Courtney R.
Period 2
19. Sept. 2008
Lesson Learned Prompt: Treasure Cat
A Barbie car, shoes, pajamas, a set of blocks, a teddy bear, and an Easy Bake Oven. Those were the Christmas gifts that I kept thinking about as I tapped my foot impatiently against the leg of our dining table. I wanted to run in my room and jump up and down in victory. At six years there was something of a rush when you got exactly what you wanted.
Another Christmas tradition held me back though, the family dinner. All of my relatives had come over after we opened our presents and put on our ridiculous Christmas outfits. The ones with the bright red and green, and the ugly scratchy sweaters that we would one day cringe at the sight of.
I was impatiently waiting for someone to put my plate away so that I could leave the table. Even though the desire was pointless, because not everyone was done eating just yet.
All of my mother’s sisters were there, laughing and goofing around. My uncles and my father were a close knit talking about sports, and other things adult men worried about in the presence of so many women. The older kids as it seems had split up into different groups. The kids in their teens talked with each other planning mischievous outings that would one day get them grounded. This group of girls with their heavy lip liners, included my sister Shonique, and my cousins Gina and Adriana. The second group was the one that teased us younger one’s, my other sister Marissa [ a Tom Boy of some sort] and my cousin Jonathan.
That left the three youngest girls to play together, all the closet in age to any of the older kids. My cousin Kamron, who was nine months younger than me but in the same grade, and my cousin Megan [Younger sister of Jonathan.] who was about a year and a half younger then me.
The both of them stared at me with their condescending stares, to them I ate like a horse. And as a kid, it was sort of true, I ate everything in sight no care if I was hungry or not, if something was good to taste it would be in my mouth before anyone could blink. [ This was one of the reasons I loved Angelica the antagonist of Rug Rats.] In fact I felt way too full, I felt a little sick. I had to turn away to avoid their stares and whispers. This was how everyone outside of my immediate family treated me, which was strange because I was not over weight in the least. Then again the fact that my youngest Aunt, Alicia went a whole day without feeding her kids until all the earnings were done. And my Aunt Leonie, well it took me some years to realize this, but she was one to care about her daughters diet, and keep her away from candy. My mother was just the opposite, she let me eat as much I wanted to, and she brought sodas like they were water. Ironically enough though, I had noticed the pictures of the younger stick thin figure of my mother in our albums. The skinniest daughter of Virginia, turned out to be the one that worried the least about her weight.
“Meow.”
I had already been looking down at the floor imagining what kind of new plot I could up with for my next Barbie game. I had just noticed our little black and white kitten coming closer to me rubbing around my leg.
“Hi, TC!” I bent below the table petting her furiously and happily. I knew my cousins would get jealous of this interaction, and I was in for a little payback.
“Oooh, can I pet her?” Megan asked, of course she would ask first. She was the more innocent of the two, and of course she was in love with animals.
I picked up TC in my arms, standing by my chair, I knew my Mom would get mad if I held her to close to the dinner table. I looked at Megan a real smile on my face, and then I turned back to TC looking in her eyes for approval.
“I think she like that!” I handed her over to Megan who got off her chair and took her over to the couch in the living room. Kamron and I followed close behind her.
“What’s TC?” Kamron asked sitting next to Megan petting the cat softly.
“Treasure Cat.” I slurred out, I didn’t have the best pronunciation back then, and honestly I still don’t.
Megan nodded in approval, “ That’s pretty.”
“Hey kiddies it’s time to take pictures!” My Auntie Alicia came over and she fretted over my cousins cleaning them up.
I grabbed TC from off the floor when she leaped off the couch, then I made a beeline for my sister. If anyone was to clean me off it had to be her, I knew that disapproving look I would get from my Aunt.
I saw Shonique in the kitchen giggling with Gina sneaking some extra ham into her mouth.
“Shonique!”
“What?” I set the cat down gently.
I went up to her and hugged her roughly, “Can you clean me off please , please? Pretty please!?”
She disengaged me from her legs, and looked at me. She licked her finger rubbing something off my cheek. “Ew not like that!”
Her and Gina laughed, my sister grabbed a napkin cleaning off the rest of my face and rubbing the crumbs off my dress. She fixed my hair and then patted my head like I was a dog, “There you go.”
“Don’t pet me!” I stomped away angrily shoving her hand out the way.
TC followed close behind me as I made my way into my room. Although it was also Marissa’s room too. Her and Jonathan were inside the room playing with the Lego set that he brought. My sister noticed me instantly and pushed me away from her almost making me trip over the cat.
“Go away!”
“No! I want to play with my toys!” I shouted back, I made a grab for her at that moment. When we were younger we got into physical fights a lot, I believe then and I still believe that for the youngest I held my ground pretty well. I was clinging on to her shirt, and she released my hands laughing at me, tickling me so I was forced to laugh too. Within a moment we were wrestling, knocking Legos down.
It didn’t last long though, the cat was screaming almost as loud as we were when my Dad came in. “Hey cut that out!”
His voice of authority made us instantly release each other staring at him wide eyed, he had caught us misbehaving. We each felt the rush as he continued to yell at us, while Jonathan tried not to laugh.
“Stop acting up in here! You’re supposed to come outside and take pictures.” My father shook his head walking out the room, while Jonathan fell over laughing.
Pretty soon it was wrestling match between Jonathan and Marissa. I stared at them in fear and bewilderment, Did I look like that when I wrestled? I was stared they would crash into me, so I quietly left the room. Walking down the hall my mother came over to me grabbing my hand.
She was talking very fast about something, and I was having trouble hearing her.
She was leading me outside, minutes flew by and it seemed like everyone was in the front yard.
There was a man there with his camera set, getting the lighting in just right position. TC was in my arms by the time my mother noticed her.
“Hey take the cat back in the house!” She said annoyed with me.
“Can she be in the picture?” I begged her, giving her my most sad look I could manage.
The photographer was beckoning her trying to get the shot ready, she had no choice but to surrender. She just nodded but clearly she did not approve in the least.
The pictures went by quickly, I had to force myself to keep my eyes open long enough for the next photo. Finally the grown ups began to migrate back into the house.
“Don’t leave the cat outside.” My mother cautioned me, going inside looking around the neighborhood worry clear on her eyes.
Some of kids were still outside, me, Kamron, Megan, Jonathan, and Marissa. Some how we had manage to start a game of tag and I, like always, was It. I chased everyone around for about ten minutes, until finally I was about to get Megan.
By that time my Aunt Leonie had come outside, “Hey Monique’s cutting the pie!”
She was talking about my Mom’s famous sweet potato pie. It didn’t taste like any other pies that anyone made, it was the best pie in the world. This pie however was only in season for Thanksgiving, my mother would save just enough materials to make one last pie for the year.
Missing out on the last sweet potato pie of the year was just unacceptable, as a gourmand it was my duty to shove past everyone else and be one of the first to get a piece .
Of course before I charged in the house I noticed my little kitten sitting by the swings, sitting down looking lazy. I guess in my six year old mind I thought she would be perfectly okay.
And nothing could distract my mind as I shoved my moms pie down my mouth laughing with my cousins. My Grandma came over to us smiling, “Hey girls that pie looks good.”
I nodded eating the last bit of my pie as she inquired my cousins. “Courtney,” she said to me, “ you just love your Mommy’s pie don’t you?”
She was teasing me a little bit, in a way that I had never minded, always saying how tall how I am, and always making fun of my soft voice. I loved my Grandma, and sometime I believe I appreciate her more then her other grandchildren could.
My cousin Megan and Jonathan had once said that they found her irritating because she was always so happy all the time. This was bizarre to hear some years later, would they have preferred that she was mean and grumpy?
And my cousin Kamron, she of all people, whether she always showed it or not, should appreciate her most. My Grandma had practically raised her for the first five years of her life while her mom was in the hospital sick with cancer. Yet they would tease my Grandma like she was some old crazy lady. Even though Kamron had once told she believed Nanna, [ Her personal nickname for her, which my Grandma grew to dislike over the years] was actually her mother when she was younger. There was even sometimes when me and her would be talking alone and she talked about how sad she would be if Grandma passed away. “I think I would go crazy.” She had said. I would too, it was unimaginable not having her near, just like I would not want to loose my own mother. But the fact that Grandma is still alive gives me hope, just like that fact that Great-grandma [ Who had never shown an interest to get to know me, and who I had only spoken to once in my whole life, briefly over the phone.] was still alive gave me hope.
It was easy to put something like that out of little minds, to not even think about what we have.
“Uh huh! Did you get some Grandma?”
“Oh, no that’s alright baby, you’re Grandma’s a little too full. I think got to much of that dressing.” She laughed just as my mom came over to us.
“Did you take the cat back inside?” My mother asked.
I nodded my head smiling, TC was fine outside just where I left her. I could always go and get her later. My auntie Christy walked into the house holding up another pie in foil, “Hey here’s the banana cream pie.”
Everyone made a beeline for it, while I sat alone thinking of something interesting to do. It seemed like it had been hours since I played with my new presents. So I walked away from the pie, which I never really thought was special, and went into my room.
The window was open, it was really cold outside now. I closed it wondering if TC was cold, but then I remembered she had her fur.
Although I did begin to regret not going back out to get her, but it wasn’t like I could go outside alone without anyone noticing. Suddenly the toys around made me bored, I went back into the living room and sat next to the tree.
Gina and Shonique were sitting on the couch having pleasant, mischievous conversation. My eyes grew transfixed on the ornaments on the tree. All the shiny lights and little figurines made me feel content just sitting there. I walked around the tree trying to remember every detail, I touched a candy cane lightly, it was the rainbow colored kind.
“Courtney did you get some banana cream pie?” My sister asked.
“Nooo.” I came over to her inspecting the purse in her lap. “Let me see.” I made a grab for it giggling when she pulled her bag away shouting at me. Back then when we mad each other mad it was either not a big deal or something we could easily get over. The problem for us these days is not I am not a kid anymore, and she wishes not to even acknowledge this. I don’t think she understood my emotions when I was kid , even better than she does now.
That’s the last thing I remember about that night, besides giving everyone a hug good-bye as they climbed into their cars. I remember changing and going to bed, I had a lot of subconscious thoughts and a strange dream.
It was a thinking dream, the kind where you had the same thoughts over and over again. Almost like meditating in your sleep, almost as if you could be awake and thinking the same thoughts.
My thoughts were about TC, and how wonderful she was. I think I really believed that cat was like an imaginary best friend, invisible in some way. Like it would always be there, something concrete in my life. Something that you could always rely on no matter what. Kind of like my other Grandmother, I could always imagine her in her chair at the table, almost like a tree planted there. At 83 though she was having trouble, currently her arm is swollen and she’s in the hospital.
The truth is we have to appreciate everyone for who they are and what they provide for us. It’s getting up one day and looking outside looking for something that’s missing but you can’t ever really find again.
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: I did recently learn a lesson, a very realistic one, however it was too inapproiate for my class. So instead I'll write it and post it here. I hope whoever reads it will take something from it.
