Of Ginger and those days

Kate’s cat, lovingly named ‘Ginger’, used to be her so-called furry friend back during her golden childhood days. And so, she lived to retell his story, again. He was bought from an animal shelter by an uncle. Well, it occurred to her uncle that he could use some company when he hit his lows or observe, really just how these pet animals added to drama at homes. However, as time wove in, Ginger seemed to ask far more for an ordinary pet cat. He would throw in fits quite often, if not provided with his oversized thread balls to toy around with or growl fiercely at unfamiliar faces when taken for short-distanced walks out onto the sunny streets.


But one day…sweet justice served him right! He was being excessively demanding and ballooning with greed, shooting himself in every direction when a needle, jutting out of a pin-cushion, pricked his right eye. Blood trickled down, running down his bushy cheeks and slowly dripping onto the rugged floor beneath. Soon enough, his voice softened to only a painful purring and touching meow- meows.


Kate hadn’t had the slightest clue of Ginger all this time, until she craved to own a friendly little creature herself. Sadly, she had to let go off her old pet fish, Goldie, when she succumbed to an untimely death. It was brutal news and her fragile heart sobbed endlessly. Her family couldn’t afford to see her in such mess and hence, decided to heal her wounded feelings by bringing in a pet animal. So, uncle cleverly stepped in capitalizing on the situation, handing his two year old cat over to her and lighting up her dim world right away.


Ginger seemed to be in perfect shape. He instantly curled up upon Kate’s motherly touch, stroking with her index finger down his rich brown fur that had uneven streaks of milky white. The devoid emptiness, as she sensed, filled up within a matter of seconds. Kate noticed, however, that his right eye was half shut. It was nothing short of being scary, but her inexperienced emotions took over and so, she proceeded to confirm her parents in the positive.




Not even a week had passed after his arrival when Ginger started to unveil his pretentious nature and his true colours.


As vividly as she could recall, the day when all of them chased him down to a neighbor’s door because he was not served a generous tuna meal. It was ridiculous as she tried to make it up to him with a bowl of milk because they were running low on canned tunas. Months flew by and that left eye shot back at her evil stares when things didn’t go as per schedule or according to his own wants- singing lullaby till he fell asleep or throw plain tantrums to just watch TV.


She held down the surges of fury and guilt for still keeping him under the same roof. But like Goldie, his stay was meant to be short-term. Eventually Ginger’s once robust body gave way to being attacked by a rare, chronic disease. It was both heart-rending and a little relieving, really. Within a few months, the constant drama was toned down to a nothing as he passed away.


But Kate, as she bade an emotional farewell, never forgot to thank Ginger for making her home so eventful and… for the ‘days’.