Sparky

He is adorable, exasperating, lively, smart and sweet. He can be sweetheart one minute and then a terror the next. His unpredictability is what keeps us on our toes. A cat with a white body and occasional black spots on his head looking like a slicked back hairstyle parted in the middle. One co-worker remarked on how he looked like Adolf Hitler (good grief, of all people she had to compare with it had to be the Nazi leader!). Plus the spot is also present on his stubbly tail, which made my mother puzzled since she was so used to cats with long and siwshing tails.

He is just an ordinary domestic cat that my father got from one of his tenants. He then declared to us that we need a cat to regulate the mice population at home. We all agreed to his suggestion.

Sparky arrived dirty and scared. His coat is not the glistening white he has now but a dirty white that is almost gray. This was because he always slept under jeepneys (maybe because it's warm) which is always being maintained by the owners and that meant oil grease and motor oil. My father tried shampooing it off but he only made it worse since the cat hid under a coffee table and that was not only dusty but also filled with cobwebs.

He refused to come out of that table for several days. My father tried to pry him out but I said vehemently to leave him alone, that he would eventually get out of his hiding place.

And he did. He took one small step in adjusting himself in our house, but he managed. Within the month he was not only sitting in my lap but also sleeping with me in my room. He is such a sweetie because he has this tendency of leaning his head on my chest (and he still does it until now) while sleeping.

I didn't realize how he affected me until I came to work and realized how more relaxed I was. I still lose my temper on my calls but it's not as much as before where in the end my supervisor also loses his temper on me.

I forgot how it felt having a cat beside you or on your lap, sleeping or just watching the world go by. It's so relaxing, knowing that you are not alone in this world and that you are capable of loving something or someone aside from yourself.