It was Christmas Day and Ah Hoe had invited Ning and I to lunch at his place. Of course Mi Mi and her charges had also been invited and we all looked forward to meeting up again.
Just as I was leaving the temple, Ning came rushing up, his face as white as a sheet.
"Da! Da! Mi Mi's gone!" he screamed.
"What? Gone where?" I asked, startled.
"She's gone, disappeared! The old cats and kittens woke up this morning and she was nowhere to be seen!"
"Don't panic, Ning," I said. "Maybe she's gone out to get something ...."
Ning shook his head. "According to the cats, she always gets up at six, prepares breakfast for them and seldom goes out. They have a plentiful supply of fish from Ah Hoe, so there's no need for her to leave the Home."
"We'd better go to Tom's Home and find out clearly what has happened," I said.
When we arrived at the Home, the kittens were crying and the two old cats sat huddled in one corner, looking quite helpless.
"What happened, Ah Kong?" I asked. We had nicknamed the two oldies "Ah Kong" and "Ah Ma" (Grandpa and Grandma).
"I don't know....." he stammered. "We woke up and she wasn't there....."
"Alright, stay calm," I said, though I wasn't feeling all that calm myself. "Just think back, Ah Kong, to last night and tell us what happened, slowly ....."
The old cat thought for a while, then said, "Well, last night being Christmas Eve, we had a special dinner - oh what was it that we had .... I can't remember, was it tuna, Ah Ma? Or was it pomfret? Anyway we were all getting ready to go to bed, when there was a knock on the front door. Mi Mi went to open it and I heard her exclaim something, sounded like a name ....huh, can't remember right now what it was .... then she quickly shut the door behind her and went out into the night. Well, I was too sleepy to bother who it was .... did you see who it was, Ah Ma?"
Grandma shook her head and muttered "No".
"Then what happened?" asked Ning impatiently.
"Oh she was out there for some time, then she came in and kissed the kittens and whispered something to them. Then she came over to us and said something like, "Forgive me, Ah Kong and Ah Ma but I have to go. Please take care of the kittens for me, I love you both. Goodbye".
Ning and I looked at each other. "Are you sure that's what she said?" I asked.
"That's what she said, I heard it too," said Ah Ma.
I drew Ning aside and said softly, "Looks like she went away with someone, Ning."
Ning shook his head. "She wouldn't leave just like that. I think she's been kidnapped, lured away by some smooth talking scoundrel.... we've got to find her, Da!"
"Wait a minute!" It was Ah Kong. "I've just remembered something. After she left, I couldn't sleep, so I peeped out of the window and caught a glimpse of the cat who was with her. Then they both disappeared into the night."
"Who was this other cat?" I asked.
"I've never seen him before." replied Ah Kong.
"I told you, she's been kidnapped," shouted Ning, his face red as a beetroot. "Wait till I get my hands on that swine...."
"Take it easy, Ning," I said, trying to calm him down. "We really don't know what truly happened."
Ah Hoe just then came in, wondering why we had not turned up at his place. We told him what had happened and he was just as upset as we were. I looked around Mi Mi's place and saw that her personal belongings were still there, which meant she did not have any plans for leaving. Then as I looked at her basket where she always sleeps, something caught my eye. There was something tucked underneath the blanket. I took it out and saw that it was an old picture of Tom (her late husband).
Ah Kong gave a shriek. "That's him, that's the cat I saw last night with Mi Mi!"
"What?" I gasped. "Are you sure?"
"Hey, even for my age, my eyes are still sharp, young fellow! That's him alright. Who the hell is he, anyway?"
For several moments, we were speechless.
Suddenly Ah Kong yelled out "Tom! She called him "Tom"! I remember now!"
Another few moments of stunned silence.
Then "No, I don't believe it!" cried Ning, jumping up. "I don't believe he took her away , it was just some cat who looks like him! I'm going to find her even if it takes me to the ends of the earth!" With that, he stormed out of the place.
We didn't see Ning for a few weeks after that. Though we left word with the villagers to look out for Mi Mi, we were not successful in finding her. She had completely disappeared.
Finally, with no help available, we decided to close down Tom's Home and found families to adopt the kittens. Unfortunately no one wanted the old cats, so Head Nun, in her compassion, found a place for them at the temple.
One evening, Ah Kong asked me to sit with him and talk.
"You still don't believe me, do you, that I saw Mi Mi's dead hubby?" he asked.
"Ah Kong, I don't know what to believe." I replied.
"Young fellow, I may be old but I did see this Tom guy and I heard her call his name. Take it or leave it."
Ah Kong refused to speak any more of the incident after that. Had Tom really returned from the dead and spirited away the love of his life so that they could be together again? Your guess is as good as mine but somehow I got the feeling that we hadn't seen the last of Mi Mi, she would return one day and she would have a fantastic story to tell us all ....
Just as I was leaving the temple, Ning came rushing up, his face as white as a sheet.
"Da! Da! Mi Mi's gone!" he screamed.
"What? Gone where?" I asked, startled.
"She's gone, disappeared! The old cats and kittens woke up this morning and she was nowhere to be seen!"
"Don't panic, Ning," I said. "Maybe she's gone out to get something ...."
Ning shook his head. "According to the cats, she always gets up at six, prepares breakfast for them and seldom goes out. They have a plentiful supply of fish from Ah Hoe, so there's no need for her to leave the Home."
"We'd better go to Tom's Home and find out clearly what has happened," I said.
When we arrived at the Home, the kittens were crying and the two old cats sat huddled in one corner, looking quite helpless.
"What happened, Ah Kong?" I asked. We had nicknamed the two oldies "Ah Kong" and "Ah Ma" (Grandpa and Grandma).
"I don't know....." he stammered. "We woke up and she wasn't there....."
"Alright, stay calm," I said, though I wasn't feeling all that calm myself. "Just think back, Ah Kong, to last night and tell us what happened, slowly ....."
The old cat thought for a while, then said, "Well, last night being Christmas Eve, we had a special dinner - oh what was it that we had .... I can't remember, was it tuna, Ah Ma? Or was it pomfret? Anyway we were all getting ready to go to bed, when there was a knock on the front door. Mi Mi went to open it and I heard her exclaim something, sounded like a name ....huh, can't remember right now what it was .... then she quickly shut the door behind her and went out into the night. Well, I was too sleepy to bother who it was .... did you see who it was, Ah Ma?"
Grandma shook her head and muttered "No".
"Then what happened?" asked Ning impatiently.
"Oh she was out there for some time, then she came in and kissed the kittens and whispered something to them. Then she came over to us and said something like, "Forgive me, Ah Kong and Ah Ma but I have to go. Please take care of the kittens for me, I love you both. Goodbye".
Ning and I looked at each other. "Are you sure that's what she said?" I asked.
"That's what she said, I heard it too," said Ah Ma.
I drew Ning aside and said softly, "Looks like she went away with someone, Ning."
Ning shook his head. "She wouldn't leave just like that. I think she's been kidnapped, lured away by some smooth talking scoundrel.... we've got to find her, Da!"
"Wait a minute!" It was Ah Kong. "I've just remembered something. After she left, I couldn't sleep, so I peeped out of the window and caught a glimpse of the cat who was with her. Then they both disappeared into the night."
"Who was this other cat?" I asked.
"I've never seen him before." replied Ah Kong.
"I told you, she's been kidnapped," shouted Ning, his face red as a beetroot. "Wait till I get my hands on that swine...."
"Take it easy, Ning," I said, trying to calm him down. "We really don't know what truly happened."
Ah Hoe just then came in, wondering why we had not turned up at his place. We told him what had happened and he was just as upset as we were. I looked around Mi Mi's place and saw that her personal belongings were still there, which meant she did not have any plans for leaving. Then as I looked at her basket where she always sleeps, something caught my eye. There was something tucked underneath the blanket. I took it out and saw that it was an old picture of Tom (her late husband).
Ah Kong gave a shriek. "That's him, that's the cat I saw last night with Mi Mi!"
"What?" I gasped. "Are you sure?"
"Hey, even for my age, my eyes are still sharp, young fellow! That's him alright. Who the hell is he, anyway?"
For several moments, we were speechless.
Suddenly Ah Kong yelled out "Tom! She called him "Tom"! I remember now!"
Another few moments of stunned silence.
Then "No, I don't believe it!" cried Ning, jumping up. "I don't believe he took her away , it was just some cat who looks like him! I'm going to find her even if it takes me to the ends of the earth!" With that, he stormed out of the place.
We didn't see Ning for a few weeks after that. Though we left word with the villagers to look out for Mi Mi, we were not successful in finding her. She had completely disappeared.
Finally, with no help available, we decided to close down Tom's Home and found families to adopt the kittens. Unfortunately no one wanted the old cats, so Head Nun, in her compassion, found a place for them at the temple.
One evening, Ah Kong asked me to sit with him and talk.
"You still don't believe me, do you, that I saw Mi Mi's dead hubby?" he asked.
"Ah Kong, I don't know what to believe." I replied.
"Young fellow, I may be old but I did see this Tom guy and I heard her call his name. Take it or leave it."
Ah Kong refused to speak any more of the incident after that. Had Tom really returned from the dead and spirited away the love of his life so that they could be together again? Your guess is as good as mine but somehow I got the feeling that we hadn't seen the last of Mi Mi, she would return one day and she would have a fantastic story to tell us all ....
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