Now I’m sure we all know Facebook and the “memories” that it throws at us every now and then. The latest Facebook memory to come my way, about a week ago, caught me off guard but it was definitely one that was worth the share while it brought a tear or three. It was a comfy pic of my great friend of 16 years, Benny (and Shoes’s best bud for 6 of them … another tale/tail) sitting on the stove at the old house. Yes, I know Maria Greco “can ya please get him OFF the stove Stephen”
On Benny’s final night, and on the way back from Flannery’s in New Windsor, I asked JG, Maria’s son, who was only 11 at the time but bravely accompanied me knowing I could use a bit of support, I asked him to guess how many different physical addresses Benny and I had lived at in our 16 years together. He couldn’t guess. 15 I told him, and in 8 of those 16 years he was an outside cat before losing a fight with a car but then winning the subsequent surgery.
He stuck with me through all 15 changes, even ones of irresponsible roomates who left second story windows screenless that Benny could fall out of before being found (I have no idea how long after, could have been hours, hiding and fearfully farting underneath a bush) by his best pal, me, almost as if he knew I would be there eventually, so he just hid scared and he waited. It was actually those fearful farts that led me to him. Smart scared gassy cat.
No, he was quite the faithful and always heart held sidekick and was with me longer than any other. I was gonna read what I wrote for him back in November of 2011 but I was at work when that “memory” popped up, not really the place to get all welled up especially when explaining it would take a cat’s lifetime.
I left that welling for when I got home. Facebook? You’re a pain in the dick. But sometimes you have your moments. The reminder was nice … in a way.
frankenberrysattic.com 