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October 3, 2006

The end of a legacy cooler than Star Trek or Buffy

I only ever let Kent play on my iPod to write when life really puzzles me. Today was one of those days and it's playing now to guide me through this entry. I don't even know how to begin, since a large part of me and my life is gone. Starting things when your own personal historical legacy takes a pummel is never easy, but I'm going to give it a go.


Most of the people that know me understand what the last year has cost me, blessed me, and brought me sadness. I wrote in my last post about my tear filled reunion with my Athena (cat side-kick) was like. I bring this up because before I left and was jumping though hurdle after hurdle to get me here as well as my cat. It was torture trying to get her legally on a plane to come to the UK and get set up in the quarantine process that was going to cost me a small fortune before all was said and done. The plans for me went fine, I booked myself, I was planning her trip and even had issues at the cargo terminal hours before she was to fly requiring my mother and I to drive into the disturbing ghetto to find a K-Mart that had a bigger cage since the airport wouldn't approve the one she was in. It was hell but with more rain and less normalcy.


A lot of people, people I never thought would say it... asked me “Why? Can't you just go with out her?" I got this question so many times it almost felt rehearsed when I answered. “I raised this cat, I took her in and I love her. Just because I am going through a change and having her with me makes it harder, doesn't mean that I want life to be 'easier', I want my life to include her and I will NOT leave her behind."


So, about three grand (US dollars) and a lot of heart ache later, I had my cat home with me. Laying on the couch with a purring engine next to me whilst watching crap TV now makes me smile because I know it was worth it and I did the right thing. Pets touch our lives in a way most people can't even come close to doing.


The reason I am this way, is because I was fortunate enough to grow up around some of the finest furry people on the planet. Every day was guaranteed a smile no matter what happened at school, or what icky chores had to be done. The story began with a stubborn, yet romantic husband wanting a siamese cat in the house to play with...


My step-dad was a pretty tough dude, except when he saw a cute set of whiskers. He melted like a Snickers bar. He managed to talk my reluctant Mom into bringing home a cute seal point couple. We being kids died of excitement of course... We named them Sayonara (the girlie) and Saki (the manly boy). Eventually some birds and bees must have influtrated the house some how and “Si's" tummy started looking like she'd been going over board on the “Pounce" treats.


We knew our little lady was expecting, but they don't write books really like “What to Expect when You're Expecting" for cats. So we just watched and waited. One evening while we were eating dinner, Saki was perched perfectly on top of a kitchen stool admiring his humans ability to clean the kitchen so efficiently. Si was acting more active than she had in weeks that night... she would run out of the room and come racing in with her balloon tummy and poke Saki in the face with her dark paw. She continued to do so until all of us mere humans took notice. Like I said, they don't have a manual for this kind of thing so we all just went on and went to bed.


The next morning, my step-dad was shouting “Mama Si is deflated and her bum is all wet!! Look for kittens!" This was like Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving all rolled into one. I was twelve years old and this was 1989. We searched the house carefully, almost scared what we would find. Eventually, I tugged on a corner of a plastic bag that found it's way under the bunk beds of my pink room and it felt heavy. I gently pulled it out and saw four tiny balls of white fuzz... eyes shut, pink tiny noses and Mama Si (who was called that ever since the bird/bee incident) came in proudly to show us what she'd done in the night. She started her legacy and marked history for our family forever.


We named the kittens Ginsu, Sushi, Egypt, and Serena. Serena quickly got her nick name “Dopey" because here eyes always squinted as if she'd just got finished filming a movie with Cheech and Chong. Dopey stuck. They learned to walk, learned to play, learned that if my step-dad tied pepperoni on strings to the ceiling fan and turned it on; there would be hours of cat fun to be had. We grew up with them, learned life with them and learned that pet is just a three letter word for “family".


Sushi passed on early with health problems and it was tough to take for a kid. I didn't really understand. But, we still had a whole family so the blow wasn't too excruciating. Saki and Egypt developed pretty severe allergies a couple years in... and vet trips became more frequent. They scratched themselves to the point of scars and wounds. Egypt was the worst and I snuggled with her every night in my bed even if she was “gross". When the vet said she was sick with something else... I got hit really hard. I bonded with this cat... we understood each other, that we were both different. I told that cat every night that I loved her no matter how scarred or bloody she was. When she had to leave us... I felt the first true loss that left my heart empty. The “person" I talked to every night wasn't there anymore.


Saki, Ginsu, Mama and Dopey became the comfort. The boys (Saki and Ginsu) always seemed to bond with my step-brother and my step-dad while Mama and Dopey hung on to my Mom and I. We stuck together, lived life, grew up.


I moved out, began to find myself in the world with out my furry family. I was so used to having a purring body around that the first thing I did when I went to college was... figure out how I could sneak a cat into my “no cat" apartment. I purchased the side kick herself at “Vinny's Bow Wow" in York Pennsylvania and well... I hid her from my horrific, demon landlord for a year. I named her after a goddess (since she wasn't Asian like my previous family cats) and for Athena, I was prepped to go to war at any time to defend her.


He eventually caught me with a cat in the apartment and I sat with him at my kitchen table and looked him square in the eye and said: “If you don't let me stay with this cat, you won't get my ON TIME rent check every month and my cat and I will find a new place to live." He caved... let me stay with the cat. Thank god my Dad and step mom paid my rent on time, else my side kick and I wouldn't have a foot to stand on against the fat, sweaty demon landlord. They've done plenty of good things for me, but this one I remember the most.


Saki and Ginsu after time.... joined their sisters/children. I was away from home... but it still hit me like a brick in the face. I looked to Athena, I looked to my art, I looked to life and tried to keep my chin up. Life went on like it does. Life just goes... even when you're too tired to keep up, it goes. Years start going by like leaves falling off a tree in autumn. Only once in a while you stop to take a look at how neat it is.


So, life has been doing it's thing... all my family have been doing their “thing". Having babies, painting rooms, getting knees fixed, fixing servers, going to university, moving to new houses, taking new pets to the vet, working thankless jobs, cooking dinners. Life goes. It doesn't seem to ever slow down.


Today it slowed down for me. Today, life just seemed to stop. I found out in an email that Mama Si and Dopey... the last of the legacy of seal point cute.... had gone. When there is so many... there were always remaining pointed faces to look square in the blue eyes and almost see the rest of the family that had passed. I have been hit with bricks in the face so many times, I thought I was immune by now. I actually spent half the day numb, then spent time going through pictures, then time just.... hurting. It hurts.


All the pets, the cats, Zack (my Dad's dog), Christy (our childhood wonder pup), Buddy and Sam (my beautiful sister's cats) and Bon-Bon (my mom's last black lab beauty), Cody (my brother's dog), Sony (our cat that died far too early of feline leukemia before we got Mama and Saki). These “people" meant something. I just hope that all the people we loved over our lifetime that left are up “there" taking care of our furry family that trot up to heaven to hang out too. I know my Nana and Nonnie will take them all in and probably spoil them rotten more than we ever did.





Here is the cat I fought for... and will fight for, even if she prefers to hug cat nip candy bars as opposed to me





Here is Buddy... he used to do “booties" to my sister's hair and give her dreadlocks during the night He was the funniest cat I ever met. Personality dripped off him, and since he looked as if he was in a tux all the time.... you couldn't help but love the bugger.





Sam... yes that's a Dreamcast she's laying on... Who couldln't love a cat that appreciated a warm console? She was so loving and proper... fur like spun silk. Truly a beautiful cat.





That's Christy posing with her token hotdog squeaky toy. Yes that's me with bad hair and horrible fashion sense dashing out of the picture. The things we endure for our loved ones hahaha! This dog used to “herd" my sister and me in our yard to make sure we didn't go near the street. She could also catch a frisbee from two blocks away if you threw it. They broke the mold when they made her.





Sony... he had a short life due to feline leukemia... but we loved every second and so did he. The only cat that would wear a skirt and tee shirt with out batting an eye haha! He also played a giant role in grocery shopping, mostly the grocery bags you got. I'm sure my Mom and Dave remember this haha!





Zack was the sweetest dog.... he loved the snow like a child. He played hard, loved hard and loved life. My folks saved him.... and miss him. When you looked in his eyes, you felt like you were home. He also took every opportunity to chase everything with four legs that ran faster than him... meaning he got yelled at a lot ^_^





Here is the family. They slept in piles on top of each other. If you ever questioned if family was important... ask these cats on a cold night. Big ol' pile o' cute.





The ruby among diamonds... Mama Si. She was lovely, loving, and deadly if you messed with her posse! There was a time when she first had her kittens that... she actually attacked a friend of my step-dad's who came in the house. He was a stranger, and she was the mother. She reminded me of my own mom.... you can mess with anything EXCEPT her kids.


For all the new blood that came in the family... the cute kids and pugs haha, you have very big, big shoes to fill. Life goes.... goes.... goes.... and really just goes. Remembering things that were amazing in our lives is something a lot of us don't make time for. Make time for it. Wait, let me write that again..... MAKE TIME FOR IT. I look back... and I feel loved. I miss some of the people and critters that made me feel loved, but they are still around when I look hard enough.


Every second counts folks... every kiss, every smile, every memo, every chilly autumn morning should remind you that.... you're here, you're now and well.... today is a good day.


This song is for all the people reading this. It helped me writing this and remembering the family.


To my family.... I might be far away, but I was with you today. I love you.

Posted by naku at October 3, 2006 6:47 PM

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Comments

Posted by: Mum at October 3, 2006 8:09 PM

Posted by: Garkin at October 5, 2006 6:45 PM

Posted by: c|nap at October 7, 2006 9:51 AM

Posted by: FunGun at November 12, 2006 5:51 AM

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