The Angel and her Duchess

The Angel and her Duchess 

Two days. Duchess has only been under my care for two days. And I already want to drop her off at a shelter and never look back. But I could never do that, no. If I did, my grandmother would haunt me for the rest of my life, God rest her soul. I just could not understand why, of all the people she could have possibly chosen, did she choose me to take care of Duchess if something were to happen to her.  

It seemed like only yesterday when my grandma was sitting in her comfy, red chair with Duchess sleeping on her lap. Being a Persian cat, Duchess constantly shed, and patches of her gray fur could be found all over the house, even on my grandmother’s clothes. But Grandma did not mind. Having Duchess around was a blessing to her, and she would do anything to make sure the cat was taken care of.  

So, I guess Duchess was not taking my grandmother’s passing well, or maybe she just did not realize that her caretaker was gone for good. Either way, the cat was not happy about having me around. Not that she liked me at all even before Grandma’s death. Whenever I entered my grandmother’s house, Duchess was always there hissing and screaming at me, her sharp teeth visible and fur standing on end with her back arched. I would joke that she looked like a demon when she was angry, but grandma would always scold me for it, saying that her dear Duchess was nothing but an angel. An angel of death is more like it. 

And now here we are, staring each other down in what is left of my apartment with balls of cotton and torn curtains littering the floor. I also received some damage in the form of scratches all over my arms from Duchess’ rampage, which were now covered with bandages. I was angry, I was hungry, but more than anything... I was exhausted. I just needed five minutes. Five minutes to take a quick nap or grab a bite to eat. Something that would help me get a little of my energy back. 

But if I let my guard down, even for just a second, Duchess was going to cause more chaos and I cannot handle anymore of her antics. This had to end, or neither of us were going to make it another day. So, after what felt like an eternity, I took a deep breath and then I finally spoke, breaking the silence that had filled my home. “Look....I get it.” 

Duchess’ right ear quickly turned in my direction, so I knew she was listening. But she kept her head facing away from me. It was alright though. As long as she was listening to what I had to say. With that, I continued. “This is a really big change and I don’t think either of us was prepared for it. But—” 

She must have not liked that little “but” because Duchess let out a low growl and her tail began to sway back and forth aggressively. I did not like that look one bit, but I kept going despite the small fear in the back of my mind that she would pounce and scratch me again. “As much as I hate to say it, we’re going to be stuck with each other from now on. It sucks, but that’s life, okay?” 

Hissing, Duchess turned around and leapt onto the windowsill behind her. I sighed and stood from the floor so I could be at eye level with the cat. “Come on, Duchess. Give me a break. You would’ve been in a shelter or on the streets if I hadn’t agreed to take you in!” 

Duchess stared out the window in silence. I could tell she was still upset, but at least she was not trying to attack me. That had to be a good sign, right? “And do you know why I decided to adopt you?” I looked over to the framed photo that sat beside Duchess, the one thing that the cat had not damaged. I then pushed the picture closer to Duchess to get her attention. “It was because of her.” 

Slowly, Duchess’ head turned to the photo, which showed my grandmother holding Duchess as a kitten. It had been taken a few days after the cat’s adoption and while I did not care for Duchess then, I loved seeing Grandma happy. That was probably the happiest she had been since Grandpa’s death just two years prior. I could see Duchess’ eyes studying the photo and for the first time since her arrival, I smiled. The cat did care for my grandmother, and I respected that. “Yeah...I loved her too.” 

My voice broke as I said that, and I could feel tears welling in my eyes. It was then I realized that I had not shed a single tear since my grandma’s death. But now was not exactly the best time for me to break down. “You happy, Duchess? Now you got me all emotional and—” Without warning, I felt Duchess’ head rub against my hand as if she was telling me to pet her. Should I pet her? Was this a trap?  

I do not know why such a simple action was making me freak out so much, but I regained my composure and reached out to the cat. “O-Okay. Don’t try anything funny.” The moment my hand was on top of her head, Duchess’ body stiffened, and I was ready to pull my hand away before anything went wrong. But to my surprise, the cat soon leaned into my touch, and she began to purr loudly. This had to be some crazy dream. Duchess purring? For me, of all people? 

“Wow, uh...this is actually comforting. T-Thanks, I guess?” Duchess let out a sharp meow as if she was telling me not to ruin the moment. I nodded and continued to pet her for some time before I spoke again. “Soooooo, does this mean you’ll stop terrorizing me and ruining my apartment? Furniture isn’t cheap, you know.” Duchess’ only response was her constant purring, which I chuckled at. “I’ll take that as a yes then.”  

With that, Duchess jumped down from her spot on the windowsill and started walking towards the kitchen. It was around her feeding time and I was just as hungry as her, so I followed the cat. But I glanced over my shoulder to look at the photo one more time, wiping away my tears as I did so. “Keep watching over us, Grandma. We both love you so much.”