The Cat Who Chose Me

Chapter 8: The First Step Outside

After being sick for two days, Mitti was finally feeling better. Her left eye, which was closed for two days, was now almost fully open. The water had stopped. She was still sneezing sometimes, but not like before. The turmeric milk was working. And love was working more.

It was the seventh day since she came to our house. Seven days. In seven days, a small, dirty, scared kitten from a cold street had become the queen of our house.

In the morning, Ammi said, "Today the fog is less. The sun has come out a little. For the first time in ten days."

I looked out from the small window of my room. Ammi was right. For the first time, the fog was thin. You could see the other side of the street. The sun was not strong, but it was there. A weak, yellow sun, but it was trying to give some warmth to Multan.

Mitti was sitting near the heater as usual. But today she was not sleeping. She was awake. Her ears were moving. She was listening to the sounds of the street. Kids were shouting. A cycle bell was ringing. Someone was calling from far away.

She looked at me. Then she looked at the door. Then again at me.

I understood. She wants to go outside.

For seven days, the doctor had said, "Don't take her outside. There is infection in the street." And we had followed it strictly. She had not even seen the outside of our main gate for seven days.

"Ammi, can she go outside today? Just for five minutes? In the sun?" I asked.

Ammi was making chai. She came to the door of my room with two cups.

"Not in the street. The street is still dirty. But you can take her to the roof. There is sun on the roof. And it is clean. Just keep her in the basket. Don't let her run," Ammi said.

The roof. I had not gone to the roof for many days because of the cold and fog. But today it felt like a good idea.

I took the old basket. I put my old blue blanket in it. I put Mitti inside. At first she was a little scared when the basket moved. But when we started climbing the stairs, she became quiet. Her nose was sniffing the air. New air.

When we reached the roof, the sun was there. It was not very hot, but after ten days of fog and cold, it felt like heaven. The whole roof was warm. Our neighbor's clothes were hanging. Pigeons were sitting on the wall.

I put the basket down in the middle of the roof where the sun was the most. I opened the blanket.

Mitti slowly put her head out. First she just sniffed the air. Then she put one paw out on the warm concrete of the roof. The concrete was warm from the sun.

She had never felt warm concrete before. She always felt cold street, cold floor, cold blanket. This was new.

She took her other paw out. Then she came out fully. She sat on the warm roof. She closed her eyes. The sun was falling directly on her white and muddy fur. For the first time, her fur was shining in the sun. You could see the real color. It was not fully white, it was light brown and white. Like Mitti itself. Like earth.

She sat there for one minute. Just sitting in the sun. Not moving. As if she was charging herself. Like a small solar panel.

Then she started walking. Slowly. Very slowly. She was still weak, so she was not running. She walked to the edge of the roof and looked down at the street. From the roof, our street looked very small. She saw the place where I had found her. Near the garbage, at the corner.

She sat there for a long time, looking down. I don't know what she was thinking. Was she remembering that cold night? Was she remembering the fear? Or was she saying thank you to that street?

I sat near her. I didn't touch her. I just let her enjoy.

A pigeon came and sat near us. Mitti saw it. Her ears went up. Her tail started moving a little. The hunter inside her woke up. But she was too weak to chase. And too well-fed now. She just looked at the pigeon for two seconds, then ignored it. She was not a street cat anymore. She was a house cat.

After ten minutes, she started sneezing again. The outside air, even with sun, was still a little cold for her.

"Chalo, enough sun for today," I said and picked her up.

She didn't resist. She came into my hands easily. She was warm now. Really warm. Her fur was hot from the sun. I put her back in the basket.

When we came down, Ammi was waiting at the stairs.

"How was the sun?" Ammi asked, smiling.

"She liked it. She sat in the sun for ten minutes. Like a queen," I said.

Ammi touched Mitti's head. "Now she is warm from outside and inside. Give her milk now, she must be tired."

I gave her milk. She drank it all. Then she went straight to my table and slept on my English book. Her favorite place. But today she was sleeping differently. Her body was loose. Relaxed. Not curled tightly like before when she was scared or cold. Today she was stretched. Her paws were open. Her stomach was showing. It means she was feeling safe. Cats only show their stomach when they feel 100% safe.

Ali came in the evening. He had come to give me the notes of the test I had missed.

"Where is your famous Mitti? My whole class is asking about her. Sir also asked, how is your cat?" Ali said, laughing.

I pointed to the table. Mitti was still sleeping on the book, in the sun that was coming from the window.

Ali went near her slowly. "She looks better. Yesterday her eyes were closed. Today they are open."

"Today I took her to the roof. First time outside after seven days," I said.

Ali said, "You know, my mother is saying, bring her to our house one day. My little sister wants to see her. She saw her photo."

Photo? I had not taken any photo of Mitti. Then I remembered, I had sent one photo to Ali on w******p when she was sick, to ask if she looks okay.

"She is still weak. When she is fully fine, I will bring her," I said.

At night, when I was lying on the charpoy, Mitti did not come to my feet or near my pillow. She came and sat directly on my chest. For the first time.

Her small weight on my chest. Her warm fur touching my chin. Her soft purring sound. Grrr... grrr... grrr... She was purring. It was the first time she was purring. It means she was happy. Very happy.

I put my hand on her back. She closed her eyes.

Outside, the fog was coming back. The cold wind started again. The sun of the morning was gone. But inside my room, under the old blue blanket, I was warm. Because the sun was not on the roof anymore. The sun was sleeping on my chest. And her name was Mitti.

I wrote in my diary that night: Day 7. Mitti went to the roof today. She saw the sun after many days. She sat in it. She is better. And for the first time, she slept on my chest. I think she has finally understood that this is her home. And I have understood that my home is wherever she is.