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
