Love Eventually Finds Its Way

"Say YES to new experiences, Say NO to irrational fears."

"I don't know how many of you would agree, but life is incomplete without love. I am not talking about just Romeo-Juliet kind of love. It has numerous forms and gives us a higher purpose. We stay in denial and push it away but love eventually finds us in unexpected ways! This story talks about one of those incidents which changed our lives for the better".

A New Home

It was the summer of 2016, and we had moved to Ahmedabad, one of the bigger cities in the 'dry'-er corner of the earth, in pursuit of our dreams. It was tough to leave everything behind, but there was a hidden excitement; we would enjoy the lavishness of an Independent House as opposed to a Matchbox Apartment! "Our own garden! Oh, and personal space for washing and waxing our car!" I still remember my excitement around that. Little joys of life! My joys multiplied when we saw the backyard. "A Lemon Tree!" I was transported to my childhood days at Grandma's. Little did we know that the tree would bring us something precious, not just lemons and memories. It was going to change our fate for the better.

Back to the past present, it was the most extended clean-up that we did; two whole weeks before we could call the place our home! I had taken up outdoor beautification to cautiously stay clear of the bullet train inside the house (my wife!). Finally, after buckets of sweat, we reached a state of relaxation where there was no work to be done on the weekend – or so we thought. Apparently, we were just the temporary tenants, cleaning the place for the permanent resident; and we probably did not do a swell job! We had just sat down after lunch when we heard noises in our backyard. I lazily dragged myself out to check and stopped at the scenery; mud scattered all over the washed floor!

The Permanent Resident

I raised my eyes to see the culprit and spotted a stray sitting comfortably in a freshly dug hole under the lemon tree, slowly wagging his tail! As much as I love strays, my inner gardener couldn't allow the destruction of our green patch, and I shooed him away. But it was his home. Over the next few days, I tried all the tactics I could think of to keep him away from our backyard – Even out the soil bed, cover the spot with bricks, lay marble slabs underneath, make a muddy pool; anything to show that I was the new alpha, and he should find a new place. Alas! All in vain! We would not see him for a day or two, but our victories were always short-lived. He would come back and find new or exciting places to dig! And, despite our continuous efforts – he would still wag his tail while I got furious looking at the new hole!

Truce

Finally, after weeks of effort, I gave up. Somewhere the stray's efforts at trying to win affection were more profound than mine at making him go away. It was a hot summer afternoon, and I could not find the heart to make him move. We offered him water as a truce, and we were his! What started over water turned into a full-fledged meal. We aligned our clocks with him, and he, in turn, changed some of his habits as well; for instance, the mud hole was gone. Gone from the backyard and into our front porch! On numerous evenings, I graciously took the job of a cleaner, where I patiently scrapped the mud from all over the front porch back into the mud hole. Eventually, we built him a home to battle the digging habit (I found a sturdy carton here for that purpose).

The three of us enjoyed numerous evenings together on the porch, where he would poke us to pet him. Even with no training, he patiently waited while we poured food into his bowl and ate when we asked him to. He respected the boundaries and would sit outside our door while we watched TV; he never walked inside. He would roam around all day but get home before us and greet us enthusiastically. We vaccinated him and named him "Danny" (After my childhood stray). Even Shivani, who feared dogs, got hooked. He had made her realize that this was a bond that she should cherish and not fear. This (along with my persistent attempts) paved the way for 'Max' who joined us a few months later. Love had found its way into our hearts; the medium was a persistently wagging tail and beautiful brown eyes.

Does Love Have an Expiry?

Unfortunately, all good things eventually end; he, too, left us as swiftly as he had arrived. Our stone-hearted neighbours drove him away while we were out of town; apparently, he couldn't kindle a similar love in their hearts. We searched for him desperately for days, but no luck. We eventually made peace with the thought that Danny's purpose was to convince us to bring home our own fur-baby, a bond we would cherish and an event that would turn our life around. But, even when we did not offer an opening, love did find us in an unexpected form - with four legs, a wagging tail, and loving eyes. No, love doesn't have an expiry; it lingers on. The name of this love was "Danny", something which would be etched on our hearts forever!