Chapter 3: Escape to Kalamazoo
This summer morning I awoke to delicious smells coming from the kitchen. I wandered into the kitchen.
“Meow…good morning, Ana… mmmmeow…it smells so good!”
“Good morning birthday girl. Today is your tenth birthday. I am fixing your favorite breakfast. Sorry, I don’t have any linguica out here in Michigan but we do have some great cheeses and this Mexican sausage that tastes very much like linguica. You only get a little because it is very spicy. I have some gifts for you. I also have a little surprise. Here’s your breakfast. I’ve let it cool down a bit.”
Ana placed my food bowl in front of me and I began to devour my birthday breakfast. I love eggs, cheese AND this new spicy sausage!
Ana said “Thisbe, we have reached the end of our summer at the theatre and my crazy schedule has eased up. Tonight we are dark at the theatre…no show and no rehearsal…a day off…so I am having a little party here for you. The staff and company are coming over. They are a crazy bunch of people. I know you’ll like them. It’ll be the theatre gang’s end of the summer get-together.”
Oh good, Ana, I love parties. Belinda always had parties for me. Roger, Gary and so many of her friends would come over.
“Meow…thanks Ana.” I rubbed my head and body around Ana’s ankles.
I watched as Ana tidied up the small apartment. On the dining room table, she set out snacks and food. Ah this reminds me of my parties at Belinda’s. I thought of Chipper. I wonder if she could follow me to this new place. Was Arturo able to visit here? Will they wish me a happy birthday? Later on the guests began to arrive and my birthday party began. Arturo never came by to wish me a happy birthday.
Over the next couple of weeks, I noticed boxes piling up around the apartment. Oh-oh, I know this means we are going to move to a new place. I don’t mind moving this time. I think I will enjoy a new place to explore. I’m tired of trying to hide from that mean old lady. Maybe our new place will like cats. I hope I’ll find some new friends. I’ve been very lonely around this apartment. I love being with Ana but I miss going outside and playing with my friends.
As the week continued Ana packed more things away. She noticed me watching her every move.
“Well, Thisbe, as you must know by now this means we are leaving here. I couldn’t be happier! We have a great new apartment in the city of Kalamazoo. It used to be an old turn-of-the-century house that’s been divided up into two apartments. I’m going to be teaching dance classes at the community college this coming semester and I have a couple of choreographer gigs lined up at two of the other colleges. We’ll have a bunch of friends there and I checked out the neighbors downstairs. They have a HOST of animals from dogs to cats and even birds. I think you’ll be happy there, Thisbe. I know I will!”
“Dogs, cats AND birds? Oh boy! When do we go? I began asking questions and winding in and around the boxes. “When do we go? Meow! When do we go? I hope it’s soon. Meow!”
Ana laughed at me “Don’t worry, Tiz, we leave tomorrow. You seem to be happy about this move!”
The next day there was all sorts of activity in the apartment. People began arriving and taking boxes. Ana was directing operations when someone almost tripped over me.
Ana said,” Okay, Tiz, time for you to get into your carrier and get out of everyone’s way. Come here, baby.”
She carefully picked me up, gave me a kiss on the head and placed me gently into my blanket filled carrier. Ooo…it’s so warm and soft in here. I’m going to sleep and let the humans worry about the move. I’ll wake up in our new apartment. The last thing I remembered hearing is Ana telling Danny something about a truck. I hated cars and trucks so I went to sleep.
The next thing I heard was Ana announcing, “I’m leaving Thisbe in the car. It’s a cool day. She should be fine. I cracked the windows in the car to let some air circulate. She’ll be okay and out of the way. Let’s get this truck unloaded.”
I opened my eyes, stretched and looked out the carrier door. I couldn’t see anything but the car door and window. I looked up and saw lots of green trees. Oh good there are lots of trees. I wonder if we have a yard. Suddenly there was a huge spotted black and white dog at the car window. He couldn’t get into the car because the window was only slightly open. He peered in, saw me and started barking.
“Woof! Hey! You’re a cat! Hello! Are you going to be living upstairs? I live here. My name is Spot. What’s your name?”
I tried to tell him my name as loud as I could, “HELLO SPOT! MY NAME IS THISBE.”
Spot couldn’t hear me through the glass. “WHAT? Oops! Here comes Jade. She’s gonna yell at me again!” Then I heard someone call out.
“SPOT! Get down from there! You’ll scratch the car. Go on get in the yard, boy. Go!”
Then I heard someone clap their hands and Spot ran off. A pretty lady looked in the car and said, “Oh what a cute kitty? You’ll have to come down and visit us. We have lots of animals. We have two cats, two dogs and a few birds. I think you’ll enjoy them all. They’re all very friendly” She smiled and left.
I thought this is much better than the other apartment! Lots of new friends to meet!
The move went very smoothly and quickly. Ana had lots of help and she sort of knew where she wanted the furniture and everything. She kept me in my carrier so I could watch everything AND be safe from moving feet and furniture. We got all of our things into that larger apartment. It took a few days for Ana to unpack everything but we were comfortably settled into our new apartment in a very short time.
One morning I walked into the kitchen to find Ana washing dishes. I watched her for a little while when suddenly she noticed me.
“Good morning, Tiz, it’s been a whirlwind week, hasn’t it? We finally got everything in place. Classes start soon. I wanted to make sure you and I were settled in our new apartment before I started my new job. Do you like our new place? I do. I love the fireplaces in the living room AND in the bedroom. How about that? I should make sure they work properly before I go lighting up a fire, though. All the rooms have large windows. You should be very happy about that. You can sit on the sills and look outside. Are you happy? There are animals downstairs that we’ll get to know soon enough. Jade has invited us down there but I’m real busy right now. We’ll have to find the right time. I’m sure you’re ready to meet new friends.”
I purred softly and rubbed against Ana’s leg. Yes! I am ready to meet new friends. The dog called Spot seems nice and I do LOVE our new house, Ana. There are so many trees outside the windows, that means there will be lots of birds singing in them.
Ana laughed, “I guess that’s a “yes”, eh girl? You know, this kitchen is much larger than our old one back in Connecticut. Do you remember that old apartment? It was so long ago. Look! You even have a special area for your food and water bowls right near the floor to ceiling corner window. You can eat your meal and watch all the activity in the yard. How about that? Better than TV, eh?”
Ana dried her hands. “Well, Thisbe, I should work on a couple of dances. I love my new dance studio. You stay out here and have fun.”
There was a special room in our new apartment set aside as Ana’s dance studio. I heard her talking about it on the phone with a friend. She said to her friend that room had a hardwood floor and that she put up mirrors. I didn’t know what that meant but Ana seemed really excited about it. She said she planned on spending many hours in there working on new dance routines and class assignments. I remember back in our old apartment, Ana would dance in the big front room. I used to sit on the sofa and watch her dance around the room. I loved the music and how she floated about the place. I wanted to see her new studio but she wouldn’t let me in the room.
I watched as Ana entered the studio and closed the door. She keeps that door closed all the time. I wonder why. I hear the music now. She must be dancing. I remember when she would dance at our old apartment. I liked to watch her. I guess she is going to be in there a wh
ile. I’m going to look out the kitchen window and watch the yard.
I sat by the large window. Glancing down I saw the two dogs from downstairs running in the yard. I hadn’t met them yet but they seemed to be nice. There were birds singing in the trees. I wished I could go outside. I would just stay in the yard. I wouldn’t wander far away. I sat for a long while watching the yard activity and listening to the music Ana was playing in her studio.
Oh, it sounds like Ana opened the door. The music is much louder. Now is my chance to see her new dance studio! I ran to the studio doorway hoping to get a glimpse of Ana dancing.
I sat in the doorway. The music is pretty. It isn’t birdsong but it’s close. Ana was wiping her face with a towel. She called to me, “Come on in, sweetie. It’s okay, I’m done. Come in and see my new studio.”
I walked in, looked to my right. There was another cat in the room and another Ana! I stepped closer to this new cat.
“Meow? Who are you? What are doing in this room? Ana, is that you?”
Ana said “Thisbe, that’s you, silly. That’s a mirror and it shows your reflection. That’s what you look like to everyone.”
I walked up to the other cat. “Reflection? What is that? Meow?”
I was nose to nose with a gray and white cat. Is that what I really look like?
Ana walked up and stood behind me. I could see her standing there. She said “You are a very pretty kitty, Miss Thisbe.” She picked me up, held me close and whispered “Let’s go get some lunch, I am famished!”
The next morning Ana rushed around the apartment getting ready for work. It was like old times when I was just a kitten. She always filled me in as to what she was going to do during the day but as a kitten I hardly understood her. As an older cat, I now understand every word.
Ana was saying, “I’m really busy with classes. I won’t be home a whole lot during the day, honey. Tonight is a rehearsal so I’ll probably be home late. I’ll leave the radio on for you. It’ll be nice to have some music on during the day. I’ll see if I can get you downstairs at some point to meet the other animals. Today I have to run. ” She turned on the radio in the living room.
She grabbed her dance bag and purse, blew me a kiss and said, “Love you, baby, have a good day. I’ll see you later tonight.”
She closed the apartment door behind her. I heard the lock click. She’s gone for the day. I think I’ll have some breakfast and check out the kitchen windows. I walked into the kitchen, nibbled a bit of food, drank some water then looked out the window into the yard below. I can faintly hear bird song and what sounds like birds talking? But, how strange! There are no birds near the window. That’s odd. I listened more closely. There it is again. Wait a minute! It’s coming from behind this small door here in the kitchen. I walked over to the kitchen door near the sink and pushed it with my paw but it didn’t open. I then stood on my back legs and with my front paws grabbed the small knob on the door and pulled. The door sprung open and I fell backwards. Quickly I jumped to my feet.
The bird sounds are much louder now. They seem to be coming from the end of this closet. I carefully stepped around the pans. It was getting darker but the sound was getting louder. I almost reached the end when suddenly I arrived at a hole in the floor. I almost fell in! The bird sounds were definitely coming from the hole in the floor. Where does it go? I carefully sniffed around but in the dark lost my balance at the edge of the hole. I slipped and fell head first down the hole.
“MEOOOOOOOOOOOOW”
I tumbled down the long, dark metal square hole landing safely on my feet with a soft thump.
Oh my! That was a long fall but I didn’t hurt myself. Where am I?
I was just small enough to fit in there. I slowly turned around and peered out of a metal cage that sort of looked like the front of my carrier. “Oh what a pretty sunny room! I wonder if I push on this…”
I pushed on it. It popped out of the wall and fell with a clank on the floor. Suddenly the bird song stopped. Where am I? Slowly and cautiously I ventured forth into the room. It was very warm in there. I noticed many plants and plenty of sunshine. The walls of the room were very large windows.
I squinted against the bright sunlight and tried to get my bearings when suddenly I heard, “SQUAWK Look who just popped in! AACH Here kitty, kitty who are you?”
Startled, I looked up to where the voice originated. I saw a huge white bird with a yellow feathered head standing on a large pole. WOW! What a big bird! Oh my, I must have fallen into the downstairs apartment.
Realizing I invaded their space, I quickly replied, “Hello, my name is Thisbe. I live upstairs but fell through a hole and landed here. I’m sorry I barged in like this.”
The big white bird laughed and said, “Well, well, well, a surprise guest! Welcome to our home neighbor. You weren’t hurt by the fall were you? Of course not, you are a cat! You must have landed on your feet! Wake up, Polly, we have a guest!”
The green bird on the perch next to white bird squawked to life,” AAACH Guests? Who? Where? What?”
The white bird laughed “Wake up you crazy bird. We have our new neighbor here. She just ‘dropped in’ for a surprise visit!”
Polly looked down at me and said, “Hullo? It’s a cat! What did you say her name was, Bronson?”
“She told me her name was Thisbe. Cool name, huh?”
Polly flapped her wings and retorted, “It sure is. Hello Thisbe, welcome to our home. My name is Polly and I am a parrot. This here is Bronson. He’s a cockatoo. The two love birds in the cage over there are Lovey and Thurston. Hey you two! We have a guest! Wake up and say hello.”
I looked up and saw two beautiful pale yellow love birds peering down at me through the bars of their golden cage. Lovey said, “Thurston, look, a small cat. I hope she’s friendly.” The other bird peered cautiously over the edge. “Well, Lovey, she is small, certainly not like those two lumps that live here. Hello little cat.”
I looked up at all the birds and said, “Hello everyone. My name is Thisbe and I live upstairs. As I told Bronson, I heard bird song, followed it and fell into a hole. I ended up here. I hope it’s not a problem. I love birds!”
Thurston sarcastically replied “Oh yes, I’m sure you do! Most cats adore birds! I understand we make a great snack!”
I quickly replied “No, no, you don’t understand. My best friend was a little bird called a Chickadee. Her name was Chipper. We used to sit out in our yard back in Massachusetts and enjoy the summers. I miss her every day.”
Bronson spoke up, “You’re a unique little cat. Most cats eat birds! A little bird was your best friend! What happened? Is she not here with you?”
I told my new friends how Chipper died. “I miss her very much but that was a long time ago. I hope to make new friends now.”
Bronson happily answered “We look forward to getting to know you better. You seem like a right personable cat. We have two cats that live in this house. We all tolerate each other as long as we stay up here far away from them.” All the birds began to laugh.
I said, “I met Spot, the big white and black dog. He seemed very friendly.”
Again Bronson let out a large laugh, “HA! That dog! He’s not the brightest ray of sunshine but he’s okay. He’s friendly enough with everyone. Watch out for the Doberman, though, he can be a dangerous character. Some days he’s in a good mood and then there are other days…well…you need to watch him. The two cat’s names are Whiskers and Chaser. They are old, fat and neither do much chasing. Come to think of it they don’t DO much of anything but eat and sleep. When they were younger they were pretty wild but they have settled down in their old age.”
I thought this is so much fun. I have found some new friends to talk to! What fun! Suddenly the door opened and the pretty lady that stopped at the car the day we moved in entered the room.
Cheerfully she asked “What is this noise in here, kids?” Spying me in the middle of the room, she said, “Well, what do we have here? A visit
or! You’re the kitty that lives upstairs. How on earth did you get down here?”
I guess she must have noticed the piece I pushed out of the wall on the floor and figured it out. “Oh-oh, you came down through the old heating duct. That’s quite a drop. These are twelve foot ceilings. Are you all right?” She picked me up and examined me.
“Well, you look okay. It seems like you made it down the old shaft without an injury. It sounds like you upset the birds, though. Sorry about that kids. Let’s go to the kitchen and I’ll get you some milk.” She brought me to the kitchen where she placed me gently on the floor.
I thought I want to talk with the birds some more. Please bring me back there. The lady went to the refrigerator. I looked around and saw two large black and white cats staring at me from the living room doorway.
The larger of the two said to his brother, “Look, Chaser, we have a guest. She’s getting the star treatment. A saucer of milk! How special!”
Chaser replied, “She’s a little one. Looks young! Wonder what her name is?”
I thought how rude to talk about me like I’m not here! I replied, “I can hear you, you know. My name is Thisbe and I live upstairs. I just met all the birds and they were very nice to me.”
The lady lowered the saucer of milk to the floor and I drank. Mmm this is good. To show my gratitude to the nice lady, I rubbed up along her leg and purred.
“Meow…Thank you. You’re a nice lady. Meow.”
The lady sighed, “How sweet she is! You’re welcome little kitty. I better watch for Ana tonight and inform her you are here. Let me introduce you to my two cats. This is Whiskers and this is Chaser. Be nice to our new neighbor, boys.”
She left me with the two cats that had meandered into the kitchen.
Whiskers began firing questions at me. “So you live upstairs, huh? What’s your name? Where are you from? How long have you lived here?”
I finished my milk treat, slowly cleaned my face then answered the bombastic Whiskers.
“Yes, I live upstairs. We just moved in. My name is Thisbe. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Chaser looked at his brother and said, “She’s harmless, leave her alone. I’m going back to sleep. He turned around and waddled back to the living room. Whiskers moved in closer to me. As he sidled his chubby body next to me, he winked and said, “Well, sugar, guess that just leaves you and me, eh? What did you say your name was? Dizzy?”
“It’s Thisbe”, I replied curtly and took a small step to the side. He moved with me, “Well, TIZBEE, how about you and me finding a quiet corner in another room? Wanna snuggle?”
I stared icily into his eyes and replied in my frostiest voice, “I am NOT interested, thank you, so please leave me alone.”
Whiskers widened his eyes and pretended to be shocked, “OH really? Well perhaps another time, eh sweetie? Catch you around, baby.” He winked then turned and waddled off toward the living room.
I shook my head and thought YUCK! He reminds me of Creamsicle. He’s not as mean as Creamsicle but just as gross! He’s sort of like Fester. I was so young then. I wandered back toward the bird room but found the door closed. I was unable to push it open. Disappointed, I returned to the kitchen, found a warm place in the sun, curled up and fell asleep.
I woke to the sound of Ana’s voice, “She fell down the heating shaft? Is she all right? Where is she? Oh, Jade, I’m so sorry!”
Jade told her, “Don’t worry, Ana, she’s fine. She’s been sleeping here in the kitchen for most of the day.”
“Thisbe? Mommy’s here to pick you up!” Ana picked me up and held me close. She kissed me on the head, “You’ve been exploring, you little adventurer. I’m sorry she intruded like this.”
Jade laughed and said, “Don’t worry, it was no bother. I think Thisbe was more surprised than anything. We’ll have to check the walls for more of those old shafts. Take care, Thisbe. Good to see you, Ana. Come down for coffee some day. Bring Thisbe down to visit. I think she’ll enjoy herself. She seemed to be getting along with the birds, of all things.”
“Thanks, Jade. I will as soon as I get some time off. The college keeps me hopping. We’ll have some time off for the holidays. Thanks again for taking care of my baby. Maybe I will drop her off to visit sometime. Good night!”
Ana carried me upstairs and said, “Well, Miss Tiz, you’ve had quite a day. I guess we’d better go get some dinner and settle in for the night. I think I am going to have to find that old heating duct and cover it up. I don’t want you to get hurt. You were lucky this time. The next time you may not be so lucky.”
I was disappointed. It wasn’t that bad of a drop. If she blocks it up, how am I going to get downstairs to visit my new friends?