On what would have been their 17th birthday (which would have enabled them to attend driving lessons, if they were not of the feline variety), my old cats, Tom and Jerry, would have gotten a year older today, but sadly they are no longer with my family unlike the year before.
Sadness, bitter and undeniably sweet, lingers in the air this morning because it has suddenly hit me how heavily I miss my first two cats who taught me two of the most valued lessons which humanity - and felines, I need to add - has to offer: love and friendship. Even though I got my head around the loss of my furry pals a while ago, part of myself still expects to hear the singing soprano Tom complaining about his meals like a fussy pensioner and marvel at the gymnastic-style spring which propelled Jerry to jump onto the bed next to me, his louder-than-ever purr vibrating beneath my feet. Isn't it strange how a beach-like wave of grief is capable of overwhelming you without a moment's notice, like a bucket of ice-cold water being chucked on your face?
Apart from that, nothing else can truly describe the mixture of emotions which I'm experiencing today, but the only option available is to carry on like I've always done - and writing when no other trick works, such as baking a deliciously scented batch of chocolate chip shortbread cookies as I did a few hours ago, is sometimes the sole cure to freeing myself of the trouble-wrecking demon swarming like an army within me.
Anyway, Tom and Jerry only ever wanted myself to experience happiness at its best and I've just discovered that there are plenty of things to be over the moon about - a few moments ago, I was recently informed of the thrilling news that my family and I are returning to a county where we felt happiest and have all but been utterly desperate to move to for years, but right now I'm in a sort of daze of which I can't quite snap out! What with everything which has been going on lately (most of which I'll discuss here when the time is right, in case your inner Nosy Queen is bursting with an eagerness to find out), I haven't really had any spare moments to collect my thoughts except during the hours I dedicate to exploring views of my own which I never knew existed within myself, yet I have a strange sixth sense that life will return to a stable, hopefully pothole-free path in time. Sometimes, a gut instinct is all which you can rely upon - and cheering myself up only counts as one of the many great things which lie ahead of me like a tray of cookies awaiting to gobbled up to my heart's (and relentless appetite's!) content.
In the past, I have mentioned Tom and Jerry in old blog posts because their deaths provoked my family to embark upon a tediously long search for two male tabby kittens, whom you now know are called Bart and Benny and bring piles of joy to all of us thanks to their constant antics and loving nature. Although I would do anything for the Two Kits within a single heartbeat - from giving a chillaxed Bart a warm cuddle to retrieving Benny's beloved monkey wedged between two wardrobes, I've done it all - part of my heart will always be reserved for Tom and Jerry as they grew up taking care of me, as they were only a few years' old when I entered the world as a cute and fussed-over baby (or so I like to believe) fifteen years ago. Who would still feel attached to those who knew them literally inside out from the moment that they became part of society, receiving love and affection without asking for it? At first, my mum and dad were concerned that Tom and Jerry would grow jealous of me as there is a tendency for there to be a bit of tensity between a newborn and pets, but there wasn't any need to worry about it; with some guidance, Tom and Jerry accepted me as a member of the family and continued to love my younger brother and I until they passed away within months of each other last year.
Until Tom died towards the end of March last year (which, without a hint of irony, was on Good Friday), I'd never experienced pain or grief like never before because efforts had always been made to shield myself from being inflicted with sadness, but this time nobody - not even my parents, who were as devastated as myself - was able to offer any protection from falling onto my knees in shock, bursting into tears at the slightest mention of Tom's name. Besides, how would have it been possible to run away from the sudden fits of grief and relentless spells of crying unless my bond with Tom had never grown as strong and special as it did? And for that, I can fully appreciate the time that I've spent as a home-educated student because it has given me the time to develop an all-powerful relationship with each member of my immediate family, including our cherished cats who were world-class experts in the subject of love; had I spent my days in a school with hardly a spare moment to spend with my family, I question whether I would've created such an undying love for both Tom and Jerry. Most of my most vivid memories of the pair were in the past six years, around the time when I began being home-schooled at the age of eight, and I would never trade them for anything else - even the long-coveted Louis Vuitton handbag cannot compete!
Probably what I missed so much about Tom was that, wherever you were at home, you could always sense that he was lurking around somewhere (due to his ever-loving passion of food, he usually spent his days in the aromatic comfort of the kitchen) and nothing cheered me more than a rendition of his whingey songs - for years, I was under the belief that The X Factor was missing out on the newest singing sensation! But, in the end, I didn't want Tom to be in any more pain as it wasn't what he deserved; and the same applied to Jerry, except that he got ill out of the blue and passed away before I could even comprehend what was going on.
During the six months after Tom made his way to Kitty Heaven, I relied on Jerry more heavily than ever because he was the only cat who could be the recipient of my affection, and I was beyond desperate to focus my attention upon anything besides grief, mascara-streaked tears and loss of somebody so precious to me. Like myself, Jerry had quite a subdued nature which noticeably reflected in his constant desire to remain independent, but he was always open to receiving a cuddle from everyone, though it quickly became clear that he had an oh-so-obvious special bond with my younger brother - unlike Tom, I think that he actually found football rather fascinating! For what he didn't have in terms of an outstanding voice (unfortunately, an nearly inaudible squeak was all which he could muster), Jerry certainly made up for it by lavishing all of us with affection, friendship and endless devotion throughout his entire life. And is it a wonder that I yearn to stroke his coarse, yet silky fur and feel my lips curve into a grin at the sight of his cheerful face one more time?
Whatever happens and regardless of the amount of years which are sure to pass by, I will always miss Tom and Jerry with an aching heart because they brought so much happiness to my life, but now Bart and Benny are offering me thousands of reasons to wake up every day with a smile hinting on my face - the legacy lives on, so I believe!
As a tribute towards my honorary furry brothers, my family and I are planning on dropping off a couple of sacks of old clothes at the local RSPCA shop in town, the charity from which we adopted Bart and Benny - which, as you may remember, were rescued after living semi-feralily for the first two to three weeks of their lives - back in December. Unfortunately, there won't be enough space in the car for my brother and I to travel with our parents, so I've posted a few pictures of Tom and Jerry down below as a display of their eternal legacy. Enjoy!
Whatever happens and regardless of the amount of years which are sure to pass by, I will always miss Tom and Jerry with an aching heart because they brought so much happiness to my life, but now Bart and Benny are offering me thousands of reasons to wake up every day with a smile hinting on my face - the legacy lives on, so I believe!
As a tribute towards my honorary furry brothers, my family and I are planning on dropping off a couple of sacks of old clothes at the local RSPCA shop in town, the charity from which we adopted Bart and Benny - which, as you may remember, were rescued after living semi-feralily for the first two to three weeks of their lives - back in December. Unfortunately, there won't be enough space in the car for my brother and I to travel with our parents, so I've posted a few pictures of Tom and Jerry down below as a display of their eternal legacy. Enjoy!
Here is Tom sitting on top of our old washing machine, undoubtedly content at reaching new heights! Compared to his brother, Tom was rather long and elegant, sharing a similar appearance to a golden-furred lion - his front looked like it had been dipped in gold! As I mentioned earlier, he had quite a fondness of sleeping in or around the kitchen area, where the washing machine was located - as if he could ever bear to be far away from the glorious land of food!
As you probably guessed, this is Jerry, looking relaxed and as chilled as cucumber whilst lying near the sunshine! To our amusement, he was pretty short (those paws of his were stretched in this picture, I think!) and had a curvier physique, but nonetheless he loved nothing better than spreading his happiness and enjoying the numerous joys of being a cat. Oh, I can still remember envying his easy-as-pie lifestyle as I got ready to go to school as a young child - a few years later, that green-eyed envy still didn't cease to exist!
Despite getting older, it wasn't a valid excuse to avoid getting to grips with modern technology and Tom became somewhat of a computer whiz whilst surfing the 'net in our old leather chair! Talking of which, he and Jerry used to enjoy jumping onto the desk and sitting next to our ancient computer, long before the fateful day when it broke down for good!
Could they possibly look happier in this picture? Without a doubt, Tom and Jerry shared an enormous bond and were the picture of pure happiness whilst sleeping next to each other in their baskets (unfortunately for Jerry, he always had to squeeze into an uncomfortable position!), so this picture means a lot to me.
Was he asleep or did he detest the flash on my camera? You decide! Jerry, by the way, was sitting next to my kitten toy, Marie (how do I remember my old toys names whilst failing to revise Algebra?), on a hot summers' night when I got the sudden urge to take a couple of cute pictures starring himself! As you can guess, Jerry always looked rather cuddly and used to remind me of a fluffy teddy bear - with super-sharp claws, of course!
My friends, my furry pals, my beloved brothers. There are so many words which I've called Tom and Jerry, but I can never quite settle on just one. As long their memory continues to live on, I will forever look back at the past with pride, happiness and gratitude for the time which I was immensely lucky to spend with them.
Happy birthday!
No comments:
Post a Comment