a quiet time is all i need...a quiet time, alone.: the sweetest moment of all times
Thursday, January 26, 2006
::sAme:: 10:34 PM



THE SWEETEST MOMENT --of all times [based on my true story] Has it ever occurred to anyone, that the simplest things in life could make a happy person sad, or vice versa, and even transform a life of bitterness into one filled with joy and sweetness? Well, it sure has occurred to me. One of my sweetest moments actually took place within a period of seven years. I would say it is seven short years because so many great things happened so much so that time seemed to pass me by so quickly. Sometimes, I never really cherished what I had, only to realize that when it is too late. Seven years might have gone by quite slowly for some, but for me, it sure didn’t, because during these seven years, I had spent my life with one of the simplest things in life, man’s best friend. I grew up with dogs, ranging from Shih Tzu’s to Doberman’s. So I do not really have any fear of dogs. After my previous dog, a Doberman, died, my father brought home a Japanese Mixed Breed for my two sisters and I. Between the three of us, I am the one who is more of an animal lover compared to them. At that time, I was living in a terrace house and that was why we were allowed to house such a big dog. My father decided that he would be called ‘Mickey’ and so that stayed as his name. Mickey was a really big dog, with a base coat colour of long, fluffy white fur and patches of black fur covering both his eyes and ears and one bigger patch of black over his back. He also had a long and fluffy, feather duster like tail. Mickey was a very special dog to me and the closest to me compared to the rest of the dogs I ever owned. His humbleness, charm and faithful companionship was what I loved about him. My parents decided to let Mickey live at the back of the house, closer to the big backyard garden we had. Most of the time, Mickey would spend his day either lazing around in the open-top dog pen right at the far end of the garden beneath a mango tree or partially indoors on a black and yellow checked leash behind a white diamond grilled gate which separated the backyard from the kitchen. Usually, I would be away at school during the day, so almost every night after dinner, instead of spending time in the living room with the rest of my family, I would go to the back of the house and sit beside Mickey. After doing this for a few years, I realized that I have fostered a close bond with this dog and he would sometimes be even closer to me than any of my best friends. I would often sit by his side and keep him company for a little while, patting him to sleep and sometimes even singing to him my self-composed lullaby’s specially made up for him. Not only that, Mickey was a really good pal to me. Whenever I felt blue, Mickey would be the only one I’d approach especially when I felt like crying. Although he is just a dog and not a human who would respond, I always felt that he understood how I felt each time I confided in him, though not searching for any answers. If I was home during the day, I would sometimes take one or two slices of bread and let Mickey have it as a treat although the bread was meant for the family and not the dog. Because I see Mickey more as a best friend instead of a family member, it doesn’t really bother me when it comes to sharing food with him. If I ever felt hungry during the night, I would help myself to some ice cream or Oreo cookies and sit with Mickey and share the food with him. That is how close he was to me! Whenever he broke loose from his leash and ran out of the house, it is usually me who would go chasing after him all around the neighbourhood just to ensure that he gets home safely and unharmed. My love for my dog was never-ending, even to the extent where I would disallow my parents from reprimanding him. Mickey has been one of my life’s greatest companion’s and I’m grateful for that. We have had so many great times together which I will never forget. But as the saying goes, [All good things have to come to an end]. And so it did. I returned home from school one sunny afternoon only to discover that Mickey was no where to be found. I checked around his dog pen, the backyard and the semi-shaded area where he would usually be waiting for me when I reach home from school daily but to no avail. My gut feeling told me that something was not right, so I checked with my father, who was home at that time, if anything has happened to Mickey or whether he has ran out of the house again. But my father with an unassuring look in his eyes said to me in a low and muffled voice: “Something has happened to Mickey...he’s been taken to the vet…� I felt so hopeless at that point of time, not knowing how severe Mickey’s condition is, that all I did was to go up to my bedroom and sit on the bed and pray. I wasn’t ready to lose Mickey. Approximately twenty minutes into my fervent and continuous praying, the vet brought Mickey home in a small white mini van. Mickey weakly crawled out of the van and I saw how frail he became. For a moment, I thought I could communicate with Mickey and something in me told me not to leave him alone. So I kept Mickey companied at the semi-indoor area just before the garden. The only thing separating the two of us was that white diamond grilled gate between the shade and the kitchen. I did not really manage to get so close to him at first because I was told that he had a disease and so I was not allowed to touch him. So I just sat on the kitchen floor in front of the gate and sang my lullabys to Mickey. A while later, Mickey suddenly stood up and walked towards the pavement by the side of the garden. He started to pass out stools which contained blood. I was terrified but nevertheless still stayed by his side. This cycle repeated itself a couple more times and just before sunset, I could tell from the look in Mickey’s eyes that he was too weak to take anymore blows. Soon, Mickey just laid down on the grass patch in the middle of the garden under a tree, facing towards the direction of the setting sun. At that point of time, it suddenly occurred to me that Mickey was giving me some last minute warnings. I sensed that he was trying to tell me that he was going to go just like the setting sun. I got worried but still sat with him on the grass patch and just stroked him on the back while speaking to him softly, telling him how much I cherished him and how I would miss him if he had to go. A strong feeling in me told me that he understood what I was saying to him and I could feel that he was also trying to tell me the same too. As I continued talking to him, I could not help but cry. Then, I began saying my prayers again for Mickey and then I realized that Mickey was somewhat drifting away, falling into a deep sleep. ‘But dogs don’t really fall into heavy sleep’ I thought to myself. So I shouted for my father and elder sister who was already home by that time. I started to panic when Mickey didn’t respond to my voice. My father and sister carried Mickey back to the semi-indoor shelter. I started crying with my sister after I heard Mickey breathing his last. Mickey was silent by then and we could not even locate his heartbeat. My dad even cried as he tried his hardest to make Mickey breathe again by doing CPR over Mickey’s chest. I began saying out loud: “Mickey, don’t go…I love you…� amidst all the crying. That is one moment I would never forget. My father got up and called for the vet to come yet again. However, by the time the van arrived, Mickey was still and his paws and ears felt unusually cold. I gave Mickey one final touch on his back not wanting to let go. But my father pulled me aside and all I could do was to watch as the vet’s helpers carried Mickey into the mini-van. As far as anyone was concerned, that would be the last time I ever saw Mickey. I was all tears and helpless as I stood by the front gate watching the white van drive away. My sister and I kept calling the vet’s clinic to check on how Mickey was doing only to find out that they refused to tell us anything. By the time my younger sister came home, it was dinner time. We started dinner without my mother who only came home from work halfway through our dinner. I ran out of the house to see her park her car. When she came out of the car, she just hugged me tightly, crying. When she started to speak, she told me that the vet had told her that Mickey had died. That night, I cried so much I could not get myself to sleep. I just could not believe that Mickey has left us just like that. I remember crying so much that I had a panic attack in the middle of the night. A few days later, we were told by the vet that Mickey must have eaten rat poison of some sort which corroded away his liver and formed holes in his stomach. Upon hearing this, I felt really hurt and could not even imagine the amount of pain and suffering Mickey went through. Although Mickey is gone, I’m still happy. Happy because I know that I have spent seven wonderful years of my childhood life in friendship with man’s best friend, one of the simplest things in life, which brought joy and sweetness to my life. Within these seven years, I not only made a very true companion but also shared seven years of sweet and cherishable moments with God’s given miracle, Mickey.
God's special companion to me... iLu boy. yes, i do miss u too... )'= no one has ever felt this kind of pain. but you taught me how to cope with it...iLu...so much i am willing to die too just to seeyou again...take care anyway,Mickey...=)