-END OF THE CATWALK-
It’s for tonight. Any cat worthy of the name knows when the time’s up. I go in peace, though. I’ve lived a life filled with love, adventure, and excitement. All that’s left now are sweet, cat-chy memories.
I was pure black in my youth. ‘Blacker than a moonless night', mother Annie always said. Then my coat lightened over time. ‘Age is a bleach, Tillie,’ mother now declares while she caresses my fur with her shaky hands. I love mother and her daughter Emilie. Always will. Until my last purr. Mother says she’s alive only because of me. She talks about my faithfulness, and my healing power. All I know is that every time she gets these episodes, shaking and foaming, I climb right on her, stretch my body to warm her up, and my gentle, soothing purr makes her sickness go away.
Emilie says she couldn’t imagine life without me. She’s a loner, like me. No husband, no girlfriends. She has a huge picture of me on her office desk. Hers is engraved in my mind all day long, until I see her lovely face at the door, coming from work. ‘Where’s my Tillie?’ she would ask, crouching down to play with me. Unforgettable moments!
They called me ‘Phantom Queen’ in the neighbourhood. Man, I was sovereign on the catwalk! Majestic and silent! Stalking, prowling and snatching were a mere routine for me. I was feared and revered by all. Now I’m bedridden. Normal, right, after numerous surgeries in my advanced years, tumour removed…?
Regrets…! Who’ll take care of mother Annie when she has her fits? Won’t Emilie feel depressed without me?
My vision is getting blurred, but I still feel and sense things… like the sadness creeping inside, the warm tears dropping on my coat... Must be Emilie’s! Shaky hands holding my head on the pillow… mother, for sure. I’ll take those with me. Forever.
What’s that bright light? Strange, these words I often hear mother read aloud from her big book, echoing in my head: ‘I’ve fought the good fight, I’ve finished the race…’
Purrrrrrrrr..,,,,
***