by Terri Cabral
Chapter 15: Blanca and Thisbe’s Big Adventure
One sunny afternoon, I sat by the floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room looking out on the back yard thinking it must be fall. The trees are turning colors and the vegetable plants look ready to be picked. I bet Ana and Ian will be out there working soon. I know Blanca wants to play outside but I heard Ana tell Ian they had to fix the fence. Ian told Ana he would fix it in a few days. I think that might make Blanca happier.
Blanca ran into the living room and said “Thisbe! You have to come and see this. Quick! Follow me!”
She then ran out of the room. I was curious. What is she doing now? She’s a crazy cat! I followed Blanca to the back cellar stairs off the kitchen. Blanca was perched at the top of the stairs. It was an old, steep, open wooden staircase. The other stairs to the basement were carpeted and led to an office that Ana and Ian set up in what they called the finished basement. The unfinished basement is where Blanca and I had our litter box and Ana set up her sewing area. It was warm and dry down there. The old stairs were frightening to me. I never used this staircase. I thought I don’t like these stairs. They’re scary. What is she doing?
“Look Thisbe. I’m going to jump.” Blanca crouched, poised to jump.
“NO!” I cried. “You’ll hurt yourself! What are you doing?”
“Thisbe, I found a great place to sleep. I jump into a basket full of clothes that smell like Ian and Ana. I love it there. Watch me!” I walked closer to the stairs as Blanca descended a few more.
“Here I go, Thisbe!” Blanca bounded down four stairs then leaped into the hamper of laundry. She disappeared into the clothes then as if she was swimming to the surface, popped her head above the clothes. “Isn’t this cool. Thisbe?”
I laughed. “Blanca, you bring joy to my old heart. You are a funny, funny cat. I love you.”
Blanca scrambled out of the basket and onto the stairs. She bounded up the staircase with the agility of a young kitten.
“Thisbe, Ian found me sleeping in there this morning and called me ‘Smelly’. Is he changing my name?”
“No” I smiled “It’s because you are in their smelly laundry, you silly cat. That’s where they put their dirty clothes.”
“The clothes aren’t dirty. There’s no dirt on them. They just smell like Ana and Ian!”
“Ah Blanca, you are so young. Let’s go get something to eat and then watch the back yard through the windows. I thought I saw some squirrels out there.”
“Thisbe, when are we going to get out in the yard? I want to go outside before it gets cold again.”
I sighed. “Soon, Blanca, very soon. I heard Ian tell Ana he was going to fix the fence in a few days.”
“Phooey” exclaimed Blanca “I want to go out now.”
I knew Ana wanted the fence mended quickly because I heard her talking to Ian the other day. Ana said she could tell that Blanca was getting fidgety and wanted to go outside to play. She was afraid Blanca would escape the house and run out into the street. Well, Ana’s worst fear came true the next day. She left for work early in the morning. Blanca was pacing the house.
“Thisbe? Where are you? Thisbe?”
I walked out of the bedroom. “What is it Blanca?
“I just HAVE to get out of here. I’m going crazy in this house. It’s so sunny and warm outside. I want to run and play.”
Older and wiser, I just shook my head and said, “You have to wait until they fix the fence. I heard Ana tell Ian he has to do it tomorrow. Just be patient. We live in the city now and there are many cars out there. I told you my Papa was killed by a car. They are big, mean machines that will hurt you if you go in the street.”
“But…but…Thisbe…I won’t go in the street. I promise! I just want to run and play and explore like we used to do in the old house.
Later that morning, Ian opened the door and Blanca bolted past him.
“Get out of my way! I have to get out of here!”
Ian yelled at Blanca as she dashed across the busy street. “BLANCA! COME BACK HERE!”
I stood in the doorway and watched her run out into the street. She was nearly hit by a speeding car. Blanca barely made it to the other side of the street where she stopped for a second to look back at Ian.
She shouted to me, “WOW! I MADE IT! THAT WAS CLOSE. GOOD BYE THISBE! I’M OFF ON AN ADVENTURE JUST LIKE YOU.”
Blanca ignored Ian’s calls and wound her way through the neighbor’s yards until she was far away from the sound of his voice. He tried to follow Blanca but lost her as she ran through the neighbor’s yards.
I watched as Ian returned. He looked very upset. “Oh great!” he exclaimed, “Blanca’s gone. She’s run away. I better go and find her. Ana is going to be very upset.”
Blanca was on her own adventure. I could see Ian was very troubled. He was pacing the room and talking out loud while putting on his coat.
“Great! Ah…I better go out there and get her…Thisbe, you stay here…where’s my house key?” He ran around searching for his keys then dashed out the door calling for Blanca.
I was anxious. What if Blanca gets lost? What if she gets hurt? How will she find her way home? I have to go look for her. I know I can find her. I know I can find my way home. How can I get out of this house?
I spied the low window in the living room. Those windows are low to the floor and to the ground. I bet I could push the screen out like I did when I was a kitten in that first window I sat in. I remember how angry Mama was that I pushed the screen out. I wonder if these can be pushed out.
I walked to the last little window and carefully pushed against the screen. It didn’t budge. Maybe if I push my body against it…as I leaned against the screen it suddenly popped out and down I fell along with the screen.
“MEOW! OH!” Thank goodness I landed on a small bush here under the window. I scrambled out of the sweet smelling bush and shook my fur into place. Mmm…that plant smells nice. Okay, I’m outside now. How will I find Blanca? She ran out the side door. Let me see if I can find that door.
I walked around to the yard gate. Next to the gate was a small hole in the fence.
I think I can squeeze through this hole. Ooo...it’s tight…there! I was now standing in the place where Ana parked her car. I often sat in the windows above to watch for Ana. I saw the stairs and the side door Blanca ran out. The busy street loomed ahead of me. Oh I HATE cars! Why did Blanca have to run out here? Maybe if I walk on the side near our house I can stay away from those horrible cars.
I took a deep breath and began my terrifying trek toward the street. I stayed on the sidewalk and kept calling for Blanca. The big cars zoomed past me on the street. Then I heard Ian calling for Blanca.
I better stay here and hid from Ian or he’ll take me back in the house and I’ll never find Blanca. I hid in the neighbor’s bushes until I saw Ian pass me. He walked into the house muttering. I could tell he was very angry.
I know Ana and Ian will be very upset that both of us are gone but I have to find Blanca.
I searched in a few yards and met up with a nasty dog. He was growling and pulling at his chain. “Git outta my yahd! I’ll eat ya up!”
“Easy there Mr. Dog. Have you seen a white cat with a short tail?”
“NO! And if I did…I’d eat it! Git outta here!”
I said “Thank you. Try and have a nice day.”
I continued down the street until I came to the end of the sidewalk.
Oh, I have to cross this street. It doesn’t seem to have many cars. I remember Mama telling me I must look both ways when crossing the street.
I did so and then ran to the other side. Whew! Made it! Now to find Blanca!
I was walking toward a place that looked like a park. There were trees and lots of grass and benches for people to sit when I heard a familiar voice. “HEY THISBE! YOU CAME OUTSIDE! I’M UP HERE!”
That sounded like Blanca! I ran toward the tree where I thought I heard her calling, “MEOW! Blanca! Bl
anca! Are you here? Blanca?”
I stopped under the tree Blanca was in.
“Thisbe? Up here. I’m up here in the tree. Come on up. You can see so much.”
Relieved to find her, I quickly climbed up the tree to Blanca’s branch.
“Blanca, Ian is so upset and I know Ana will be too. We have to get home. Are you all right?”
Blanca laughed. “Sure, Thisbe, I’m fine. Look at all the houses around here. There are so many yards. Look!”
I glanced out over the neighborhood. “You’re right, Blanca. There are many more houses than at Belinda’s house. But there are also so many streets to cross. Look at all the cars. I hate cars, Blanca. Let’s try to get home.”
“But Thisbe, I want to explore some more. Let’s go over there. I see a lot of trees to climb. Oh look, a squirrel. Let’s go say hello.” Blanca scrambled down the tree. I followed. We both ran over to the squirrel.
Blanca cheerfully called out “Hi there squirrel! Do you have a name?”
The squirrel had his back to the voice. He turned to see who addressed him and faced two cats.
“Yikes!” He turned to run when I said, “No please wait. We won’t hurt you. Honest! We just want to talk to you for a minute.”
The squirrel stopped in his tracks and looked over his shoulder, “Yeah right…talk?”
I smiled, “Yes, that’s all. Do you have a name? I am Thisbe and this is my best friend Blanca. We escaped our house and are exploring our new neighborhood. Do you live here?”
The squirrel sat up on his haunches and looked at the pair of cats in front of him. “Are you two okay? Are you REALLY cats? What gives? Cats AND dogs chase squirrels. Sometimes they even catch us and put the hurt on us. You two want to TALK? Okay! I’ll stay here and you stay there and we’ll talk. You call yourself Tizbee and Blanca – why?”
I smiled “Human’s call us that. They call it a name. Do other squirrels call you something? I knew two squirrels who I named Jim and Joe and another squirrel that everyone called Stumpy.”
The little grey squirrel scratched his head. “Nope! I have no name and never listen to humans.”
I asked “May we name you…Speedy? You move so fast.”
Speedy looked quickly around. “Ah…sure…I guess. Yeah, call me Speedy. If that means I’m fast. I do move really fast! One has to around here.” His tail swished back and forth.
Blanca was eager to investigate the neighborhood. “Speedy, do you know the area? We want to explore some more.”
Speedy scratched his ear and said “Yeah, follow me…but not too close now.”
Blanca and I looked at each other and smiled. Blanca said “Cool, let’s go.”
We followed Speedy to the edge of the park. Beyond the park was a big field with tall stones, trees and flowers near the stones. It was very quiet. No people. There was so much room to run and play in there. Blanca ran up a tree. She saw the blue house that was now our new home. “Thisbe, I can see our house from here. We’re not too far from home. Let’s play then go home.”
I felt safe in this field. There were no cars and it was very quiet. “All right Blanca. Let’s stay here for a while but I’m getting hungry. We should go home soon.”
The three of us ran up and down trees and explored the field until it started to get dark.
I said “We better get home, Blanca. It’s getting dark. I don’t know what sort of creatures come out in the city at night but I don’t want to find out. I met a fox a few times and they’re scary. Come on let’s go home.”
“Oh Thisbe” whined Blanca “You are so old. Come on. There are no scary animals here at night. This is the city. Squirrels and birds – that’s it. Race you to that place over there. There is lots of food. I had some earlier. The food is in big metal cans. The human chased me out once. I found some meat in one of the cans. Come on!”
Blanca ran toward the food place but did not look as she bolted into the street. Before I could yell stop, a car hit her and threw her to the side of the street. She never even saw the car. I watched as she banged her face on the stone edge of the street and passed out. The car never stopped.
I was horrified. “OH NO! Blanca…BLANCA!” I quickly ran to her aid but Blanca was just laying there with her eyes closed. I gently pulled her by the back of her neck and got her up out of the street onto the sidewalk. Speedy ran over to help.
“Oh man, I’ve seen other squirrels get killed by those things. Is she okay? Is she dead?”
I saw red liquid dripping out of Blanca’s mouth. “Oh that looks bad. Blanca, please open your eyes. PLEASE! Speedy, can you help me pull her to the grass over here. This ground is hard and cold.”
Speedy and I slowly pulled the unconscious Blanca to a patch of soft green grass. The red liquid was still coming out of her mouth and her pink nose was scratched raw. She seemed to be shaking from head to toe.
“Speedy, what am I to do? Ana can fix her but how am I going to get her home?”
The little squirrel shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. I don’t know if the other squirrels will help or not but I do know you have to stay here for now. It’s quiet and safe. Try to pull her toward the house. It might be warmer. Here, let me help.”
We slowly dragged Blanca toward the front porch of the house. I stretched out on top of Blanca to try to keep her warm.
“I guess we’ll have to stay here for a little while until Blanca wakes up. I’ll try to keep her warm. She is shaking so much. Thank you Speedy for all your help.”
“Hey, I’ll come back later and see if you are okay. Take care, Thisbe.”
“Thank you, Speedy. We’ll be right here.”
The squirrel ran off. I wrapped my front paws around Blanca’s neck trying to make her stop shaking. Oh Blanca, why did you run into the street? Please don’t die. I couldn’t bear it if you did. Please get better so we can go home. Oh Ian and Ana must be so upset.
“Belinda? Arturo? Please help us get home. Mama, I know you are watching me. Please help Blanca wake up. I never want to leave my home or yard ever again. I’m getting too old for all this excitement. Belinda? Arturo? Please come and help us.” I was crying now, holding onto Blanca. The big white cat was half red and pink but fortunately the red liquid had stopped coming out of her mouth. Blanca was still shaking and quiet. Eventually I fell asleep.
I woke up to warm sunshine pouring down on Blanca and me. Suddenly Blanca began to stir.
“Oh…my head…my mouth hurts…oh….”
I jumped to life. “Blanca, you’re alive! Oh Blanca, I love you, can you get up? Let’s try to go home. You’re hurt. Ana can take you to the vets. Come on, try to get up and walk.”
Groggy, disoriented and in much pain, Blanca just moaned.
I tried to coax her one more time. “Come on Blanca, we’re not too far from home. Please try.”
Blanca moaned and fell back asleep shivering. I sighed and wrapped my body around Blanca grateful for the warm sunshine. As the sun moved high in the sky, Speedy came by to check on us.
“You two haven’t moved. Is she dead?”
I woke up. My stomach was growling I was so hungry.
“No Speedy but she is badly hurt and needs to go to a vet. That’s a human that makes you better if you are sick. She woke up for a bit but then went back to sleep. I’m so hungry.”
“Well…I have some nuts stashed somewhere. Do cats eat nuts?”
I smiled. At this point I would eat rocks. “I don’t think I ever ate one but may I try one to see if I can eat it?”
Speedy said “Sure…if I can find them. Don’t go away. I’ll be back.”
The afternoon waned and dusk set in. No human ever walked by and the house we were near seemed very quiet. Perhaps no one lived there. I sighed, “Oh it’s getting dark again. Blanca is still sleeping and Speedy never came back with any nuts. I’m so hungry.” Suddenly I felt a chilly breeze. Belinda was there.
“Oh Belinda, I’m so happy to see you! Look, Blanca is hurt, I’m so
hungry and I don’t know how I am going to get her home. Can you help us? Please?”
“Well, my love, there is not much that I can do physically from this place but I can guide you home if we can wake up Blanca. The poor dear, she banged her face pretty hard. See if you can wake her up and get her to walk a bit. I will guide you home.”
I began to poke her. “Blanca, wake up. Please wake up, Belinda is here and she will take us home. Please WAKE UP!”
Blanca mumbled something and slowly opened her eyes. “Thisbe? Is that you? I’m so cold and my head hurts so much. Are we home?”
“No, Blanca but Belinda is here to help us get home if you can walk. Can you get up? Come on and try.”
Blanca tried to get to her feet but stumbled. “Thisbe, everything is going around and around. My head hurts so much.” She collapsed on her side.
“Blanca, please get up. Come on, I’ll help you.” I leaned my small body into Blanca’s back to try to help her stand. Blanca tried again. This time she made it to her feet. Her legs were very wobbly but she took a few steps.
“I think I can do it, Thisbe, if you help me.” Blanca slowly began to walk with me at her side.
“That’s it, Blanca, you can do it. Belinda? Are you here?”
Belinda appeared in front of us. “Come my loves, your home is this way.”
With Belinda guiding us through the yards of the neighborhood, we arrived at the back fence of our yard. One of the wooden panels had a hole big enough for a large cat to squeeze through. Blanca was able to get her sore body through the hole then collapsed on the ground.
“I can’t go any further, Thisbe.” Blanca passed out again.
I looked up to Belinda. “Thank you so much Belinda. I don’t know how we could have done it without you.”
“You are welcome, my sweet. Your Mama has something to say to you…yes…yes…okay. She says that you were very brave to go and look for Blanca. She knows how terrified you are of the city and cars. She’s very proud of you staying by your friend and helping her. You are a very good cat.”
I sighed “Thank you Mama but I only did what I thought was best. I could see Ian wasn’t going to find her. I felt I could. I’m glad I did because I fear Blanca would be with you now if I wasn’t there to help her. I love you Mama.”
Belinda said “Now, Thisbe, you must go and alert Ana and Ian. Let them know you are home. It’s very late. They might be asleep. I will see if I can somehow alert them also.”
I ran up to the living room windows and called as loud as I could. “MEOW! MEOW! ANA! IAN! WE’RE HOME! MEOW!”
Suddenly a large black and white tom cat appeared. I saw him and said, “What are you doing here in my yard?”
“YOUR yard? All the area cats visit this place once in a while. You’re a pretty one.”
I hissed “Go away! I have to get my humans here to help me with my friend. Leave!” I hissed again.
The larger cat laughed “Pretty tough for a tiny one, eh? I think I can take you.” He then let out a loud hiss and a growl.
Suddenly the back yard light came on. The tom cat turned and ran. “I don’t like humans. They’re coming out.”
I ran to the back door. “MEOW! Ana? We’re home! Please come and let us in.”
Ian must have heard the sound of two cats fighting just outside the living room window. He turned on the back light. He ran out the door as the big tom cat ran off hissing.
“Thisbe, is that you? Is Blanca with you?”
I hopped about his feet then ran to where Blanca collapsed. “Meow! She’s over here, Ian. She’s hurt. Come and get her. Meow.”
Ian followed me and found Blanca, all pink and red and covered in dirt.
“Blanca! Oh no, what happened to you? Come here baby, let me take you inside.”
Ian bent down to pick her up and she hissed at him. “Who are you? Leave me alone! Go away! HISSS”
Ian backed off. “Whoa, what has happened to you? It is you, Blanca, yes? Oh no! You’re injured. Here, let me look at you. I just want to help.”
He bent down to examine the cat but she backed further away hissing angrily.
“Who are you? Go away…go away…leave me alone…I hurt.”
He went back into the house and brought out a bowl of water and a clean towel. He began to wipe her face. She tried to push his hand away but the warm water must have felt good on her sore face.
“Blanca, you are hurt. I need to bring you inside. Come on sweetie.”
I assured her, “Blanca, it’s Ian and he wants to help you. He won’t hurt you.
She moaned. She allowed Ian to pick her up and bring her in the house. He placed her on a towel on the living room rug. I was close behind.
“Meow…Blanca you’re going to be alright. We’re home now. Ana and Ian will take care of everything.”
Ian went into the bedroom to wake Ana. I heard him say, “Ana, baby, wake up, the cats are home.”
Instantly, I heard Ana say, “Where are they? Are they okay? Where are my babies?”
I was eagerly gobbling down some food as Ana ran out of the bedroom. She first saw the injured Blanca on the towel in the living room. “Oh no, Blanca is hurt. Is Thisbe alright? Where is she?”
Ian replied “She’s devouring food. She’s fine.” Watching Ana examine Blanca, Ian continued, “It looks like her mouth. I cleaned it up a bit but she won’t let me near her.”
Blanca growled a bit but let Ana clean her mouth. “The poor thing, she’s lost some teeth. I wonder if she got hit by a car. Thisbe? Where’s my baby?”
I wandered out to Ana. I purred and rubbed up against Ana, “Meow. We’re home Ana. We are so sorry. We’ll never do this again. I love my house. Meow. I want to stay right here.”
Ana gently picked me up and hugged me “Oh baby, I was so upset you both left. It’s too late to get to the vets right now but first thing in the morning I am getting both of you there for a check-up. Come here and let me clean you up with a warm washcloth. I know you hate to get wet but you are filthy. Ian, why don’t you see if you can wipe down Blanca with a warm washcloth and check for any other injuries, okay?”
After cleaning me with a warm cloth and wrapping me in a warm, dry, towel, I was placed on the bed to sleep with Ana. Blanca had passed out in the living room. Ian slept on the sofa to watch over her.
In the morning Ana brought both of us to the vets. Soon we returned home. Ana placed our carriers in the dining room. She let me out but kept Blanca in hers.
“Ian? I’m back? Are you home?” She went into the bedroom. “Hmm…sleeping? You were up most of the night with Blanca. What a guy! Okay, Blanca, let’s go make you comfortable.”
She brought Blanca down to the basement sewing room where it was cool, quiet and close to the litter box. She made a bed for Blanca on the large, soft, green chair Blanca and I liked to lay on when Ana was in her sewing room. She then went upstairs to the kitchen to get Blanca’s water and food bowls. Blanca was groggy from the medicine the vet gave to her.
Ana returned with the food bowls. She placed them on the floor near the chair. Caressing Blanca’s head, she soothingly said “Okay, Blanca, just sleep. I’ll check on you in a little while. I’m so happy you’re home. Thisbe, you can watch over your sister. I’m going to have some breakfast. ” She gently kissed Blanca on her head and went upstairs.
After Ana left, I placed my front paws up on the chair seat and whispered, “Blanca, are you all right?”
Blanca slowly opened her eyes slightly and squinted at me.
“Hello…Thisbe? Thisbe, is that you? There are two of you. I want to sleep now. My head really hurts. I’ll talk… late…” Blanca fell back asleep.
I never left Blanca’s side. I carefully climbed up on the big chair and curled up in a tiny ball behind her and stayed all day long. That evening Blanca finally woke up.
When I felt Blanca stirring, I said, “Hello Blanca. Are you feeling better?”
“Hi Thisbe, yes, a little better but
my teeth hurt. I’m hungry.”
“Ana put some soft food in a bowl. Do you think you can eat it?”
“I don’t know. Let me try.” Slowly she uncurled her aching body and slid off the chair.
She stretched and exclaimed “Oh my whole body hurts”. She toddled over to her food bowl and nibbled a few bites but the pain was intense.
“OW…my mouth hurts so much.”
Ana came down to check on Blanca. “How’s my Blanca? Can you eat? Let me check your mouth.”
She sat down on the floor next to Blanca and examined the injuries.
“Your mouth is going to be a sore for a few days. I have some antibiotics to give you for the next week or so. You lost some teeth and are very lucky you didn’t break your face. The vet said you looked like you may have been hit by a car. I’m just glad you girls found your way back home. Thisbe, are you keeping your sister company? All right, I’ll leave you two to hang out here. I’ll bring some warm chicken broth down so you can drink it. It might be easier than trying to eat solid food.”
Ana then went upstairs to fetch Blanca’s dinner.
Blanca turned to me, “Everything hurts. Oh, I’m so sleepy.” She closed her eyes.
I whispered, “Go to sleep, Blanca, you’ll be better soon. Ana will take care of you.”
I was so upset that Blanca was in pain. I’m so glad she wasn’t killed by that car. I want to do something for her. Maybe if I brought my black, furry rug down here, Blanca would have something soft and comfortable to lie on. She can hardly move and getting back in the chair will be too much. She can lie on the rug. It will be warm and comfy. I ran upstairs and began to drag the rug towards the basement stairs. Ana noticed me struggling with the rug.
Ana picked up the rug, “What are you doing? Are you trying to bring this down to Blanca? Come on, we’ll take it down together.” She carried the rug down to the basement sewing room, placed it on the floor on top of an old pillow and made a comfy bed for Blanca. She picked up Blanca and placed her on the bed. Blanca opened her eyes for a moment then went back to sleep. I curled up next to her. I’m happy to make Blanca comfortable. I want her to get better soon. Thank you Ana.
Blanca healed slowly. She had lost her bottom front teeth. By the end of the second week, she was feeling much better. She still slept on the black, furry rug in the basement every night because it was easier to access the litter box as she was still experiencing pain in her back legs. I joined Blanca to make sure she wouldn’t sleep alone.
One night before we both fell asleep, Blanca turned to me and said, “You know, Thisbe, I think I just want to stay in my own back yard. I don’t like the city. There are too many cars and …well, I just want to stay home.”
I replied, “When I lived in a city, I never went out unless I was with Ana. She would bring me to the park but I had to be on a leash. I always sat on my window sill and looked out onto the street. There were so many cars on the road. On the first night Ana took me away from my Mama and brought me to her apartment a car almost hit Ana. I jumped out of her arms and ran. I was so scared. It was very noisy. I ran and hid in a small bush but then there was a huge dog that was trying to eat me. Ana scared him away. I wasn’t even a year old then.”
Blanca looked at me in awe. “Wow that sounds scary! You never told me that Thisbe.”
I laughed. “Oh there are lots of stories I haven’t told you, Blanca. Did I ever tell you I had a few pigeons for friends? They would sit on my window ledge and talk to me every day. When I went to the park, they would meet me there. It helped the loneliness of living in the apartment. Ana wasn’t home all the time.”
“Well, Thisbe, we’ll always be here together. We won’t be lonely because we have each other.”
I knew I would not live forever but I didn’t want to upset Blanca so I smiled and said, “You bet Blanca.”
The rest of the year progressed quickly for us all. The yearend holidays flew by. The winter months were cold and snowy. Blanca and I spent many days sleeping and talking of days past.
Spring arrived later than usual but Ana begun prepping the garden early by starting the seedlings in the house. Not to forget her cats, she planted a lot of catnip for us.
The windows in the living room were always filled with sunshine. The holes in the back yard fence had been repaired so Blanca was able to wander about the yard. She never attempted to climb out or run away. I settled into my senior years with long naps in the warm sunshine.
The end of that summer, I celebrated my eighteenth birthday. In the kitchen, Ana was making my favorite tuna cake. I woke up later than usual to the wonderful aroma of tuna. Hmm, it’s late summer…the house smells like tuna…it must be my birthday! I slid gently off the bed and started for the kitchen. Blanca met me at the bedroom door.
“Happy birthday Thisbe! It smells wonderful! Ana is making a something special for you.”
“Thank you, Blanca. I wonder if Duchess is going to come over today. If we are having a party, usually Peter comes by with Duchess. I miss her. I haven’t seen her in a long time.”
I made my way into the kitchen. Ana saw me come around the corner.
“Happy birthday, Thisbe. I made your favorite tuna cake. Peter called and said he is not able to come for the party. So I guess you won’t see Duchess here either. It’s just going to be a family party this year. I hope you don’t mind.”
Ana and Ian had a small celebration for me. I wasn’t interested in toys anymore but Blanca brought her favorite ball toy over to me.
“Here Thisbe, I noticed you didn’t get any toys this year so you can play with one of mine, if you like.”
I smiled, “Thank-you Blanca. That’s very sweet of you. Come here and I’ll tell you about a party I had when I was younger.”