Teacher's teacher

HBO, as always, presents stories that make our life a little more bearable on one hand and more exciting on the other. Take the movie, Hachiko: A Dog Story with Richard Gere as the main actor, and of course the well-trained dog called Hachiko.

Like any movie it has details that if you really want to feel the incidents, you just have to take time to view it. In this instance for example, Hachiko has to be put up for adoption because the family of Gere does not want to take care of one now that their daughter is grown up. In the process, there was no one willing to take Hachiko because they have other pets,like a cat or has a business which does not encourage having a dog around.

The story progresses with Gere bringing the dog to the school where he teaches. Nicely hidden inside Gere's bag is Hachiko but like any other "active" animal it wants to bolt out of hiding and the plan to give it up has to be sooner rather than later.

Some touching scenes need to be highlighted: Gere found in Hachiko, which was revealed as having "royal" blood a friend. He talks to Hachi like a son, his child being a lady now and married. They watched baseball in the evening and ate popcorn. He slept in the sofa. All along the wife was just observing and soon would get the idea and the inevitable had to be entertained: Hachiko had to stay on. This was not so bad because the daughter liked Hachiko and the photo sessions were worth the time.

Nothing beats the scene though when Hachiko would make it to the train station by foot to be there to send off and welcome back his master everyday. Ahhh, how Hachiko only needed his loving pat and caress to make his day. This makes me warm all over because my family has a dog called Michael  2 (photo later), Michael 1 being our very first pet and died because of an irresponsible vet (details later).

Light moments: The master and the dog and their ordeal with the skunk! and those instances of training Hachiko to pick up the ball which never materialized for Hachi is not into this kind of treatment. Loyalty however is his cup of tea.

Then the saddest event came when the master had a heart attack and died. My heart bled for Hachiko for while the burial happened, Hachiko still felt his master was alive. No one, as in literally no one could stop him from waiting for the next nine years to be there when his master would come back. Hachi grew old lovingly waiting and waiting and waiting  (Am about to cry all over again . . .like when I cried so painfully loud when Michael 1 died.)

According to the film, a statue was made in Hachiko's memory when he died but am sure Hachiko did not mind leaving this world when he was with his beloved master in that life after death somewhere.

Reflection proper: When you have a loyal friend your friend becomes a beautiful world to live in. When your family is there to love you and you have a pet which lives only for your coming and you believe in a God who has prepared a room for you in His house and you are yourself living a moral life then life is a story that may end but its imprint lives on. Thank you Hachi for making us reflect on what matters the most in life. May there be more Hachikos here in Malaybalay, the whole of our country, Philippines and the world out there.