Unconditional Love

Muneca

It was an autumn day like any other in California. Orange leaves were falling off the trees, the sun was shining brightly, and the wind was blowing softly. The school bus had just dropped me off two blocks away from my home.  It was just another after-school day in my 8 year old life. I was to walk home, eat a snack, and do my homework just like I did everyday.

As I walked down the path, I could see the white picket fence that surrounded my little blue house and my mom’s red roses peeking through the top. I could also smell dinner being made. There was a strong aroma of white rice and beans that floated through the air and hit my nose, making my stomach grumble. My nose began to lead me through the path home in a faster pace.

 As I reached the fence, to my house, a great sadness came over me. It hit me so hard that I began to shake and salty tears started to fall down my face. I couldn’t hear the welcoming barks of Princessa. The whole neighborhood stood quiet. It wasn’t until I got closer to the house that I realized this wasn’t a day like any other. I was missing the most important part of my after-school routine and that was the loud excited bark and tail wagging of my best friend Princessa as I entered the gate. It hit me, my best friend was gone, and she was never coming back. A week earlier, a car had hit Princessa and in a matter of a moment she was yanked from my life. How was I to survive without her by my side?

Princessa had been in my life since I was 5years old. I had rescued her from a shelter. I knew she would mean so much to me from the first time I laid eyes on her. Her whole body trembled in excitement as she saw me pass her cage and she gave me a stare that said, “I will always love you no matter what.” I couldn’t possibly leave her in that shelter so that day I took her home and she became my angel from above. Whenever I felt sad or mad, she would jump on my lap, lick my salty tears, and give me a little smirk that reassured me everything would be okay. I knew she loved me with all her might. I could feel it as she cuddled in my lap. I could see it in her eyes. Today, as I entered my home she was gone. She wasn’t there to reassure me or to give me a smirk that calmed me down. I finally managed to get myself together and walked up the stairs that led to my porch.

I reached for the door but before I could open it I was greeted by a surprise. There before my eyes was a little bald, white dog, with big bulging eyes staring at me confused and afraid. My first reaction was to get mad at my mother. She wanted to replace Princessa. How could she do this to Princessa and me? My mother knew that I was still in pain and that I didn’t want another dog. No other dog could replace Princessa and her love towards me. I sat down on the stairs and once again my body began to shake and I began to sob hysterically.

While I sobbed uncontrollably, the little bald dog started to make her way towards me. She sat on my lap, began to lick my tears, and wagged her tail so hard I thought it was going to fall off. I looked up at her and she gave me the same smirk that Princessa used to give me when I felt sad. I knew that Princessa and God had sent me an angel that would help me get through the pains of life. I named her Muneca, which means doll because she gave me the comfort that a doll gives a young child. Till this day, 12 years later, Muneca continues to be in my life giving me unconditional love.

“The great pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself too.”  ~Samuel Butler, Notebooks, 1912