SHORT STORY (10) THE ADVENTURES OF SOLO

THE ADVENTURES OF SOLO BY GERARD O’NEIL

 The small kitten on display in the pet shop window was playing with its sister, but when she saw me she stopped and put her nose up to the glass and smiled. I think at that moment Solo had already decided that I would be her new owner. I had had no intention of buying a kitten, but 10 minutes after entering the pet shop I found myself once again on the street carrying a kitten box containing one happy feline.

Soon Solo was exploring her new home. As I lived on a small yacht anchored in the middle of the bay, this did not take her long to do. As it was already getting late I organized a place for Solo to sleep on a spare bunk and after I was sure she comfortable, I too went to bed.

Sometime during the early hours I woke with difficulty to breath. It only took a few seconds to discover why. It appeared Solo had decided that the most comfortable place to sleep on the whole boat was in fact on my face. Not wanting to disappoint her by showing her it wasn’t, I calmly returned her to her own lodgings.

Just before dawn I woke feeling cold. As I moved to pull another blanket over me I felt something sharp dig into my foot. I soon discovered that “the something” belonged to Solo. It appeared she had once again left her bed and at some point had made her way down to the bottom of mine where she was now making it clear where I should position my feet. Being so early in the morning, I was feeling too tired to dispute the fact.

When it was time to get up the next day I carefully maneuvered around the lump at the bottom of my bed as to not disturb my new lodger and thus suffer a repeat of her early morning attack. Only when I was fully out of bed, did I realize that the lump was just a messed up blanket. Solo was in her  bed on the spare bunk with an expression of bewilderment on her face after having just watched my antics.

The next month’s saw our lives settle into a routine. We would both wake at the crack of dawn and then have breakfast together. After washing and changing into my city clothes I would row ashore in time to catch my bus to work. Solo for her part, after saying goodbye to me, I suspected would simply make her way back to her bed to “cat nap” the rest of the day until I returned in the early evening. 

One day I returned from work for the last time as I had handed in my resignation in order to set sail for distant shores. Soon after we raised the anchor. 

When Solo woke she was surprised to discover that the coast had long since disappeared over the horizon and that her world had been transformed into an amusement park for cats. Every time the yacht rolled, things would move. It left her crazy with excitement. She did not know which piece of moving rope to play with first.

As the day wore on, the wind and motion increase. Solo couldn’t understand why her food dish kept moving position every time the boat rolled. By nightfall it was blowing a full gale and so everything was battened down, however since Solo was below I left the hatch just a little open to ensure fresh air was able to circulate below. After a particularly bad roll, two little paws appeared in the space between the hatch and wash boards, followed a few seconds later by a small frightened face. I opened the hatch a little more and in an instant Solo had found her way out on deck and then down inside my wet weather gear. Once there she calmed down she eventually she began purring. It was as if now she was close to me, she had every confidence in my ability to guide our little home safely to calmer waters.

During the next years Solo and I logged thousands of sea miles together. She became and expert sailor and even developed a love for water. Whenever we rowed ashore she had a habit of abandoning ship five meters from the beach. She would then sneak up on the little fish which liked to swim close to the sand. On  occasions she managed to catch one as they never imagined a cat would pounce on them from a seaward position.

Late one night sailing while I was below dozing in light air with the auto pilot navigating, I was startled to hear a loud a splash. In an instant I was on deck. To my dismay I saw Solo in the water desperately trying to swim after us. Initially I did not know what to do! If I lowered the sails and the started the motor I would have to take my eyes off Solo. If I did this I would probably not be able to locate her again. But then my dilemma miraculously resolved itself. I always ways towed a line with a float attached behind the yacht in case I fall overboard.  As this line floated past Solo she grabbed hold of it this gave me time to rush forward to lower the sails. I then raced back to the stern to find to my relief Solo was still hanging on.  I began hauling in the safely line as quickly as I could. Meter by meter, hand over hand, I pulled Solo closer. When she was almost within reach she lost her grip and disappeared under water. In an instant I had unclipped my safety harness and jumped into the sea and dived after her. When I thought my lungs would explode I managed to grab one of Solo’s paws, pulling her to the surface. We were soon both back on board. Form that moment on Solo never ventured on deck without me. 

Some of the ports I visited during my travels allocated visiting yachts berths alongside wharfs and pontoons. Though this was convenient from the point of view of easy access, it meant I lost control over Solo. She would spend her days and nights socializing on other boats. I suspect that on these visits she pretended I never fed her as port visits were often noted for rapid weight gain. 

Sometimes when we arrived in a new port we would be directed to tie up further out in the marina. Apart from the extra effort needed to get ashore this type of berth had another drawback. At night seabirds would use the yachts as roosting perches. By morning their “calling cards” were everywhere. When I was on board, I was able to chase any of these unwelcome visitors away, however if I arrived home late or spent a few days away, I would have an unpleasant  surprise waiting for me in the form of mountains of bird droppings all over the decks. 

One evening from below I spied Solo quietly stalking an unsuspecting tern which had just landed on our deck. At the last second she lunged at it but missed. The tern flew off squawking loudly and from that time onwards no                                            other birds landed on our floating home! 

There comes a time in the life of most sailors when they finally hang up their wet weather gear for the last time and move ashore. When this happened to me I wasn’t able to take Solo with me, so she went to live with my brother and his family. Today Solo spends most of her retirement sleeping in front of her nephews’ aquarium. Occasionally when a fish swims close to the class she gives it a halfhearted swipe with a fat paw just to let the fish know she is still the master of the seven seas.

COMPREHENSION CHECK

 ANSWERS

(1)  How many kittens were on display in the pet shop window?

There were two kittens playing in the pet shop window.

(2)  Why did it take solo such a short time to explore her new home?

Being a boat her new home was very small.

(3)  Where was Solo supposed to sleep?

She was supposed to sleep on the spare bunk.

(4)  What would Solo do when the author was at work?

The author was not sure but suspected Solo spent most of the time sleeping.

(5)  Was Solo afraid of rough weather?

Yes she was although she pretended not to be.

(6)  Why did Solo usually abandon ship just before she and the author reached shore.

Because she like to sneak up on the unsuspecting fish that swam close to the beach.

(7)  What happened to Solo one calm night when they were sailing in the open sea?

She fell overboard, but fortunately was rescued by the author.

(8)  Why did Solo put on weight when  she had easy access to the shore

She would visit the other boats in the neighborhood and pretend she was hungry.

(9)  Why did terns no longer roost on the authors’ yacht?

Because Solo had managed to catch one and it had alerted its colleagues about the cat that lived on board the authors’ yacht.  

(10)    What was Solos favorite retirement pass time?

Sleeping in front of the authors’ nephews aquarium.

EXERCISE: Some “Cat” questions:

(1)  How many lives do cats have?

If you speak English they have nine lives, but if you speak Portuguese they have seven lives.

(2)  What do the following cat expressions mean? Give an example of each in a sentence:

(A) “When the cat is away the mouse will play?”

When no one in authority is present, the subordinates can do as they please. EXAMPLE: When the teacher left for a few minutes, the children nearly wrecked the classroom. When the cat's away, the mice will play.

(B) “Has the cat got your tongue?”

Why are you not saying anything? (Often said by adults to children.) EXAMPLE: Hi, Lisa! How are you? How's your husband? Are you surprised to see me? What's the matter, has the cat got your tongue?

(C) “It’s raining cats and dogs.”

It’s raining lot. EXAMPLE: It was raining cats and dogs by the time I got home.

(D) “I will just take a cat nap”.

A cat nap is a very brief but restful period of sleep. EXAMPLE: I'm going to try to squeeze in a cat nap before my next shift starts, or else I'll be feeling sluggish for the entire evening.

(E) “They have been playing a game of cat and mouse with us.”

To try to defeat someone by tricking them into making a mistake so that you have an advantage over them. EXAMPLE: The 32-year-old actress spent a large proportion of the week playing cat and mouse with the press.

(F) “He is a fat cat”.

A fat cat is a person who is rich and influential. EXAMPLE: The fat cats are always exploiting the workers.

TO PRINT