It has been a very hard week here at the Batcave.
My wonderful friend and comrade, Mika, passed on Tuesday. She had been very sick, and was supposed to go in for surgery that morning. I woke up at 6:15 to get her ready and take her in before I went to work, but she went during the night.
My entire family is in shock still, the gurlies have never known a time that Mika was not there.
She was 10, and still had years to go.
Then my dad, who had been sick with cancer suddenly stopped eating and drinking about a week ago, and he passed away yesterday, sleeping peacefully. My Stepmom, who is a wonderful person; was with him until the end. He had her, and his dog and his cat.
He lived in the Northern part of my province, even if I was able to go there, it would have been pretty impossible to drive there. Planes are difficult and also expensive. So.
But I’m thinking that it was probably better in many ways that I did not see him. I will always remember him as he was. He was a proud man, and I have a feeling that was probably the way he wanted it too.
I talked to him on December 26, Boxing day, and he sounded quiet, yet cried with me about my dog being sick. He said, he had “Cole-ies” when he was growing up, and they were good dogs. He totally understood my sadness, even though it was also about him.
When it got very sad, he suddenly said he would see me this summer. Him and my stepmom would come and have a good long visit he said.
I knew it was bullshit, but that was always something he did too. And I smiled and said ya….Ill see ya this summer…..That was the last time we spoke.
Although we were not all that close, we were still connected.
I was looking at pictures of him, I have about 5 of him as a kid. And there indeed, is a border collie in one of them from 1956. I just had never noticed it before. It is a family picture, taken in the yard... He is about 16, in his good pants and a dress shirt. Everyone else is looking at the camera, and he is looking down at the dog with a small smile on his face.
Mika is buried under the apple tree here in the yard now. A good pagan funeral, she has some items there with her, and everyone got to choose something; Her dish, filled with kibble and turkey, a frisbee that was chewed and worn out, a rock (she used to hunt rocks I always said, she would use her paws to roll them around and sometimes rolled them from the top of the driveway to CHASE! down) a towel, (she used to love to rub her face on damp towels) a note with a picture of a cheeseburger, and her leash. She is lying in her bed.
My dad, will be cremated and a service will be held this summer so that everyone can make it.
And now I will tell you about Arugula.
Some days when I came home from work, and the flurry of children all telling me about their day, all at once was taking too damn long for her, she would pipe up and say something that sounded like ARUGULA! In Mika speak, I think it meant, OK NOW ITS MY TURN! PET ME! And we would all stop and laugh, and pet her and tell her what a clever gurl she was.
I think it also means I love you.