My Beloved 1993-2009

I was six years old, almost seven, when I first met her. My father brought her home, barely two-weeks old and sick as could be, the cutest little kitten-- to me. She had the strangest coloring, mostly grey with bits of brown and highlights of white, namely around her eyes.

We, my siblings and I, weren't allowed to pet her, or be near her-- because she was sick. Our parents put her in their bathroom bathtub with a full setup of necessities and towels to keep her comfortable. I, of course, didn't listen. I may not remember much of my childhood, but I'll never forget that instant pull of unyielding compassion, even if I was too young then to understand what it was.

At the time, I couldn't stand the thought of her being alone, so tiny in that relatively big tub. I risked punishment and snuck in every chance I got, just to sit there with her, pet her over the edge of the tub, sometimes play with her when she was up for it. Unknowingly bonding her to me, and I to her.

My father intended her to be his cat, naming her Smokey-- I hated that name, though in time it didn't matter. As she got better and strong enough to walk around the house, my father knew whose cat she was. There was little mistaking the way she followed me, or came to sit in my lap to sleep while we watched a family movie.

What started as an act of compassion, turned into a lasting companionship. My first love. I called her Mokey, so everyone else did too. We laughed, explored and played together. I also cried into her fur and comforting pur more times than I can remember. She moved around the Florida coast with me through my teenage years, and slept on my shoulder as I hit my twenties and settled down a little more.

She was sixteen years old when she died. Even to this day, my companion for more than half my life. There was nothing I wouldn't do for her, no one I wouldn't chastise for even suggesting her strange coloring was ugly. She was my Mokey. My baby. My Chunky-Funky-Spunky-Monkey. "Little-alien-Monkey" which had to be said in a rapid tempo of loving humor.

Monkey. My Beloved. 1993-2009 ~ engraved upon the vile of her ashes I still wear around my neck, so I'll never forget the first one to teach me unconditional love. Oh the stories we shared.

|| another-proser ||