn’t had anything to eat for two whole days. By the third
day I was desperate. I hung around the fish shop hoping for a few scraps.
Nothing. I watched people carry home fresh bread and hoped they’d toss me one.
No luck. I rummaged in trash cans. All I found was plastic bags and rotten
vegetables.
Believe me when I say I’m honest guy. But that day, something
happened. It was the hunger. It blinded me, took over completely. I saw a lady
carrying a bagfull of fish and that was it. I took off with it.
The fish seller gave chase. Weak as I was, I was caught within
minutes. As blows rained on me I thought this was it. This is what’s called ‘to
die a dog’s death’. Then, suddenly, the blows stopped. I opened my eyes to see the
library lady.
She took me home, bathed my wounds and gave me food. That was the
sweetest bread I’d ever had. And she talked to me – man to man!! ‘I cannot keep
you here,’ she said. My heart sank. But then she gave me a magic collar. You
know what that means?
It means I ‘belong’.
Now, I sit proudly in front of our
library, which is home to me, and no one dare touch me. I welcome everyone with a hearty wag of my
tail. At night I curl up on my tiny rug outside the library. I never go hungry.

Life’s good.

Wrote this for Blogaada’s WOW.. but was a few minutes late, I guess!

In any case I wanted to do this as it is inspired by a real life ‘library lady’ who adopts street dogs despite the objection of many residents around here.

Brothers and sisters

She crept silently, holding her breath. She couldn’t wait to see his face when she jumped at him from behind the door. Serve him right for tattling to mum! She’d laugh at him for days and call him a scaredy cat.

Little did she know that he was on the other side waiting for her!

Written for Write Tribe’s 55 on Friday for the prompt ‘Little did she know’

The twins

Two halves of a whole. Together always. One useless without the other.

That’s how we were meant to be.

Ah but how different were we! I was always right and he was the opposite…the bratty one. He was the one who hid under the bed, the one who snuck behind cupboards or sat hidden for hours under the mat. The entire household would be in an uproar … Where’s he? Not again! We’re going to miss the film!… But did he care? Nope. He’d be enjoying the chaos from his hiding place, laughing silently. I hated it when little Rohan got into trouble because of him.

I knew something was brewing in his devilish brain today when we went out to play. A few minutes into the game, as he kicked the ball, he took off, right off the field. Everyone looked for him – in the bushes, behind the swings and even on the road beyond but …. nothing! It was like he had disappeared in thin air. Finally they gave up. How Rohan cried! I wished with all my heart I could reach up and wipe his tears. He wanted to take me along, after all we were his favourites, but his ma said, “What will you do with him? He’s useless without his twin.” And so they left me, all alone just like these fallen leaves… far from home.. abandoned.

Then, along came another little boy. His bright little face was dirt streaked, his clothes tattered, his feet bare. He squealed with delight when he saw me. I’d found an admirer! But then his face fell.. “Only one? What’ll I do with just one?” he mused. There it was – that same line, come to haunt me yet again. “Where can the other one go? It HAS to be somewhere close,” reasoned the little one. “Go boy go.. look for my brother,” I almost cried out aloud. But I didn’t need to. The little boy searched, desperate and determined. He didn’t have a spare. I was his only chance. And then, “Yeah! Found you!” he cried jubilantly digging out my twin from the pile of dried leaves.

I opened my mouth to berate my twin. “Shhh!!” said he, pointing at the delighted face of the little boy. “Don’t you think we’re in a better place?” he said with a wink. And I had to agree. He was a devil but he had a heart alright.

He couldn’t be right for one of us had to be a left, yin and yang, together making a happy whole.

Written for.Write Tribe’s Wednesday Picture prompt (above).

100 Happy Days – Week 2

This 100 Happy Days project is growing on me. I blogged about it last week – it’s a pledge to find at least one happy thing each day for 100 days.

Over the last week I’ve found myself watching out for the happy stuff and rejoicing each time something happy happens. I’ve had to pick and choose the happiest of them all. Here goes..

Another surprise!

Last week I came back after a spot of very functional, very boring shopping. Not the kind I enjoy at all. My feet were hurting as was my head from an impending cold. The thought of making even my single chapati for lunch seemed terribly daunting. I was considering settling for bread. I unlocked the door and found my cleaning maid at work. Now she is not a cook but there she was at the stove making a chapatis! She’ a true blue Maharashtrian and days ago she was telling me how they made jowar rotis with peanut-garlic chutney and I had said “You must make it for me one day.” And this turned out to be that ‘one day’. Miraculous, isn’t it? So both of us had these huge jowar rotis with the hottest, spiciest chutney. Yumm…I don’t even remember when I’ve last had a hot chapati straight off the tawa.

The kids are my next happiness..

N has taken to putting the alarm and waking up half an hour before I wake her up each morning. It’s been a week and it’s just such a blessing not to have to start your day with a crying reluctant girl. H is no trouble in any case. I guess half my happiness stems from starting my day on such a happy note. So after the kids are up I sit with my cup of tea and they laze round, chat and cuddle before the day starts off. Such peace.

..and there’s more

Since I was in Goa for my birthday my friends decided to celebrate it now. So some two weeks after the real thing I had another one. One of them got me this wonderful soup bowl which goes so well with my current weight loss drive. And there’s a set of deos too.

Souper fun!

Since it’s a 100 day project I’m looking at 15 weeks of happiness. Keep reading. And if you’re blogging about this too, leave a comment and I’ll hop over to share your happiness.

Meanwhile.. keep smiling!

A is for anger

Once upon a time I used to be an even tempered, ever smiling person. I got along with almost everyone.. at office, with the maids at home.. everyone. I remember one of my nephews was quite a fan because ‘Chachi (aunt) is always smiling, mama,’ he would tell my sis-in-law.

And then I had the twins.

One day my two-year old was throwing a tantrum and I remarked, ‘Gosh! what a temper, she has!’ ‘Well she’s your daughter, isn’t she?’ shot back my maid. That’s not true, thought I even as I felt the anger bubbling up. How cheeky of her, I thought. But I let it pass thanks to the years of training of not being rude and also because she was years older than I was.

Then a few days later I was having a specially bad day. All my maids were on leave (I had three and one point of time) and the husband was travelling. All alone with the twins who were well into their terribly terrible twos it had been a harrowing day with the cooking, cleaning, feeding, bathing. Finally late at night dog tired, I walked into the bedroom with the two bottles of milk. There were the kids with their beach baskets pouring water on the beds. ‘Pool…’ Lisped my daughter. 

And I exploded.

I don’t think I’ve talked about this incident but the look on my daughter’s face after that hard whack on her backside remains with me even today. She didn’t cry.. not at all. She just stared back, uncomprehending. I cried then. 

Oh..the regret!

That was the day I realised I had a temper and that I had to do something about it. 

The first thing I did was to start yoga. I am still not sure whether it was truly therapeutic or whether it was the simple idea of doing something about the problem, but I felt better. The fight was not over though, is not over. It’s been a continuous struggle.

In this struggle I was directed to The Orange Rhino by friend and blogger Shailaja who successfully completed the one-week no yelling challenge. They have some very useful tips to offer harried mums out to conquer their rage. Do take a look. 

The twins are almost 8 and anger is now a familiar feeling. It still wells up suddenly, without warning, in a flash. However, often I find myself prepared to meet it. I have learnt to recognise the red flags, so to say, and begin to prepare to not yell when I spot them. Spilt milk, broken crockery, the early morning rush, even the continuous noise when they’re simply having fun are all red flags.

That’s the positive change I  like to dwell upon. Not everytime do I succeed but I’ll get there someday I hope.

Linking to ABC Wednesday, which is starting it’s 14th round. Isn’t that Absolutely Amazing! Do join in.