Mrs R and Dash

Mrs R stepped out and, with her, followed the dog that she had named Dash because he ran so fast. Mrs R stepped out of the apartment gate. That is because she remembered that her son had told her that the community had prohibited feeding stray dogs within its compound.

“Come Dash,” Mrs R said, holding her crumpled hand out with the leftover rice of yesterday.

“Time for breakfast,” she said when she stopped near the corner outside their gate. The dog wagged its tail and lapped up the rice from Mrs R’s hand. “I will get you some bread next week.”

Mrs R saw Dr K on the way back.

“Hello Dr K,” Mrs R greeted her.

“Aren’t you the daughter of Mrs D?” Mrs R asked the young doctor. She still remembered the wholehearted talk that Dr K had with her son two months back. Mrs R got a nagging feeling it was about her. Dr K nodded. “Count the steps from the gate to your house today, Aunty,” she told her.

Mrs R nodded with a cheerful smile and started counting her steps on her way back. But she lost count just before she entered the lift.

The following week Mrs R got some bread to feed Dash.

“I have got you bread today,” Mrs R said with a smile. Dash wagged his tail in delight. But the security guard reminded Mrs R that she has to feed the dog outside the community gate. Mrs R slammed her forehead. She put one foot after another and walked to the concrete road outside the gate of the community. Dash followed her for the bread.

On the way back, Mrs R saw Dr K again near the community gate.

“You are late today, Aunty,” she said. Mrs R looked at her wrist, but the watch was missing.

“It is lunch time for Dash. And for you, too,” Dr K added. Mrs R looked at the sky. Indeed the sun was shining bright almost over her head. She wondered why she got late today.

“Yes,” she smiled awkwardly at Dr K.

“Watch your feet when you are walking. See whether the toes land first or is it the heel,” Dr K said.

Mrs R grinned blankly and started walking back from the community gate to her house. She kept count and saw her feet whenever she could. It was the toes first mostly or was it the heel?

Many days of June passed, and it started raining. Mrs R stepped out one morning when the sky was clear with the rice in her hand.

“Where is that dog?” she asked the security guard as she stepped out of the community.

“Which dog? The brown or the black one?” he asked.

“I can’t recollect if it was brown or black. It was called…well.. I forget his name,” she replied.

She walked till the corner outside her community gate, but the dog wasn’t there. She left the rice there on the road. Dr K saw her again on the way back.

“Hello, how are you, Aunty?” she asked.

“Hello,” she replied. She didn’t smile back. Mrs R started counting her steps on her way back.

“Was she the daughter of Mrs G or was she the daughter-in-law of Mrs D?” she thought to herself.

“How is your mother-in-law?” she asked, making a guess.

“Well.. umm.. she is ok, Aunty,” Dr K replied. “Take care of yourself, Aunty. I will call your son.”

June turned to July. July to August and then September.

Dash became that dog downstairs.

A few days later he became that hungry animal outside the gate.

Dr K became the daughter of someone, and then that doctor on the walk, and later that woman who spoke to me.

When October arose, Dash waited every morning for food, but Mrs R never came.

Dr K knew why.

***