Man’s best friend

‘You have to come with us!’ Nikki said firmly while putting on her boots.

‘I honestly can’t. Joey is alone at home.’ Aditya replied, stuffing the last of the chips from the packet in his mouth before standing up to brush off the crumbs.

‘Speaking of whom, I better get going.’

‘Seriously Adi.’ Nikki sighed, ‘I mean, I get it. You love Joey. You know I love him too but you’re always backing out of plans because of him.’

‘I am not backing out of anything. I never agreed to this plan in the first place,’ Aditya argued, while looking for his bag to head home.

‘You know what I mean,’ Nikki said, exasperated. ‘It’s always got something to do with Joey. Sorry guys-’ she mimicked him, ‘-but I can’t make it because I have to take Joey to the vet. Or sorry guys, Joey gets scared of the rain; I can’t leave him alone at home.’

 ‘He does get scared of the rain.’ Aditya pointed out sternly.

‘Ofcourse he does! Adi, he is dog. I mean, at the risk of sounding insensitive I’m going to say that you need a break from your pet.’

‘Look Nikki, we’ve had this conversation before. Joey is priority for me and I don’t care if I miss out on social events because of that. I’m going home now.’ Aditya turned around to leave.

‘Adi, wait! Look, I’m sorry,’ Nikki apologised. She hesitated and then continued, ‘I think that came out wrong. I know how important Joey is to you. All I’m saying is that you should maybe try to balance your priorities.’

‘Thanks for the advice,’ Aditya nodded, ‘Have fun at the party,’

Saying so he turned around and left his friend’s apartment.

It was not the first time someone has questioned the amount of time he spent with his pet. If he really thought about it, he couldn’t blame his friends. They were just not used to the idea of Joey. The little monster had come into his life only a year back and in the short span of time had completely turned it around.

Joey had been a gift from his older sister, Priya. It was the first Diwali after their mother had passed away and his sister had silently taken his hand and led him to the family drawing room, away from the festivities. There, in the middle of the room, with a tiny bow around his neck sat a scared looking pup, quietly whining.

His heart had skipped a beat and as he cautiously approached the little pup, Aditya knew that it would be so very easy to fall in love with this little one.

‘Hey there,’ Aditya said softly as he bent on his knees and carefully lifted the puppy with his hands. The puppy looked back at him with liquid brown eyes and as Aditya bought him close, he whined softly.

‘Isn’t he the cutest?’ Priya said grinning widely, ‘What are you going to name him?’

‘He’s..mine?’ Aditya faltered, looking at his sister.

‘Ofcourse, he is,’ she smiled, ‘I got him from the pet shelter near my place. He was up for adoption and I knew how much you always wanted a pet dog…’

‘Ye-es,’ Aditya replied slowly, looking at the puppy again. He had always wanted a pet and now he had one. A tiny little one who fit in both his palms and could not have weighed more than a few feathers.

And that’s how Joey came into his life.

For Aditya, it was like becoming a parent. Joey was a bundle of mischief, forever running around and digging into the garbage bins. He had once removed all the stuffing from one of the couch cushions that he had managed to latch on to and Aditya had come into the room to find little Joey covered in white stuffing, resembling a little snow dog.

‘Joey!’ he said in a mock strict voice, ‘what did you do?’

Joey had ducked his head guiltily but studiously looked away every time Aditya tried to point at the evidence of his mischief.

Another time, Joey had chewed into his slippers and run around the entire house with it while Aditya gave up the chase after the first five minutes. He had finally found the remnants of one of his slippers under the couch and another beside his laptop.

Despite all his mischief, Joey had bought with him the kind of warmth and friendship that Aditya didn’t realize he had been missing out on. He looked forward to going back home every day because he knew he would be greeted by swift barks followed by excited tail wagging and tons of doggie-kisses. He doubted he would ever get tired of them. He also doubted he had every encountered that kind of genuineness in any human interaction.

It hadn’t taken too long for Aditya to fall head over heels in love. He distinctly remembered the moment, when he knew, without a shadow of a doubt that what Joey and he shared was special. He had stumbled upon some childhood pictures while cleaning his room and had sat down to look at them. He didn’t even realize as he looked at the picture of his mother that he had silent tears rolling down his eyes. He had been very close to his mom and the sudden image of her, laughing in the picture whilst holding him as a small child, had made him quite nostalgic. Joey had quietly padded into the room, almost as if he knew that it was a moment he shouldn’t disturb. He jumped into Aditya’s lap and looked solemnly at him as if to say, ‘I’m here.’ He rested his head on Aditya’s lap and stayed there the entire time Aditya grieved.

That’s when Aditya knew. He had made a friend for life.

Having Joey was as much a responsibility as it was a pleasure, one which Aditya took very seriously. He made sure Joey had a balanced diet, took him out religiously for his daily walks and never missed a vet appointment. At times, he took parenting Joey so seriously that he would cancel out on other outings and appointments. His friends were understanding for the most part but here and there he would get the occasional ‘You don’t seem to have time for us anymore’. Case in point being Nikki’s little outburst today. His group of friends were going out for their weekly Friday drinks but he had chosen to stay back with Joey.

He didn’t know how to explain to his friends without offending them that where his pet was concerned, he would never compromise. Joey was his baby and he felt quite the protective parent.

He smiled as he turned the lock to his door. He could already hear the frantic scuttle toward the front door followed by the customary excited barks.

‘Hey Joe,’ he greeted as he stepped in.

Joey came bounding upto him and before too long, Aditya was down on his knees being greeted in typical-Joey fashion kisses.

‘Seems like you missed me, hey buddy?’ Aditya asked as he gathered his pet in his arms.

He lifted Joey up and carried him over to the lounge area.

He might be missing out on a night out with friends but there wasn’t any other place he’d rather be than right here.

***