August 5. “Button, this is just to jog your memory regarding the conversation you overheard between MoJo and Pippa you were to tell me!”

“Ah! I must tell you this one in detail…”

“Go ahead. I’m dying to hear about it.”

“Well, both were in the kitchen. MoJo was lying on the floor with his head resting on the leg-rest of the kitchen stool while Pippa was on one of the legs of the stool.”

MoJo: How come you have those two antennas on your head while I don’t!

Pippa: You won’t know. These two you call antennas are like your ears.

MoJo: Can you hear with your ears like I can?

Pippa: Of-course. I also feel my way around with their help.

MoJo: Where did you come from?

Pippa: From a water bowl kept for my friend, Raja, to drink from. The lady of the house carried me here in that water bowl. It was purely by accident.

MoJo: And you’ve stayed here since then? How long have you been around. This is the first time I’m meeting you.

Pippa: I’ve been here for a couple of months. And you?

MoJo: I’ve been here for almost a year.

Pippa: I also see you have some friends.

MoJo: That’s Rani and the smaller one is called Mowgli. Rani is the bossy one and she’s much older. Mowgli is quieter but her bark is very shrilly and loud.

Pippa: How did you come to live here?

MoJo: My father, Buzo, lives next door. My mother, also a Labrador, lives in Mahalakshmi. Our next door neighbours sold me to this family.

Pippa: Do you get to see your parents?

MoJo: I see my dad sometimes but not my mom.

Pippa: That’s sad.

MoJo: Do you have parents?

Pippa: Must be. How else was I born?

MoJo: Don’t you miss them?

Pippa: Basically, I’m on my own now.

MoJo: What is that thing you are carrying on your back? It looks like a knot of hair.

Pippa: It’s my home, yaar. When I sleep, I curl up inside my home. It makes me feel secure.

MoJo: Can I visit your home?

Pippa: That’s a dumb thing to say. Aren’t you aware of your size?

MoJo: You’re right. But isn’t this your home? I mean this place and the pot in which you live?

Pippa: This too is home but the one I carry on my back is my own home. I am a gypsy, you see.

MoJo: What’s a gypsy?

Pippa: A gypsy is someone who moves from place to place carrying his belongings with him. The Hindi word for gypsy is musafir. Isn’t it a beautiful word?

MoJo: It is.

Pippa: Bye for now. I’m a little sleepy so I’ll make a move. It’ll take me a while to get back to my pot. It was nice talking to you.

MoJo: For me too.