Jack Nicholson in As Good As It Gets, says something to the effect of "All this just for a dog!" He says this when he realizes Verdell, the dog, had ceased to be just a dog for him.
Confucius came into our lives about two years ago. One fine morning, he was just there in our compound: scared, timid, and a stranger. We believe he just slid in through the hole in the wall in our backyard.
Vasu named him after the Chinese philosopher as he had an eternally confused look on his kohl-eyed face.
It took him a couple of weeks to get close to us. He's a diabolical dog: multiple personalities existed inside him. Timid but brave, responsive but not as much as most pet dogs, expressive but non-barking, except when in our presence.
He's more of a wagging, whining, and intensively-looking-into-your-eyes kind of dog.
He loved Vasu the most.
He'll communicate via his whines and silent eyes that follow you. When you call out to him, unless you have his favorite morning food or Marie biscuits in hand, he'll just wag his tail and not always run to you.
We lost him on 10 April in front of Luna Pet Clinic as he ran away in sheer fright. He took off as if he was possessed.
Since then, we're still searching for a piece of our soul to be reunited with us, a chapter of our collective life to be reread, a dog that ceased to be just a dog for us long ago.
We hope this is not as good as it gets. Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.
