Sympathy and Cake

Only she remembered what happened on the wedding day.

But she was just a cat.

It was their wedding, but they allowed her to be a part of it. Humiliating in its own way, but to have the ceremony so near the home was quite charming and peaceful. And it was a beautiful day…at first.

But why humiliating?

Who seriously thought that it was a good idea to use a cat as a ring bearer? A dog is much more loyal, more trainable and more patient with human nature. A dog would know to follow the flowers, leaves and carpeting that were left on the ground for the lucky couple. But no, they had to go with a tabby that was hungry, bored with the crowds and terrible music, and not willing to bother with the enticements of a very patient young girl.

Maybe there are blessing in disguise in these moments. Certainly, the police thought that the little girl was very lucky to get away from things as the rest of the crowd waited for things to get back to normal as they laughed and looked around to judge the rest of the celebrants. Both the bride and groom were laughing and holding hands as they looked down the hillock leading into the tree line. They were all waiting. They were all looking.

Maybe they should have been looking in the other direction.

The little girl found the cat resting beside a bed of forget-me-nots and picked it up as the first shots rang out. The cat was aware that the noises were not friendly and sprang out of her arms, dropping the ring into the soft grass. For about five seconds, the little girl wondered what she should do. Her parents and older sisters and brothers were still up there. They would need her, right? Isn’t that right?

And then she heard the screaming.

The tree line was not far from the flowers, so she waited behind a tree and tried to block her ears. Also, her bladder, but the fear was too great now, especially when she heard her voice was called out and then cut off in the middle of a shot that seemed to be getting closer.

The cat had other plans, taking its time inside of a log that had a perfectly-sized hollowed space for a tabby that was scared and annoyed. It knew that the little girl was not too far away, but it wanted to see her stand and walk out before she gave up such a safe spot. Humans often left themselves unsafe when cats knew better. But the little girl was very smart, the cat could see. The noises were dying out and the ones who made them were not coming into this space.

The little girl could see this, too. A few big men in dark suits were standing on top of the hillock, stretching and laughing with guns in their hands. She could not help but think of what she once saw in a movie where a group of hunters went out for the day and got drunk and ended up being lost in the woods. One of those hunters killed a deer and wanted them to all get at least one more animal before the day ended.

One more animal…

The little girl was startled by the cat. It stroked her wet legs and let its tail flick up over her skirt. If she could have read the signs, she would have known that the cat actually was scared and trusted the little girl. And why not? The little girl ran down and did not leave her when the noises started. The smell of the wet dress was also a strange comfort (animals understand how the body can rebel and you just have to let it do what it will do). She looked up at the little girl and was picked up without a fuss.

Was it safe to go back?

The quiet was much worse than the noise. With that noise, you knew where things were coming from. With the silence, you had to guess. And even in the middle of a sunny day, you had to imagine too much. The little girl looked out and up once again. It was impossible to see what was at the top of the hillock from that angle, but that did not mean it was safe.

She still had to cross the grass to climb back.

The cat started to walk across to the hillock.

The little girl watched it disappear over the ridge.

And then it returned and looked down.

When the police arrived about one hour later, she could tell them how she survived the killings. The ring was still in her hand as they found her sitting beside the wedding cake, eating a very large piece of the destroyed structure. She could even name the cat and say that it must have belonged to the owners of the property. All that was handled easily. The problem was why she decided to go back.

The cat looked down…and waited.

When she thought about it later, it would be as the longest short walk she ever had in her life. The cat led her past the bodies – she did not want to see her family; the cat understood this – past the stand with the gifts and the band; past the lane that led to the driveway. And it stopped at the cake.

All destroyed, of course, but there was still the bride and groom on the remains of the top tier, along with candied almonds in bags that would have been handed out when the reception and dancing passed.

Why did she want a piece? She put a folding chair next to the table, broke off a piece of cake and bit in.

It wasn’t too bad.

The cat leapt up on the table. It nibbled a few piece and enjoyed itself.

It really wasn't a bad cake.

The little girl would not remember much about what happened that day, but the cat would always wonder about the way humans behaved and why such a beautiful day ended this way.

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You can find more poems, stories, and articles by Kendall Defoe on my Vocal profile. I complain, argue, provoke and create...just like everybody else.

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