Kingini, My Boss

The only reason that keeps Maggie and me glued to our house is Kingini. When we travel, we make sure that we return home the same day, even if it is a little late in the night as it may happen sometimes. “Kingini will be hungry.”

Kingini governs us, so to say.

She has never had any doubt about her position in our household. She is not a pet; she is the owner. Maggie and I are her staff.

Every morning, long before the sun has even begun to consider getting out of bed, Kingini is up. Her breakfast is due at around 5 am, give or take a few minutes. She comes near my bed and gently taps the side. One tap. A polite reminder. If I ignore it, there is a second tap. If I continue to pretend that I am asleep, Kingini gets onto the bed. At that point, the diplomacy is over. She walks around me, walks over me, stares at me and generally makes sure that sleep is no longer an option. She has several techniques, all of them are highly effective. If Kingini had stepped into my life in my youth and I had learnt certain lessons from her, I might have been sitting on a royal throne in Indraprastha today.

I sometimes feel I can almost hear my grandmother speaking through Kingini:
“Early to bed and early to rise makes a cat healthy and wise.”

No thanks for any of what I do for her, however. She eats and walks away like a queen. And she always makes sure she preserves her standards. Call her name and she looks away. Ask her to come and she suddenly becomes deaf. Try to pick her up to fondle her in your lap and she remembers an urgent appointment elsewhere.

But when we are sitting quietly, she may suddenly appear beside us and curl up as though she has always belonged there.

When she has an irresistible urge to eat fish, she will simply refuse to eat all those Whiskas pellets and soupy chicken nuggets that come in packets. She will make sure that I go to the nearest market and get her fish.

The thing is, as a friend of mine says whenever he is not quire sure of himself, Kingini adds a little more warmth, laughter and love to my life day after day.

PS. I wanted to take a break from all the serious stuff I’ve been posting these days.