THE UNEXPECTED GUEST

As the time passed by, the natural light slowly filled the dark room. "Cock-a-doodle-doo", cried the rooster sharply at 6 A.M. on my phone. It was a warning for me to get out of my bed. So, I rubbed my eyes and got down from my bed. I opened the window adjacent to the door to get some fresh air. A cold breeze entered into my room and tinkled the wind chimes. Rubbing my palms together, I produced heat and kept myself warm. I witnessed the dew glistening in the tree’s leaves. Outside, the street was covered with a thin layer of fog. The Sun was slowly rising from the East and the birds were flying happily with their kith and kin.

“The perfect time for jogging”, I thought to myself. I changed to my joggers in a minute, fetched the keys to my bike and started my journey to the beach. The roads were such a delight to travel without the bustling traffic and honking vehicles. Within a few minutes, I reached my destination and parked my bike at the far end of the beach and glanced at the beach for a moment. The beach was filled with pigeons, people and their pets, who were dancing to the tune of the waves. A chief guest seated between the sea and the sky, was enjoying the entire play. Standing beside the shore, I took some water and washed my face. Like a high-spirited young horse, I started jogging. By the time I ran out of gas, the Sun settled in the sky and scorched. I bought a tender coconut to quench my thirst. With the refilled energy, I started the journey to my apartment for an early bath.

When I returned to my apartment, I found a severely wounded golden retriever puppy, aged not less than 4 months, lying in the parking lot. It had scratches all over its body and was wailing in pain. I pitied it. I took it to the veterinary clinic. Throughout the ride, the dog’s whimpering brought tears to my eyes. In the clinic, the dog was given first aid. Whilst the nurse performed first aid to the puppy, the doctor enquired me about the name of the dog. Not knowing what to say, I stood dumb. While I was pondering over an imaginary name, the nurse noticed the dog’s collar and answered the doctor’s question, “Dobby”. With the dressing done, the doctor gave a painkiller to Dobby and recommended a few medicines. He also advised me to provide the medicines regularly to the dog. After getting the prescribed medicines from the dispensary inside the clinic, we returned to my apartment. 

I found that I had nothing to feed the puppy except the milk which I had for making tea. I fed the puppy with milk and the medicine prescribed by the doctor. When Dobby finished its breakfast, I took it to my room and placed it on my bed. I patted its head until it slept. As soon as the dog slept, I locked my apartment and went to the nearby supermarket to buy provisions. As I was about to leave from the supermarket, a notice stuck on the supermarket's wall caught my attention. It read: “Dog missing! If found please contact the number below”. I fetched my phone from my pocket and dialled the number mentioned. After a few rings, someone at the other end answered. I enquired him about his missing dog. To my surprise, he told me that he had found his dog a few days ago. The conversation didn’t last for two minutes. 

When I returned home, the dog was still asleep. I sensed a pungent smell inside my room to which I held my breath. I used a room freshener but the smell didn’t succumb to it. With fear, I checked whether the dog had pooped on my bed. Then I realised that it was me, who was stinking in sweat. I tiptoed to the wardrobe and grabbed my clothes and a towel for a quick bath. 

After the bath, I returned to the hall. I tucked into the sofa and switched on the TV. It started blaring and so I muted it. My phone was buzzing all the time whilst I was taking a bath. I fetched my phone to know what the fuss was all about. It was from my friend, Mahi. It was then I remembered about the college reunion party that we were organising. I called him and narrated the entire morning episode. He gave me an excellent idea. To share the image of the rescued puppy with a message through Whatsapp so that it could reach a few more people. As per his suggestion, I created a message along with the puppy’s image. The message read: “Missing puppy found at my doorstep. The rightful owner please contact the number mentioned below.”. Purposely, I didn’t mention the dog’s name as it was the only proof of evidence I had to find its rightful owner. I shared the message to all my Whatsapp groups and requested all my friends to share the same. 

The wall clock struck 12 P.M.. It was tea-time. I made tea for myself and a few special biscuits for my guest. I woke up Dobby and took him to the hall. I drank tea with my guest who was busy munching his Pedigree biscrok biscuits. After finishing his snacks, he wagged his tail in gratitude. He pounced on me and started licking my face. I thoroughly enjoyed his way of showing love. I had the habit of reading the newspaper during tea-time. So, I fetched it from the teapoy along with my tea mug and went to the cosy bean bag placed at the balcony. As I skimmed through the pages, an advertisement of a missing dog caught my attention. I ran into the hall, grabbed my phone from the sofa and dialled the number. I enquired about the details of the missing dog from the person at the other end and found that his dog was a different breed.  

As the days passed by, no one came searching for Dobby neither we traced the rightful owner. Every morning I would take it to the beach for a jog and in the evening to the park so that the probability of finding its rightful owner remained high. Day by day, our bond grew. I taught him to give a handshake. It was only after a handshake, I would give him his favourite Pedigree biscrok biscuit to munch. He loved to play with a ball. So, we always played “catch and throw” in the evening. Dobby was a smart dog. He would sense my mood with my facial expression. Whenever my face was sullen, he would pounce on me and lick my face until I grabbed his face and planted a kiss on his forehead and cuddle with him. Dobby was slowly entering into my life from an unexpected guest to a loyal companion.

After a fortnight, I got a call from my friend, Mahi. He told me that he has traced the rightful owner of Dobby with the help of a mutual friend and also informed me that he would call me anytime. Though I was happy to know about the rightful owner of Dobby, I was equally sad to know that I’m going to be separated from Dobby. This thought shook me momentarily. When I returned to reality, I noticed that there was a missed call from an unknown number. Again I received a call from the same number, the truecaller displayed “S.C”. I answered the call. The person from the other end introduced himself as ‘Sebastian Chinnadurai’, the owner of Dobby. He enquired about Dobby’s health and asked about me and my whereabouts to get back his dog. He informed me that he would fetch the dog by evening and ended the conversation. A million thoughts piled up on my head, as I sat on the sofa with my hands clutched on my head. Dobby, who noticed the whole scene from the room, sensed my grief, ran from the room to the hall and pounced on me and started licking my face. It was then I realised that it was going to be the last cuddling. So, I hugged him as tightly as I could and slept on the sofa itself.

The doorbell rang. It woke both of  us. I got up from the sofa and walked to the door. I peered through the peephole and found a stranger standing at my doorstep. I assumed he would be the owner of Dobby. I opened the door and enquired about him and welcomed him inside. As soon as Dobby saw him, he pounced on him and licked his face. It confirmed my assumption was right. He gave me the papers about dog license pertaining to Dobby registered under the health department of Greater Chennai Corporation and also the registration done under the Kennel Club of India (KCI). He told me that Dobby was chased and attacked by stray dogs during a morning jog. As a result, he ran away. He showed a picture of Dobby being held by his little daughter. He told me that he bought the dog as a present for his five-year-old daughter on her birthday last month. He added that without Dobby she was feeling alone and sad all the time. 

“I have promised my little one that I will return with her Dobby. Can you help me to fulfil my promise?” he asked. His words plunged my heart and ripped me into pieces. With much effort, I handed him his Dobby. He assured me that I can visit Dobby anytime. As they were about to leave, I shouted “Dobby”. Dobby came running towards me, I offered him a final handshake and he reciprocated with it love. I gave him his favourite Pedigree biscrok biscuit for one last time. I hugged him tight and planted a final kiss on his forehead. As I waved him a final goodbye, a drop of tear rolled down my eyes.

A few days later...

When I returned home late at night after the college reunion party, I found a mystery basket covered in red cloth lying at my doorstep. I unveiled it. I stood rooted to my spot. I found a golden retriever puppy just the same as Dobby lying asleep in the basket. For a moment, I thought it was Dobby. I held it in my hand with due care and found that it had a collar with its name encrypted in its dollar. It read: “I am Groot”. It was a surreal moment and at the same time, I was puzzled to know who left this puppy at my doorstep. My eyes caught the attention of a small card lying in the basket. I took it and glanced at the message. It read: “Merry Christmas, Santa Claus (S.C.)” 

My happiness knew no bounds when the unexpected guest now turned to be an unexpected gift in my life.