Waiting, by Alejandro Caraza Duhne
From the series Not Everyone Sees the Same Cat
“I can’t wait.” Thought the old lady. She wasn’t old, not really. She knew that, but that’s how she felt these days. A bit slower in the mornings, a little more tired at night. The heels don’t feel like they used to, music doesn’t quite attract as it once did.
She made an effort today. All day she’s been waiting for tonight. All week she’s been thinking about what to wear. Is this hairdo too old school? Is this blouse showing too much? She was waiting for a date. A date that wouldn’t show tonight, and she knew it, but she still waited in the corner.
“I can’t wait.”, thought the cat. Sleek and a bit more slim than was healthy. All he could think about was food. It’s been too long since he was picked up like tonight. He wondered if this strange person would feed him. She smelled faintly of a garden and something edible. A garden. That would be a nice place to rest tonight, after the long day hunting for food, the cat was tired. More hungry than tired at the moment, so he still made an effort to call this woman over and ask. “Are you going to feed me?”. The woman barely heard the cat, even though she was looking straight at him, she was not paying attention.
“I can’t wait.”, thought the moon. It has been looking down into this place and seen the comings and goings of everyone. Ever a watchful eye. Today the moon appeared a bit brighter. A bit more colorful . But the moon didn’t care for all of that. As a witness to Earth, the moon was both bored and excited. It couldn’t wait to see the Earth’s evolution as it made a revolution. And it couldn’t wait to see how the lady and the cat found each other. An old tale, unlikely friends, timid allies, sheltering each other. One from the elements, the other from loneliness. “I can’t wait to see them again tomorrow. I can’t wait to see them find happiness with each other.”