Gaia

"Gaia, Gaia" called out a middle-aged Dutch lady as she stepped out of her villa in the garden complex. 

"Gaia, come" she shouted, glancing left and right.

No response. 

Manju and I were sitting on a low wall nearby waiting to pick up our daughters after Kathak class.

“Have you seen Gaia?” the lady asked us.

“No” we said.

The lady walked around looking for her dog.

“How did you know that we knew Gaia?” I asked her.

“Everybody knows Gaia” she replied. 

Just then we spotted Gaia in the central garden area. She was playing with two fat cats. With her tail curled in a circle, she was chasing them. 

When she heard her name called out, she walked towards us, tail wagging. Her beauty is regal - thick spotless white fur, gentle eyes, sharp pointed ears, and a graceful gait. She has the majesty of the Greek mother goddess, Earth, that she has been named after. 

Gaia befriends everyone she meets and never loses the opportunity to scoot into a Kathak lesson in progress, much to the amusement of the girls. 

As she's mostly outdoors, she understands the languages of all the people of various nationalities who speak to her. 

Gaia brings a smile to every face and lights up my day whenever I see her. 

I will miss Gaia when we leave Muscat for good next month.