Friday, April 2, 2010

Meow It Forward

I am one of those people who live a very bizarre life. Sometimes things just seem to happen to me that would only happen on an episode of Seinfeld. I've been skunked, I've seen a town meeting comprised of 17 slugs, and I've seen unrequited love happen across the quad. None of these events are normal - thank God none of them are annual. Yet here I sit, thinking they are just part of life. Recently, something occurred that was so bizarre, I just had to add it my list of unforgettables.

I found a kitten. It's small, gray, non-descript. I thought passing it on to my grandparents would add a little spunk to my life. Grampa loves cats, while gram says there's nothing better than a dead one. However, she put up with it for his sake. Frankly, it simply made him happy. One day, I asked her how they were doing with Asher (grampa loves using Biblical names for animals). Gram informed me that she passed it on to a college professor, one who recently took a leave of absence because she was ill. Keep in mind: gram didn't know her before. They just bumped into each other on the streets of Annville and happened to get talking. Before she knew it, gram offered Asher as a comfort to the professor, and she accepted.

I know the professor; I had actually taken a class with her, and by the time gram told me this, I was rolling over with laughter. The next few days I couldn't tell enough of my friends about it. "That is so bizarre", they would say. "How strange", others would add. And there I would be, nodding in disbelief. And yet, the story is not over.

Last weekend was my gram's birthday. When we were eating, I asked gram how the professor was doing with Asher. She told me that the professor's dad recently died, and that she had to find a new house for Asher so she could finalize things. "So...where does that leave Asher?" I asked. My gram explained how my professor passed him on to a visiting musician at college. Now, this wasn't just any musician. He is a certified, internationally-acclaimed pianist...who now has our cat. Apparently, he bought Asher a first-class ticket and sat his carrier on the airplane seat next to him. When he came home and started playing a symphony on the record player, Asher hopped up his piano seat and sprawled out on the grand piano. In the words of this prodigy, Asher has become his "inspiration".

After hearing this, I completely lost it. I told all of those friends the update, and none of them could believe it. But then again, who would?