Dhillon shifted his attention back to his mother.
Before he could answer, Sarika said, “Riya stayed over for a few days back then, remember, Dhillon? You two were so little then.” She looked from her son to Riya, shook her head, a small smile on her face.
He remembered. They hadn’t been that little. They had been thirteen. He grinned at the memory, caught Riya’s eye.
“Mom had specifically said Lucky could not sleep in the bed with me. And the first thing you did was put Lucky in bed.”
Riya smiled through her tears as she remembered, too. “She said he couldn’t sleep withyou. She didn’t say anything about me. I took the bottom bunk. And Lucky.”
“And he liked you best ever since.” Dhillon rested his gaze on her. Riya smiling was a rare and beautiful thing.
“He had good taste.” Tears accentuated the rasp in Riya’s voice. Sarika wrapped her in a hug. “Plus, he knew you’d always be there for him. I was the wild card.”
“I need to take him to the clinic,” he said. No one would be available to get Lucky’s body until morning.
She wiped her eyes and nodded at him. “Let’s go, then.”
There it was again. The familiarity, the bond, the knowing that of course she was going with him. That neither of them would have it any other way. His Riya-D.
He nodded. “Mom, you and Hetal watch Scout.”
“No problem, Bhaiya.”
Riya’s face became a mask of professionalism that matched his as she helped him lift Lucky’s body into his car.
As they drove the twenty minutes to the clinic, they talked about Lucky and recalled stories that were amusing and touching.
“He was a good dog,” Riya said with a sad smile.
“The best,” Dhillon agreed. “He’s the reason I became a vet.”
Riya looked at him, pride in her smile. “Wrong. You were always going to be a vet. Lucky gave you the courage to do so.”
Silence fell between them. They both knew it was Lucky’s injuries from the fire that had spurred Dhillon on. “He may have had a soft spot for me,” Riya continued gently, “but you were the animal whisperer. You always knew what he needed. You’re a natural.”
In spite of his grief, Dhillon was buoyed. Riya hadn’t let her guard down with him in years.
Dhillon parked the car right by the front door of the clinic, unlocked the door and turned off the alarm. “Grab the lights?” he called out to Riya.
“Sure.” He heard the click of the switch, followed by Riya’s soft curse when the lights didn’t go on. He heard the click again and light flooded the empty office. Without the bustle of animals and people, the office was just tiles and drywall in the eerie light.
Riya propped open the door with a chair and waited for him. He nodded at her, and they went to retrieve Lucky’s body from the car. They both took care of storing his body. There would be no formal service. Lucky’s ashes would be dropped off at the office in a few days, and then they would scatter them.
“Too bad Lake Kittamaqundi isn’t moving water,” Riya said, as if they’d been having this conversation out loud. “It would be perfect for scattering his ashes.”
“He did love that lake.” Dhillon grinned. “He enjoyed Sandy Point Beach. Remember?”
Lucky had taken to the water like a natural. The days they spent with him on that beach, both families bringing a picnic and whiling away the time, were some of Dhillon’s most treasured memories. They had been complete families then, with his father and Riya’s brother still with them.
Riya nodded, the memory flashing a smile across her face. “Sandy Point then.”
Dhillon had taken Lucky to the beach after the fire, but Riya had never come along.
“I need to do some final securing. Wait for me up front.” Dhillon waited for her nod, then walked to his office to email the company about picking up Lucky’s body and texted Shelly so she was up-to-date.
Dhillon returned to find Riya staring into space. She caught his eye, and her face crumpled, a sob escaping her. Before he even thought about it, he was at her side, enveloping her in his arms as his own tears fell. She held on to him and sobbed. He held her tight, not speaking, but allowing his grief to join hers.
This may not have been the time to enjoy having her in his arms, but he did nonetheless.
