Lost And Found Paw

THE BEGINNING

 

Damn…why on earth are you all such a mawkish, sugary, tacky, twee kind of cuties? What nonsense…. Is this even a question to ask, it is probably for me? Surely someone will be as stupid as me who does not have love or generosity on your side and trust me this stupid yet important question bothers me every day but nothing shakes my core. But no worries cuties, the moment I get the answer, I will come running and tell you all in detail with an extra 10% pedigree.

What? What you dogs are looking at? I am not a jackass penny pincher- mm mm. Not at all! You'll see…...one day.

"Shefali Dey", Are you there? You are required on your desk asap. (Manager Called).

"Coming, almost there". (Shefali replied).

Okay then! That's all for the day you sweet dogs. Stay quiet and behave. Byeeeee! (Shefali) winked).

"Welcome to Bark 'n Bubbles, your one-stop destination for endless pawsabillities". (Shefali greeted). 

How may I help you today? (Shefali asked the customer in a highly enthusiastic voice).

"Hi, I am Anand Raheja and this is my wife Vineeta Raheja, we are here to adopt a dog for our son Aarav, he is fond of dogs since he was a kid and for the last one month, he has been insisting that we bring the dog home so that's why we are here today".

 Daddy all my friends have a dog at their house, I just don't have it. I don't like it. I will bring my Juno home today and show it off in front of my all friends to make them jealous. Huh! (Kid in an annoyingly innocent voice expressed his most important takeaway of life).

Juno? (Shefali asked instantly).

"Juno is my dog's name! (The kid said in attitude).

AH! I see. Look at you…You already have a name decided. Cool name. (Shefali hummed in her mind). 

(You two feet little monster what do you possibly know about dogs, ha, all you want to do is to show off in front of your equally childish monstrous friends. I am damn sure there is zero compassion in you for dogs. Such a pain in the ass you are for your parents but what else they can do if not feed your stubbornness which is not even one percent real. Huh! Wait …. Why am I bothering? Never mind! Stop thinking about it again.)- Shefali tangled in her thoughts & lost for a minute.

Miss Dey? Miss Dey? – asked the customer.

Yeah, yeah let's go and find your Juno right away. This way, please! (Shefali said).

Shefali takes the Raheja family towards the dog's room and keeps on noticing Aarav's excitement which she finds very strange. (Weird – Weird – Weird)

And here we have different types of dogs with different characteristics, quite different from each other but equally lovable and loyal. Look, there is a yearning in their eyes to go to their home, I am sure that the happiness of your family will double with them. These beautiful dogs are our family here and when they give us so much love just by caring a little, imagine how grateful they will feel to have your love and support. I don't think anyone else can give us such unconditional love and loyalty in exchange for a little love and belonging. So, we choose to serve their happiness by bringing them and you to each other. And as you can see that there is a treasure of happiness here, especially for your son, the more happiness will be so long life. I will advise you to also take Muno, Tuno, Runo, etc. along with Juno. The more the merrier! (Shefali blabbering the abstract sales pitch like every other day and doesn't believe herself a single word she delivers) and on…. on…. and on. blah – blah – blah!

Seeing so many different types of dogs, Aarav's happiness was on cloud nine and he began to jump & bounce. Aarav went to every crate and giggled, trying to make God knows what conversation with them as if Spiderman himself came down & gave him his favorite cartoon book and Willy Wonka promised him a lifetime candy free. (Oh Gosh!).

That one …… that's my JUNO. (Aarav screamed in excitement).

Ah! There you go… You picked that one. A Maltese (male), didn't expect this from you kid but good one though. It is going to be your companion for the next 13-15 years if you choose to keep the dog around. He is one hell of a dog active, docile, easygoing, gentle, playful, intelligent, responsive, and sweet-tempered; looks like snow fur, if that's a thing. Aarav, you lucky kid... your parents got an ample amount of surplus money just to woo you or spoil you. Well seems like Malta I mean your Juno just got lucky too and as a part of my job, I am delighted when I am good at my job. (Shefali indulged in self-talk with a million expressions).

"Miss. Shefali Dey, I think our son has found his Juno and we would like to complete the formalities and take your leave. Shall we?" – (Mr. Raheja said while looking at his watch)

"Of course, we should. Please come with me". (Shefali responded).

Shefali extracted some forms and documents and asked Mr. Raheja to sign the form and handed over the rest of the documents which included the details of the dog. Meanwhile, the house vet performed a routine check-up of the dog, ensured all vaccinations were done and prepared a medical report to handover it to the customer.

All formalities had been done and Juno…mm…Naah, Juno Raheja was all set to explore his new family and brand-new house. I bet Juno would get a grand homecoming party too. This lucky little dog got no chill…well he deserved that. GOOD BYE MALTA… I mean JUNO! See you never!!! (Shefali's nostalgia for Juno).

Aarav carried Juno in his little arms and left happier than ever with his family.

Shefali took a deep breath and sat down on a white convertible sofa kept in the left corner of the reception area.

"Good Job Shefali" – (Manager Winked and gave a thumbs up that Shefali had zero interest in).

Jeez! It's already 6 O'clock and I have to rush home like right now. (Shefali self-talked).

She took her purse out of the drawer and packed all her stuff that was scattered on the table. Took a quick look at herself in the bathroom mirror, adjusted her messed up hair, and left the office. Took an autorickshaw and reached home exactly after 15 minutes. Then she changed and left in hurry.

Thank God, there are still 10 minutes left to catch Richa (Shefali's roommate), I would wait right here in the parking lot for her to come out of the office. Perfect! (Shefali self-talked).

Richa spotted Shefali in the parking lot near her scooter all set to ride to the famous Radhakrishna Temple in the vicinity where they use to go every day in the evening, join the prayer and then sit by the nearby river for half an hour and share the tidbits of the day.

Shefali talked about today's event and how she felt. She kept blabbering about everything and Richa carefully listened to her as if she knew she had to come up with a comforting response to calm her down.

"Richa, do you think I am a cold person?" – asked Shefali.

"What is bothering you exactly?"- (counter-question by Richa).

"An 8-year-old kid can have such kind of compassion and love for a dog that he decided to take one with him, a wild choice I would say. On the other hand, I am working there, seeing them every day but still don't feel a sense of attachment or bonding and I find it weird. Does it make me a bad person or is something wrong with me? I am just curious Richa". – (Shefali in low voice expressed her notions)

"You don't force love, care, or compassion; when it's meant to happen, it will come to you naturally and you will know how you feel. All you have to do is keep your eyes, mind, and heart open to let it in and claim its tiny place in your kind soul. Trust me, Shefali, you would know and burst into tears of joy by the overwhelming sense of belongingness. As Konrad Lorenz said, "The bond with a true dog is as lasting as the ties of this earth will ever be". So… when the time is right you will know." – (Richa's words of wisdom to Shefali).

As usual Richa's words of comfort and wisdom smoothly reached Shefali's mind and accepted the very truth of "You know when you know."

Shefali's life was like a road with no turns, a straight line with no slope, just a simple life that breathes every day, which is enough to live, whether or not to feel its depths is something life doesn't teach us but we teach life while living itself. And that learning was yet to offer by Shefali to her life. She never felt a sense of attachment to anything besides her family which comes naturally, she fought her alter to stand for her conscious self as it never perplexed her but surely left her with curiosity, and to meet this curiosity she took someone's advice to be close with animals to feel or develop certain kind of emotions as it always works, maybe mostly according to the majority. That's how she ended up working for dogs for her own sake.

Shefali as usual is at her workplace, going through some files and calculations. Completely engrossed in her work and then her mobile rang, she picked up-

"Hello Beta" – (Shefali's father on the other side of the line)

"Papa, how are you?"- (Shefali in soft voice)

"We all are good beta but your Abhijeet Uncle isn't well."- (Shefali's father in low voice)

"Omg! What happened? Is anything serious?"- (Worried Shefali asked his father)

"He met with an accident and got some bones fractured; the doctor advised him bed rest for like 1-2 months. He needs us, as you know how many animals, he got there besides farms to take care of, he is so attached to his animals and farms, and now he is on bed rest, somebody has to be there for him, we know he has a family but he has always been there for me & my family and now it's time for us to be there. I think we all should go to our village as it's been a long. Will you come with us? Abhijeet uncle will be very happy to see you there." – (Shefali's father expressed his thoughts).

"Well, if you want me to go then I will. Let's go then. I will leave tomorrow itself for home and then we will go to our village, maybe the day after tomorrow. Pack your bags, I am coming!" – (Shefali responded in contentment).

Shefali mailed to her manager for leaves, got it approved, and left the office at 6 pm, reached home and met Richa as usual, and told her everything. Richa assured her that it was the best thing to do at the moment and she will also have a chance to get along with the animals there.

Shefali & Richa came back home after some shopping, Shefali packed her bags, booked the bus ticket for tomorrow morning, ordered Pizza & Coke for dinner, watched movies, and slept.

The next morning, she hugged Richa while leaving and asked her to take care of herself and the house until she is back, most importantly keep it clean. She took an autorickshaw to the bus station, reached a little late because of a traffic jam, and hopped on the bus just right in time otherwise she would have missed the bus today.

"Gorakhpur – Gorakhpur – Gorakhpur" – (Bus Conductor Screaming like insane).

"OH! I reached already. How long did I sleep? Who cares? Good, I am reached while sleeping, nothing better than this feeling while traveling by bus." – (Shefali self-talked)

Shefali booked an auto to her home as it was far from the bus station, she stopped in a sweet shop and bought Roshogulla (Spongy white flour balls dipped in sugary syrup) for her family. She finally reached home after 30 minutes where her parents were already waiting for her since morning besides more than 20 calls. The moment she reached, her parents hugged her and asked if she reached okay. As part of the siblings ' tradition, her younger brother started teasing and bothering her for fun. Shefali handed over the sweet box to her mother and asked to feed her lunch as she was starving. She was starving to munch on homemade delicious food cooked by her mother. The whole day was full of joy, talks, food, enjoyment, and everything else for her and her family.

THE MIDDLE

Dust flying on the unpaved road, frozen ponds on both sides of the road and water hyacinths blooming in that pond, small wooden shops at a distance, that small white temple surrounded by tall peaks of banyan trees, rusty mud houses, red hibiscus flowers blooming in those houses, especially for worship and children wrapped in the dust while playing outside in the middle of those roads. The entire town is surrounded by big trees as if a sheet of greenery has wrapped itself. Can't believe these memories are as old as all this sight is as fresh even today. I am so glad that I decided to come. (Shefali's nostalgia)

"All of a sudden you all are here and I had no idea that you all are coming. I can't tell how happy I am. Half of my health has become better just after seeing all of you and especially after seeing my niece Shefali. I don't know after how many years I am meeting her." – (Abhijeet Uncle's overwhelming response)

"By the way, everyone knew and it was a surprise for you, if we had told you, how could we see this happiness on your face. We all are also very happy to be here, especially me. I have come after so many years and I have heard that you have kept many animals which you love very much. Is that true Uncle?" – (Shefali's polite response with a little bit of curiosity).

"Shefali di is not a fan of animals she loathes them and the irony is she works for animal welfare, she is always surrounded by dogs but doesn't feel compassion towards them. Isn't it funny Uncle?" – (Shefali's brother making fun of her)

"Watch your mouth you little bully or else I'll break your teeth along with that dumb face." – Furious Shefali.

Stop fighting you two. – Shefali's father intervened.

"It's absolutely fine, nothing is wrong with that Shefali beta. If you don't feel compassion for animals, it doesn't make you a bad person. We cannot force our love for anything, this is something that comes from within. If you try to solve it or force it you are going to get nothing except frustration. Let the time and nature run their course and the sense of belongingness will follow you without you even realizing it. Trust me! Why don't you explore what we have here, you might feel different here; You might find your compassion here. You will." – (Shefali's Uncle's words of wisdom)

You sound exactly like Richa (Shefali self-talked). "I guess you are right Uncle, I am going to explore around." – Shefali replied.

"This house looks like a raw mansion, with dense trees, gardens, a big field, and a barn in it. There is hardly any tree that is not visible here at least as much as I know. From banana to a banyan tree, from cactus to aloe vera and don't know what else. My uncle is a nature lover, no doubt. And animals, God, what should I say, I did not know that my uncle is also fond of raising swans besides cows, goats, and pigeons, which I have no idea how he manages. Oh, and it wasn't enough that dogs and cats are here too. Great. What kind of a Zoo I am in? It looks like a giant mess to me." – (Shefali's monologue)

Days passed and Shefali started mingling, understanding the life of the village, and the deep relationship between the people, nature, land, and animals there. She would carefully watch how her uncle was so worried about his fields, gardens, and animals despite being so ill and Shefali also became emotional after seeing all this. Sometimes she used to help the family members too, which was quite different. something was changing for sure.

One day the pet dog Moti gave birth to four puppies, two were brown and two were black-colored. In the beginning, Moti always kept her puppies close to her chest and never left their sight, that's what mothers do, right? A mother is a mother, whether it is a human or an animal, her love for the child is immense. Gradually all the puppies grew up and started walking, and playing but they were always scared, they just started getting to know this world. Such an innocence one can witness on their faces.

Shefali used to go near the barn every day to see those puppies, probably because she worked in a dog shelter and that's a familiar instance for her to go and see them, and that's the only reason she could come up with for her curiosity but she was wrong and one day everything changed. Out of the four puppies, one of the black puppies who was the most healthy and active came rushing by towards her the moment he saw her, Shefali was astonished seeing how fast he learned to run. It had become a daily soap, and she also used to wait for him now, wanted to know why he comes to her, after all, what is his attachment to her? How does one understand their feelings towards an animal that doesn't share the same language and vice-versa?

By the way, to make the confusion go Shefali named all four of them. She named the one who seemed fond of her 'Waffy'  that she derived from Waffles as it made her happy and also it well suited him because of his skin texture, the other black one 'Lazy' as it was one lazy fella who wasn't interested in anything except sleeping all day, the third one 'Irish' and the last one 'Brownie' they both were kind of loners. They all grew up together, always piled upon one another, jumping-bouncing-cuddling-fighting with each other and that was a delight to her eyes and soul.

Slowly she also started feeling attached to Waffy, every morning she used to go to meet him as soon as she woke up, and whenever he heard or saw her, he used to run towards her. She too used to be very happy seeing his affection.

Every day she would feed him, train him, and play with him, if ever he could not find her in front of his eyes, he would go straight to her room and bark till she comes to see him. She didn't even know when she got so attached to Waffy that her day used to be incomplete without him, whenever she used to feel low, his presence would make the boredom go away in no time. And somewhere all her family members started to notice and understood what she might not have. Because her bond was only growing with Waffy; neither with the other three puppies nor with any other animal. Whatever she felt, it was all for Waffy and this feeling was quite strange for her.

No matter how hard I try, some questions will be unanswered until the right time comes. And anyway, love or belonging is not the same for everyone. Just because I only love Waffy and not the other three, doesn't mean I'm still a bad person. So why am I thinking so much? Only time will tell, I guess. (Shefali self-talked).

"Shefali Di let's go it's time or else we will miss the train."- (Shefali's cousin).

"Yes, I am ready, let's go." – (Shefali in excitement)

Shefali and her cousins made a plan to explore nearby areas adjacent to the village which were much famous for their scenic beauty, also there was an upcoming carnival in two days which only comes once a year so they didn't want to miss it, especially Shefali and her brother.

AFTER A WEEK –

Waffy-Waffy-Waffy…. Where are you? I am back. See what I got for you, loads of gifts just for you. I have been dying to see you, I missed you every day, I realized the level of the bond we share when I was away, missed you so much. Just come over quick. Ah! I can't see you, where are you? Are you hiding somewhere? Waffy don't mess with me. Come on!" – (Shefali eagerly looking for Waffy).

"Uncle, have you seen Waffy? I am not able to find him. I have looked everywhere and it is unusual of him. Where he could possibly be? The rest of the three are here only then why he isn't here? Oh! He is driving me crazy now, look what I brought for him. And now he is hiding somewhere. What? What happened? Why all of you are looking at me like that? Wait…. You know something and not telling me. What is it, Uncle? Is it about Waffy? Are you guys pranking me? Your silence is killing me now, please tell me." – (Shefali in angst).

"Waffy is lost, he has been missing for the last three days. Somebody might take him; we tried our best to find him but couldn't. It never happened before ever. I don't understand how it happened. I am very sorry Shefali beta." – (Abhijeet uncle in sympathizing voice).

"What? What are you talking about? Waffy is lost, somebody took him or kidnapped him. Is this some kind of joke? Why would anyone do that? Why does somebody steal a dog? This makes no sense, No... No. I don't believe in this crap. I am going to look for him. He must be somewhere here only. You might have missed some places. I will find him." – (Shefali in an impulsive manner).

"Listen Shefali…… listen stop!"- (Shefali's family).

Shefali goes madly in search of Waffy, in every street, in the adjacent houses, in the barn, in the woods near the house, in every corner, but Waffy is nowhere to be found. She sits down on the ground getting tired and disappointed and starts crying bitterly. Screaming Waffy out loud again and again but there is no trace of him anywhere.

"Shefali are you okay? We all understand what are you going through but you have to take care of yourself." – (Shefali's father).

The effect of Waffy's loss on Shefali was so deep that she had given up eating, neither did she talk to anyone, nor meet anyone. Every morning she used to sit near the barn in the hope that Waffy might come back from somewhere. Seeing all this, Shefali's family members were also upset and worried.

ONE DAY………

"Shefali beta, why don't you help me manage my garden and animals? Since there are so many and I am still recovering, I won't be able to manage alone. A little help would be great." – (Abhijeet Uncle humbly asked Shefali).

"Uncle, I would help but I don't feel like doing anything. You could ask my brother I am sure he would love to help you." – (Shefali replied)

"I would ask him if I had to or want to."- (Abhijeet Uncle said)

"Why me?"- (Curious Shefali)

"Because you need to get over the things you can't control. Losing someone or something you love is excruciatingly painful but you can't grieve your whole life for something that has gone or lost. I know you just had this sense of belongingness with an animal that you wanted to feel and you got it, but nothing lasts forever. You also have to learn when to let go and forgive yourself. "- (Abhijeet Uncle's words of wisdom)

"But……". – (Shefali)

"No, I don't want to listen to a word now, all I need is your help." – (Abhijeet Uncle interrupted)

OKAY. – (Shefali responded affirmatively)

 

THE END-

Shefali now helps her uncle, planting trees and watering the gardens, taking care of the animals. Shefali was busy with all these things, but still, her mind was stuck waiting for Waffy, whenever she saw the other three dogs or heard the sound of barking, she used to remember Waffy. She looked at Abhijeet uncle and wondered how he serves all of them with so much heart. Seeing all this, her respect for him had increased even more. She began to realize something.

"Uncle, May I ask you something?" – (Shefali asked Abhijeet Uncle)

"Of course." – (Abhijeet uncle replied)

"How do you do this? How do you manage everything and don't lose hope? What if something goes wrong? I am sure you are attached to all the animals. Don't you fear losing them?" – (Shefali asked him).

"Once I bought a cow, I loved that cow more than anything. I would pay extra attention to him, and it was indeed the best and healthy one. But one day the cow got sick and died eventually. I couldn't take it; the pain was inevitable and somehow, I got lost. Simultaneously, due to lack of attention other animals were getting sick and then I realized what was I missing? I was so indulged in grieving one thing I lost that I was unaware of what precious things did I have around me. It hit me hard in my soul and I promised myself that I would never let my emotions over fool me. I found my purpose and happiness in what I had and I am serving that purpose to date. "- (Abhijeet Uncle's revelation)

At that moment Shefali realized what exactly she was missing, and why she didn't feel compassionate towards the others. She had tears in her eyes and an overwhelming sense of belongingness for the ones she had been ignoring.

Shefali straight rush to the barn and called all the dogs, in a while all three of them came rushing by toward Shefali and cuddled her. Shefali wasn't expecting this warmth from them and felt regret for not loving them for so long. She felt overjoyed; she just had a revelation. A big one! She found her compassion, belongingness, and kindness in their paws.

"Richa, you were right. We don't force love, care, or compassion; when it's meant to happen, it will come to us naturally and we will know how we feel. All we have to do is keep our eyes, minds, and hearts open to let it in and claim its tiny place in our kind souls. Trust me Richa, Now I know, and as you said, I did burst into tears of joy by the overwhelming sense of belongingness with this truth. As Konrad Lorenz said, "The bond with a true dog is as lasting as the ties of this earth will ever be". I feel that and I know now. 

Also, I had this revelation….

As Anatole France said, "Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawaken."

I found my compassion, belongingness, and kindness which I thought I never had in me. This place, life, nature, and animals showed me a mirror. My soul is truly awakened now.

"Wow! That's heavy. I always knew you would find what you are looking for Shefali. I am so proud of you. I hope you are not planning to stay there permanently since you have just become compassionate. (Laughter), Please come soon." – (Richa to Shefali)

"I am coming back soon… and yes, I have a surprise for you. Be ready to get knocked out. (Laughter)." – (Shefali mischievously)

"What surprise?"- (Richa curiously)

"You will see. Bye now." – (Shefali responded)

 Shefali hung up the phone.

AFTER A MOMENT….

"Are you sure about it?" – (Shefali's family questioned)

 "Yes, I am 100% sure about it; I am adopting Lazy, Irish, and Brownie along with their mother Moti" – (Shefali answered happily).

"The journey of life is sweeter when traveled with a dog."

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