I was staring out the window of the 160, on my way to pick up Aidan from school, longing for my cat in Portland, Steve Zissou. I miss him so much, sometimes it hurts. I know he misses me too.
On the way home I mentioned my yearning to Aidan, who also misses our big, black feline. Both of us were starved of cat love. We love our Cosmo dearly, but the dearth of meows, purrs, friendly rubs on our legs was starting to make us very sad.
Our animal friends are not mere pets, they are our familiars.
After Aidan and I left the bus and began the short walk toward our flat, we were shocked and amazed to be greeted by, of all creatures, one of our neighbor's many cats. We had yet to meet a cat here in Budapest that was not terrified of strange humans. Even our other neighbor's cat, Bono, is just now starting to accept our presence and has bestowed upon us the privilege of stroking his orange fur for a few seconds.
This new cat, however, ran up to us as if she had been waiting for us. She is a small, white cat, still very young, with golden eyes. ...to us, a little angel. We sat down on the sidewalk and for about a half hour, this little creature took turns snuggling on our laps, enjoying our affection. It almost brought me to tears. We named her Attila....I have no idea what her humans call her.
Later on, Aidan and I went into the blocks to do some shopping. The blocks always offer, for me, new and wonderful surprises. A new bakery here, a sweet little fruit shop there. This time, we happened upon a pet store and we popped in to purchase some new toys for Cosmo. Upon entering the tiny establishment, already delighted by the sight of poofy guinea pigs and the sound of little birds whistling, we were thrilled to find a very fluffy bunny hopping around loose in the shop. Be still my heart.
Familiar Tuesday did take a dark turn. That evening, Aidan had gone outside and spotted Attila milling around outside the gate. We simply had to go see her again and we wanted Boone to meet her as well.
As Attila twirled around our ankles, we noticed a group of neighbors hovering over something. We soon recognized the form of a dog, panting painfully and drooling, laying on our street . She had been hit by a car on the main drag, Nád Utca, and the neighbors had carried her lovingly to a safe spot on our road, Ráby Mátyás Utca. A word about drivers in Budapest. They suck. They are rude. They drive much, much too fast. They take ridiculous risks with their own lives and others as well. And some asshole had smashed into this dog and sped off without stopping. We all stayed with the dog, taking turns petting her, trying to comfort her with soft words, until her owner could fetch a cart to take her away to a vet. We covered her in a ratty old sheet to keep her warm. In the end, it seems her injuries were not life threatening...no internal damage, no compoud fractures, just a busted up leg that will most likely heal in good time.
Here's to the animals...giving love unconditionally, taking punishment undeservedly. I love each and every one. x
Our animal friends are not mere pets, they are our familiars.
After Aidan and I left the bus and began the short walk toward our flat, we were shocked and amazed to be greeted by, of all creatures, one of our neighbor's many cats. We had yet to meet a cat here in Budapest that was not terrified of strange humans. Even our other neighbor's cat, Bono, is just now starting to accept our presence and has bestowed upon us the privilege of stroking his orange fur for a few seconds.
This new cat, however, ran up to us as if she had been waiting for us. She is a small, white cat, still very young, with golden eyes. ...to us, a little angel. We sat down on the sidewalk and for about a half hour, this little creature took turns snuggling on our laps, enjoying our affection. It almost brought me to tears. We named her Attila....I have no idea what her humans call her.
Later on, Aidan and I went into the blocks to do some shopping. The blocks always offer, for me, new and wonderful surprises. A new bakery here, a sweet little fruit shop there. This time, we happened upon a pet store and we popped in to purchase some new toys for Cosmo. Upon entering the tiny establishment, already delighted by the sight of poofy guinea pigs and the sound of little birds whistling, we were thrilled to find a very fluffy bunny hopping around loose in the shop. Be still my heart.
Familiar Tuesday did take a dark turn. That evening, Aidan had gone outside and spotted Attila milling around outside the gate. We simply had to go see her again and we wanted Boone to meet her as well.
As Attila twirled around our ankles, we noticed a group of neighbors hovering over something. We soon recognized the form of a dog, panting painfully and drooling, laying on our street . She had been hit by a car on the main drag, Nád Utca, and the neighbors had carried her lovingly to a safe spot on our road, Ráby Mátyás Utca. A word about drivers in Budapest. They suck. They are rude. They drive much, much too fast. They take ridiculous risks with their own lives and others as well. And some asshole had smashed into this dog and sped off without stopping. We all stayed with the dog, taking turns petting her, trying to comfort her with soft words, until her owner could fetch a cart to take her away to a vet. We covered her in a ratty old sheet to keep her warm. In the end, it seems her injuries were not life threatening...no internal damage, no compoud fractures, just a busted up leg that will most likely heal in good time.
Here's to the animals...giving love unconditionally, taking punishment undeservedly. I love each and every one. x
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| The Angel Attila |
