All Dogs Go To Heaven
Meet Shaqti. A cute brown and white puppy who seldom barked but ate a lot. In my most recent visit back home, Remi (my beloved mom) introduced me to her as her newest companion. She was charming. I am not really a fan of dogs but I loved her instantly because she was not at all annoying and she treated my Siamese kid, Petipa, which much respect and adoration.
Shaqti, not even 7 in dog years, died two Fridays ago.
It was during the time Remi's blood pressure was fluctuating and she could barely muster enough energy to go to the nearby clinic to see a doctor. But that Friday, after finally getting the chance to have her blood pressure checked, she was eagerly welcomed by Shaqti as she arrived home. They went inside the house and had lunch together. Then Remi took her routinary afternoon nap. She woke up and saw Shaqti lying on her chest, looking helplessly weak. Remi, bothered, went to the kitchen to find some medicines she could give Shaqti. Shaqti walked pitifully to Remi and hugged her foot. Before Remi could decide which medicine to take out from the first aid rack, she felt on her foot Shaqti's last breath.
While Remi was saddened by Shaqti's sudden demise, physiologically, Remi felt better. She hasn't had a hypertension attack since then.
Meet Yami. A white Japanese Spitz my most recent ex-boyfriend adopted years before I even met him. I was first introduced to him in January of 2006. He was adorable. At first, I was a bit tense about the thought of meeting him because I knew that even if Ricky didn't explain, he would know that I was his stepdad. I wasn't sure whether he'd be willing to accept me; he might sense that I'm a feline lover and I didn't like dogs that much. But he was cordial and he made me feel welcome. He was a picky eater. Like his 2 dads and stepdad, he was on a restricted high-protein, low-sodium, low-carb. high-fibre diet. He ate a lot of butong pakwan and Fox's candies. He couldn't sleep without aircon. He didn't like playing with other dogs.
In my opinion, he was Ricky's favorite living thing. Ricky treated him with the love, affection and attention that he gave his lovers, siblings and friends combined. And He was loyal to Ricky. At times when he wasn't in the mood to be petted, he made sure everybody knew it by being aloof and barking violently when touched. But he rarely did that to Ricky. There have been many of us who vowed to never leave Ricky's side come hell or high water. But in reality, it was only Yami who was always really there for and with him. Like most of us, Yami always tried his best to show Ricky his appreciation for everything Ricky did for him. But unlike most of us, Yami never complained whenever work or personal life beat him in the top place of Ricky's priorities.
At 6:50 this morning, just a few minutes after Ricky got home from editing overnight, Yami died. He was 75. He taught me what it really means to love somebody -- to love Ricky -- unconditionally.
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