Toastmaster Project 2 : Pet and Me

Imagine your selves as a real naughty kids for sometime. It is a typical Sunday morning and you don't have any friends around to play. Suddenly you hear a puppy's cry. You look for the puppy & see that it is one of those cutest little one. What will you all do? Will not the thought of taking it to home cross your mind for a moment? My dear readers, I infact did it. And do you know what response I got from my Mom? “ If you continue demanding a dog, either I will stay or the canine will stay in house; both cannot.” That dream of having a dog as pet got a premature death.

I am always fond of pet. I wanted my parents to give me one on my birthday, but that still remains an alluring dream. For me a pet is always more than a friend. A true companion who can take away your boredom & showers you with love and expect nothing but affection from you in return.

As I grew up, like most of us, we get surrounded by so many whom we also have to call friends. My friend list in orkut and facebook kept growing, but something was missing. The feeling of unadulterated love.

The boy in me grew more and became a man, got a job and even got married but each birthday went away without getting my most anticipated gift. The gift that could have made me go WOW!!!

But as the saying goes “When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” and it happened to me. On my wife's birthday, one of my cousin gave her 3 Gold fishes. I bet my dear readers my joy knew no bound as my wife's gift is by default mine too. Finally I had one pet, infact 3 and thankfully for Mom, it was not a canine. So all happy. Impromptu I decided of a party next day. Party for celebrating the entry of new members in my family & at the same time a name giving ceremony for them too. What a party it was. I called all my cousins and close neighbors in that party for dinner. I made them write 3 names for 3 Gold fishes. All came up with their own creativity. Tinki, Minki & Chinki to Bella, Jacob and Edward. Finally 3 got there names & they were - Samy, Remezmi and Snowy & I was happy.

As the fun frolic subsided the realization dawned that only wanting pets will not do, I need to be responsible to them. Feeding once daily, changing of aquarium water weekly and giving drops of disinfectant monthly were some of my must dos. It felt like a new experience for first few times, but soon it became routine and then changed to habit. They started recognizing me. Whenever I came close to the aquarium they jostled and opened their mouth like babies wanting food. It gave me immense pleasure feeding them.

In fact my daily routine changed because of them. After getting up early, seeing them waking up from slumber & starting to play in their small world, gave me immense pleasure. After returning from office, I used to make sure from my wife that they were fed properly and fed well. Sometimes when we had some plans to be away from home, we asked our neighbors to feed them & they would happily oblige.

But again as the saying goes “ The thing that has a start has an end too” and just like other living being death embraced them. It pained me, as they were parted from me. That day, we had some plans to remain out for the night and my trusted neighbors weren't there too. I had asked our help to feed them. God knows how, when we returned, they were no more. Anger, sadness and don't know what all human emotions engulfed me. I felt really bad. Sometimes I strongly feel words are so incapable.

Pets come to our life, give glimpses of utopian love and then they go. That’s why I feel true love is so elusive. But now, I  avoid much attachment alike symptoms of a lover post breakup. But I do have new members in my family after those 3 musketeers bid adieu. Those are my two pot plants and they too need same attention, feeding and love and I, am their adorable gardener.