The Adventures of Loki - The Husky

“You invited Loki to sleep in the bed,” Sam was intrigued. “Yes, I did,” Vishnu said. “Wow, I can’t believe that, dad!” Lakshmi was doubly bubbly. “But the dog wouldn’t budge,” Vishnu added with a tone of regret. “Holy me! I thought he’d be thrilled,” Lakhmi couldn’t add up. “I didn’t even know you asked him to sleep on the bed,” Savitri hated being in the dark, especially about things happening inside her house. “He has drawn the line,” Sam put in grimly. “Wait. What? What do you mean by drawn-the-line?” Savitri was unimpressed. “Nothing, I just mean he might not have been in the right spirit last evening,” Sam dodged the first round of shelling. “No, you did not mean that anna (brother),” Lakshmi knew Sam was on to something. “Drawn the line? Those words are too heavy to mean nothing. What’s the give, son?” Vishnu walked across and placed his hands gently on Sam’s shoulders. “Let’s not talk about it, dad. You and mom may not like what I say,” Sam dropped his shoulders. “Chin up, son. Say what you have to,” Savitri egged him on. “Sorry if this comes across as rude. But how can you possibly be so blindsided? You are doing the same thing to him that you did to me years back,” Sam blabbered meekly. “Whoa! I am going to give you guys some space” Lakshmi figured nothing else to say. She silently got up and started walking out. “No, no. You can stay. This conversation is as important for you as it is for mom and dad,” Sam urged Lakshmi to stay. “Okay, I'll stay if that’s what you need,” Lakshmi nodded in approval. Sam continued, “There is always a time and place for discipline, and I want you to know that I am not against that. But force-feeding discipline to a child by keeping him away from friends and simple kid stuff like sleepovers? How fair is that?” Sam was more startled than everyone else at the sudden rise in his pitch. “When Loki first came to us, all three of you would wash your hands each time you interacted with him. He was so little he couldn’t tell his nose from his elbow. But I guess he was big enough to feel that he belonged in the lawn and not in the house.” “Oh, Sam. My boy! We never meant for him to feel that way,” Savitri was both moved and alarmed. “And I am sure you never meant to make me feel the same way while playing the hardball discipline game with me all through my childhood and, in fact, until very recently. You see, mom and dad, we can only control what we say and do to people. We never know how that makes them feel,” Sam paused briefly. “Don’t stop. Go on - I want to hear the full thing,” Vishnu dragged his chair right in front of Sam. “Honestly, I don’t want to stretch this, dad. But, loving a child is not enough. You must also let them breathe. We all know what’s more important in life between love and breath,” Sam was sweating and fuming in equal parts. “That, and I also read something about dogs having their body discipline and how it can be contradictory to human training,” Lakshmi added enthusiastically. “It’s deeper than that. I wish I could give you a glimpse into what I felt. Most of my friends grew up like normal children while I formed up like a never-ending lab experiment among all of them. Of course, with lots of love involved. I can never in my right mind, fault you for not loving me enough. You loved too much, way too much. So much that it felt like custody,” a warm tear rolled down Sam’s cheek as he shuddered under his breath. “Ah, my boy! My little boy. I am so sorry,” Savitri rushed to Sam, hugging him tightly. “All we have ever wanted is the best for you, Sam. Never did we realize that we hurt you so much in the process. But I can tell you this - if you forgive us now, you will feel lighter than ever,” Vishnu said as he gathered around the huddle. “I have zero context of where Anna is coming from on this one. But I am lucky as hell that you covered so much for me since we were little. Nevertheless, let me squeeze in, too. We haven’t had a family hug in ages,” Lakshmi joined the party. As the family juggled between bitterness, nostalgia, and newfound warmth, Loki stood there alone, all by himself. He had long stopped playing as he was patiently listening to the family roundtable. And long conversations, especially passive ones, make a dog hungry. “Can we break for some food and be back at it again?” Loki interrupted what a growing and lengthening-by-the-second family moment. “Oh, you come here, big boy,” Lakshmi dragged Loki into the big family huddle. For a moment, there was zero sound around the house. Only was an inevitable and strange lull. The calmness, the silence - they were all making a statement - a family had found togetherness all over again. Loki, a dog that barely remembered the smell of his mother and siblings, brought a massive change in the family. Lakshmi realized how much Sam meant for her because she wouldn’t have to endure the things that Sam had been through already. Right there, at that moment, Loki helped fill up a large, invisible crack within what seemed like a happily involved family. After that, while Loki seldom climbed up the bed on Vishnu’s beckoning, he was definitely at greater ease with the family than ever before. Sam finally started speaking to his parents about the small stuff in his life.