Earlier this morning, my father went to our vacant lot to water the plants he keeps growing. He planted Malunggay beside the Kamias and Mango tree near the edge of the fence. It became his usual routine: wake up early in the morning, fill a bucket of used or excess water, and hum his favorite old melodies as he tends to his little sanctuary. I always believe that he has a green thumb because everything he plants grows and lives.
When he comes back to our house, he is holding something in his hand. It is a ripe Indian mango that he personally picked from our lot. He has a smile on his lips as he taunts our dog named Abbie.
“These mangoes are for you, Abbie!” – my father said.
One of the things that we discovered from our dog is that he loves fruits! So far, we have managed to give her bananas, watermelons, and even sour kamias. But her personal favorite is mangoes! No matter if it is perfectly ripe, slightly underripe, or even a little overripe, she eats it all without hesitation. Sometimes, when we are eating mango and we’re not giving her any, she will sit near you and let out these soft little cries as if she is begging to be given her favorite fruit. It’s both adorable and hilarious to think about. It is like she is being OA or overly dramatic over things when she is not in control or if she doesn’t get what she wants.
So spoiled and a brat at the same time.
After our lunch in the afternoon, she is resting very well. This is her photograph while she is sleeping soundly. She seems peaceful, and I think she is dreaming because her hands keep moving as if there’s something she is digging under.
I prepared the mango. I peeled its skin gently, being careful not to let the juice drip down my hands. It is sticky, you know? The flesh was golden and soft to touch, and its sweet aroma spread in the air. My initial plan is to eat the mangoes myself, but this kind of ripe mango is not my usual preference. It is too ripe to consume, overly sweet. So, I decided to just give it to Abbie. After all, it's been a while since she tasted one.
I just transferred it to a small plate, and as usual, took a stunning photograph of the skinned fruit.
In total, there are four mangoes. I will not give all of that in one go to Abbie, that will be too much for her. We are still feeding her fruits in moderation. For this time, just one. Just enough to satisfy her cravings, but not too much to the point that she will end up having a stomach ache. Just because it’s her favorite means that I will spoil her and give her what she wants. It’s just like in our lives, everything that is too much can greatly affect us.
Since she can’t eat the whole mango by herself, I chose to slice the cheek part of the mango into four pieces so she can munch on it whatever way she likes.
Look at her waking up moment. I am already calling her name, and she just gave me that afternoon stretch. As if I am a disturbance to her peaceful sleep.
She doesn’t get up right away and proceeds to sleep. So, what I did was to get close to her and let her smell the pungent smell of the mango.
That did the trick! She lay down and grabbed the mango slice in my hand. Look at her while munching those little slices, she’s just too adorable. She keeps gobbling down the food gently as if she is savoring the taste and the moment. She didn’t eat recklessly instead, she eats slowly, patiently, and carefully. As if she is taking her time. Her eyes told me everything I needed to know; she enjoys the food well, almost as if she is in a state of bliss.
I just kept on feeding her until the mango disappeared slowly in my hands. I enjoyed watching her, there’s a silly grin plastered on my face. There’s this feeling inside my chest that is just heartwarming about seeing your pet enjoy something so simple. No tricks even if she knows some, no big shows, just a slice of her favorite fruit on a hot afternoon. That’s really all it took to make her day and make her smile.
After she gobbled down all those fruits, she lay down and continued her sleep as if nothing had happened. Just like that. Back to sleep. Back to peace.
Even if she can’t talk like us humans, I know that she is grateful based on the look in her eyes and how her tail keeps on wagging.
I picked up the used plate and decided to wash it, still smiling with contentment. These are the moments I enjoy, these are the moments I expect in the following days or weeks. The quiet ones, the soft ones, yet satisfying. The little moments of happiness that come wrapped in something extraordinary.