A mother's love

[written @ 0350hrs]


By a twist of fate, I decided to pull off my comfy duvet and have a final pee at 0335 hrs before I prepare for dreamland. As I was in mid-pee, I heard a faint mewing sound coming from outside. It stopped after awhile, so I assumed I was hallucinating from all that ice cream I had in the evening. When I stepped out of the loo, there it was again! There's no mistaking it this time.

I ran to my kitchen (that's a mean feat, considering it was dark and my path was obstructed by an ironing board, a Christmas tree and my dad's work bag) but couldn't see much because my mum had done the laundry today and the back balcony was too crowded. By this time, the mewing was getting louder and more frantic. Oh how my heart was breaking!

I ran back the same way (miraculously dodging the same obstacles) to my bro's room as I deduced that the poor kitten was somewhere near my bro's window (but on ground floor of course). You see, the landscaping bushes that were planted downstairs have become perfect hiding places for the scores of cats who found their way into our compund. Really, the security guards should have been more vigilant and asked them if they were tenants before letting them in. ok digressing.

I swung open the window, not caring that the endless mewing might wake my bro. It definitely was down there! At this time, I thought I heard a second mewing from an adult cat. It was communicating with the kitten! This second mewing sounded so warm and reassuring - I swear! I've heard cross-mewing before (usually during a cat fight) and it never sounded like this. It had to be the mum. Just then, I spotted Mommie in the basement. Though she was constantly mewing, trying to calm the kitten down, she was running panically to and fro, not knowing how to get to her baby. I could almost see the anxiety on her face. I was so anxious for her I wanted to run down right away in my nightie but I couldn't tear myself from the window. I wanted to shout to the mommie, "There! There! See the steps!" And I wanted to make sure the kitty stayed where it was. If I left the window, who's gonna watch over the kitten before Mommie arrives?

Pulling myself back from the internal debate I was having, I saw that Mommie had found her way to the ground floor and was sprinting puma-style towards the bushes. I jumped with happiness and teared with joy - literally, then turned around to make sure my dead-with-sleep brother didn't catch me doing that.

It's really strange that this happened tonight because just last night, I had a nightmare about being horribly mauled to death by cats. I was re-thinking my fondness for kitties all night cuz of that and now I'm being kept awake by such a heartwrenching scene. And I didn't even cry at Titanic. I must be blessed to have witnessed such love.