A Morning to Remember

By Gomathi Sridevi Radhakrishnan

(A dog giving a high five to a person)

"Ahhh, what a morning!” I stretched my arms wide and grinned at the sight of my sister Lily, who was still asleep on the other side of the bed. Her bedsheets lay scattered on the floor, her pillows were nowhere near her head, and one leg dangled precariously off the edge. No wonder she often complained about body aches.

“Hmmm, work from home must be stressful,” I mumbled to myself, glancing out the window at the early morning light. I wanted to wake her up to enjoy the sunshine, but I knew she had worked late into the night.

“Why not take a walk?” I thought, excitement bubbling up as I hopped out of bed and headed to my favorite place: the backyard.

Lily and I used to go for morning walks every day, but lately, we had been stuck indoors due to the world’s circumstances. I wasn’t too upset about it, though; it meant more time spent with her. Sometimes, she got so engrossed in her work that she seemed to forget I existed.

As I made my way to the kitchen, I found Lily’s mother preparing breakfast. She spotted me and enveloped me in a warm hug, snuggling me close. I felt a delightful tickle but relished the comfort of our usual morning routine.

“Awww, are you hungry, Sal?” she asked.

“Yes, so hungry!” I replied enthusiastically, nodding cutely.

“I knew it! Here, have some milk.” She poured a glass, and I eagerly took a few sips. After satisfying my hunger, I wandered out to the backyard, the door already open, thanks to Lily’s mother.

Since my parents passed away, Lily and her mother had taken me in as part of their family. I had lived with them for six wonderful years, and her mother always treated me like her own daughter.

Being cute had its perks!

Stepping into the yard, I inhaled the fresh air.

“Ahhhh, this feels amazing,” I sighed, closing my eyes as the gentle breeze danced through my hair.

“Hey, Sal!” a voice interrupted my peaceful moment.

I opened my eyes to see Pete, my neighbor and self-proclaimed frenemy. I rolled my eyes, choosing to ignore him. I didn’t want to start the day with an argument, which was usually the outcome of our conversations.

“Walking, huh?” he called out.

“No, dancing,” I shot back, puzzled by his silly question.

“You do know your jokes aren’t funny, right?” he replied.

“And you know I don’t care, right?” I countered, continuing my stroll across the wet grass, which tickled my bare feet. The moisture was likely leftover from last night’s heavy rain, and I loved it.

“Where’s your sister?” he asked, refusing to let the conversation die.

He never keeps his mouth shut. Does he?

“In the bedroom. Sleeping,” I replied, trying to keep my tone uninterested.

He hummed thoughtfully as he began to walk along his yard.

“So, how was the sleep?”

I furrowed my brows at his question.

“Why are you acting weird?”

“Weird? I’m just getting to know my lovely neighbor,” he said with a smirk.

“Lovely neighbor, my foot! We both know who you are,” I retorted, sensing something was off.

“Oh come on, Sal. My brother John told me to be friendly with our neighbors. I guess he’s rooting for Lily,” Pete explained. I snorted at his response.

"Lily? Really? Does your brother have that thing in his home? What do they call it? Oh yeah, mirror! Does he ever look at his face in the mirror?

“Hey, that’s face-shaming!” he protested.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Now tell me the real reason for your strange behavior.”

He sighed dramatically.

“My brother threatened to kick me out of the bedroom if I didn’t listen to him. He’s the breadwinner, so I’m stuck with him.” I nodded, and we continued walking, exchanging gossip about our neighbors.

Of course, we live for gossip.

“Hey, Marco got a new bed,” Pete said suddenly.

I raised an eyebrow.

“That’s not unusual.”

“Oh, but this time it is! You won’t believe the reason,” he said, leaning closer to the yard fence.

Curiosity piqued, I stepped closer.

“What happened?”

“He peed on his old bed,” he whispered, and we both burst into laughter.

“Oh, sugar honey iced tea! What is he, two?” I exclaimed.

“No, eight!” Pete replied, and we laughed even harder.

“This would go viral if we weren’t locked in our houses,” I said, lying back on the grass and gazing up at the brightening sky.

“I know! He’s one lucky bastard,” Pete said, kicking his legs playfully.

“Awww, is little Pete sad?” I teased.

“Shut up,” he replied, though I could see a smile creeping onto his face.

“Well, you should be. The whole street knew when you were grounded for peeing on the flower vase,” I added, enjoying the memory.

“You’re testing my patience. If my brother hadn’t threatened me, you’d be four feet underground right now,” he warned, though I could hear the amusement in his voice.

I stuck my tongue out at him.

“I wish you starve to death.”

“And I wish I could eat you now,” he shot back.

“Ewww, are you a cannibal?”

“No,” he replied, grinning. Just then, John appeared, wearing gray pajamas with his hair sticking out in all directions.

“What are you two doing outside?”

“Just talking, like you told me to,” Pete replied, and John scooped him up in his arms. I turned around to see Lily walking toward me, her smile radiant in the sunlight.

“Ahh, she’s the real beauty,” I said, jumping with excitement.

“Hey, Lily!” John called, and she waved back at him, her smile growing even brighter. They exchanged goodbyes and headed inside, leaving me and Pete outside.

“What just happened?” I wondered aloud, feeling a little left out.

“Just wait until this lockdown ends. You’ll be all alone, and I’ll have all the time in the world with you,” Pete said mischievously. I gulped at his statement.

“Oh dear God, I hope Lily takes me with her to work after this shutdown,” I thought, trying to hide my unease.

“We’ll see about that,” I replied, turning to head back inside.

“Hey, wait!” Pete called after me, but I ignored him, playfully wiggling my tail as I walked away.

“Pete, stop barking! You’re disturbing the neighbors. Now get inside!” I heard John shout as I entered the house, a satisfied smirk on my face.

In the living room, I found Lily eating her cereal. She scooped me up onto her lap, gently brushing my fur with her fingers, and I felt my eyelids grow heavy.

As I drifted off to sleep, I couldn’t help but think that mornings like this, filled with laughter and warmth, were what made life truly special.