Believe that you can do it
On one winter Sunday eve, I got up after a nap humming my favourite old song to have a cup of tea with my hubby. We together had a chat about the upcoming festivals of Christmas, New Year, Pongal, etc., and our plan to go on vacation. Both of us were shocked a bit with a sudden bark. Two handsome young men (my son and his pal!!) were approaching the dining table holding a cute Golden Retriever puppy. Son yelled, 'Mom, dad, are you okay?" looking at my pathetic face as if to be robbed by a gunman. Blinking at him, unable to talk, I expressed with sign language to let me go in, while hubby said, "count me out" walking out of the hall. The puppy replied, "Bow-bow" to him."Mom! You love puppies. Don't you? So, I brought this for you."
"Yes, Aunty!" She is adorable and friendly" His friend Vicky supported him as he was the smart chap searching online kennel clubs instead of match-making matrimony (dog lover bringing up a Golden Retriever and this was the puppy born to that).
"She is Laaza. Lovely name. Isn't it?"
"Don't worry mom! You have brought me up and Karthik (my elder son).
"She is so cute and calm looking at you quietly. "Don't bother. Dad also will help you and me too. You can do it ma."
I slowly made up my mind to take care of the puppy. Initially, she roamed as a princess. As days moved on my husband started threatening me to resign my job or else let her walk out of home. I was the caretaker most of the time along with my son. Occasionally, my hubby pretended to take her to walk on a leash outside, but always she ran out of the leash and got beaten up.
As I was forcibly to leave my job as a quality analyst in view of soft corner in taking care of our puppy, otherwise she would be often beaten up in anger by my hubby.
I informed my MD about my resignation. He exclaimed, "It is amazing, and it is unfortunate to give up a capable QA like you" (He never applauded me while I was at my job") I was yelling at my mind's voice. However, he always behaved like a gentleman.
Meanwhile, since I changed over to full-term caretaker of our puppy, she completed her first year.
As days went on Laaza became the center of attraction of the street too. In the meantime, thanks to her and my son who are responsible for all the above I turned out to have a doctorate in dog grooming, professional in-home training, basic off-leash passive training, and be a pet psychologist (whenever I saw a local breed pup in our street or outside, I began to think of how it could be trained up well). I started to make a website for dog lovers and kennel clubs.
Nevertheless, Laaza is most obedient to my hubby and obeys most of his commands (I did train her passively with love and care, but credit goes to my husband). Unfortunately, due to an accident that happened to my husband with a knee fracture, we decided to send her off to a friend of my son to be taken care.
After a decade and a half gone, my grandkid pleaded, "Granny, we will have a puppy at our home, please" and my son said," No dear, grandma is now getting old, and she cannot."
"Papa, please, I will assist her in taking care of the puppy." He spoke in a soft voice whispering to me and motivating me, "Grandmom, you can do it and help me." I pathetically blinked at my son and nodded my head, unable to say no to my grandkid.
Grandkid and I entered the motivation hall at the nearby kennel club to have my grandkid learn training a new puppy without leash.
I thought that there might be some kind of relationship between dogs and me in the previous jenma. But I believe that I can do it and I am halfway there with positive attitude.
This is the entry for Photo-based creative writing story contest