I was packed in a small box. And I heard the sound of a ribbon wrapped around it. I was confused. Where is Mama? Where are my brothers and sisters? Where am I? What is this dark place? The box in which I was kept was lifted up and put in a car. As the car started and moved, I dozed off.
I woke up when my box was lifted up again. The car had stopped and now I could feel someone was walking with me inside it. I was put down and I felt someone removing the ribbons. The lid of the box was opened and the bright light hit me. And I saw the most beautiful sight… and just like that, I stopped missing Mama.
His name was Andy. And he was my best friend. I remember how happy he was when he saw me. His eyes shown brighter than diamonds and the smile on his face was inexplicable. He lifted me up high and said, “My puppy!” He was a ten year old boy, with sandy blonde hair and freckles littering his face. A face I’ll remember till my last days.
He named me Taurus, because I am a Pit Bull. We were always together. He took me on long walks, in the woods or by the flowing river in the forest or by the countryside. He taught me many tricks. I learned how to fetch a ball and a stick. He bought me many toys, but nothing could be compared to himself. Sometimes I tore away my toys due to excitement but he never scolded me. He laughed it away. I used to hate weekdays, because Andy was gone to school. I missed him so much. But whenever he came back, he used to pick me up, spin me around, take my favorite toy and play with me. On Sundays, we played till sunset. I am afraid of the dark, but with Andy by my side, I could always sleep the most peacefully at night. I had the best time of my life in that one year.
The next summer, Andy and my walks reduced. He got involved in other stuff. Frequently I used to walk up to him with my favorite toy in my mouth and nudge his arm for a play, but he never paid attention. His eyes were glued to a rectangular device which he called a “Phone”. He stopped playing with me after coming back from school. There were no Sunday adventures anymore. Whenever I heard him saying, “Ugh, I’m bored!” I used to run up to him with a ball in my mouth but he would always find him engrossed in a video game by then. I guess I was always slow. I refused to admit that Andy and I were drifting apart. I knew he still loved me.
One day when Andy was off to school, I broke his phone and hid it under my bed. I was sure, Andy would now pay attention to me. When Andy came back, I jumped on him and tried to lick his face. He just pushed me away and dropped his bag on me with a thud and went to his bedroom. He was looking for his phone. He couldn’t find it. He said, “Mom, where is my phone?” His mom said from the kitchen, “Isn’t it on your bed, sweetie? I saw it there the last time.” Andy searched his bed again. Then all of a sudden he looked over at me, his eyebrows furrowed and a eyes full of suspicion. He marched towards my bed and checked underneath it. And there it was. His phone. Broken into two pieces. He looked furious. He stomped towards me… his face red with anger. I had never seen him like this before. I cowered and backed off, my tail tucked between my hind legs. Andy yelled, “YOU STUPID DOG!” and struck me with his belt. I yelped. He struck me again, muttering profanities incoherently. I cried, my head tucked near my belly. He kept striking his belt at me until Mom came and stopped him. My cries filled the room. I could feel my skin burning where the belt hit me. But that didn’t hurt as bad as Andy's words. He called me all sorts of names. My best friend hit me. My human called me ‘a stupid dog.’ And it wounded me more than those fresh bloody, red scars on my skin.
However I still didn’t give up hope. Andy was just angry. It was my fault I broke his phone. I shouldn’t have done that. Andy loves me. He will take me back. I still nudged him to play with me but he kept pushing me away. He didn’t tuck me to bed anymore. My little bowl was often empty. But that's okay, Andy had always been a forgetful kid. He discarded all my toys, maybe he'll get me new? My bed was dirty and he stopped brushing me. Mom said, “There is dog hair everywhere!”, “Take Taurus out for a walk Andy!” and she received a loud disapproving groan from his side.
