A Cow for a Dog

Life never ceases to delight me! Last evening, as I was walking my dog, Spooky, I came across a lady who was ‘walking’ her young cow back home. Spooky is a very curious five year old Labrador who simply refuses to grow up. So, as he and the young cow crossed eachother’s paths Spooky decided to impress, both, the cow and the lady  , by acting all wide-eyed and innocent. And when he play-acts like that even a ravenous lion wouldn’t see him as prey!

As was expected, the lady fell in ‘love’ with him and suggested we barter the two. I was taken quite by surprise that someone could even put a value to Spooky. I couldn’t imagine that there was a person more foolish than I! Not wanting to reject the deal outright, I promised her I would think about it.

And as Spooky and I walked on, I was thinking about the proposition; didn’t seem bad to me at all.

1)      The cow would give me milk that I could sell; I get no monetary

            returns from Spooky

2)      Ofcourse, the cow would moo but Spooky ain’t silent       either!

3)      She would need to be let out to graze, bathed, and fed – expensive; but Spooky, possessing the lineage that he does, is not inexpensive maintaining.

4)      I could use the cow dung as bio-fuel.

Sounded like a gainful proposition to me and just when I had almost made up my mind, a young girl saw Spooky and asked if she could pet him. As she was doing so, she very innocently asked me, “Is he your best friend? My teacher said that a dog is a man’s best friend!”

Realising that the girl’s statement could destroy my new found economic dream, I quickly replied, “Your teacher is right. But I am a woman!” I couldn’t believe my ears I said something so idiotic!

At night, as I sat down to read, Spooky nudged me so he could rest his chin on my foot and sleep. I looked down at him and my mind was made up. There could be no barter because, fundamentally, for a barter to take place there must be a double coincidence of wants!

'Beta wao, wao, wao', Lata Mangeshkar