There were three of them — the father and two daughters. The father had jogged while the daughters had cycled all the way to Bandra Fort. Now it was time for the games. Out came the tennis ball.
And sprinting across came Ting, the new old-timer.
She usually hung outside the fort, wagging and befriending one and all, a sight that her pack hated. Because of Ting, they were forced to be friendly. So when one of the doggies inside gave up the ghost, Ting got a promotion and found herself inside the fort — the new old-timer.
The father saw Ting wagging her tail and shaking her head. His eyes shone and the daughters’ eyes mirrored his.
All this was seen by Dani, the old-timer.
He knew this game. He knew the father would pretend to throw the ball. The girls would pretend to catch. That Ting would swing from one human to the next — they may even give her the ball. But not this man. He just wanted to have fun with Ting.
The thought of interrupting the silly game did go through Dani’s mind. But it wasn’t worth the effort. Besides, with these human types you never know. So he let it go. Ting would learn in time
But Ting seemed to enjoy herself. The girls were friendly. Dani didn’t like that. But he was too lazy and too old to do anything about it.
‘Let the new old-timer enjoy now,’ he thought. ‘Wont be too long before they make him like me.’ And with that thought, Dani closed his eyes and dreamt of clouds of meat floating by.
appam stew n prawns patiyo 