"You're getting old," she thought as she drew her hand softly across his shoulders and down his spine. Rudy arched his back up to meet her hand and purred loudly. She shifted herself against the window and pushed the old cat gently to one side so that the warm summer's sun fell directly on his body. Feeling the heat on his fur, Rudy snuggled against her once more and fell asleep as she continued stroking him.
"How long had it been since I first brought him home?" she thought to herself as she sat there with him. As the length of time slid through her mind, she stopped stroking and then she had to laugh to herself. "You're not the only one who'd getting old Rudy," she said. It would be seventeen years on the first of November since she'd first found the little red cat and she'd been sixteen then and now she was thirty-two. Her mind slid back in time to the first time she'd seen the kitten.
It was bitter cold in Maine and though it was only the first day of November, the sky had a leaden look to it and there was a threat of snow in the air. Folks in the county had an expression; "Spring takes her own sweet time about arriving but winter is dropped on us like a bomb from Hell!"
She'd been visiting the University of Maine in Presque Isle and just as she'd been about to get into her car, her eyes had been drawn to a tiny, bundle of red fur that was huddled against the side of the Administration Building. She slid out of the car and walked carefully over to the shivering creature. She knelt and held out her hand and softly said, "Here kitty," The kitten mewed weakly and tried to stand, but faltered and she quickly reached out and scooped him up. She was shocked at how light he felt in her hand.
She undid the buttons and slid him inside her coat and then she got back into her car. The kitten mewed softly and she wasn't sure if it was because he was protesting being inside her coat or if it was because he was starving. After shifting the car into gear, she headed out the drive and down the road towards home and the kitten, soothed by the motion of the car, fell asleep.
The rest is history and Rudy had been her constant companion ever since. "Haven't you Rudy," she said as she lifted him off her lap and laid him on the passenger seat. He snorted as he settled back into sleep and she smiled to herself as she turned away.
She walked into the kitchen and turned on the kettle and as she heated the water for tea, she thought back on her years with Rudy. Her mother had always been a "neat" nut and didn't want animals dirtying up her nice clean house. After she'd overcome that obstacle, smuggling him into her college room had been a piece of cake. A "no pets" policy had always been in effect at the University of Maine campus but nobody paid any attention to it and Rudy had been with her through thick and thin.
In her junior year, she'd gotten a roommate that was the "bitch" from hell and it had been war! Rudy didn't like her and she didn't like Rudy. She complained that Rudy made her allergies worse and she found every reason in the book to complain about him. It had been nip and tuck for a while but Rudy had won and the roommate had moved on to make other roommates sorry she'd moved in.
A year later, when she'd finally made it to graduation, she'd dressed Rudy up in a tiny version of her cap and gown and carried him across the stage with her to get her diploma. She'd even gone down to Kinko's and had a diploma printed up just like hers and had Rudy's name printed on it. He'd earned a diploma every bit as much as she had, she'd thought at the time.
As Lani sipped her tea, she smiled as she thought about the boyfriends she'd had through the years and how she'd always used Rudy as a test to decide if they were really the kind of person that she wanted to spend time with. No matter how handsome or eligible they'd been, if they didn't pass the "Rudy" test, she didn't waste her time on them.
Rudy always seemed to know instinctively who was best for her and before she'd adopted her "Rudy Test" she'd picked some real losers. Upon meeting someone that she was interested in, she'd invite them home for dinner and the real test would begin.
Once inside the door, she'd watch Rudy very carefully to see what he thought of the newcomer. Rudy would stay aloof and look at the stranger under hooded eyes. If the newest paramour picked him up and Rudy liked him, he'd lie in his lap like a limp rag and allow himself to be petted. But, if Rudy didn't like him, he'd slip off his window seat, run to fetch his favorite toy and tear the hell out of it.
Usually the visitor sat in the one wing backed chair in the room and if there was something about him that Rudy didn't like, he'd jump up on the chair and lay across the back. Then he'd swish his long, fluffy tail back and forth and bat the man across the side of his face and the back of his neck. It usually didn't take too long for the visitor to get the message and it hadn't taken Lani too long to recognize the pattern.
After graduation, she'd moved down to Bangor, taken a job as the manager of a music store, gotten an apartment and life with Rudy settled into a routine. A couple of years passed, she'd married and settled into a small town along the coast of Maine. Her husband had set out to woo and win her at any cost. She'd seen right away that he'd failed the "Rudy Test" from the beginning but loove slid past her brain and she'd taken the bait, hook, line and sinker. And nine months after the weddin, he was leavin just as fast as he'd arrived.
Rudy had been the one who'd stayed and seen her through the mess and embarrassment of the divorce. He'd never complained as her tears fell on his red coat as she held him close long into the lonely nights. She'd finally healed and moved on and now all that pain and heartache was history.
Then, one day everything changed and it was again because of Rudy. Rudy was due for a check up and as she sat waiting in the vet's office, a tall, blond man came through the door. He glanced over at them and when he saw Rudy sitting on her lap, he smiled and then he sat down in a chair directly across from them.
"That's certainly a beautiful cat," the man said. "I used to have one just like him when I was a kid." Hearing the man's voice, Rudy turned his head and looked carefully at the stranger. Then, he arched his back, jumped down off her lap and padded slowly across the carpet until he'd reached the stranger. Then, he sat down directly in front of the man, never once taking his eyes off him. The man smiled and reached down to pet him and Rudy purred and rubbed his head against the man's hand. "That's the story of my life," he said. "Cats love me but women can't stand me." And with that statement, he raised his blue eyes and looked directly at Lani. As Lani returned his gaze, she felt a jolt of joy slide past her brain and down to her heart.
Just at that moment, Dr. Ring came around the corner and called for Rudy. Lani gathered him up and with a last, lingering look at the stranger, she turned and went into the examining room. As she dumped Rudy on the exam table, Dr. Ring came into the room and the stranger was with him. "This is Lani Stevens and her cat Rudy," the old vet said and the man held out his hand. As his warm hand closed over hers, she heard him say, "I've already met Rudy but I've really been waiting to meet you." As their eyes met, she heard Dr. Ring's voice somewhere off in the distance, "This is Bob Williams and he's the vet who's going to take over my practice if I can persuade him to."
On the day of their wedding, she'd had a surprise for her new husband. She'd taken the ring she'd bought for Bob and slipped it onto a white ribbon and tied it around Rudy's neck. As she walked down the isle on her father's arm, all the folks who'd gathered for the wedding, laughed as they saw who the ring bearer was. It was Rudy. He walked slowly along behind her and when she paused, he paused too. He held his large red head straight up and his fluffy tail was swinging to and fro as he marched along behind her down the long isle. He was also formally dressed for the wedding in a black tuxedo jacket and a white, satin bow tie.
When Bob turned to watch Lani come down the isle, he saw what all the guests were laughing about. He had laughed and said, "Not only is Rudy our ring bearer, he's the best man as well." And he was.
They'd been married fifteen years now and life is everything she'd hoped it could be and more. She always told folks that it had been Rudy who'd found her a husband. Whenever the subject of happiness came up, she'd hug her husband and Rudy and say, "Me and thee and Rudy, that's all I'll ever need." And it was true.
As the last rays of the summer's sun slid across the kitchen floor, she dumped out the remains of her tea and rinsed her cup in the sink. "I might as well go out and pick the rest of the raspberries," she thought to herself.
She'd been watching the large patch at the back of their property for a week now and they should be about ready. She'd promised her husband that very morning that she'd make him a raspberry tart if the berries were ready and she needed to go and pick them before the birds ate them all.
She reached down and opened the cupboard door and as she withdrew her mother's old antique lard pail, she felt familiar warmth against her bare legs. She smiled as she felt Rudy brush against her and she turned and said, "Oh Rudy, I should have known that you'd be wanting to go with me to pick some berries. Well, come on old silly, let's go and see if they are nice and ripe."
Rudy waited for her to open the door and then he padded slowly down the back porch steps behind her. As she made her way across the gravel of the driveway, she stopped every now and then to wait for Rudy to catch up. Her heart constricted a little as her mind slid back to an earlier time when Rudy had been younger and always the first one to venture out into the path to the back fields. And he'd always been the one to turn around and meow for her to move along a little faster. Now, she was the one who had to stop and wait for him. As he slowly made his way along behind her, she'd stoop and pet him and then she'd continue along the path in front of him.
It usually took about fifteen minutes to walk the short distance from the house to the back of their property and when they finally reached the raspberry bushes, she was pleased to see that they were covered with dark, red berries. She waited for Rudy to amble over to where she was and he stopped and lay down under the shade of the nearest bush. She reached down and stroked his red coat a couple of times and talked to him about all the lovely things she was going to make with the berries.
As she slowly picked her way from bush to laden bush, Rudy would get up and follow her and she continued talking to him all the while she picked. Just as the last rays of the afternoon sun began to slip below the horizon, she saw that her pail was full and she looked down at Rudy and said, "OK old pal, mommy's done. It's time to head for home. Are you coming?" Rudy looked up at her and his green eyes seemed to glow for a couple of seconds and she felt a shock go through her heart.
She reached down to pet him and as she tried to place her hand on his warm fur, her hand could not quite reach him. Surprised, she tried again but her hand didn't quite reach his soft red fur. Startled, she withdrew her hand and looked at her lovely cat. Rudy lay where he was and looked back at her again with that soft glow in his eyes. He purred softly to her once more and then he stretched out on his side and lay where he was without moving.
She reached out her hand to stroke him and again her hand encountered a resistance. Finally, she pushed harder against the invisible barrier and her hand reached his back. She softly stroked his warm fur a couple of times and he lay where he was. "Well," she said to him. "You seem to be enjoying yourself, puss but mama's got to go make some supper and a raspberry tart. Just come home when you're ready." With that, she turned and walked slowly up the path to the house.
Her mother, who still lived in the "county," always said that they "went to bed with the chickens" every night. And there had always been a long-standing joke in their house that they went to bed "whenever Rudy wanted to." Ever since he'd been a kitten, Rudy had slept at the foot of Lani's bed and when she'd married, it had been the same. When Rudy was ready to go to bed, no matter what she was doing, he'd come and sit right in front of Lani and meow and she knew that he wanted to go to bed. In the early years, before it had dawned on her what it was that he wanted, she'd picked him up and tried to pet him but he'd jump down and resume his sitting and waiting. Finally, she'd understood. He wanted to go to bed!
As she slid into her pajamas, she realized that she hadn't seen him all evening and she walked over to the back door and stepped out onto the porch. She shielded her eyes from the bright moonlight and called softly to him. Usually, if he was out, as soon as she called him, he'd come running. She stepped off the porch and down into the wet grass and called to him again. Getting no response, she returned to the house. She left the back porch door slightly ajar just in case he wanted to come in and she turned off the lights and went to bed.
Rudy was usually the first one up in the morning. He'd yawn and stretch and then he'd begin the "wake up" walk the length of their bodies until one of them opened their eyes. Then he'd jump off their bed and pad quickly down the back stairs and out to the kitchen where he'd have a quick drink of water. Then he'd push the screen door aside with his head and off he'd go to explore the yard and the fields beyond.
From years of habit, even before she'd opened her eyes the next morning, Lani reached down to stroke Rudy. Her hand, expecting to find the warm fur, only encountered the cool, cotton bedspread. Alarmed, she sat up and looked at the foot of the bed. No Rudy. She looked at her still sleeping husband and saw that Rudy wasn't anywhere on the bed.
She threw on her clothes and hurried down the stairs. When she reached the kitchen, she called him again and then she saw that the screen door was still ajar. She hurried down the steps and across the grass to the path that they had taken the day before. Her heart thumped loudly in her chest as she brushed the dew-laden bushes aside.
Finally, she reached the raspberry patch and she stopped again and called his name. She hurried through the wet grass to the last bush and it was then that she saw him. He lay on his side, exactly as he'd been when she'd left. She knelt down and touched him and his fur was wet and cold. Rudy had gone.
It was then that she understood what had happened the day before when she'd tried to pet Rudy. It was his spirit that her hand had encountered when she'd tried to touch him. His spirit had been leaving his body at the exact moment she'd reached down to pet him.
She gathered Rudy up against her breast and walked slowly up the path that they had traveled together so many times. As she walked along, she spoke softly to him and she told him that she knew that he deserved his rest and that they'd meet again in another place another time. As tears slid down her face and dropped onto his fur, Lani told him that she would always love him and that she would meet him again someday along the "Rainbow Bridge." And she knew deep down in her heart that there'd never be another Rudy.
Martha Stevens-David
Martha Stevens-David Column Magic City
Email: lmdmsd@megalink.net
Childrens Stories include:
See also Vengeance is Mine a short mystery novel published at Magic City over 4 days.
All works by Martha Stevens-David published at Magic City Morning Star News are her copyright property and may not be reproduced without her permission.
