Godot's Journey into the Night

Being the Cat Elder of our multiple-cat household, Godot deemed it necessary to conduct a test of my love and loyalty. You may not believe this, but I think Godot's plan was to make me believe he was leaving home in order to become a feral cat.

Around midnight not that long ago, when I opened the door to let the dog inside the house, Godot seized the opportunity to set his plan into motion. I thought nothing of it at first, because I had gotten used to Godot running outside occasionally for a little while. So I sat down on a deck step to wait for Godot's return. This time, however, instead of going underneath the deck as I expected him to do, Godot started walking slowly down the driveway. He took a few steps, stopped and turned around to look at me, and then continued walking straight ahead. Then Godot stopped in his tracks, turned around, and walked back quickly toward me. Incidentally, I had sat silently observing Godot's movements with great interest.

When Godot came up to me, he licked my hand. Then he quickly turned around, and started to walk back down the driveway again. Walking with a deliberate step. When he reached the point of the driveway where he was no longer visible, I decided I needed to see where Godot was headed. Well, that was the first part of Godot's test--to see if I would follow him. The second part of his test was to see the distance I would be willing to follow him in total darkness. And the third part consisted of pleading with Godot to return to the house; apparently, it was important for him to know how long I would beg. I would pass the test only when Godot was thoroughly convinced that I realized I really need him more than he needs me. After all, he is a Cat. (And having been an only child for the first two years of his life, I guess he needed reassurance that he is still my number one feline.)