I was deeply involved in a book when I….. Oh well, who am I kidding? I was playing a video game on my phone (Yes, I do that too, a lot!), deeply involved in it obviously, when I heard an ear-splitting yowl. I could see by Luci’s expression that she was equally shocked by it. We raced to the balcony, she beating me to it because I paused to grab the camera.

Both of us are interested in cat-fights, albeit for entirely different reasons. Luci thinks cats should be seen, not heard… No, I got that wrong. She thinks cats should neither be seen nor heard. And this business of yowling and disturbing the well deserved rest of a senior dog, was sacrilege! Luci wants to shut them up, I on the other hand, want to take pictures.

Bummer! We were both late. The cat which had in no uncertain terms told off the one that had come sniffing its butt had already left the scene in a huff. Its disappearing tail was all we got to see. The Romeo who had aspired to make her his Juliet and had fled up the trunk of the nearest moringa tree to escape her wrath, and was now ensconced in one of its top branches.

Luci meanwhile ran around like a steam engine gone berserk, showing her displeasure openly. Such goings on! What was the neighborhood coming to! She even called the cat a few names, none of them printable (which is why I am not reproducing them here). One could see that the cat was offended. He mulled things over and decided it was judicious to leave the premises.

That’s when he looked down and realized how high up he really was. The look on his face said it all. Mommmyyyyy… mommyyyyy…., he cried, wishing he was still a small kitten and mommy would carry him down the tree by the scruff of his neck. Those were good old days. But mommy wasn’t around now. He had to go down all by himself. He gathered courage, slipped and slithered down the tree, taunted by Luci every step of the way.

And where do you think he went? He crossed the road and took the same path that the object of his desire had. He’d try again. This time he’d be more cautious in his approach. May be sing one of those Bollywood songs. But first he’d have to make sure there was a clear and unobstructed escape route……

© Shail Mohan 2019