Children of Bast (7 page)

He smiled and stared at me with his single eye, the other milked over from blindness. It was a gift from a raccoon he’d foolishly challenged when he was young and more full of cockiness than brains. But even with one eye he could impale you with a glare.

“You really ate the raccoon that got you?”

“Every last morsel.”

“I find that hard to believe: a whole raccoon?”

“Believe what you want.”

He crawled out from under the building and stretched. In the growing light I saw he was still an imposing amait. When I met him I was impressed by his size, towering over Adele and me. Now in his twilight, he remained splendid.

Down one side from neck to the flank was a scar, which rippled through his faraawi like a snake. Across his eyes was the scar that took his eye.

One of his ears looked like fringe and he limped slightly, favoring his left side. But with all his battle scars and despite his age, he still looked capable of taking care of himself. His wild look, I’m positive, caused other amai that didn’t know him to walk a wide circle instead of challenging him. Inside his ravaged body was trapped a robust, young tom.

“Hungry?” Chubby asked without looking at me.

“I could eat. More Smokey’s?”

“Nah. Something almost as good. Come on.”

I followed him about a block to a house set way back from the street.

“Wait here,” he said, “I’ll call you over when it’s time.”

He sauntered slowly to the house, jumped up with great effort to the banister and started a loud meow. Wasn’t long until the door opened and a mollie bašar came out with a bowl of food. She reached out to Chubby, rubbed his back, fondled his ears and said something I couldn’t hear.

She set the bowl on the porch and went inside. Chubby waited a minute, jumped down and started eating. After a couple of bites, he looked my way and gestured with a flick of his head that I should come over. I love rats and mice and birds, but it was scrumptious food, the kind I ate once: real meat with gravy. We took our time, ate slowly, talked, groomed, and then trotted back to his place.

“You’re tired now, Old Tom,” I said as I licked his face and ears.

“I’ll give you about three days to quit that, but only three days.” Chubby had a purr that rumbled.

“You want to rest for a while,” I asked. “I could come back later.”

“No. I’ll be fine. I want to know where you went and why you broke Adele’s heart. I’m old, Gaylord, and might die before you get back, or you might get killed crossing a street. Now is the time.” He settled in his spot and waited.

I took care of a flea that gnawed near my bax, and then balled up facing Chubby with my tail wrapped around me.

“First, Chubby, old buddy, not disputing your word, I did break Adele’s heart but I came back.”

“You did, yes. But why’d you leave. She never talked about you after you left, didn’t mentioned your name. When I mentioned it, she’d leave.”

“I have to run through some history before I get to why I left and where I went. Have patience.” I took a deep breath and set the picture in my mind. “I have to say it was your fault.”

“What are talking about?”

“Hey, you’re an awesome amait. I left that night wanting to be just like you. You were the first amait I’d met with a past that sounded more like a movie than real life.”

“You’ve seen a movie?”

“Yeah. Friends and I snuck into a movie place a few times and watched. Funny stuff. Showed bašar whacking each other on the head, shooting each other, screaming and cussing. You think bašar really do that?”

“Probably, but that’s not your point. I think it had to do with me, somehow.”

“Well, it did. I admired you. Regarded you as a real amait, not pampered like I was, or soft like Adele.”

“Hey, Adele wasn’t soft. She coulda whipped you any time. And what’s with the real amait business? Did that mean you were unreal?”

“Yeah, I was unreal. I was an amait, but I didn’t know what that meant until I met you. Do you understand what I mean, Chubby?”

Both disgust and flattery tinged his voice. “I guess. Just keep talking.”

“I know Adele was tough. I’ve already said that, but she was still soft in ways. Like for example, she couldn’t hunt. She told me that. She hated mice, except those little ones you gave her, which, by the way, are delicious; I’ve had many. All Adele wanted was what she scrounged from dumpsters. I don’t see you like that.”

“I come from another generation. Adele was young, and she’d been a house amait and was exposed to things I didn’t understand and didn’t want to understand. I was born and raised here and I never wanted it any different.”

“I understand. Anyway, getting back to why it was your fault I left, the night after Adele dropped my name, Gaylord, by accident, and you cracked up like some wacko, I told her the impression you made on me, and how I wanted to be a real amait, like you.”

“I remember. She called you Geives.” He licked between the toes of a paw. “Gaylord, I’m sorry I acted like a nitwit about your name, and I admit I’m tickled you wanna be like me, even though you’re far more than I was. But all you thought about was you, Gaylord, and never thought of what you were doing to Adele.” He sighed and laid his head on his paws.

“You’re so right, Chubby. You’re so very right. But let me finish my tale before you judge me.”

Chapter 6

I rarely meddled in the cat’s personal affairs and she rarely meddled in mine. Neither of us was foolish enough to attribute human emotions to our pets
. Kinky Friedman

The next few days were wild because Adele took me everywhere and introduced me to some fascinating amait, friends of hers, mostly, but I think a couple of the toms had been more.

There was Tarif who lived on top of what Adele said was an electrical box. You know Tarif. Never learned what that box was for, but above it was a platform that shielded him from the rain. Tarif was an orange tabby with short faraawi and a thin tail, skinny but muscular. Except for his face, which had lots of white hair, he seemed ageless. He spoke with a lisp.

After being introduced, I asked him, “Tarif, what do you do in winter? Aren’t you cold up there?”

“Not too bad,” he said. “This boxth ith warm. When it getths really cold, I thneak in with Adele.”

“Sounds good to me. I’ll start hoping for a brutal winter,” I said. Adele cuffed me.

“Tarif got smashed by a garbage truck while you were gone,” Chubby said.

“Aw! I’m sorry to hear that. He was a good guy.”

“It happens.”

Anyway, at a turn in the alley was a grate that led to a basement. Adele guided me into it, and called, “Hey, Treise, it’s Adele. You here?”

Out of the shadows came a beautiful rust-colored queen followed by five lively kiths, all attempting to nurse her at once. She kept moving and pushing them away, and their yowling caused the air to vibrate.

“Treise, don’t you have those little demons weaned yet?”

“They’re the most stubborn bunch I ever had. Reminds me of their father who was always wanting to suck on something.” She batted a tiny white and gray off. “Who’s your friend?”

“This is Gaylord, and no smart remarks about his name.”

“Which one? Gay or Lord?” Treise said and began to laugh.

“I’ll bite your tail,” Adele said.

“Okay, Gaylord.” She dropped to the floor and immediately the kiths pounced on her and began to nurse, which she ignored because she was laughing so hard. Adele slipped over and bit her tail, which made Treise laugh even more.

“I am so happy to make your acquaintance and your day,” I shouted over the din. “Happy are we who can convulse strangers with laughter.”

“Sorry. It just hit me as funny, Gaylord.” She laughed some more but soon stopped when she realized the kiths had latched on for dear life. “Get away,” she yelled at them. “Get away!” She pushed them away, got up and ran. They followed, yowling at the tops of their lungs. “Forgive me, Gaylord. I didn’t mean to be rude.”

“It’s okay,” I said. “Chubby had a laugh about my name, too.”

“Oh, you’ve met Chubby?”

“One of the first I introduced him to,” Adele said.

“We’re all in love with Chubby,” Treise said, fighting off her kiths. “The toms respect him, but we adore him.”

“Yeah, well, he is very impressive,” I said.

“Listen, Treise, we’re going. I have some others I want Gaylord to meet, and you’ve got your paws full. Later.”

“Nice meeting you,” I said.

“Me, too. I apologize again for my rudeness.”

“Forget it,” I said as Adele and I ducked out into the alley. “She’s a character,” I added when we got outside.

“She’s one great queen. Does things with her kiths I would never do. I wean mine by just leaving them. I move to the other side of the neighborhood and let them fend for themselves.”

“You don’t teach them how to survive?”

“I’m a very bad maama.” She sprinted off ahead of me.

Well, she was honest, a bad maama by admission, but honest. I was sure I didn’t like her idea of being a maama, but her beauty and her personality made me feel warm all over and drew me to her. I vowed to have a conversation with her about it when time was right.

~ ~ ~ ~

“It’s true she was not much of a maama,” Chubby said. “But a mollie as beautiful as Adele didn’t need a passel of kiths eating on her.”

“Then why have them? Amai are judged on how well queens take care of their kiths. It was the one aspect of Adele’s personality I hated.”

“Go on. Let’s not get in a fight.”

I yawned and stretched, circled and flopped down.

~ ~ ~ ~

“Let’s go down by the fountain,” Adele said, turning back to look at me while she ran.

“The fountain?”

“Not far. It’s in the rose garden.” She slowed so I could catch up. “A big old fountain that sprays water and makes a delightful mist. Just enough to bathe in without getting soaked. Chad lives there.”

“Chad?”

“Yeah, another friend. Weirdest amait you’ll ever know.”

“Why weird?”

“Wait and see.”

I was stunned when we got to the fountain to see a splotchy amait swimming. Amai can swim, my maama told me, but only to avoid drowning. Evidently, this one swam because he liked it.

Adele perched on the rim of the fountain and called out, “Chad. It’s Adele.”

“Hello, gorgeous. Come on in. The water’s delicious.”

“No way, Water Rat. How ‘bout you getting out? Got someone for you to meet.”

“Be right there.” He disappeared around the fountain. A moment later I heard him slopping and dripping his way toward us.

“Aren’t you going to shake off?” Adele asked.

“And spoil a good soak? Why amai avoid water I will never understand.”

“Chad, meet Gaylord, and one stupid remark about his name and I’ll drown you.”

“That means you’d have to jump in with me.” He looked at me. “Gaylord, it’s a pleasure.” He pushed my head and licked my ear, and soaked my face.

Still astounded by an amait that liked to swim, I managed to mutter, “Uh, well, hi, how do?”

“Wet and loving it. But, I guess I’ll shake to please Adele.”

“Thanks,” she said.

He walked away few paces and shook himself. Water flew everywhere, including on us. I began to lick myself dry, but Adele just sat and glowered at him.

After I dried, I asked, “You really like to swim?”

He stretched before walking back to us. “Oh, it’s my passion. I used to be a house amait until I ran away, which is altogether too long a story, but my bašar had kids. They loved to swim, and one day when I was barely off my maama, they threw me into their pool. I thought my maama would die right there, until I swam to the side, jumped out and let her lick me dry. But I felt great. The feel of the water on my skin and faraawi turned me on. So, I jumped back in and paddled around as my maama yowled her head off. Spent the whole day in there playing with the kids and having the best time I could remember. Maama eventually calmed down and concluded she had a crazy son who liked to swim. End of story.”

“Well, she was right; you are crazy,” Adele said.

“I prefer eccentric.”

“No. You got to be a pure blood to be eccentric. You’re all alley, Chad, and you’re crazy.”

“Have it your way, Sweet Thing. Hey, when do you come in?”

“Three weeks. Why?’

“I wanna be first.” He started licking her face and ears. “First, my ragdoll, before the other toms mess you up.”

She pushed him away. “Forget it, Fish Brain. I wouldn’t have your kiths for all the treasures in the world. They’d be water rats like you, and, I am not a ragdoll; I’m Abyssinian.”

“You’re a common tease,” Chad said, “but I love you.” He turned to me. “Gaylord. I like your name. Gaylord is a special name with bašar, you know?”

“I didn’t know. What’s so special?”