ALWAYS REMEMBERED – NEVER FORGOTTEN

By Jordan Reinleib, USS Brittanic, R07

I was always a charitable and magnanimous individual. From the time I was young, whether it was exhibiting overtures of respect and decorum,  obedience to my parents, relatives, and other authority figures , to being fortuitous, standing my ground ,when my conscience told me something was wrong , to exceling in school, partaking in sports, and even exhibiting overtures of benevolence to animals , I always had a penchant for staying out of trouble, and adhering to my conscience. This was attributed to my upbringing. If I misbehaved, cut school, or bucked authority, all it took was a piercing glare from my parents, to quickly dispel any thoughts of subsequent transgressions. Of course, some of the kids I went to school with misbehaved, defied authority, courtesy of a deficiency of one or both parents, or parents that would turn a blind eye to their shenanigans. Whether it was making unbecoming sounds, talking inappropriately with their peers, being obstreperous, and even getting into fights, their parents would always stick up for them and defend them as such, even at times rationalizing their actions- ” My child is a good kid.”, “They’re just that age.”, ” Come on. You were once 15.”, ” You have to understand his father is in jail. ” He’s going to night school.”, “or a host of other excuses. In contrast, the rare incidences I misbehaved, I was punished- (No Tv and Video GameS), and as a consequence, I learned there were repercussions for misbehaviors. I thank my lucky stars although at the time I abhorred my parents. Today this type of parenting is sorely lacking which is what I think accounts for the verisimilitude of antithetical behavior which is commonplace today. I firmly believe the way a person treats animals is a haven for their character.

I always liked cats and dogs. While we were growing up, we never had them. Whenever a neighbor visited, and brought their cat or dog, I would pet it and engage it in whatever pastimes its owners said they were amenable to, and they reciprocated as such. Ironically, though whenever I saw or heard stories of people upset or even inconsolable over losing an animal, I would think or even say ” It’s only an animal.” That changed when I was older, and we adopted a quadrology of cats (Not all at once) over the years.

” Baby” was the cat who had the most profound impact on me. I’ll never forget the day me and my Mom first saw her. We were walking around one Thursday morning before work and Graduate School when this small tri- colored kitten which couldn’t have been more than four months old,  emerged from a basement walking around. She saw us, was friendly, and after an interval of a few minutes of us providing food, retreated back into the abyss of her room so to speak. I felt for her, and every morning like clockwork, we would visit her and establish a rapport as such. After a month of this daily routine, we deliberated whether to adopt her, but as we were busy with life (Work and Graduate School) that deliberating was consigned to the backburner.

I’ll never forget the day we went from charitable Samaritans to becoming parents, so to speak. One morning as we made our usual sojourn to ” Babys” home- the basement door was locked. We saw ” baby” through a window, assailing, trying to escape, only to have her overtures rebound back to the ground. The building owner who was indifferent, as to these beautiful creatures called Animal Control. In 2 days, they were slated to take Baby to face an uncertain future. Hearing that my heart sank. We knew right then and there we had to extricate Baby from her now prison.

We drove to the store, purchased a cage, pried the lock off the basement entrance, and liberated a little tri-colored kitten from her now prison into a cage and locked it.

Immediately we were met with a procession of frightened meows. While we were rescuing ” Baby” from an enigmatic status, as far as she knew she was being taken from the only home she knew and didn’t understand we were doing this for her own good.

We brought ” baby” inside and unlocked the cage. She trembled inside. and wouldn’t exit. As we removed her, she meowed understandably scared. She retreated to the confines under one of our beds meowing incessantly.

We fed ” Baby” and while she ravenously devoured a can of cat food we provided, she wasn’t trusting us just yet. After one hour ” Baby” fell asleep. This pattern was repeated with us taking turns feeding and petting her. After two days, ” Baby” emerged from under the bed and jumped on its covers- ( Top). After 3 days, ” Baby” slept on the bed. After 1 week, ” Baby” brushed into us . After 2 weeks ” Baby” slept next to me and purred.  ” Babys” initial trepidation mostly abated.

Cats come with their own kaleidoscope of personalities, and Baby was no different. Some cats are friendly, others are cautious, and others are detached.

” Baby” slowly showed her behavioral vices which were interesting.

” Baby” would chase lollipops, tennis balls, rolled up pieces of paper and aluminum foil, and even socks. Shed see one of these objects, bat it around, chase it and/or kick said object into her tummy several times until she became fatigued. Then shed sleep for a few hours, wake up, and repeat the process.

One instance ” Baby” saw her own tail in the guise of a shadow, silhouetted against a wall and ran like Flash Gordon in the opposite direction.

Every year as diligent owners we would bring Baby to the veterinarian. Since she obviously equated being locked in a cage with being taken from tranquility and comfort Baby would struggle valiantly en route to her annual checkup. When she arrived, she was too petrified to struggle. When we brought her home, shed ignore us, lethargic but also annoyed, not knowing of course these annual excursions were for her own good. After a few hours shed be as bubbly and vibrant as ever.

Baby also later on had the habit of knowing when we were talking about her or shed follow us in every room. Wed adjourn to the bedroom- shed be outside looking in. Wed adjourn to the kitchen- shed be there sitting outside. Wed adjourn to the bathroom- shed sit outside. This was hilarious.

” Baby” was always a gentile creature of habit, and I felt reassured we rescued her, but despondent knowing had we not, she might have been mistreated, or even killed which mortified me.

At this time we unfortunately discovered there was a clause in the lease which forbade pets, although if you were ignorant as such when you signed it, you were exempt from its enforcement. The landlord though said he was indifferent providing ” baby” wasn’t an outdoor cat which she wasn’t, and we were not going to take that chance. Even if we knew from the onset of this stipulation, we still weren’t going to obey it.

There are mitigating reasons as to us rendering Baby an indoor cat.

I’ve heard stories of outdoor cats who via exposure to the elements and nature, contract diseases which can either be deleterious to them and/ or even contagious to residents and even their owners. Outdoor cats can also be curious by an attraction, and roam around incessantly and inadvertently get lost, They can be abducted or even killed. Then there are owners who abandon their animals whether due to old age, moving, or meeting others reticent to them as such.  To me, this is reprehensible. Similarly, when I’m home, and commercials are aired alluding to abused and disheveled animals, I’ll turn the channel. If I’m a guest at someone’s house and said channels air, I’ll ask permission to change the channel. If they refuse, Ill temporarily excuse myself from the room until the commercial abates.

When I returned from work and Graduate School ” Baby” would always greet me with a meow and brush into my lap.

” Baby” by now completely acclimated to her environment, adopted a new vice. When we petted her, she would kick her leg up allowing us unfettered access to her chest. This epitomizes the ultimate in trust.

One time I brought Baby to a chapter meeting- The Konkordium now defunct. As I arrived Baby acclimated to kindness by now purred and brushed into the members. During the meeting we took turns petting her and she was in a utopic stupor. Baby was then christened the unofficial mascot.

Unfortunately my Mom for 35 years smoked religiously and on June 4, 2016, she was sleeping later than usual. I attempted to wake her to no avail. I immediately called the ambulance, locked Baby in a room, and called the ambulance. I drove to the hospital and after 10 minutes the doctor emerged confirming what I had suspected was imminent for months. My Mom was gone as the ravages of lung and cervical cancer took its toll.  I then knew I had promise to uphold to her and Me- take care of Baby and remain her parent.

That night, when I returned to the apartment, I opened up the room. Baby was tranquil resting on the bed but awake. I said  to Baby ” She’s gone.” I’ve heard stories of how animals can discern when their owners die. I was and still aren’t sure if this conjecture carries any weight, but Baby meowed as if she knew.

I was moving regardless of whether my Mom was vibrant or not. One stipulation I always adhered to was any residence be pet friendly. This was especially solvent in light of my Moms death. No way was Baby being abandoned. 1 month later, I demurred from exercising my succession rights in of a pet friendly residence. ” Baby” moved” with me. As with the previous apartment years ago, ” Baby” was scared but acclimated quickly undoubtedly due to knowing me.

” Baby: by this time was 22 and the following year I knew something was wrong. Babys spry step was replaced by lethargy and apathy. Baby would often retreat into corners, sleeping most of each day. A few weeks later she was scantily eating and drinking. As she became barely mobile, I brought her to the veterinarian, who retorted Baby was 23, akin to a 109-year-old human and had at most a few weeks left. She was also unknowingly in pain. I deliberated over making a decision which was one of the hardest decisions I had to make.  I knew deep down in the recesses of my mind it was the most humane thing to do, but I felt I was God deciding the fate of an innocent creature. The veterinarian said as her owner, it was my decision and left me to my own devices for 10 minutes to reach a decision.

Star Trek had and has always been a beacon and haven in my life. I referred to some of its precepts in my college and graduate school assignments, and even incorporated quotes at times in some of my college and graduate school presentations and papers. I knew I couldn’t let Baby suffer any longer so I channeled Jim Kirks said the word is given.”

As the needle penetrated Baby, I cried. I had liberated her so why did I now feel like a monster inside. Wasnt ” Thou Shalt Not Kill” one of the Bibles mandates, and I had just violated this.

I returned home and was inconsolable. Needless to say, I didn’t sleep well that night. Over the next week, I had three separate dreams of seeing Baby cuddling next to me. When I woke up, I was in cold sweats.

I one month later had Baby cremated where her ashes rest on my shelf to this day. We found a scared 4-month-old kitten and gave her 22 3/4 yrs of life until her death at 23.

The best way to end this essay is to emend McCoy’s line to Kirk in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan – ” She’s not dead as long as we remember her.”