A Sad Time for Me

I’m not writing this to get any sympathy or attention from anyone. I’m writing this in memory of the two beings I’ve lost recently. One was my father whom I loved, but who didn’t share my feelings in return. It never mattered, he was still my daddy. The other is my beloved Mimi, my cat. Yes, she’s an animal but for the past 4 years she was my companion, the one who kept me going no matter what.

Daddy

Dad passed away 2 February 2023. He had diabetes which he had stopped taking care of when he was forced to retire about 10 yrs ago. He has his ups and downs, but the job had been his life – his identity. The thing I remember most was how he took me in, got me out of a bad situation with my abusive mother and her even more abusive girlfriend. There were other things, little things, and these I will remember more than anything else from our time together. He was a very good man. I will miss him.

Mimi

I got her when she was 3. She’s be in a so called shelter with lots of other cats. The owner made fun of her for staying in her litter box all the time rather than socializing with the other cats. I was mad about this because this behavior shows the cat’s high level of distress and anxiety. I never knew for sure who her original owner was, I was told she was an elderly woman who hoarded cat and dogs, and she was brought in when the lady passed away.

Regardless, Mimi became my companion. She had trust issues at first, but we learned together until she fell in love with me. She was my whole reason for getting up in the morning and for coming home after work. She kept me out of the bars and out of trouble. We loved each other. She even learned how to say “Ma” from hearing my son call me it so much. Cats like her can, and do, vocalize beyond simple meows, and she was no exception. She even had a warble sound that sounded like Mama.

She passed away on 6 March 2023 rather suddenly. The vet told me she had lymphoma and a viral disease they hadn’t had time to identify before she passed while they were trying to stabilize her for overnight treatment. While my heart is broken, I know the lymphoma would have taken her anyway and in a much more painful way. I am grateful she will never feel that pain and that she was in caring hands when she passed.

I will miss both of these wonderful beings, always grateful and forever changed by the time I got to spend with them. I wish them all the best in the next world, knowing I will see them again one day.

Rest in Peace Daddy and Mimi.