When the time comes for me to cross over that lovely bridge to find my friends, whom I was so blessed, to have in my time here, there will be quite a few waiting there for me as in my life here many have shared my life and made it richer in so many ways.
One such cat was Squidgie. Not just a cat but my own baby brother.
Now one might ask how it is that I would think a cat could be like a brother. Well when you grow up an only child a cat sometimes can serve for just such a purpose.
You see Squidge and I grew up together. Discovered the wonders of the world together.
He came to me when I was about 9 years old. He was a little shrimp of a tiny kitten. Hence the name Squidge. He was solid black and had the most round curious eyes. Ready to learn new things. And he was so very playful.
We loved to run very fast together and slide across the slippery kitchen floor. He would chase me and wrap his paws around my legs. And I would tease him and rub is face which would get him riled up and he would then walk toward me slowly with that look like "I'm really going to get you now" look on his face. I would walk back wards and he towards me. Real slow. One time walking backwards I tripped over a foot stool and on to the floor my legs up and he jumped and bit me right on the behind the little devil. But he never bit hard. I only wish there had been the animal planet show then I may have got 100 bucks for that on vedio.
We would venture out into the back yard together. He wanted to do everything I did. He loved to go down the slide with me. The tire swing was a must for both of us. Not to mention all the bugs and flowers we discovered together.
We had a cabin in the mountains we would go to and of course he came along too. He loved to catch mice up there and one time he got stinkied up by a skunk. Poor baby. But he learned from that not to do it again.
Summers would end and it would be back to school for me. The first time after I got him that he had to be parted from me because of school I will never forget. We always slept together so we were rarely apart.
I gathered my things that morning. Lunch pale and books and what have you and started off out the door. He was watching me from the window. He ran to the back of the house where his little kitty door was, escaped through that and when I was half way to school I heard a little meow, looked down and there he was. He wanted to come too. But it could not be so I gathered him up and went back, rang the bell, mom opened the door and laughed. "No Squidgie you can't go to school too." She said and closed off his little door so he could not follow again.
But in time he learned exactly what time I would be home and he would be there waiting right at the door for me and then I would throw down my books and go for a kitchen floor slide with him and oh what times we would have!
He even liked it when I dressed him up in my doll clothes. He would sit on my lap and purr looking all dialed up in ribbons. I would get cardboard boxes and make him little houses with his name on them and windows and doors and every thing. He would lay on my lap while I read. He would watch TV with me. Any thing I did he wanted to do too.
Yes what times we had together.
Always it was like this with my Squidgie and me. But just like Puff the magic dragon who out lived his little boy so to do we grow and out live our little friends. I grew up. He watched me grow up. He was there for me when my mom died when I was 12. I could not have made it through that if it were not for my Squidgie.
It came time for me to leave home. I did and had a family of my own. But Squidgie being the cat that he was knew that my Daddy needed him to stay with him to keep him company so he did. But all the times I would come back for visits me and Squidgie would look at each other and remember all the good times we had. So many good fun times.
He was 19 years old the day Daddy called and said to me "Squidgie went out to his field and curled up and just went to sleep".
I cried hard. Then as I sat and thought. I pictured what he did the night he went out to his favorite field of flowers and what he saw there the last seconds of his life here on earth. As he gazed up at the stars in the night sky.
First he was remembering all the good times. The fun times we shared. He remembered his little houses I made for him and the slippery kitchen floor. The slide in the back yard. The cabin in the woods. All the things he, the only little brother I ever had, and I shared together.
Yes this is what he was thinking. When an angel came to him and said "come along now Squidgie. It's time to go on over the bridge. And don't worry. She'll be along too in time"
And then, yes what good times we'll have. All over again....
My baby brother and me.
Along with all the others who kept me company in the days of my life here and now keep him company there too. And they know each other and they say to each other...
"Yes I know her too. Just think what fun it will be when she comes."
Oh what fun good times we shall all have together. Here on the other side of rainbow bridge
(dedicated to the memory of Squidgie, friend and baby brother and to all my other furry little friends that have shared my life and made it so much better)
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