It was on a cold wintery day that he arrived at our house. I stepped out onto the porch and saw him peering innocently through those big brown eyes of his. I must admit that he was really cute and looked very healthy. Doctor uncle whom we had known for quite a few years now had brought him to our home. We were told that his mother didnt want him anymore and the benevolent doctor felt that our home would provide a secure environment for him to grow. My mom and sis were very excited. I could see my brother also cozing up to him. He had already been named Timothy by the doctor, though I felt the name was so un-Hindu. My Mom was always up for parenting any day. As if she hadnt had enough already with the troubles of bringing up the three of us, she was ready to take on the challenge of rearing her new child now.
From that day onwards, Timothy was the apple of the eye in the house. All of a sudden, everyone was looking out for his needs. Feeding him at the right time, ensuring he always had his siesta, outings etc. Mom even ensured that he was clean and well groomed all the time. We even got a small bed made for him. But he always liked to sleep on our beds. On many a morning, I used to get shouted at for 'sleeping' with him. "He is all grown up now" Mom would say, "Why cant u let him sleep in his bed? What would people say??" I used to grumble that I was not to blame alone and my bro also needed to share some of the blame. But the darling that he was to her, he used to get away most of the times!
Timothy turned out to be more than a step-brother to me. I remember that I used to share with him everything, from incidents at school, movies, to favorite books, to girl-friends, during our long walks together. At times he would be disintersted and keep urging me to walk faster but most times he was a patient listener. I dunno whether he understood grown up stuff but I didnt care.
He loved long drives and always wanted to sit by the window seat which was my favorite too. Being the eldest I had to give in. He just loved the wind blowing across his face as also the smiles of PYTs (pretty young things) staring at him!
His love for non-veg and chocolates clashed with mine. Most of time we siblings had to share stuff with him. And God forbid if he didnt get his due share he would turn the house upside down with his crying . Mom would soon be there to restore order and help us share the food equally. I tried my best many a time to hide chocolates from him but thanks to his God given hyper sense of smell, my efforts were always in vain.
Even though he was the youngest amongst us, he was highly protective of all of us. He wasn't too kind to strangers and ensured that they felt unwelcome at our place. His favorite pastime though was spending as much time as possible outdoors. He loved the long walks, the rides in our car or even just staring outside the window. The glint in his eyes whenever he was taken out was an indication that he really loved being free and one with nature. However his true haven was our Home! Here was a place that he truly felt cared and loved for and he in turn reciprocated this love back!
It has been under a year since Timmy (short for Timothy) left us. However his cute looks, resounding bark and vigorous tail wagging will remain etched in our family's memory forever. Thanks for filling up our lives with so much joy Timmy.
May ur soul rest in peace.
(Timmy: 1992- 2009)
No comments:
Post a Comment