Grandma Roshni was very kind and raised some birds and animals. One day it was raining heavily and grandma was feeling very cold and feverish. She took some Tylenol and had warm coco milk and was resting on her couch watching the cartoons and other shows. Grandma's favorite was either roadshow or Sesame Street.
She liked the big bird most of all.
On that Friday morning Grandma was feeling rather tired and was taking an afternoon nap. The neighbors were moving that day and they had some cats. One of them was peach colored and the other was a dark brown one. Both were adorable. Every time grandma would sit in the backyard, Peach would come purring to feel her human touch.
On moving day the family left early. Grandma was reading a book, and she did not notice how much time she spent in reading the book. Suddenly from some where she heard a sound. A very feeble sound.
She heard that sound again. She called her neighbors but they already moved. Peach was calling out from the empty home.
Grandma Roshni kept water and some cookies outside, just in case peach may want to come in.
Grandma remembered the story of a young boy who later became a saint after watching something about a neighbor’s cat. Once there was this young boy who was youngest among the children in a place near Kanchipuram. At that time he was fondly called as Gini which means a young beautiful bird. Gini was seven when everyone in the neighbors left to visit some place. There were huge sounds coming out of the empty home all through the dark star-studded night. The sounds were so loud, the entire neighborhood flocked around to see if it was a thief. All kinds of sounds as if their were some metallic round thing was rolling around in the air and flying like a big football. All the time making rumbling noises. The people were thinking it may be an alien flying around in the home, until the neighbors returned. As soon as they opened the door, they went in and saw what caused the noise. It was a cat, that stuck it’s head in a container with small opening. Looked like the neighbors prepared some sweet rice product and left in a rush without cleaning the utensils. The cat liked the taste of the food and got into so much deep that it just could not pull itself out of the small opening at all.
This incident had so much impact on Gini that in his 90th year or so, when he told this for the first time, he had to stop and stare constantly into space before speaking further. He felt that, a man with his desire to excel and conquer everything gets deeper into the web of cycle of life and death, and can never come out of it or perform or seek anything that is parabrahma. This incident finds itself as the reason, why a less than 13 year old turned into Kanchi Paramacharya, who is also called as Periyava. It became popular after the grains got harvested, when people had more reason to celebrate and offered luxurious lifestyles and people were more into buying properties, or accumulating wealth and going away from the natural life that they were once so much into the nature of everything that was provided by nature, now even the sound of crickets they have to hear though electronic devices, and kids do not know how they even look like.
Sudden sound of soft purring brought her back into the reality and picked up Peach. She called the veterinarian and had Peach checked for microchips, Fortunately it had a phone number too. It was not possible to reach them immediately since it was a landlines. Most likely the landlines is not yet connected.
Day 1 after the cat was found : Grandma took Charge
Peach was very shy kitten. It did not venture out into the open or near the swimming pool. It had to stay indoors and a litter box and bowl for food and water needed to be bought. She ordered Friskies from Petco that delivered some cat food.
Peach was a little dehydrated but Grandma’s cookies and water kept it from getting too much starved. Grandma’s home provided shelter and warmth as well as some nourishment, more so to the soul with Grandma’s soft talk.
Day 2: Grandma still in charge
That morning Grandma got up early, gave some milk and snacks to Peach and Grandma loved to make strawberry shortcakes. That afternoon, neighbors visited one at a time all day long to enquire Grandma if Peach’s family contacted them.
Alice said she could watch her until Grandma was free and she also said that she is missing Vivek, as they were good friends and played digital games regularly. They also played Chess over their computer and each of them want to beat the other. Everybody enjoyed the shortbread cakes as well as grandma’s very own soup with salad from the backyard. Grandma had grown a wide varieties of legumes and green onions and amaranth that her soup smell may have caused one to write the soup song. The flop song.. For the soup boyesss!!! Peach was tired by the end of the day playing with wool and other things and no kitty toys with Grandma.
Day 3: Grandma took Vivek’s number from Alice
The blue curtains in the kitchen area attracted Peach very much. Grandma with her love towards needle work made lovely borders on each side of the double doors curtains. She also attached small bells that only sounded if someone touched them or brushed past. Peach was excited to play with curtains and make sounds. She also enjoyed pulling the strings off the wool balls waiting to be made into crochet Afghans. Through the windows Peach was looking at the birds outside for sometime. Grandma Roshni wanted to let her out but Peach was an indoors cat. Indoors cats usually small kitten, hesitate to play alone oin the backyard.
Little later in the afternoon Vivek called back. That morning Vivek went to High School and was not available. Lilly, Alice’s sister picked up the phone. Alice texted Vivek, and told that their cat is now at Grandma’s home and in three days time it had to be shipped or will have to go to a shelter.
Day 4: Vivek’s mom gave Grandma their new landline number
Grandma was only getting to thank Lord more and more since she got not only the phone number from Vivek’s mom but also their home address and other contacts.
Grandma called the pet transport people and promptly they sent a car with a driver and caretaker, as well as a new shining crate for the kitty with softly cushioned bed and a rolling ball that sounds and other trinkets and snacks and drinks as well as a warm cuddly blanket made of rabbit wool. They have volunteers who make packages for transport and every kitty gets their own goody bags. Although no bag is allowed with the passenger.
Finally kitty was sleeping when they took her in an four door sedan.
Day 5 Kitty reached home safe; Vivek mom took charge of Peach again.
After the restful day at their new home Peach’s mom or human called Grandma. She was very grateful that they recovered their precious one in good health.
Peach was all peachy and was in charge of her favorite activities with her favorite toys. Coco was too happy to see her mate. Grandpa Rom could not be more happy to see grandma sit back in her armchair reading Independence a novel by Chitra Divakaruni
*Soup Song link:
https://youtu.be/Cd77LenKLHg?si=f6UrHO2LqQ2DScVx
