Jakita Introduces Paddy

It is a ritual.  Every night after  supper, it is outside time for me.  Once I come back in,  Momma cleans and cleans my paws and tail and belly and back and head, with baby wipes, then rubs me down with a fluffy towel, while I lick her fingers.  Gen waits patiently for this routine to finish because, once Momma is done with me, it is play time for Gen and I.

I chase Gen around, she hides under the bed, I follow, then as I tire of the wait, she jumps out at me. I shrug her off, chase her round and round the kitchen, down the hall, to the living room, all the while barking and complaining. Gen comes to a complete halt, I somersault over her and pounce on her back, chewing on her ears. Girlie style, Gen emits mournful cries that brings Momma running, ready to protect the victim, and  eject the antagonized. I jump on the couch out of harm’s way.

Every night, same routine, Momma admonishes me, and comforts Gen, who jumps up beside me on the couch, lays down, her head resting on her milky white paws, purring and sidling closer to  me to show she has no hard feelings.

Now you know Momma is open to possibilities and holds dear the thought that she will one day be united with her loved ones and her hot dogs and cool cats, in heaven.

You will not believe me but I swear I see RIP Daddy in the living room on occasion, putting his hand on Momma’s shoulder.  He has even patted my head on occasion.  I can see him but it is quite apparent Momma doesn’t.  Matter of fact, she says she has never seen a ghost but she heard one, she says, she does.

Apparently, it was a well-established fact that my Grandmama grew up in a haunted house.  They were told that the owner of the home, Paddy was on the roof with his hired help, when a fight broke out.  Somehow Paddy either slipped or was pushed off the roof to his death.  From that day forward he haunted the home, bought at a (killer…LOL) good price, since no one else would go near it. Paddy would turn on and off lights, kill flies with an invisible fly swatter and continually, relentlessly hammer shingles on the roof, trying to complete his task before the first snow of winter flew.

Momma said she well-remembered, when she stayed overnight at my grandparent’s home, sneaking in bed with Aunt-Second-Sister, knowing she was the only person in the home with her, yet hearing the persistent hammering on the roof. Bewildered by what her eyes could not see, but her ears could not deny, somewhere near dawn, Momma drifted off into a restless, troubled sleep.

Momma is told, even today, Paddy is still keeping her cousin’s family awake, as he works to finish the roof before the first snow of winter. The roof has been re-shingled many times since your death, Paddy. Everyone will long remember your existence and pass your story on, for generations to come.

How about it, Gen,  should you and I urge Paddy to ‘go in to the light’.  He has surely earned passage to his eternal rest.  Meanwhile when I am staring in to the distance, my tail wagging, it probably means I can see RIP Daddy, big smile, bending down to scratch my ears.  I just wish Momma could see what I see.

So, what do you think Gen?  Oh, you ‘want more’ as Wonder Boy said, at fourteen mouths old – ‘more – want more’.  No worries, I got lots to tell .  You wonder if we should share this with the other cats.  No, Brainiac Andy,  would scoff at us  and Charlie would hide away in the basement for weeks, not wanting to embrace the ‘unknown’ since  the ‘known’, is even more than she can handle.  

But we could tell Ruby, the Wide Eyed Monkey.  She is so wise and all-seeing.  

Trust me, I have heard plenty,  so listen up, okay?