A new addition to the family

There has been some big news in our small family in the last year. After a long time of zero growth, there has finally been some activity! It all began on January 14^th when I called my one and only first cousin to wish him for his birthday. (The fact that I have only one reaches significance only with the added information that Amy has 39!!). In the course of the conversation he asked me we were planning to get a dog. I said, no way! We had enough going on without the additional responsibility and given that we are such frequent travellers, keeping a dog would be well nigh impossible. I had already explored this with some of the dog-owners of the campus and after listening to them, had decided that this was too much for us at this point. Maybe, when we were settled down permanently (will that ever happen?!) somewhere, sometime in the distant future…We then moved on to other topics.

That same evening Amy and I stopped at a departmental store to get some groceries and supplies for a meal we were hosting for friends that evening. Right opposite the store where we parked our car was a pet shop. Outside the shop was a cage with 2 tiny Labrador (or Labradog, as it is known in these parts!) pups. Amy and me, both ardent animal fans, went over to look at them and make the usual accompanying noises – Awww, so cute and such like. Unlike usual, we stayed a little longer than we probably should have, making silly noises at the unsuspecting pups, who, of course, reciprocated as all pups in cages would do – with wagging and whines and a general dispensation of ultra-cuteness.

Once the critical limit was passed, the same thought began to form in both of our minds. As we looked at each other, I did not need to hear her words to know what she was going to say – Shall we get one? Having already been befuddled by the dashed pups, how could I then handle the deep pools that were my dear wife’s eyes?!! 20 minutes later we were the proud owners of a tiny pup, a bag-load of accessories that we were told were completely essential and a ton of advice on the various methods of making sure the pup did not die.

I am not used to making on-the-spot decisions. Usually, every decision is accompanied by many hours of research, dithering, pulling of hair and gnashing of teeth. But after January 14^th, I think that maybe, being a man-of-the- moment may not necessarily be the worst thing in the world. For bringing home that puppy was one of the best decisions that I have ever made, though it went against all the advice I had been given and my ‘researched’ plans! And so ‘Awesome’ (as I named him over all Amy’s vehement protests!) Mathew came home to spend what would turn out to be a tumultuous day at No.8 Gateway Terrace!!

(to be continued)