10/12/2024
She waited
A girl was given a dog for her tenth birthday. A mongrel dog. The puppy is tiny, black and white. Funny face.
The parents resented the fact that an animal is not a gift. They're probably right. Because a gift can stand on a shelf or stored in a closet. But an animal requires care and love.
The girl didn't make a mess. She walked the dog herself, and after the walk she washed its feet. Parents did not participate in the process. They only gave money for food and sometimes for the services of the veterinary clinic.
True, mom and dad quickly fell in love with the cheerful little creature. It was they who were scared at first, and then realized that it was no big deal. On the contrary, “life became better, life became more fun”.
The little dog quickly learned to give a paw. After that she learned other elements of dog training: natural intelligence!
Her muzzle was expressive: she could smile, be sad, even dream. As they say, a complex inner world.
The girl grew up. Wanted independence. After getting a profession, she left her parents' house in a rented room. She took the dog with her, because you don't leave your friends behind.
It was not difficult to take care of her: she worked nearby, literally a few steps. And she even managed to take a walk with her treasure in the middle of the day.
The doggie paid her back with tenderness. Not paid, of course, but loved. There's no other word for it. The mistress would return after work, and the doggy would jump up to the ceiling with joy.
Sometimes the girl went on vacation. The animal, of course, ended up at her parents' house. It would seem that the environment is familiar from childhood: everything is native, and objects, and smells. But the doggy started to feel sad. For a couple of days he ate nothing. Lying in a corner, and her eyes were cloudy. Then she started to eat sluggishly, but there was no cheerful volatility. She'd just flick her paws.
When the mistress appeared, the doggy was so happy that from happiness could even leave an unexpected puddle on the floor. Because of the excitement, because life had returned.
The girl got married and moved into her husband's apartment. Of course, she took the dog with her. And her husband accepted her: it was hard not to accept such a wonderful expressive face.
He even went for walks with her, and the dog let him do it. They say, where will you go now, if you live with my mistress? Of course she went for walks, because of nature, because of physiology. But she didn't show much joy.
As the years went by, the doggy got older. Now she was lying down more, slowly chewing some doggy thoughts. On walks did not jump and did not play, toys, forgotten, unnecessary, lying in the corner.
There was an infant in the house. The doggie came over, sniffed. Her muzzle became kind and somewhat condescending. I've seen this “expression” of a dog's face in dog mothers.
The child grew up, the dog let him play with her. He would sometimes pull her hair, twist her ear or pinch her. She patiently endured everything: a child is a child.
The owner was 28 years old. And the little dog is 18. Her eyesight was weakened, she couldn't hear well. But when the owner came from work, she found the strength to wag her tail and slowly rise to her feet.
The walks became short. It was obvious that the dog's age was coming to an end.
The owner went for six months. She was sent from work. It is necessary for career, for earning money - for everything.
The dog was lying there like a dead dog. Didn't move. He'd get up to eat. You could tell she was conserving her energy.
The landlady came out of the blue. She opened the door with her key. She saw the dog lying there. He couldn't hear or see anything because of old age. She came over and touched the dull hair on his head, like last year's grass. The doggy realized who was in front of her. He jumped up like a youngster, made a strange muffled sound, reached out to her with his whole muzzle. But it fell.
The woman said she'd never seen a dog die before. And she never wanted to see it again.
Devotion is not the word. It's an inhuman love. A love beyond human comprehension.
Not to die. To wait for the one you love more than life, and to give that loved one your last breath.