. Princie. 7th of May 2001 Today Princess died. She began to get sick the day after papa’s 55th birthday. We took her to the vet who took blood tests and eventually diagnosed her with geriatric vesticular disease- a fluid build up in the middle ear. Her condition began to deteriorate rapidly in the past few days. She would not eat, and she could not stand up. She suffered in agony. Her body trembled and she lost control of her movement which would have been sad and extremely frustrating for her. All because of a brain tumour that the vet diagnosed before she was injected with a heavy dose of anaesthetic to put her to sleep. I harboured hope that she would recover as I read of many cases of dogs who suffered vesticular disease. But it became all too evident and painful that she was suffering greatly. The only humane thing to do was to put her to sleep. Mama was the only brave person to take her to the vet. I said goodbye to her at 1.30pm, kissed her, patted her, talked to her, thanked her for being in my life, told her I loved her, telling her we’d meet again in the next life, when I’ll be an old, wrinkled, unrecognizable lady and she –still beautiful with her cream coloured coat and spotty skin -before I went to class, facing the reality that she would not be alive when I got home. I gave her a piece of cake to eat, but she would not eat. I gave her a little bit of milk, which I squeezed out of soaked tissue. She licked enough to moisten her sore body. I got home at about 7pm and there she lay motionless and peaceful, with her eyes still hauntingly open in a banana packing box covered by my pink bedsheet, smelling of my rose perfume. She was still warm and beautiful. Tomorrow morning she will be buried. We adopted Princess- Princie, Prince, Cess, Cessa, Princessa, or Princepessa (as I affectionately called her) when I was eleven years old. We visited her when she had just been born. She was so tiny. I had the privilege of picking any puppy I wanted from the litter. I wanted her sister who was spotty and cute. But papa chose her instead and there we christened her. She was the first one to be named. She stayed with her mother until she was about four weeks old and then came to live with us in Sussex road. She moved wherever we moved- to Berkshire road which wasn’t fenced off, thus making us having to tie her up. Then to The Citadel where her shrill barks made us enemies of our neighbours, then to Sovereign Place which seemed so fitting. Finally a Princess in Sovereign Place. I took her to my year 6 pet day out where she unceremoniously pooed in my school gym. She was my companion and friend. She kept me company when I was alone- which was often-as my parents worked horrible hours. She slept in my bed in that horrible house with the brown carpet. We grew up together. But unfortunately one day is equivalent to seven days for dogs. I thought she’d live forever even when her body carried a malignant tumour twice. She was feisty, astute independent, loving, attentive, and so intelligent. She was unique and special. I’ve never known anyone quite like her. She was graceful, dainty and ladylike. She lived up to her regal name. She had no annoying habits. Papa would let her out for her ‘fifteen minute’ breaks and she would come back home exactly on time. Papa trusted her even with the danger of passing cars. But eventually it was her own body that let her down. She walked and acted with an air of nobility and pride. It was so hard to see her condition deteriorate day by day. It’s so hard to let go of someone you love. She is more than a pet dog. She is a sister. She is family. It’s so hard to fathom that she is now gone forever. And that I shall miss her forever. I still have another fifty years of life to live without her. But I thank God for giving her to us, for letting us share her life for almost thirteen years. And I hope that she felt that she had a good life with us. Princie was brave and magical. I have loved her since papa chose her, and I shall love her forever. We were with her from the beginning of her life, and sadly till the end of her journey. Her qualities defy words. There are photos, and many beautiful memories. Memories which I hope time will not erase, because that is all that I carry from now on. God, please don’t ever let me forget her, even in my old age. And God please let me be with her and others that I love when I die. I drove home tonight with a sad foreboding. It was raining tears for Princie. Music played on the car radio. It was lenny kravitz’s latest song with its repetitious chorus. It went something like ‘…where have you been, where are you now…when will I see you again.’ The song ended when pulled into the driveway. I knew that she was gone. Her physical and physiological state at least. But her indomitable spirit lives.