A BRIEF ENCOUNTER IN MEXICO
By Margie Harrell
July 2005 Guadalajara-Lakeside Volume 21, Number 11

     As I headed out for my morning walk I marveled at the beauty of my surroundings. The mountains were lush with rainy season growth and the lake was enjoying a brisk breeze that whipped up tiny waves. How lucky I was to have found this little patch of paradise deep in the heart of Mexico.
     Suddenly, out of nowhere, I was aware of a rather thin-looking dog approaching me. I was startled and froze but his big brown eyes told me right away that he was no threat. As I bent down to greet him he came alive, licking and jumping all over me, such a happy and pleasant animal he was. Where did he come from?
     Remembering I had a busy day ahead I said adios and started to cross the carretera. Just then the dog darted in front of me preventing me from moving forward as a car came whizzing down the highway narrowly missing both of us. How fortunate for me that he was there right at that moment, I thought. When the danger had passed I hurried on my way with my protector close at my heels.
     Back at the house I gathered up my things for the day and was amused to see him sitting at the door patiently waiting for me to reappear. He was so well-behaved and obviously had adopted me.
     The Post Office was our first stop and as I picked up my mail I could see him sitting at the doorway checking everyone as they came and went. It was then on to the farmacia and the ritual was repeated: sit and wait for new master. If I had personally trained this animal he couldn’t have been more attentive to me. Thoughts raced through my mind of keeping him but I knew my 18-year-old cat wouldn’t appreciate a new member of the family and besides, I was sure there was a child out there anxiously looking for their lost pet.
     I began to dart in and out of doorways in an effort to lose him but he was too quick for me and it became a game between us. I could feel myself getting far too attached to this animal. As I enjoyed lunch with friends at Nueva Posada, I told them about my new amigo. Not to worry, they said, by the time you leave he will have found someone else to mooch a meal from. As I slipped half of my sandwich into my bag I secretly hoped that wouldn’t be true. With a lick to my hand he thanked me for the food as we continued on our little journey together.
     As I sat on the pier and rested before heading home I watched this silly little dog with the tail that never stopped wagging. Where did he come from? He had chosen to be my friend that day and there was nothing I could do about it.
     It is strange the love you can feel for an animal immediately. He was beautiful to me and my heart said keep him but my head said it was time for him to go. When we arrived home I loaded him into the car and headed back down to the lake there we have first met. He loved the ride and sat in the passenger’s seat as if he had done it many times before. He was so comical to watch.
     When we got there I opened the door and he headed for the water for a much needed drink. That was my cue to hightail it out of there. Motor racing I sped off like a thief in the night but I wasn’t home ten minutes when my conscience started to bother me. I felt like I had just dropped a sack of kittens into the lake. I had to go back and find him and this time, come what may, I would keep him. His name would be Brownie like a dog I had as a child but—he was nowhere to be found. I walked the lakeshore for over an hour but he had simply disappeared and what was even stranger, all the time I lived at lakeside I never saw that dog again.
     It truly was a brief encounter and these many years later I can still see his big brown eyes looking up at me. Muchas gracias, mi amigo, for a delightful day so long ago.