Steve and Sukh had been seeing each other for some time now. They couldn't be more different, on the surface. A black man from the island of Haiti and a Sikh woman from the Punjab region of India. While the City of Ottawa, Ontario, is full of interracial couples, a lot of people tend to stare upon seeing a black man and a South Asian woman together. While staring is an unkind and unwelcome thing to do, sometimes it is truly a sign of mere curiosity. Historically, the African and Indian communities hadn't exactly gotten along. Steve and Sukh could care less about the stares, though. They were a couple, and that's that.
Like all couples, Steve and Sukh take certain steps to move their relationship forward. They've met each other's friends, explored each other's domains, and opened their lives to one another. When two become one, it can definitely be a wonderful thing. Lately, Sukh has been spending so much time in Steve's apartment that he asked her to move in, and all of a sudden, his place had become their place. Sukh, the attractive, feisty Sikh Indian gal completely dominates Steve's real estate. She has begun filling his place with her stuff, and storing away his stuff. The Haitian brother never knew what hit him. One day, Sukh took Steve shopping, and what she wanted surprised the hell out of him...
"I want this one," Sukh said, and the young Indian woman smiled at her boyfriend Steve while pointing at the German shepherd dog that looked at them plaintively. There were lots of dogs big and small waiting to be brought home by caring new owners. The alternative was simply unthinkable. Dog adoptions at the local animal shelter in this part of Ottawa were always a complicated affair. Steve, a towering, handsome black man of Haitian descent in his late twenties paused thoughtfully. He looked at the dog then at his lady, before scratching his head. This was all happening so damn fast...
"Alright," Steve said, and Sukh grinned before patting the dog, Chief, on the head. The lady of the house always gets her way, and since Sukh felt that she and Steve needed a pet, they went out and acquired one. Steve signed the papers, paid the fees and then the three of them walked out of the animal shelter, never to return. They caught an Uber and then went to the east end of Ottawa, to the one-bedroom apartment they shared. No place like home, Sukh thought as she, Steve and their new dog Chief reached the apartment. They had much to do, come to think of it.
The couple ushered their new pet into its new home, and the dog barked joyfully before taking a look around. Steve and Sukh smiled as their new dog Chief went sniffing around the kitchen, the living room and even the bathroom. Steve took out a couple of bowls and filled one with roast meat and the other with water. Chief, smelling the food, went back to the kitchen and wagged its tail excitedly.
"Hmm, Stevie, I think Chief likes your Haitian cuisine," Sukh said, smiling as she watched the dog gulp down the meat. The dog finished eating rather fast, and then looked at his new owners. Steve looked at Sukh and the dog, then sighed. The burly Haitian did not remember volunteering to walk the dog, but Sukh made it clear that it was expected of him. Steve took out the collar, put a leash on Chief, patted the dog on the head, and then the two of them went out to face the Ontario winter.