By Mriganka Singh
I entered Saurabh’s room and saw two puppy eyes staring right at me with the excitement of seeing his father return after being busy with a hectic day, the same night that he proposed to me. This was my first encounter with Simba.
I was told to pet him, not be afraid or be too friendly either as he was not the cuddly type.
The next 10 days were spent getting to know him more and realizing that he was not exactly open to accepting a mother yet and just wanted to be his father’s kid. I took my time too.
I realized that soon I would have to leave my babies, two of them, and be his mother. I had been a dog mom to a rottie, a goldie, and a German. I was used to huge dogs and never saw myself having a Lhasa apso.
But fortunately, God made me the mother of one.
Time flew by and we adjusted to each other in 5 months. After my marriage, it was time to leave my giant babies behind and be a full-time mommy to Simba, our kid, our dog.
Simba was a dream dog. Well, every pet parent feels they have the best one and truly, none of them are wrong, but Simba was a gem. He travelled with us from one tip of the country to another by road and was the most adjusting one. Happily adjusted to every new place and every stop we took and enjoyed his time in the car.
Being in the forces, Saurabh was mostly away, even when he was around he hardly had any time, any time for us. In a new, lonely place, Simba and I became each other’s solace. My day began with him being my morning alarm with his little paws on my stomach, telling me it was time for his first meal, followed by lying on my feet while I worked, as well as being in the kitchen when I cooked.
I faintly remember this scene when my husband got awfully jealous ( in the cutest way ) when he got back after being away for 4 months and expected Simba to go crazy, but he sheepishly came to me instead of him.
Everything said and done, he loved his father the most, no matter what I would have liked to believe. Simba completed him in a way no one else ever could, not me, not his family, not his work.
That is what a loving dog does to you. Saurabh had been through a tough time in his personal life, and Simba became his relief and getaway door during that time. They were everything to each other and I was always the third wheel in their little world.
We lost Simba to an unfortunate accident and it felt like our world came crashing down, unreal and tragic. It has left us traumatized, but we decided to overcome it by always remembering the love he gave us, how he completed us as a family and how he will always be our guiding angel from above.
In the loving memory of our dog, our first child, Simba.