BLACK CAT WITH A WHITE HEART

BLACK CAT WITH A WHITE HEART

My eyes pop open and I look at my watch. It’s 2am. I close my eyes, and a stupid song is playing in my head as I roll over and snuggle in for what I hope will be another couple of hours of sleep.

Slowly, I can feel my body coming to life, I know this time, regardless of what time it is, it is time to get out of bed. Another glance at my watch tells me it is 430am. I slide to the end of my bed and slip my feet into my fluffy slippers, my toes delight in the softness.

My husband has already gone to the gym, so my very spoiled pup follows me into the kitchen where I turn on the coffee maker and grab my cigarettes. I open the back door, and she dashes out to do her morning duty, while I start my day like every day, by looking up at the sky. It’s so dark outside that the stars are brilliant. It feels like they are shining down on me, singling me out from every other being on the earth. Although I am sure there are other people out enjoying the early morning sky, it feels like the stars are appreciating me as much as they are being appreciated…and it feels glorious.

I ‘ve just sat down on my step and lit my cigarette, enjoying that very first puff, when Boo, my little Shih-tzu, decides she’s had enough and wants to go back into the house where she will sit in the window and watch for my husband to return from the gym. Rising from the step, I open the door and let her in, then sit back down to enjoy my first smoke of the day.

The early morning is cool, silent and dark, it feels so good to commune with the stars and know they bless my day. I can smell the coffee brewing through the window of my door and know it’s almost ready for me…as I am it.

As I am about to crush out my cigarette, I look up again at the stars and thank them for allowing me to share this precious time with them. Something soft brushes against my bare feet and looking down I see a beautiful black cat watching me.

“Where have you come from?” I whisper, not wanting to startle her. She looks at me with those green cat eyes, as if she is judging whether to take the next step. Suddenly she leaps up, landing on my lap. She makes a brief turn and then settles into a circle, her head lying against my belly.

She must belong to a neighbor, I am hoping. I’ve not seen her before and it’s more than a little unsettling to have a strange cat suddenly sitting on my lap. I slid my hand down her silky back wondering if I will need to get rabies shots if she decides to bite me. But she doesn’t bite, and I can feel her body vibrating as she purrs. She does not wear a collar.

We sit quietly for a few minutes, she and I…at least I think it’s she. I picked up my pack of smokes to tuck them into my robe pocket, and she jumped off my lap and moved to a few feet in front of me, her eyes wide, watching me. I wonder what she is thinking. I notice she has a white heart on her throat; she truly is beautiful.

I stand up to return to the house, and she is gone…as quickly as she has come to me. Looking up, I thank the stars again and thank them for my special gift this morning, of a black cat with a white heart, who was comfortable to join me for my morning ritual.

Minutes later I am sitting at the kitchen table, inhaling my first cup of coffee when Boo starts barking hysterically. I can hear the scrambling of her paws on the base of my bay window in the living room and am wondering if that lovely cat is taunting her in the front yard. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a flash of black and look down in time to see Boo giving chase and barking her fool head off.

What the hell? Before I can even move, I see the black cat run back through the room, Boo hot on her proverbial tail shrieking like a two-year-old in the middle of a temper tantrum.

How did she get in here? I glanced at the door, which is still closed, and here they come again running so fast that Boo’s feet look like a cartoon character’s on my hard wood flooring. The cat jumps up onto my countertop, she is standing regally, looking down at Boo clearly with disdain, who is now looking up at her and continues to bark like a madwoman.

I haven’t even had half a cup of my coffee yet, and my brain is only starting to kick in, thoughts are tumbling through my brain as I beg Boo to stop barking and move toward the cat, whose hair is now rising on her back. I step back in hesitation, and she jumps off the counter and takes off running again and Boo nearly topples over whipping herself around to renew the chase.

Yikes!

I start chasing, yelling for them both to stop, when they switch direction and fly past me so fast that as I whirl around to catch them, I trip over my own feet and fall to the floor. Before I can even get to my feet, the cat flies by, but I am able to snag Boo in my arms. Being no spring chicken at 68 years old, I should have been proud of myself that I could get up off the floor with a screeching dog, who is wiggling like crazy in my arms…but I was focused on keeping my balance at the time.

Now I am chasing the cat, with my hysterical pup in my arms. This is not working!

Suddenly I have an idea! Taking my now frenzied dog to the front door, I hook her up to the tie out chain and let her out the door.

I can hear her frantic barking as she scratches at the door outside, and I’m wondering how long before the neighbors will call the police, because I’m sure they will think something bad is happening over here.

Now I am searching for the cat. She’s black, and the only light on in the house is in the kitchen, so I am turning on lights as I move from room to room looking for her. Finally, I get to my bedroom and there she is, curled up on my pillow. She opens one eye and looks at me.

I sat down on the edge of the bed and reached over to pet her. She seems quite content now.

“Look beauty, I would love to be your human, but as you can see, Boo is quite distressed that you are thinking about moving in. I am afraid you will have to go back to wherever you live.” She stretched gracefully and climbed up onto my lap again. I closed my eyes, relishing just this moment of her devotion. In the background, I could still hear Boo, beating at the front door. So, I stood, with that beauty in my arms and walked back through the kitchen and let her out the back door.

She walked away with her head held high, and I felt a little sad.

For nearly a week, every morning when I went out to be blessed by the morning stars, I was also blessed with the presence of the beautiful black cat with the white heart on her throat. She always curled up on my lap, but never again tried to join our household.

Finally, I was able to find her a forever home. Although I am grateful that she is safe and loved, I still miss her every morning.