A TRAGIC LOVE STORY

He had been courting her for some time. Spent some time with her. One day she brought her mother over to have a look at him. She was not very impressed...she felt he was small in size and cannot stand up to the bullies to protect her daughter. What she did not realise was he is a loving guy who will give his life for her daughter.

A couple of days later the daughter turned up with a burly guy in tow. It was clear the mother had made the decision.

He was inconsolable.He had no interest in eating. He spent a lot of time watching the couple and came to me with tears in his eyes. I did not know how to console him. You see I cannot speak his language...He is the stray cat who made our home his home.

I am hoping that he will soon meet his soul mate.

AN ORPHAN'S STORY

I am an orphan. My mother left me, my elder brother and sister after birth and just disappeared. We had to fend for ourselves from then on. We were lucky.. Our mother left us in a gated community. Those living here especially a young woman and her family and an old couple took care of us. We slept and ate at the young woman’s villa; occasionally we went to the older couple’s villa for a snack or a drink of milk. With the love they gave we never missed our mother.

My brother grew up fast and was a burly lovable fellow. My sister was very adventurous. She twice managed to climb on the roof of one the buildings and could not come down. She cried and cried. Then the watch man climbed up and brought her down. She never learnt from her experience. One day she decided to venture out of the colony. We tried to persuade her from going out; but she did not listen. Sadly for her and us she got lost and never came back. We both brothers were very sad and still miss her. May be this episode made both of us more close. We never fought with each other and ate and slept together without fighting. The old man has some photos of us sleeping together.

I had my own problems. I had some difficulty in eating and could eat only very slowly. So I remained small in size.

I don’t know how I learnt my food habits. I cannot eat any soft food; I like crispy fried things… banana chips is one of my favorites. Dried fish is another favorite. Meat I do not like. . I also like somebody watching over me when I eat.

I heard one day the old man telling his wife that dried fish is not available and he bought readymade food which he said was expensive and is normally bought by rich people. I was surprised that he spent his money for this special food for me. It was great. Nice fish taste and nutritious.

There was a bully who used to sneak into the colony in the night. My brother could stand up against him but I had to run and hide when he came. One day I could not run away and was attacked by him. It was a traumatic experience. I had injuries all over. I thought I will die. Luckily the old man cared for me. He brought me water and some food and slowly I recovered. I have to really thank him for giving me my life back.

The adventurous trait of my sister may have rubbed on to my brother as well. He was keen to roam around. He will not listen to me. One day he just disappeared. I was inconsolable. I could not sleep alone. I spent a few sleepless nights. Then I just got used to it. Then one day he returned. I was so happy to see him back. I heard the old man telling his wife that I ran like a bullet out of the gun from his villa when I heard my brother’s voice. He was dirty and hungry. Seems he had a rough time but he told me that he had a wonderful time seeing new sights and new people. The only problem was the speeding vehicles and stray dogs. He urged me to join him in his next outing.. Maybe I was a lazy guy… I said no. He spent a week with me and then went on his way.. he is yet to return. I hope he is safe and sound and hope to see him soon.

Life goes on for me. Now a days I spent most of my time in the old couple’s villa. Only problem is that the two families who take care of me are some times away and I have problem to go and get food from other villas. Last week both of them were away for a couple of days and I had to live only on water from the tap. I was elated to see the old couple back who immediately recognized my plight and fed me. The young woman is yet to be back. I hope it does not happen too often.

I hope by now you know who I am. I am a stray cat who made my home in the gated community. Being a stray and since the old couple is allergic to cat dander I can never live inside. The young woman has a baby now and so I cannot live there also. I have to make do with sleeping in the garage or in the work area. But I think I am well off with food to eat and being petted and taken care off.

PS. The old couple had some visitors yesterday and they cooked some chicken. Since my brother is fond of chicken I made an attempt to find my brother… viola.. I found him in one of the villas and brought him over. We had a nice dinner together. He is still here.. Hope he stays back.