The Favorite

I was asleep the whole morning after mistress gave us breakfast of grains and milk.

I woke up to see Vic tugging at my neck lace. His sisters are yapping excitedly at what's Vic got.

"Look, Batutoy!" Vic was bursting with happiness. He strutted his chest and put his chin up. I saw a short, chain neck lace.

"You see that?" he asked me haughtily, his eyes glistening with pride.

I yawned. "Yes, I see that neck lace."

"Do you want to know who gave it to me?" Vic prodded me

I was not really interested, but I knew that Vic will not let me rest without informing me who gave that to him. "Ok. Who?" I asked,

"Mistress!" he exclaimed while running in circles.

"Hush, pups!" mother reprimanded the noisy pups. She stretched out from her mat and sniffed Vic's neck lace.

"Well, what do you think, Mama? Do I look good in this neck lace? Mistress has good tastes." Vic gushed while mother was sniffing him.

"It looks good on you." Mother said in a bored tone. She licked Vic's unruly fur and returned to her green mat.

I felt a tinge of jealousy. Mother never told me my neck lace looked good on me. Maybe, Vic was mistress' favorite after all. Come to think of it, it took the mistress time before she gave Vic's accessory. She intentionally waited for me to sleep before she gave him that.

I hated the mistress but I felt bad at the same time. How could that be?

I crawled beside mother. She let me lie down on her mat. Her long black tail surrounded my body. She licked my mane. She put her wet nose beside my ear and whispered, "She's not his human."

I turned my head towards mother's snout. I felt a glimmer of hope. "How could you tell?" I whispered back,

"Because it's a Wrist Lace." Mother said mischievously, "Mistress is so devious."

I don't know what she meant. Mother's tail was fanning me towards another afternoon nap.