My little wild one

“My little wild one” is what my father must’ve always thought of me. I was a wild-child, very naughty and very, very difficult to manage! That’s why I was sent to St. Augustine’s School, Kalimpong about 1200 kilometers from our home in Assam. As a kid, I hated my parents for that. But now that I think of it, it was definitely for the best. Thanks dad, and thanks mom!

How time moves around and comes full circle.

Muffin, our 2 month old Labrador, is my little wild one. Naughty, and one pup who’s hell bent on making all the carpets in the house her personal lavatory! But things got a bit weird as she stopped playing and only started sleeping for the whole of last week. It was yesterday that she was diagnosed as having a serious intestinal problem. Intestines are supposed to be like sausages, one after the other – Muffin’s X ray showed that her intestines had collapsed; it was like three of those ‘sausages’ had joined to become one. That explained the big lump in her tummy. Immediately she had to be operated on, with a 50-50 chance of survival. Thankfully, the operation was a success and Muffin woke up from her unconscious state late last night. This morning before leaving for office I checked on her, and she was peacefully asleep.

In a similar coincidence, my father is waiting to undergo his laparoscopy surgery in Assam. He was diagnosed with stones in his gall bladder, aka "gallstones". Not too serious, thankfully. His surgery should be done latest by tomorrow afternoon after all tests give the doctors the go-ahead.

All these incidents made me think about the times that I’d spent with dad and Muffin, both. My dad, a man of few words but words very carefully chosen; and Muffin, a little child in its own right biting its way into our hearts with its little teeth and that eagerly wagging tail.

Its strange how I’m connected with both man and animal with the same single phrase, “little wild one”.

Dad, wish you a successful surgery and recovery. And, Muffin a speedy recovery is on the way, baby. Love you both!