This might sound like a Vettaiyaadu Vilayaadu style of narrative, so please bear with me🙂
Sun 8AM
Our pet cat W was behaving a little oddly. She was cuddled under the sofa and not responding to our calls. She looked scared and wasn't her usual self.
Sun 11:30AM
The ironwala comes home to collect clothes to be ironed. The door was kept open and W ran out.
Sun 8PM
W hasn't come back. Though we noticed this, we weren't worried as she usually comes back on her own at night.
Mon 8:30AM
W hasn't returned yet. There was a slight worry on my mind, as I was leaving for work. But I told myself that there have been times when W was gone for almost 2 days and had come back.
Mon 8:30PM
No signs of W. All 3 of us went around the apartment, calling her to see if she would respond with her meow. No luck. Couldn't sleep well that night and was keeping my ears open to catch hold of her meow.
Tue 11:30AM
Saraswati Pooja at home. Prayed to the Goddess and the main item on the list of asks was to bring home W safely.
Tue 5PM
It's been more than 2 days and this is the longest ever she has been away from home. As K and I went for a walk on the terrace, all we could discuss was only about W:
"She is getting old, maybe her time has come"
"She is 9+ years old. Cat's lifespan is only 10 years"
"Her eye pain might have been severe and so she couldn't figure her way back"
"She must have gone to the adjacent layout and got lost"
So many theories and reasons to accept the situation were discussed. I kept consoling myself, "The universe has your back. This is what was meant to happen". Though the intellect tried to understand, the heart wasn't ready to accept. It was just too shocking to let her go.
Tue 7PM
All 3 of us were sitting together and discussing something else to distract our minds. D put on her "thathuvam" (philosophy) hat and tried to help me, "Mummy, everything happens for a reason. Who are we to change?"
All of a sudden, I heard a faint meow coming from the corridor. I ran towards the main door and opened it. What a happy surprise to see our beloved W, who ran inside, looking petrified! My eyes welled up and I felt so happy to see her back. She took a day to get back to her normal state. I'm sure she must have had her anxious moments in those 3 days of being out of her home.
Since Wed, every time W sits on my lap (she is sitting right now as I type this post), there is greater awareness of her presence and her love.
Life lesson from this experience
Be super aware of your precious moments with your loved ones, give your full attention and enjoy the present.