The Story of My Life

I want to tell you the story of my life. I was born in a barn at dawn. There were eight of us but I was the only one with spots. I was a calico cat. Soon people came to look at us and I was the first to be adopted. I came to live with an old lady in the city. It was a heritage building made into apartments, it was warm and cozy. There were many window ledges for me to look out and my old lady was very sweet. She gave me a bowl of milk every single day and she gave me lots of treats. Soon I grew into a very fat cat. The years passed quickly and we became best of friends. Talking and watching television and going for naps. One day we went for our afternoon nap, the day passed, the evening passed and the night passed. They found me beside her. She had gone to heaven. There was so much commotion that I ran away and went into the back of the bedroom closet. I stayed there a long, long time until I was being dragged out by my tail, I screeched and tried to scratch but I was put in a box. It was dark and I was so afraid. Time went by, tick, tick. Then a girl was peaking into the box at me. Hello pretty girl, she said. I heard people talking and they were telling her that if they could not find a home for me that I would be put to sleep. Hold on I wanted to say, I don't need any help sleeping. The girl had tears rolling down her cheeks. She had a sweet way and lifted me out of the box. Oh my, she said, you are a big girl. I was not a girl really, I was by this time an old cat, 14 years old in cat years. We sat on the sofa and I was being petted gently, I liked that, so I purred. Then, the girl said, I'll take her and that is when she became My Girl. My Girl lived in the same heritage building and her apartment was just down the hall. It was sunny and bright and had many windows also. I soon realized that I was not the only cat here. I was introduced to Violet Patches, also a calico cat, years younger than me. And I was told that I had a new name, it was Pearl Smudges. Don't laugh because it could have been Chocolate Peanut Butter Parfait! At first, I did not like Violet Patches but in no time we were friends. She was a very feisty cat, leaping and running all over the place. I was amazed how high she could jump. I could not jump because I was fat. At feeding time, a tablespoon of meat was put in my bowl and I gobbled it up. In a moment it was gone. I gave My Girl the look, you know the look but she only laughed. I went to check the bowl several times. Not until lunch, she said to me. Then we played, oh it was lovely, there were balls and fuzzy mice and this dangling thing that I loved. I knew I could hold onto it but it kept getting away. Violet Patches kept stealing the toys and I wanted to chase her, but I was getting tired, so I went for a nap on the bed where My Girl had put a cozy blanket for me. I soon fell asleep and I had dreams of the barn where I was born, I was kneading my blanket and drooling. I looked around but I was alone. The sun was shining in and I stayed there all day forgetting about food. Did I tell you I have no teeth. We settled into a happy family and the years passed. I liked the summer when My Girl would take us out in her small garden and we would sit in the sun. She had two chairs in the beginning but had to go get another for herself. She let us sniff the flowers and roll on her patch of green grass but she never took her eyes off us. She always kept us safe, she even put up a fence so Violet Patches could not run out. I would never run away, I was too happy to do that. We liked to sit on the window ledges and watch the birds and squirrels, the trees, the rain and the world passing.In the winter we tried to catch the snowflakes that hit the window. It was a nice life. I loved My Girl and Violet Patches so much, but things changed. Violet Patches got sick, real sick, she cried most of the time. My Girl was taking her to the doctor all the time and each time came home with a new medicine to try. Oh, how Violet Patches hated that medicine, she would run and hide. Often I wanted to stop My Girl but did not know how. Then, one morning My Girl got the cat carrier out, she put Violet Patches inside and left. When she came back the carrier was empty and My Girl was weeping and weeping. I knew then that my friend was gone. I wrapped myself in my blanket and stayed there for three days. I did not eat or drink. I heard My Girl talking and she was saying that maybe she was going to lose another cat. That day she came and sat on the bed beside me. She said, Pearl Smudges I need to talk to you. You need to stop this, you need to come off this bed and eat something, so come on, come on. She left the room. I thought about that for a moment then decided that My Girl needed me. It has been several weeks now since that sad day and we have settled into a routine, we get up and have breakfast. I have discovered that I like tea. My Girl caught me with my tongue in her cup so she now gives me a saucer of tea. I have lost weight and eat good food but not junk. We play a lot with all my toys. When My Girl leaves for work I go back to my blanket, the sun comes shining in and I roll and roll, it is so lovely. Slowly, I am coming to terms with the loss of my cat friend and I am determined to be the best cat in the world for My Girl who saved me from being put to sleep, forever. I am not sure how much time I have left, myself, for I am a very, very old girl. _______________________ April 16, 2015 Poetry/Prose/Personification/The Story of My Life Copyright Protected, ID 15-663-518-0 All Rights Reserved. Written under Pseudonym Entered in, Million Dollar Poem Contest, sponsor, Poet Destroyer Third Place ___________________________ Update: Pearl Smudges passed away in June of 2017, she was twenty years old, I did not have to put her to sleep as she died in my arms with a sigh. I will never forget her -My Girl