Have you ever felt your world crumbling before your eyes? That which made so much sense to you is no longer relevant. Your best friend, buddy, partner, and playmate who once held a special place in your heart just ceased to exist in the blink of an eye. I often ask myself, “why go into a person’s life and leave them shattered afterward?” Why would you make me love you so much and then allow me to live without you?
This is a story about my buddy Randal, but first, I will tell you about my beautiful family and our love for animals. I grew up in a very large family, and my Father loves animals. We had several animals as pets at various points in our life. My Mother told me that my Father’s first pet was a snake he named Lulu. The snake was well-trained and was not poisonous. My Father got her even before he met my Mother. You can imagine how my Father’s relationship with Lulu ended, considering my Mother was not a lover of animals and certainly not a snake.
Three years later, my Father got a monkey he named Manny. The monkey was very playful and liked to steal food from our kitchen. This made my Mother dislike the monkey so much. He was also stubborn and sometimes aggressive. I recall my Mother once scolded him for stealing, and he bit her leg and left her with a scar.
At age fifteen, my Father bought me a dog I named Randal. I grew so fond of her, and this made Manny jealous. Randal was a beautiful white Samoyede breed, and it was the first pet I ever owned. We were so close that she would only eat when I was home to feed her. I remember a day I missed my school bus and got home late. On my return, my Mother told me how she held my dog’s forelegs and fed her like a mother forcing a nursing baby to suckle on its feeder. It was quite a hilarious event that we could never forget.
Four years after, I gained Admission into the university, and I decided to take Randal along. I got an apartment off campus where pets were allowed. She was the only family and companion I had at the time in school. Some days, she followed me to school, and I had a place on campus where I kept her until I was done with lectures. I was an introvert, and associating with people was quite difficult, so I spent more time playing with my dog than most of my schoolmates.
My pet became my trademark in school; it became very easy for people to spot me by simply describing me as “the girl with a white dog.” Little did I know that this friendship would end so soon. If this thought ever crossed my mind, I would have spent more time bonding with friends and building stronger relationships with my peers.
Have you ever wished you could rewrite your story or felt like you missed a part of your life? This is how I felt the day my best friend Randal ran into the road and was knocked down by a vehicle. I was so devastated and wished I could turn the hands of time. I miss my dog, my best friend, and my playmate. You were there with me through thick and thin and through my most difficult moments. My only regret was that I spent so much time with Randal that I had little time to bond with my friends, and so when I lost her, I had no one to turn to. It is advisable to enjoy every phase of your life and make new friends as you go along life’s journey because every moment lost can never be regained.
#MEMBA11
Written by Tutty Tero
