A companion is someone one has a special connection with, someone one can talk to about their problems and who will actually listen to such issues. A companion is someone who doesn’t judge but loves that person for being that person. I had one such companion. It wasn’t ones pictured companion though. And she wasn’t another person. She was my pet cat, Nala-Bagala-Goola (Nala for short).
Nala had been a part of the family for as long as I could remember. She was with me since I was two and a half years old. At that time in my life, I didn’t see Nala as anything but another play toy. Yanking on her tail, clenching her bunches of fur into my golf ball sized hands. But as I grew older, I saw that she was much more than a toy. In March of 1998, we moved. The adults in the family were busy packing things up and transporting them to the new house. My grandma was entertaining my cousins and I. After the last load was unpacked, Mom realized Nala wasn’t at the new house. My cousins and I jumped in the car and sped back to pick up my very frightened cat. Once she was in the new house, she immediately darted upstairs, finding comfort among my belongings. There she stayed curled up into the smallest ball I have ever seen her twist herself into until my aunts and uncles left. When she realized everybody had said their goodbyes, she began to wander about. She made sure all of our things had made it safely, even my step stool to brush my teeth on in the bathroom. Propping herself upon that as if it was her throne. She seemed to understand that this was to be out new home and gave her sassy approval.
She wasn’t just an ordinary cat. Of course she looked like any other, with her long white fur and patches of Hershey brown and jet black spots. But there was more to Nala than her appearance. She had a personality that made her almost human. If I ever had a problem and needed someone to talk to, Nala seemed to always be there to listen. Cocking her head with every word muttered...