There's this cat that hangs around outside the apartments. All white, except for a dark paw. I'm not sure if there's even an owner, people who live here just feed him whenever. He's pretty thin though.
I was on my way to a lecture, closing the heavy gate that leads into the carpark and the back entrance to the rooms, when I saw him loitering just beyond it. The gate's just bars, so it's not like he couldn't slip through, but there he was, sat forlorn, as if he couldn't get in. As I turned from the gate to smile at him, he lifted his tail up and brushed against my ankle. I've known him a while, so he's used to me.
When I bent to scratch behind his ears I saw the feet of a girl about my age stop by the cat. At first I thought she wanted to get past and into the apartments, but then I looked up and didn't recognise her.
"What's his name?"
I stood up.
"I don't actually know, but he lives around here."
"Like you?"
"Yeah."
She leant down, reaching out to him. Her hand froze. "He doesn't bite, does he?"
"Hah, he does actually, but his teeth just kind of hold your hand in them. He doesn't press in his teeth. And if he swipes at you he keeps his claws in."
She flashed a grin. "If he scratches me I'll do the same to you." She reached out, and the cat let her run her fingers down his spine. When she smiled, her lips drew back and showed gums. Her teeth were white. Her skin dark with the warmth of another day's sun. Perhaps another life's sun, an ancestor's sun. Her eyes, I'm sure, illuminated the most profound caverns.
She rose, and I saw for the first time the silent friend with her. She smiled again, leaning on his shoulder, entwining her arm about him. They walked off, and she turned briefly to wave goodbye to me.
When I finally looked back down, the cat was gone, and the gate had shut.
No comments:
Post a Comment