The Night We Came to Be

The Night of the Raging Whiskers

Laying the curry down as an offering, I backed away, hoping to get the kitty's attention.

It did, and in a matter of seconds, came slipping onto my side of the fence to approach the red, savory meat.

Gnawing delicately on the piece of curry, the kitten grows ever so cautious.

"So, what's her name?"

Maya fumbles. "It's a he, actually, I think," she said, unsure. "I haven't really prepared a name for him..."

"Really? Why not?"

She fumbles yet again. Is something bothering her? "I don't wanna give it a name."

"Hmm."

The kitty was fast to devour his evening meal. Hypnotized by its lovely size, I reach my vulnerable hand out to pet him.

Unfortunately, he didn't seem to like that, as it hissed and bared its fangs.

"Woah, I guess he doesn't like me," I said, a bit sad.

"No, here, I'll teach you the trick. You just have to think that it won't harm you. When you got that going, then pet," Maya advised.

My brain suffered utter confusion. "Wait, does that even work? How does that even work--"

"Just do it!" Maya urged, excited.

Listening to her advice, I try to pet the kitty once more.

It licked my finger.

How...? This girl is a stroke of genius.

"I told you so," she snickered, smirking as she did.

As the kitten lay nonchalantly on the grass, Maya and I had another late night bonding session. It became clearer each day, that this was gonna be the norm for me. A norm for us. I can get used to this. Talking to her after a long day's torture is a reward I probably don't deserve.

But it's a reward I'm willing to take any day.

"My dad always called me a pig when I was young, saying I was messy with my stuff and all that, and that fact remains until now," said Maya. She looks up the night sky, unintentionally resting her head onto mine.

"Wow, isn't that a bit too much?"

Maya clicks her tongue. "Hmm, nah, not really. I see myself as a pig, too."

As we talked, I'd unknowingly pressed my head further into hers. "Oh, like a spirit animal?"

"Eh, more or less. I see myself as one because pigs are cute. Especially the small, baby ones. That, and you know, that's how my father refers to me." She forces a solemn smile.

"But whatever his reasoning, it doesn't faze me anymore. It's in the past, I'm a big girl now."

Though our eyes never connected, I sensed the heaviness in her words.

"Good for you. So eager to forget about the past," I said.

"Well, it's not a matter of forgetting, rather of learning from it and moving on. That's two different things."

Huh...

Maya began again, "What about you? Spirit animal?"

The cogs in my head began to spin. "I haven't really tried any of those quizzes online, but..."

Her head against mine... it's so damn distracting. Although a fence divided us, that hardly separated us at all.

"I guess if I were to take one, I'd say I'll get the tiger."

"Damn, willpower. I like that!" she agreed.

"I don't know, the way I fight, how I see things, I'd always take it as a challenge, y'know?"

Maya seems convinced. Good enough for me.

"Hear that, Whiskers? I'm a cat just like you!" I said, kidding.

Then it clicked.

"Oh, Whiskers can be his name!"

Maya turns to me with a scrunched up face. "What kinda name is that? It's too common!"

"What, you want it to be unique as well? Whiskers is perfect! You can't not see how well that matches up! Look at his thing, look at how long that is!"

"Shush your whiny mouth, that's his tail, not his whiskers, idiot! I have a better one for ya! Snow White! Snow freaking White! 'Cuz he's white--"

"Snow White? Snow Whi-- He ain't even a she, what are you talking about? At this point, even Oliver's a better suggestion than yours!"

Whiskers, or Snow White, or... Oliver watched in shock and awe as Maya and I argued endlessly through the night.

We never stopped bickering. And I had no plan of ending it.