1 I Get A Dog

I just love dogs.

Cute, little, four-legged creatures which become friends by
just a morsel of food.
Dont you love them? Well, you should.
Ive always wanted one.
Oh! What an idiot I am! I didnt even introduce myself!
Myself, Andrew. Im 16.Also a great dog lover. I just adore
them.
Before starting, I would like to tell you that this story
about a dog who gave its life to make two people as one.
I kept saying that I wanted a dog and mom and dad said
that it will be just a nuisance. And when I said that Ill
make sure that it is not a nuisance, they said that there is
a financial crisis. Financial crisis. Just tell me that in what
type of financial crisis do your parents get themselves
brand new iPhone 7s and an iMac each?!
And when I pointed this out, they said that we didnt have
money for unnecessary things. Dogs are not unnecessary.
They protect you, entertain you, make you stress free.
Now tell me, is this 3-in-1 animal unnecessary?
At first, I wanted to buy one, and that too a Golden
Retriever. Then I got
a brainwave. I decided to adopt one. Okay, maybe
brainwave is much too complicated. I just met my dog by
chance. I went to a shop and saw that a puppy was being
kicked out of a medical store. Oh, I just wanna kill those
people who hurt dogs. I mean, how can you hurt such a
cute puppy? Anyway, I took the dog away from those
horrible people
and fed it. When it was full, I started towards home. Just
then something small tugged at my jeans. I looked down.

The little dog was there, whining and tugging at my jeans.

I bent down and said, Look, little one. I cant take you
home. And Im sorry about that.
The dog looked at me. I looked at the dog.
Then I said, You know what? I think Ill take you home.
And I did.
I took her (yes, it was a her) home and I got the reaction
that I never even dreamed of. Mom was like, Awwwwww!
She is so cute! and dad was like, Hmmyes, she is a
cute one.
Dad said that I should give her a bath and then we can
keep her.
I made quite a fool of myself while bathing her. I took
water in my cupped hand and bathed her. I didnt use a
mug; instead I used my cupped hand. Genius, aint I?
After I bathed her, I fed her some chapattis and put her in
my quilt (it was winter season).
I was very happy. Id got a dog of a rare breed or at least
one that looked like it. My dog looked like beagle/german
shepherd mix. Also I named her Willy.

Except Willy didnt even last one day in my house.

2 I get my dog back

Why? was my question for dad.
Why did you leave her out?
She was whining and barking when I started to leave for
office so I left her. Left her?! He was saying this like it was
just a small thing!
I was mad! How could he leave her? Again she would get
beaten up by heartless people!
I wept all day.
I didnt talk to dad for one whole day.
I started being out of house. I spent hours searching for
her.
After two days, when I expected that Id never find her, we
were reunited.
It happened like this. I was going to my tuition thinking
about Willy
and suddenly stopped dead in my tracks.
There she was standing, looking at me with a puzzled
look.
I started towards her. She yelped and ran away.
I ran after her and caught her. I took her home.
On seeing her, dads expression turned ugly. He said that I
could keep her but my studies shouldnt be affected.
I readily agreed.
From that day on, Willy stayed with us. I cared for her,
took care of her every need, gave her weekly baths, and

washed her outputs (her urine and shit). I even brushed

her teeth weekly.
Even after doing all this, she wet the bed (she sleeps with
us on the bed. She doesnt consider herself a dog. Nor do
we).
I started having heated arguments with my mum. She said
that she is creating too much nuisance in spite of my
promise.
She said that if you cant handle her, leave her. I would
get mad at her whenever she said this and our argument
would start.
Now tell me, when kids are small, they do wet the beds,
dont they?
Just like a kid, Willy was a small little dog. But mum would
just not accept this.
Mum and my argument would continue for hours,
sometimes even days.
But I would always win.
At first when we argued, the whole household would
appear like it was some interesting TV show. But after
some days, it became a regular thing. People would come;
watch us and walk away, saying that this was a daily
episode.
Mom could never win the argument that Willy should go
cause the majority wanted her to stay.

3 Willy Is Thrown Out The Second Time

One day, mom got emotional during one of our

arguments.
She said that now either Willy will stay or Ill stay in this
house.(Read Ill stay.)
No one paid her much attention. But mum took this
seriously
and sent Willy away for the second time.
Before any of us got up the next morning, she sent Willy
with our driver who was going somewhere.
We got up. We searched for Willy but couldnt find her.
Then I got to know from an unknown source that Willy was
sent away. I got mad.
I couldnt hit mum as she was my mum. So my anger
came out in the
form of tears.
This time I wouldnt eat anything. I wouldnt study.
Actually, I couldnt
study. I was disturbed the whole day.
I kept going out in the balcony in the hope to see Willy.
The whole day I ate very little food.
The most important thing was that I had an exam the next
day.
Mom and dad kept telling me to study but couldnt
succeed.
I thought that this time I would fail my exam.
I was lost in my thoughts the whole day. I kept wandering
aimlessly in the house.

I searched for Willy for five solid hours.

I kept shouting her name so all the trespassers thought
that I was a psycho.
Some even gave me a handkerchief and offered to help. I
politely refused.
I came home heartbroken. Immediately mom and dad
started enquiring that where had I been. I said nothing
and shut myself in my room.
At dinner time I came out, drank one glass of milk and
headed towards the balcony in the last hope of seeing her.
Dad came and told me to go inside and sleep.
Suddenly something caught my eye. I looked closely. No.
no, it just couldnt be possible. There she was standing,
looking up at me! I ran down at full speed, skipped the
whole stairs and went down but there was no one waiting
for me.
Dad came beside me and said that I had just imagined
Willy.
I headed back. Just then, I heard footsteps. Not of a man
but of a dog.
I turned and saw her running towards me.
Apparently, she had hidden herself when she saw me
running towards her for she thought that I was coming to
hit her.
I took her into my arms and ran back home.

I fed her three chapattis and bathed her. She slept soundly
in my bed the whole night for she was tired from her days
adventure.
So, this was all about Willy. Now, something about me
4 I Fall In Love

I study in Oaklands Secondary School. I am in class 11.

So, one day, I was sitting in my class when a new
admission came to our class, Shirley.
When I saw her, my mouth fell open. She was the most
dazzling girl Id ever seen!
She had beautiful blonde hair, sky blue eyes and
perfectly carved facial features. She had the look of an
athlete. All slim and fit.

The moment I saw her, I fell in love. But I didnt know

anything about her. What if, if she turned out to be
egoistic? She would insult me in front of the whole
class if I proposed to her.

But turns out, I was wrong - she was the kindest person
Id ever met. She was easily the most beautiful girl in
class but she never showed off. Instead she was a little
irritated by the extra attention.

She had the sweetest voice. Whenever I heard her

speak, my mind got rid of all the tensions.

In fact, she was so kind that I was scared to propose to

her.

I shared all of this with Willy and she listened with such
interest as if she understood all of it.

Now, I thought that girls liked dogs, especially cute

ones.

So, I thought that I would invite Shirley in a park and

bring Willy with me. But I was scared of doing that too.
I told Willy, You know, Im scared of inviting Shirley to
the park. What if she refused?
Willy barked. I told her to shut up. She barked even
louder. She nudged me with her nose. I asked that what
she wanted. She barked and nudged me again. She
picked up my phone in her mouth and gave it to me. I
was shocked. Do you want me to call and invite her? I
said. She gave me straight look, as if saying, No, I
want you to eat it with tea.

So, she did understand some of my problems! I took

the phone and called Shirley (Id taken her phone
number for a school project).

Hello? she said in her sweet voice. Hello, Andrew,

this is Shirley. I mean, hello, Shirley, this is Andrew.
Oh! Why do I have to get nervous whenever I talk to
her?

Oh, hello, Andrew.

Err.I wanted to ask that if youll come to meet me in
Hyde Park on Sunday at 5:00 pm. I wanted to talk to
you about something.
Sure
So.good bye, Shirley
Good bye, Andrew
I put down my phone and looked at Willy.
Happy? I asked.
Woof she said, delightfully.

It was Wednesday but I was already excited.

Finally, Sunday arrived. I took Willy with me to the park

at 4:50 pm. I went there and nearly after fifteen
minutes, Shirley arrived.

She came to me, saw Willy and gave the reaction that
I had expected, which was, Awwwwww! She is so
cute!
Umm.yes, her name is Willy.
For how much did you buy her for?
She is adopted.
That was so kind of you, Andrew.
Oh, it was so nice to talk to her. She asked that what I
wanted to talk about.

At first I stammered, then I calmed myself and then,

right there in the park, I proposed to her.

I have the time of my life

There was a ten second silence.

I started to feel embarrassed. Why did I propose to
her?
Finally she said, Did you just propose to me?
Yes
Well, have you ever been in a relationship before?
No
Will you please give it a second thought?
Why?
Well, cause I take these type of relationships too
seriously.

I thought about it the whole month.

Well, then, I accept your proposal then.

I was on cloud nine! She had accepted my proposal! I
was not single
anymore!
We started hanging out together. In the classroom, in
the cafeteria,
in the labs, everywhere. Earlier, if
I or any of the other boys sat too close to her, she
would politely drive us off. Now, too, she drove off all
the other boys away but she let me sit near her.
On Saturday, we went for our first date which we had at
her house (Unlike me, she had told her parents
everything).
I went for dinner at her residence. As it was my first date,
it was a little awkward, especially when her mom and dad
were sitting there, smiling and staring at me, like, If you
try anything funny, young man, we will bite your head of.
After I got through our date, I felt more attached to her as
she was smart, straightforward and honest. Just like Willy,
she was also 3-in-1.

Our next date was organised by me. I reserved seats for

two in
The Ledbury (its a restaurant) with help from my
brother.
She came at the appointed place on time. I was already
there to receive her.
I took her in the restaurant and we went to our table. We
ordered the food and we ate our dinner solemnly.

I asked her about her past relationships and she said that
once, nearly two years ago, she was in a relationship. She
had a boyfriend who was a playboy and he had
maintained two to three girlfriends at the same time.
When Shirley got to know about this, she made him feel
so guilty that he broke off with all his girlfriends and he is
suffering till date.
I gawped at her, dumbstruck. How could such a sweet girl
do such a thing? I made a mental note to never ever hurt
this girl, physically or emotionally.

Rest of our dates were awesome. We went to waterparks,

amusement
parks, cinema halls, malls etc.
We enjoyed all of this too much.
Once on our date in a mall, we went a photo booth and in
there I got very close to her and kissed her. Not on the
cheeks but full on the lips (Im blushing).

Every day, I would tell all of the days doings to Willy. And
she would listen with great interest.
And every day after I would finish, she would smirk, as if
to say, I told you so. At least I thought she smirked.
Earlier, I felt awkward when I told the dog everything
about my love life, but now I dont feel comfortable if I
dont tell Willy everything.

Things Turn Ugly Between Us

Well, I guess our relationship didnt work out.

After a while, I started being egoistic that I was
dating the most
beautiful girl in class. I started
showing off.
I was acting like, Hey! Guess whom am I dating? I
am dating Shirley, the most beautiful girl in class!
So, now people started troubling and provoking
Shirley that what type of dumbo are you dating (I
didnt have a good reputation in class). Shirley didnt
like this. She told me that I should stop all this
nonsense. But now I wasnt the same Andrew, I was
egoistic and I had a very bad attitude.
I told her to shut up and said that Ill do whatever I
want to.
This was my first wrong move. She told me that she
had told me to think two times before getting in

relationship with her but I did not do that. I was just

very excited to have her for a girlfriend.
I thought that this was too much. I said, THEN GO! I
DONT WANT YOU! IVE GOT HUNDRED OF GIRLS
WHO WANT ME FOR A BOYFRIEND! YOU CAN GO
BACK TO BE A SINGLE!
I thought that now she would lose her temper. But
her good temper remained constant but she made
me feel so guilty that her words hurt me more than a
slap.
I went home heartbroken and shut me in my room
with Willy.
I took her into my arms, buried my head into her fur
and cried.
She twisted her neck and gave me a small lick on my
face. I looked at her.
I dont know what I did today. I dont know that what
possessed me today in school. I screamed at Shirley
and abused her.
Woof she said.
Suddenly, she jumped out of my arms and barked at
me. But this time I knew why she was barking. She
was scolding me all she could.
Look, Im already heartbroken and if youll also scold
me, Ill just breakaway.
When I said this, she stopped barking, came to me,
gave me a small lick and settled down in my arms.

She whinnied, as if to say, But why did you leave

her? I worked so hard to make you two as one.
And right at that moment, Willy made a mental note
that whatever happens, she will revive our
relationship.
7 My Problems Arent Getting Any Lesser
Now, if Shirleys leaving me wasnt enough, Willy got
sick too.
After, about 2 weeks of our break up, Willy started
having diarrhoea, fever etc. I got worried and took her
to a VET.
He conducted some tests and told us that Willy had
got Parvo, a dog disease. After that I took care for Willy.
I stopped day dreaming about Shirley. I didnt sleep for
nights, tending to her. Her medicine times were critical
like at 3 in the morning or 11 in the night.
I even missed my school to take care of Willy.
Even Shirley sent Willy a Get Well Soon card. I
received it and burned it. The same night Willy bit my
ear.
Shirley sent another card and Willy hid it at such a
place that I couldnt find it.
Even more, Shirley behaved normally with me in school
so now I felt even guiltier.

I thought that how could I behave so badly with such a

nice girl.

Now, to top it all, children started teasing me and

Shirley. Now I felt even worse. I even tried to attempt
suicide but I dont know which l kind of dog Willy was
that she always knew what I was going to do next and
she stopped me from doing it.
The children would try to start a fight between me and
Shirley.
They would go and whisper something in Shirleys ear
and then come to me and whisper something entirely
different in my ear.
But our fight would never start as I always knew that
Shirley will never say anything bad about me. And
when I asked that why they were doing this, they said
that they enjoyed our first fight.
I just hate these types of people! They just want to
create distance between two people.
I told all of this to Willy. She listened this attentively
and would give her remarks in between (in the form
of barks).
Im just too grateful to God for Willy.
I believe that there is not one dog except Willy in the
world who understands humans to this extent.

Willy Tries To Revive Our Relationship

Well, now, after our break up, I felt even more attached
to Shirley.

I tried to talk to her but I couldnt gather that much

confidence.

I used to go to her, open my mouth to speak but no

words would come out. She would come to me, ask
what I want and I would politely turn her down.

Every day, I would tell all this to Willy and she would
scold me (by barking, of course).

One day, she couldnt take it any longer. She gave one
long howl and gave me my phone.

You want t me to call her?

Woof
Well, I dont feel like it just now.

Woof
What do you want?
Woof!
I told you that I dont want call her!
WOOF!
WHAT?!

Now I lost my temper. I brought a stick and hit Willy

with it on her leg. She cried in pain. I hit her again. She
yelped even louder.

She yelped for some time after that. I felt very bad and
I broke the stick with my bear hands and threw it down.
I took Willy into my arms and cradled her. Then I
tended to her leg.

She stopped crying and gave me a small lick. I

apologized to her.
Im sorry, Willy, but I got irritated cause we dont talk
anymore, like we used to do.

She again gave me a small lick and slept soundly in my

lap.

Willy made a mental note that if she wants to revive

our relationship, she will have to use brains and do it
slowly.

9 Our Relationship Will Never Get Revived

By now, I had accepted that our relationship will

never get revived.

I think that Willy had also accepted this because she

was also quiet
whenever I told her
anything.

Moreover I started to love Shirley even more after our

break up. Like a stupid, I thought that I would propose
to her like they do in movies. You know, sitting on your
knees, presenting a flower and saying stupid things
like I cant live without you, I can even give my life
for you. Now, tell me, if you give your life, how will
you love her (your girlfriend)? So, I started practising
all of this but when I really went to propose to her, I
stopped as I became conscious that Ill just make a

fool out of myself. So, I got saved from getting my

image ruined.

Now, even my friends tried to revive our relationship.

Some of my friends tried to be my wingman. They
would go to Shirley and tell her about my great deeds
(which were none, they were made by my friends).
Even if they did this, I knew Shirley wont get attracted
to a guy just because of his Great Deeds.

I would tell them that dont try it. She will not get
attracted to me just because of these great deeds of
mine. They would say that whats the harm in trying? I
would then say that okay, go on, make a fool out of
yourselves.

Whenever they would go to Shirley and recite all this,

she would
listen with great
interest and give comments where ever needed. This
would make me feel stupid.

Later, when she would be alone I would go to her and

explain that everything that those guys said was total
crap. Dont believe a word of it.

Later, at home, I would talk to Willy.

You know what, Willy?

Woof?
I want Shirley back.
Woof.
She picked up my phone in her mouth.
Nah. I dont feel like it just now.
She put down the phone.

I want something done so that she gives me a second

chance.

Woooooof.

Any ideas?
Woof.

Ill take this as a no.

Woof!

Is it a yes then?

Woof!

Well, whats your plan?

Woooooof. She smiled as if she had a really clever

plan in mind (at least I thought she smiled).

10I Get A Friend Back..And Lose One

Communicating with a dog is not easy. It took me

almost two hours to get to know Willys idea.

First, she gave me my phone, and then when I opened

the contacts, she barked. I put down the phone. She
again barked. I took my phone, unlocked it and stared
at her. She pawed at the screen. I looked at where she
was pawing. She was pawing at the gallery icon. I
opened it. Then I opened the camera folder. I scrolled
down. When photos of me and Shirley in Hyde Park (we
did take some photos) came, Willy barked. I stopped.

You want me to forward Shirley these photos?

Woof. she said, shaking her head.

No? Well..

I racked my brains and then I said, You want me to

recreate the scene when I proposed to her?

Woof. she said, nodding this time.

Smart dog. I think that she thinks that if I recreate our

first meeting then Shirley would give me a second
chance. Well, no harm in trying.

I called Shirley and told her to come in Hyde Park on

Sunday at 5:00 pm. She accepted this. It was Saturday
but I wasnt excited.

Sunday came and I went to meet Shirley. I took Willy as

well. Shirley was at the appointed place on time. I went
to her and opened my mouth to propose to her but no
words came out.

Shirley said, So, Andrew, why did you call me here?

I wanted to say that..

Yes?

That will you will be my girlfriend?

No.

Why?

Because I gave you a chance to reconsider before

getting into a relationship with me but you ignored it.

Now, I got irritated. I shouted at Shirley, WHY DO YOU

KEEP BRINGING UP THIS SUBJECT? WHY DONT YOU
GIVE ME A SECOND CHANCE? YOU SELFISH GIRL!

First time in life, I think, that Shirley lost her temper

too. She shouted, I AM NOT SELFISH! ITS JUST THAT
YOU DONT DESERVE ME!

WHAT?! I DONT DESERVE YOU? THEN WHY DID YOU

ACCEPT MY PROPOSAL IN THE FIRST PLACE?!

Willy was listening to all this and was trying to stop it

by barking.

I ACCEPTED YOUR PROPOSAL BECAUSE I DONT LIKE

BREAKING ANYONES HEART!

YOU ARE JUST NOT FIT TO BE A GIRLFRIEND! EVEN IN

YOUR FIRST RELATIONSHIP, YOU BROKE OFF WITH
YOUR BOYFRIEND AND NOW YOU BROKE OFF WITH
ME!

BOTH OF YOU MADE MISTAKES! HE HAD 3

GIRLFRIENDS AT THE SAME TIME AND YOU STARTED
BRAGGING ABOUT ALL OF THIS AND PEOPLE STARTED
TROUBLING ME!

SO?! WHY SHOULDNT I BRAG?

BECAUSE A GIRLFRIEND IS SOMEONE WHOM YOU

SHOULD LOVE!
SHE IS NOT SOMETHING
ABOUT WHICH YOU CAN BRAG! SHE IS NOT AN OBJECT
OR A TOY!

SOOh shut up, Willy!...SO YOU ARE SAYING THAT I

DIDNT LOVE YOU? ARE YOU SAYING THAT?! YOU.

Then I think that I must have said something really bad

because she said nothing. Yep, she said nothing, just
slapped me real hard and went away.

When she was halfway through the road, Willy started

thrashing about in her leash. I told her to keep still but
she escaped and she ran towards Shirley. I told her to
stop. Even Shirley stopped walking and stared at Willy.
Willy ran to Shirley, took a mighty leap and pushed
Shirley out of the way just as a truck rammed into
Willy, just where Shirley was standing a second ago.

11 Guess I Was Wrong In Chapter 9

I was horror-struck. I just stood there, staring at the

scene.

Then I came back to my senses. I ran towards her,

picked her up into my arms and took her to the nearest
animal hospital while crying bitterly all the way. I took
her and admitted Willy in the ER.

Shirley was running behind me. She also arrived at the

hospital after me.

I admitted her and the doctors started operating on

her. I was waiting outside. After five solid hours, the
doctors came out and said something that sucked the
life out of me which was, We couldnt save her. You
can go and spend your last time with her. We are
sorry.

I said, Sorry? How can you just say sorry? She is my

whole life, my whole world. Youve got to save her.

You saw that we were trying to save her for five hours.
Now we can do nothing. Please dont waste your time.
Shell stay alive for just one more hour. Go and meet
her.

I ran inside the ER. Willy saw me and gave one small
whimper. I ran to her side and took her head into my
arms. My clothes got all bloody but it didnt matter.

Shirley came in behind me. Oh, Andrew she

whispered when she saw Willy. I ran towards her and
said Shirley.WillyWillWilly. How? What?

I couldnt say anything. I was speechless. Shirley said,

Andrew, Im sorry. She got hurt just because of me. If I
had paid attention while crossing the road, this would
not have happened.

I said nothing. I just looked at her, still crying.

Just then Willy yelped. I ran to her side and took her into
my arms. I cradled her head in my arms. She looked
at me and barked meekly.

She lifted a paw, pointed at me and then pointed at

Shirley. I couldnt understand that what she wanted.
Then Shirley came beside me, slid her hand into mine
and said that this is what she wanted.

I understood immediately that Willy had given her life

to revive our relationship. I held to Shirleys hand firmly
and said to Willy, Look we are back in our relationship.
Please dont leave me.

Willy gave one yelp. I knelt beside her and kissed her
forehead. She gave me a small lick on my face. Shirley
kissed her forehead too and Willy gave a small lick on
her face too.

After that the machine went beep-beep-beep and the

lines stopped moving. Willy was gone. I wept silently
beside her.

12

I Get Someone Back. Someone Very Special.

After weeping beside Willys dead body all day, I

took her body
to
the nearest pet cemetery and buried her with proper
rituals.

I was missing Willy so badly that I got saved from

getting run over by a bus.

Shirley and my relationship continued for a long time

in the memory of Willy. We didnt leave each other. If

anyone did try to separate us, Shirley brought him or

her very close to tears.

After two years, when we had reached the age of

marriage, we married each other. It was a grand
wedding. It took place in the church. Everyone was
invited. Especially dog-owners. Whenever I saw a
beagle, I wept silently (Willy looked like a Beagle).

And even after twenty years I didnt let Shirley go for

I couldnt let go of someone for whom Willy had given
her life.

One day, when it was night-time, I went to the

window before going to sleep. I saw a dog that just
looked like Willy but was not her. Shirley came beside
me, saw the dog and said that this is not Willy. I said,
I know. I just want a second chance to live Willys
life, to live her childhood once again. Which is not
possible.
I went to bed pleading to God for a second chance to
live Willys childhood.

When I was asleep, God came in my dreams and said,

Im giving you a second chance to live Willys life.
Dont waste it.

I woke up with a start. I looked around but saw

nothing and went back to sleep, thinking that it was
just a dream. Just then I heard a small whimper. I sat

up in my bed and there she was, sitting at the end of

my bed, staring at me with a puzzled look.

Of course now, after 1 year, she is fully adult and

remembers me and Shirley very nicely. She even
remembers tit-bits from her old life. Told you there
was no other dog in the world like Willy.
Well, Id love to tell you more but Willy has found a
very cute looking male dog and Im going with her to
introduce her to him. After all she has done for me;
she deserves some help from me too.
So, goodbye. Okay, okay, Im coming, Willy.