Dear brother,
I’ve been PMSing this week (too much info, I know), and my Tiktok keeps showing me videos of dogs being silly in the snow. Can you imagine how much Knight would love that? In the same way Caddy is averse to water and Knight isn’t, I imagine he’d love it. He’d prance around elegantly (he is a natural athelete) but then cock his head to the side – because he’s an idiot. But he’s our idiot.
He’s our second idiot, really. Excluding you and me, of course. Much like with Caddy, we never would have met Knight if it were not for you. You were 14 and decided it was time for another dog. Frankly, it was 6 months away from exams and I could not be bothered to be a part of the conversation. But Mum was, and you both had discussed which breeds would work. Mum was against Pugs, because they often had health problems that we were worried would ultimately upset you. Shiba Inus were notorious for running away, and we weren’t convinced about their cuteness. Huskies weren’t built for Singaporean climates. So overall, it didn’t look likely.
And then you showed Mum a picture of Knight when he was a baby. Truly, there were no other words apart from teddy bear to describe him. I didn’t realise he had won Mum over until she drove me to tuition. On the 40-minute drive, she showed me Knight and somehow, I fell in love too. We called the pet shop and by the time I arrived at tuition, he was ours.
We waited till we got home to tell you. As soon as we walked in, you said that Knight had been sold, but there were other dogs we could consider. We informed you that Knight had been marked sold because he was ours. You were ectstatic. You almost looked like you were going to cry.
Although you had asked for a second dog, Mum had gotten Knight with the intention he was to be mine in the way Caddy was yours. He was going to be my study buddy. However, the first night he stayed with us, he peed 42 times. I gave up by 5am. But you had a patience I never did. You trained him to pee where (and when) he was meant to, taught him tricks and didn’t panic when he got lost. Caddy may have been your first, but Knight was just as much your dog.
When you died, we could all see that Caddy was upset. I could lift Caddy to see inside your coffin but I had to ask Tun to lift Knight so he could. Knight looked at your picture quite often, but he didn’t look sad the way Caddy did. Caddy knew. I wasn’t sure if Knight did. But sometimes I catch Knight looking very intensely at something in the flat. For a dog who has been nicknamed the ‘dodo bird’ by Mum, it’s odd for him. I think he can see you.
The dogs alone would have been enough to keep you around if you had any control over it. I have no doubt they know that. They get so much love from everyone around them. Often I think it’s the love we all have to give you getting channelled towards them now. But keep checking in on them. They need you too.
Love you buddy,
Acca
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