Krasnodar – Istanbul – Paris - страница 2

Mother said I took after my father. He was a pedigreed Bengal cat who had escaped from his owners. Wild free blood boiled in his veins. Mother couldn't resist. And I understand her.

I only saw father once: he came to our basement to look at his offspring. He greeted mother affectionately and caressed us, the children. But I felt with my whole being how the basement walls pressed upon him. He had to move on. A wild ancestor of the leopard, led by the call of blood. I remember him looking at me and whispering: "You look like me, son! Choose your path, listen to your heart and instincts, let them guide you…" I sniffed him, trying to absorb his scent that contained everything: masculinity, nobility and wanderlust. I admired him, the proud traveler who walked his own path. His words sank into my soul and seemed to burn there in scarlet letters. He said goodbye to mother and we never saw him again…

***

That same evening She came. We sat side by side on the bench for a long time. She was silent, and I purred. Simply because I enjoyed Her presence. Lost in thought and seemingly detached from reality, She suddenly returned to our world and looked at me.

"I want to give you a name. May I? I have a favorite show 'Friends' and there's a character named Ross. Plus there's a play on words here: you grew up (ros) before my eyes, I watched you, and now you're grown up, so I'll name you Ross!"

She began her speech timidly and hesitantly but finished with a touch of humor and grandeur. I purred in agreement, and She understood everything. Some humans really can understand our language. And She was a very intelligent and worthy specimen of the human race. I nestled against her, and She took me in her arms. We sat like that for a long time: She petted me, scratched behind my ears, and remained silent. It was pleasant to be silent together. After an hour of such delightful companionship, She addressed me:

"Thank you for the warm conversation, Ross! I really enjoyed it."

To my surprise, I, a free cat, son of my wild father, also greatly enjoyed it. She was my human. And I had gained a name.

Since then, whenever She came to me, She always called me by name. I knew the time when She finished work, and I always returned from my long walks for Her visit. She taught foreign languages, was a blogger, and something of a writer. She even wrote children's fantasy about cats in space, who would have thought! She would bring out the book and read excerpts to me. And I would listen, entranced, dreaming if not of flying into space, then just of flying. I learned from Her about the big bird-machines called airplanes. When I watched birds, I secretly dreamed of flying like them. And She told me everything was possible, would pick me up, and I would fly. Wind in my ears, fur blown back, but I wasn't afraid of anything. I'm a wild descendant of a wild beast. When I jumped (and I could jump far and high), I felt flight too. A running start, and I'm flying! It took my breath away, but what a sensation of happiness embraced me in its soft paws.