KITTY CATS

KITTY CATS

My love for animals must have started very early in my childhood. Kudos go to the Rooster. He started it all. But this story is not about the Rooster. It is about my piano teacher, Ms. B., her very beautiful, old piano and a big, loving cat. 

Ms. B. was playing the piano like a virtuoso. She never allowed Sebastian, her big ol’cat to sit on the piano. This was the most precious piece of “furniture” in her house. She did not want any scratches on it. Who can blame her?

I was 6 years old. To this day, I cannot explain to myself why I did not want to go to piano lessons. I love to go to piano concerts; I love classical music. I think I wanted badly to have a talent for it, which was not there. I was smart enough to realize that. I even explained this to my parents. They did not believe me. 

Parents believe their children can do everything. So, the piano lessons were a part of my childhood.

What made it tolerable was Sebastian. He would stay at the door and sit on my lap during the whole lesson. I think the teacher thought the two of us would bond. This would make it easy for me to learn. We bonded, but not for learning. We were looking at each other; I became his most comfortable bed. My legs were moving in a position to accommodate him, not what the exercises required.

My piano teacher must have liked me, or felt sorry for my parents. I loved the big ol’cat so much. He loved me, too. It was so obvious. His warm body made me endure 3 years of piano lessons. One day when I arrived, I saw his paw covered with bandages. He was hurt. Sebastian was getting old and clumsy. Still he followed our routine. When the lesson was over, I saw  a stain of blood on my dress.

During my next lesson, he was not around. Without Sebastian, I was totally helpless. My teacher had to explain my lack of progress to my parents. The piano lessons were over. 

Playing the piano was not in the cards for me. I do not blame myself for the failure. Why waste my lack of talent? On a different tangent, there are plenty of piano owners, who use the piano as a piece of furniture.

Playing the piano is not like riding a bike. Well, I still know how to play “The Donkey” -– the first and the last piano exercise I mastered.

Sebastian opened the door for a whole brood of his cat family. After him, I met Baxter. He is the one on the picture. Tiger is a current member of the family. He deserves a separate story.