Beloved

We had called her Libby, and she was the most beautiful creature ever to tread this earth.

We had given her a wonderful home, lavished on her everything she could ever want or need. Nothing was denied her. She had come into our home and stolen our hearts away.

Diana, my wife, would sit with her on her knee singing softly to her until she slept. Beautiful, faithful, gentle Diana. She would have done anything for Libby, anything to keep her happy, to see contentment in her lovely brown eyes. And she did. Nothing was too much, nothing an over-indulgence. Diana wanted Libby to be short of nothing, and saw to it herself that, indeed, she was given everything.

There were times when I did feel, I must confess, a little jealous. They were always together, off on some jaunt or other, leaving me to my own devices. It was then, just occasionally, that I would feel a pang of jealousy that I had been excluded from their company.

However, do not be misled in thinking that these moments lasted. When they returned all energy and joy, I knew that they had needed that time together, and Libby would always come and sit with me immediately as if to show her gratitude for my patience. So, you see, I knew she still loved me as much as ever. She just seemed to know that Diana loved to have her all to herself sometimes.

If Libby was a delight when young, she was possibly more so as she grew. Never a cross word was heard between the three of us. Diana continued to see her every need, and we both relished in Libby’s ever-increasing maturity and continued happiness.

She had friends, and we were pleased for that, but both Diana and I knew that all Libby really needed and wanted was us, her family, and she was never happier than when she was with us.

One Spring day she did leave us. We were so afraid. Why would she go? Indeed, where would she go? We were so afraid for her, and Diana could not be consoled. We drove around the area for hours, looking for her, asking at friends’ houses. Had anyone seen her at all that day? But, no she just seemed to have disappeared. Diane was so sure that foul play was the only answer, and although I tried to calm her fears and reassure that Libby would return to us as soon as she could, I too began to find fewer excuses for her sudden absence.

That day was so long, so hard to live through. The seconds ticked by like hours, and I wondered if she really would return.

Libby was found by the river, half a mile from our home. The one place we had not looked. She had been too long playing with a friend we were unaware she had! At 6pm she returned home, none the worse for her day at the river.

The same could not be said for us! From that day on, Diana was fearful to ever have her out of her sight. Libby was unsettled for a few days, and I could see why. She had spread her wings for a short while, and had enjoyed it. It had never been her intention to hurt us, she had just lost track of time and appeared to have enjoyed her freedom from security for a while.

I tried, in vain, to explain this to Diana. When I told her that I felt we may lose Libby entirely if we did not allow her a little freedom from us, Diana saw the truth. Libby would always be ours, she would always return to the love and security that she knew was here, but now and then she had to explore and spread her wings for a period of freedom and exploration.

Once this was understood we all seemed to settle again, but strangely Libby never went away again. It was as if she sensed the hurt that Diana had felt during that frightening day.

We returned to our carefree, happy times together. I believe it was then that those pangs of jealousy I had sometimes felt when they had had their special times together, finally disappeared.