As told to me by Bella:
I love my best friend
unconditionally.
I always have.
I always will.
From the time I first understood
that my best friend wanted me, I was smitten.
My best friend fed me, walked me,
consoled me, patched me up if I got hurt, and cuddled me at night.
My best friend pampered me, and took
me everywhere, every day.
And I was always there for my best
friend, licking her wounded feelings whenever she needed me.
I used all the power I could
muster to help make my best friend feel healthy and loved, to ease whatever
pain my best friend felt from whatever life’s lessons inflicted.
I never, ever wanted anything in
return from my best friend except to be loved and to be my best friend’s
constant companion forever.
One day my best friend got
married.
I quickly learned to respect, and
even love, my best friend’s husband.
Instead of two, we were three, and
my best friend still pampered me and took me everywhere. And still cuddled me at night.
One day, I could sense that my best
friend had a living being inside her.
I became more protective than
ever. It was our being inside of my best friend.
I watched my best friend stretch
larger as the living being inside her grew.
My best friend stretched larger
and larger and larger —until one day she disappeared from my life for several
days. I instinctively knew I would soon
meet our baby.
I was so excited the day my best
friend came home, and so excited to see our new baby.
Our baby needed constant care from
my best friend, and I watched with interest as she fed our baby, changed our
baby, bathed our baby, dressed our baby and soon paraded our baby for all to
see—just like she once did with me.
I did not care that my best friend
no longer had time to pamper me and take me everywhere.
Or that she put the spotlight on
our baby instead of me, as she once did.
But soon I felt that my presence
was an irritation to my best friend that distracted her from her new best friend, our baby.
But I understood her motherly
feelings, and I never stopped loving her, because my love is unconditional.
Soon after, my best friend began
dropping me off with family members.
It started as a few hours but,
after a while, turned into a whole day away.
And finally, I found myself sleeping
with other family members, far away from my best friend.
I know my best friend has a baby
to care for, and I know that her baby is more important than me.
But I love her, unconditionally.
And I miss her.
And I miss her.
