Guero - 1. A Birth

July 19, 2007

I remember waking up that morning, not knowing what was happening at that very moment.

After getting dressed, I went to the kitchen to get some breakfast, and I noticed something odd- there wasn’t any eggs and bacon being cooked by my mother. Heck, the stove wasn’t even on, and my mother was nowhere in sight. My twelve-year-old self shrugged at this, my stomach growls were of more pressing concern.

Well, there’s always cereal, I thought. So, I gathered the first two components- the milk carton and bowl, and after I had them on the countertop, I went looking for the most important component- Froot Loops!

I was about to pour my chosen cereal in the bowl when my sister rounded the corner and told me to follower her, Shata’s kittens had been born. I forget my hunger at that moment, the prospect of seeing newborn kittens crowded everything else out of my mind.

She led me down the hall, into my parent’s bedroom, and I saw my mother kneeling before a partially closed closet door. And I knew at that moment, that behind that door was Shata and her newborns.

I slowly walked towards the door, and when my mother stepped back for me, I peeked in…

… and saw the new mother resting as she fed her kittens. They were so tiny and adorable, and I reached forward to pet them. But my mother held me back, and told me to let them rest.

I took one last look of them, before I was gently led away by my mother- with the images of those kittens in the center of my mind… especially a snow white one, in particular…

You may be gone now, but Happy Birthday Guero!