‘I know he needs me and I want to spend more time with him, but I have a very demanding job. I can’t leave the office early. Often he is fast asleep when I come to see him after work, and his mother won’t wake him. This arrangement isn’t working, and it has to change.’
‘You could talk to her about allowing him stay up a little later once or twice a week, and try your best to be there earlier,’ Karen suggests.
‘We both need to try harder to help him.’
I watch him staring out of the window as he fights to control his tears.
‘It’s so sad that at his young age, Jeremy has been caught up in our problems, and I worry he may be affected later.’ He looks down, embarrassed, as he wipes away tears.
‘Jeremy needs to feel important to you, and to spend time alone with you, whether it is talking, playing, or going out together. It isn’t the length of time, but the quality of love and attention you give him,’ Karen says.
They continue to talk, and Jeremy’s father begins to look more relaxed.
‘With my long hours of work, I haven’t been an important part of his life, and I should’ve been. I’ll make certain it changes. I know I will enjoy taking him to all the places that I missed out on at his age, and movies too.’
Karen smiles and offers help if he needs it.
I feel sorry for this tall, strong man who is as soft and unsure inside as little Jeremy. Maybe Jeremy and his father will grow closer and help each other. Humans seem far more complicated than I thought.
The room is empty at last. Karen sighs with tiredness, and runs her hands through her hair.
‘Come to me, Beautiful,’ she says.
I’m on her lap bathed in her aroma, and her gentle fingers know all the best tickle spots.
I am making my last nightly patrol of my territory. When I pass Samantha’s chair, her shadow is waiting.
I thought she had crossed over the rainbow. Why is she here?
I sit patiently and watch. Her shadow moves gracefully, lowering itself onto the cushion. Slowly it rolls onto its back exposing its belly to me in trust. Then it lies motionless and eventually disappears. Cautiously, I approach the chair. I smell her faint scent. I understand. Samantha’s shadow is assuring me that the house and Karen are mine completely now, and that she is finally leaving.
What a delightful Cat Afternoon! The sun is kissing the trees and flowers. I am warm and happy.
‘Bella...Bella, my treasure,’ Karen calls.
I pretend not to hear her. I am in a warm spot under the half-tree, and so comfortable.
‘Where are you, Bella? Mia will be here soon!’
For Mia, I will leave my warm spot and go inside.
I sit in my basket in the therapy room and look through the window. Mia and her mother walk towards the door. Her mother walks slowly, carrying a strangely shaped case. Mia runs ahead of her. As Karen opens the door, Mia rushes inside.
‘Karen, I have so much to tell you...and you too, Bella.’
She smiles, as she sits on the carpet next to me.
‘I can’t wait,’ Karen says.
‘Well, I went back to school. When the bullies started being nasty to me again, something wonderful happened. I imagined I was Bella with her beautiful ginger coat and her whiskers, and I turned my back on them. I didn’t listen to a word they said, and it worked. They were fed up and left me alone.’
Karen laughs. Mia laughs, and her mum laughs too.
Laughter fills the room with joy. If only I could laugh too. Welcome to Catland, Mia!
‘How wonderful, Mia. I’m so proud of you and Bella must be proud too,’ Karen says.
‘I’m so happy for Mia,’ her mother says, as she gives Mia a hug.
Mia smiles, ‘And there’s more. Mrs Sands asked me to help two other girls who are being bullied. I’m teaching them to be like cats and ignore the bullies. I think it will work for them too.’
‘Mia, you’re amazing! You’ve turned your nervousness around,’ Karen says. ‘We need to celebrate with you playing your violin. I’m looking forward to hearing you play, and I bet Bella is too.’
Mia opens the strange looking case. Carefully she extracts a weird looking object with a long handle and a stick. She rests part of it on her shoulder and neck, and runs the stick across it.
Mee Meeeee Meee it whines. What a horrendous noise. It is like a sick cat meowing. I will try to stay in the room if I can, but I doubt my ears can put up with it. Just dreadful! I cannot understand why she plays the thing, but Karen is enjoying it. She has the same pleased look on her face when she is eating ice cream.
Finally, the Cat Torture is over. Karen and her Mum are clapping. Humans are indeed strange.
‘My goodness, you are talented Mia...and at such a young age too,’ I hear Karen say.
I need a rest after that noise.
They stand at the door talking for so long that I am almost asleep by the time Mia says goodbye to me.
It is early morning, and I watch the huge black dog from the house next door running along my fence and barking. He is incredibly stupid and barks during the day and at night. His owners should lock him inside. He has put me in a bad mood.
So, he hates cats does he? I will give him a good reason!
I wait until Karen opens the gate to my garden, then I chase him along the fence, but he does not stop barking. He is so angry that he sticks his long nose through the wire of the fence and growls a loud dog growl.
Ah hah! I zap his nose with my sharp claws. He runs away howling.
Stupid, stupid dog!
Inside, Karen is talking to a friend on the phone, telling her what I did to the dog next door.
I’m bored with the conversation, but my ears prick up when she talks about how smart cats are. I’ve known all along that we are smarter than dogs in many ways. And, she says we’re almost as smart as very young Humans too. Well, that’s interesting! She says that unlike dogs we don’t persevere with tasks that we find boring or too frustrating. Of course not. We don’t waste our time.
I look for a cool spot to stretch. The wonderful air machine blows cool through my fur. What a delight! I let every part of me cool down.
Suddenly, rain drums on the roof like huge rats dancing. Once, and only once, I went out into the rain. I rushed inside quickly with my fur coat dripping and stuck together.
It was one of my foolish mistakes. Rain is water after all, and anything to do with water except drinking it, has to be avoided.
I look for Karen, and find her on a cushion on the carpet. Her eyes are half-closed, like mine when I am happy. She is taking slow deep breaths. She is not asleep, but perhaps she is doing that relaxation thing she tells people about in the therapy room. I watch her carefully, as she stays in that position without moving. Now her eyes open slowly in a catlike way.
I am more and more certain that she was a cat in one of her past lives. Our understanding of each other is increasing every day.
She looks at me with a perplexed expression.
‘Bella, it’s strange, how sometimes you seem to grasp everything I’m saying...and doing.’
She’s on the same Cat Mind-Line. Astonishing!
Someone is knocking on the door and breaking our intimate closeness.
It is our neighbour talking crossly. ‘That cat of yours is vicious and should be done away with. She almost tore my dog’s nose apart. I had to take him to the vet for stitches. Keep her under control or I will complain to the Council.’
‘But, Bella is safely behind a fence and can’t get out. What was your dog doing sticking his nose through the fence wire? He barks such a lot that I will complain about the noise. We cannot rest over the weekend. He should definitely be locked inside.’
The woman bangs the door in anger and walks off. Karen laughs so much that she looks as if she is crying.
Karen can be as naughty as a cat.
Jeremy and his mother are back to talk to Karen. He runs to my basket.
His wor
ds rush out. ‘Hello, lovely Bella. my brother Laurie didn’t come to visit me again like he promised and I miss him so much.’ His eyes fill with tears.
‘Jeremy, I’m sorry you didn’t see Laurie, but I have some good news for you,’ Karen says. ‘Your dad came to talk to me this week. He loves you so much that he wants to make certain you are happy. He says that the two of you should spend more time together when you visit on weekends – to chat, have fun, eat out, watch sport, or go to a movie.’
Jeremy smiles for the first time.
‘We’ll see what happens this weekend,’ his mother says.
Karen gives Jeremy’s hand a reassuring squeeze. ‘I’m sure you’ll both have a great time together. I want to hear all about it next time I see you.’
After a long talk, Jeremy’s mother stands ready to leave. ‘Time to go, Jeremy.’
‘Bye, Bella,’ he says, with a wave to me.
Karen’s phone rings. She answers sounding worried.
‘Oh no! I’m so sorry to learn that Mia isn’t well. She’s in hospital? A burst appendix? And it happened suddenly? She was so happy and looked fine when she was here.’ Karen is quiet while she listens. ‘I’ll call you soon to find out about her progress. I hope she feels much better soon. Send her love from me, and from Bella.’
Karen goes into the kitchen to boil water for tea.
It is strange how whenever Karen is worried, cross or upset she makes tea before doing anything else.
Karen is working, but I am not needed in the therapy room. I go into my garden to find the brown cat waiting for me outside my fence. I’m pleased to see her. We would like to play, but we bump heads through the fence wire and chat instead. It is our best option, as Karen forgets to open the fence gate.
The sun is about to leave when I hear Karen calling, ‘Dinner, Treasure.’
The atmosphere between Karen and Tony is tense again tonight. I hide behind the heavy, velvet curtain to feel safe, in case they argue. Karen goes to bed first. He drinks more dark liquid, and then follows her. I wait until the bedroom is quiet and then jump onto Karen’s side of the bed. She is almost asleep, but Tony tosses restlessly.
‘Can’t you sleep darling?’ Karen says.
He mutters a reply.
‘Something worrying you?’ She asks, as she turns on the light next to her bed.
‘Work is tough at the moment. I’m still not sure whether I’ll have a job in a few months,’ he says.
No wonder Tony is stressed and unable to sleep. He talks to Karen about his problems at work. Though I can’t understand any of it, I can tell by the tone of his voice that his difficulties are serious. Even though he dislikes me, I wish things were better for him.
She puts her arm around him, and he sighs.
‘I love you my, darling,’ she says.
He kisses her and says, ‘I love you too.’
‘You have incredible skills and experience on your side, I wish you wouldn’t worry so much,’ she reassures him.
Happy Cats! They kiss again and cuddle. He stretches to turn off the light.
‘Time for you to go, Bella,’ she says, giving me a gentle push.
I am in my garden waiting for the duck, but it does not visit me today. I call for my cat friends but they don’t reply.
I am lonely and bored. I wish Karen would play with me. She is busy with her clients, but doesn’t need me. When she is not working, she is on phone talking, or typing on the computer. I bite the tops of dried flowers and place them in a heap. It is something to do. Then I climb up and down the wire fence until I am tired. After scratching the base of the half-tree to leave my mark, I go inside to sleep on the big bed.
I am sitting near Karen, when she calls Mia’s mother.
‘How is Mia? Oh dear! So, she’s not well yet, and has to stay in hospital for at least another week.’ Karen sighs. ‘I can imagine...it must be difficult for her. I will visit her later today.’
It is raining in my garden. Karen is visiting Mia, and I am alone in the house. I go to the big bed, but I don’t feel like sleeping. Restlessly, I wander around the bedroom, sniffing corners, putting my head in the cupboards, and looking inside Karen’s drawers that have her smell. I avoid anything belonging to Tony.
Karen’s socks have her scent. I pull one pair out of the drawer, roll it on the carpet, and then carry it in my mouth to my chair in the sitting room. What fun! I go back to the cupboard to collect more socks, and place them all on my chair. I am tired now and fall asleep on the socks that smell of Karen.
At last, she is home. She does not notice me, but rushes to the kitchen to boil water for tea.
She is still ignoring me! I like to be acknowledged – at least given a pat the head to show she is pleased to see me.
I guess, Mia must be very sick and Karen is worried. I forget my irritation with her and forgive her, when I sense her sadness. I jump onto her lap, and rub the side of her face. Then, I wrap my tail around her arm to show her how much I love her.
‘You can tell that I am sad, Bella. Poor little Mia is very sick, but the doctors are looking after her well.’ She strokes my head tenderly.
I fall asleep on the couch, and wake later to hear her laughing.
‘Sock thief!’ She says, and laughs loudly. ‘You are such a strange cat. You have lifted my worried mood.’
After two days of rain, the sun is shining again. In my garden, I hear a familiar quark, quark. What a thrill! My friend the duck is back, it ignores me and heads for a wide, empty, flower planter filled with rainwater. It dips and dives into the water. Then it shakes itself dry with a tail quiver. Droplets of water fall on me and I shudder.
At last, it remembers me, and our fun begins. It chases me around the garden on its strange, short legs and flaps its wings. I climb up the half-tree. It flies closer this time, pecking my nose and then my tail. It is mischievous today. I chase it until it flies up onto the fence wire. We rest, stare at each other, and then start the game again. I could play for longer, but it is up above me flying away.
Karen works all day with only a short break for lunch. It is late afternoon when I hear her door finally open. As she walks towards the kitchen, her footsteps are weary and heavy. She makes tea, and takes her cup to the couch. After a few sips she lies back. Her eyes close. I am next to her, but she is even too tired to stroke me. I nestle in her arms, purring loudly to give her some of my energy.
One thing about Karen that is not cat-like, and it worries me, is that she works too hard. If the Humans she is helping, their friends or family phone her for an appointment, she always agrees to fit them into her schedule. I wish she would learn to look after herself more. Some days her lunch break is too short and she eats too little. She isn’t exercisng much on her bicycle either. If she did more exercise maybe she would have more energy. I love her lots, and want to her to be full of vitality like she used to be when I arrived.
I return to my favourite spot on Karen’s side of the bed. I feel secure, warm and loved here. It is here on Karen’s bed that I dream of my distant Cat Past.
I am with other cats in a huge, tall, stone building with many steps. The roof is higher than any house in our street. The Humans wear long clothes that touch the ground and walk slowly. They speak to us cats quietly with respect. There is a fire and the smell of burning meat in one part of the building. We wait and are fed scraps of the meat. Many of the Humans are gathered around the fire and call out in singing voices. Cats live in this place, and we are allowed to come and go as we please, as we are regarded as important and with a unique purpose.
This morning, Karen is up with the singing birds. In the kitchen, she has a cup of tea. Then she starts to cut up a large amount of meat and vegetables. There’s a treat of meat for me too. She cooks all the food in two big pots. The smell is divine.
As Tony dresses for work, she fills small containers with the cooked food, and then puts them all into the very cold fridge.
Such early rising is unusual for Karen. She
likes to sleep as late as possible. I can’t remember her cooking in the early morning. Something must be about to happen.
While they eat breakfast, I sit under the table and listen.
‘I’ve cooked enough food for you, darling. It’s all labelled and in the freezer, and there is enough bread and fresh fruit to last.’
‘You didn’t need to do that, but thank you, my love,’ he says.
Stinking, Rotting Rats! She’s going away and leaving me... and I’ll be alone with him.
‘Bella eats tinned food and her small dry biscuits. All her food is on the side table. Just give her biscuits in the morning and open a tin for her dinner... and clean water daily, of course.’
He shrugs. ‘It’s okay, don’t worry about me or Bella. We’ll both be fine.’
‘My friend Jodi has a key to the house. She’ll pop in every day to change Bella’s litter and spend some time with her.’
I will miss Karen, but I like Jodi. Just as well she’s coming to visit me. At least she won’t let me starve or have a dirty litter box.
‘I wish I didn’t have to go, but it’s an important seminar about children’s problems... and another two days at the sea will help me. Work has been busy this year and I’m so tired.’
‘I want you to take a break. You need it. I haven’t seen you as tired before. I’d come with you if I could, but I can’t leave work at the moment. Don’t worry about us, we’ll be fine.’
Karen spends the rest of the morning tidying the house and working on the computer. After lunch we cuddle on the couch. She gives me extra loving strokes and kisses the top of my head.
‘I love you, my precious,’ she says. ‘I won’t be away for long.’
I breathe in her smell to try to hold it while she’s gone.
Later, she puts papers and her flat computer in a case, and packs her clothes into a bigger one. By the evening, both cases sit near the front door.
The quarter moon is in the dark sky when the loud buzzer wakes us. Karen and Tony hurry to wash and dress. They drink hot liquid in the kitchen with toast, and Karen puts some of my biscuits in my bowl. She pats my head to say “goodbye”. Tony carries the cases to the car and they are gone. I am alone in the house.
Bella Page 6
