I arrived in the beautiful city of Antigua around 1:30PM, I had written a name of a hostel but it took me a while to find it. But I didn’t mind looking for it since I end up discovering this beautiful historical city. The hostel was in quiet part of the city still not too far from the center.
I put my stuff at the hostel and I started preparing to go discover the city and while I was opening the door, the girl at the front desk warned me there’s a dog at the door and they don’t allow dogs inside, I assumed it was her dog because I saw her earlier opening the door and petting the dog. I stepped outside and made sure not to let the dog inside. It was a nice dog but I didn’t pay too much attention and started to walk in the beautiful streets of Antigua. I noticed the dog kept following me, she was amazing at crossing the streets, I went to a little park and dog stood next to me. I cannot say I get along with a lot of people and not many likes me but it seems this dog likes me and we’re getting along pretty good 🙂
I went to a coffee shop and the owner was nice, he allowed me to bring the dog inside, and the dog just sat next to me on the floor while I was reading on my laptop. I was a little concern the dog was going to get lost and the girl back at the hostel might be worried about her dog. Then when I finished I started to walk back to the hostel mainly because I wanted the dog to get back to the hostel so the girl won’t be looking for her dog. When I arrived at the hostel the girl who was there has already left, so I asked Monique another girl who just started her shift, if she knows whose dog is that and she said no. The owner of the hostel and Monique looked at the name tag that was hanging from the dog’s neck and it said the dog’s name is “Laura” with a phone number of the owner. I never looked at the name tag because I assumed it belonged to the girl who was at the front desk at the hostel.
The staff at the hostel started calling the owner but she was out of town and she said to let the dog outside near where she lives and Laura knows how to get to her house. She described the area and I volunteered to go take the dog to where I was told to leave her which was on the other part of town. It was around 10PM and once we got to that part of town, I left the dog (Laura) in the street and when I turned around to go back, the dog followed me back. I stopped by a house and asked a lady who owns 2 dogs if she happens to know where the dog belongs but she said no, and she was smiling pointing and saying how the dog (Laura) was standing waiting for me. I felt attached to the dog but at the same time I knew I couldn’t keep it.
I decided to go back to the hostel, but I noticed the dog was hungry so I bought her some dog food and fed her a little and took the rest with me and we walked back together towards the hostel. One I got at the hostel, I put some more food for her and brought her some water and we sat outside not knowing what to do. Monique the girl who was working at the front desk, was very nice and she told me she volunteers to keep the dog for the night at her house next door, until the morning. The dog wouldn’t leave my side to go to Monique’s home, but we kind of allowed her go inside Monique’s house and I left before the dog would notice. Next day, I asked about Laura and what happened to her but no one knew what happened to the dog. A day later I ran into Monique in the street and she told me that the dog that night wouldn’t stay and at the end in the early morning she let her outside. I was a little sad not to keep the dog but at the same time it’s beyond my control especially that I am traveling. I also thought about myself and how I like to be free and just like Laura I’d rather be free.
We always have things that happen in life and we can’t explain why or what’s the reason they happen, but I kept thinking about Laura although it’s a pet she seems to enjoy life wandering the streets playing and jumping in the steets and just getting by of whatever she finds in the streets or whatever people offer her, yet we (human) are surrounded by abundance of everything yet we’re always worried about tomorrow to the point we forget to enjoy today. But that little company taught me few things and made me reflect on life, so thank you Laura.
