{"id":16539,"date":"2024-04-30T14:05:19","date_gmt":"2024-04-30T19:05:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/?p=16539"},"modified":"2024-11-26T11:47:39","modified_gmt":"2024-11-26T17:47:39","slug":"the-cat-boy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/2024\/04\/30\/the-cat-boy\/","title":{"rendered":"The Cat Boy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<ul class=\"wp-block-social-links is-content-justification-right is-layout-flex wp-container-core-social-links-is-layout-765c4724 wp-block-social-links-is-layout-flex\"><li class=\"wp-social-link wp-social-link-facebook  wp-block-social-link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/profile.php?id=61556140010887\" class=\"wp-block-social-link-anchor\"><svg width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M12 2C6.5 2 2 6.5 2 12c0 5 3.7 9.1 8.4 9.9v-7H7.9V12h2.5V9.8c0-2.5 1.5-3.9 3.8-3.9 1.1 0 2.2.2 2.2.2v2.5h-1.3c-1.2 0-1.6.8-1.6 1.6V12h2.8l-.4 2.9h-2.3v7C18.3 21.1 22 17 22 12c0-5.5-4.5-10-10-10z\"><\/path><\/svg><span class=\"wp-block-social-link-label screen-reader-text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n\n<li class=\"wp-social-link wp-social-link-instagram  wp-block-social-link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/boudin_mcneese\/\" class=\"wp-block-social-link-anchor\"><svg width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M12,4.622c2.403,0,2.688,0.009,3.637,0.052c0.877,0.04,1.354,0.187,1.671,0.31c0.42,0.163,0.72,0.358,1.035,0.673 c0.315,0.315,0.51,0.615,0.673,1.035c0.123,0.317,0.27,0.794,0.31,1.671c0.043,0.949,0.052,1.234,0.052,3.637 s-0.009,2.688-0.052,3.637c-0.04,0.877-0.187,1.354-0.31,1.671c-0.163,0.42-0.358,0.72-0.673,1.035 c-0.315,0.315-0.615,0.51-1.035,0.673c-0.317,0.123-0.794,0.27-1.671,0.31c-0.949,0.043-1.233,0.052-3.637,0.052 s-2.688-0.009-3.637-0.052c-0.877-0.04-1.354-0.187-1.671-0.31c-0.42-0.163-0.72-0.358-1.035-0.673 c-0.315-0.315-0.51-0.615-0.673-1.035c-0.123-0.317-0.27-0.794-0.31-1.671C4.631,14.688,4.622,14.403,4.622,12 s0.009-2.688,0.052-3.637c0.04-0.877,0.187-1.354,0.31-1.671c0.163-0.42,0.358-0.72,0.673-1.035 c0.315-0.315,0.615-0.51,1.035-0.673c0.317-0.123,0.794-0.27,1.671-0.31C9.312,4.631,9.597,4.622,12,4.622 M12,3 C9.556,3,9.249,3.01,8.289,3.054C7.331,3.098,6.677,3.25,6.105,3.472C5.513,3.702,5.011,4.01,4.511,4.511 c-0.5,0.5-0.808,1.002-1.038,1.594C3.25,6.677,3.098,7.331,3.054,8.289C3.01,9.249,3,9.556,3,12c0,2.444,0.01,2.751,0.054,3.711 c0.044,0.958,0.196,1.612,0.418,2.185c0.23,0.592,0.538,1.094,1.038,1.594c0.5,0.5,1.002,0.808,1.594,1.038 c0.572,0.222,1.227,0.375,2.185,0.418C9.249,20.99,9.556,21,12,21s2.751-0.01,3.711-0.054c0.958-0.044,1.612-0.196,2.185-0.418 c0.592-0.23,1.094-0.538,1.594-1.038c0.5-0.5,0.808-1.002,1.038-1.594c0.222-0.572,0.375-1.227,0.418-2.185 C20.99,14.751,21,14.444,21,12s-0.01-2.751-0.054-3.711c-0.044-0.958-0.196-1.612-0.418-2.185c-0.23-0.592-0.538-1.094-1.038-1.594 c-0.5-0.5-1.002-0.808-1.594-1.038c-0.572-0.222-1.227-0.375-2.185-0.418C14.751,3.01,14.444,3,12,3L12,3z M12,7.378 c-2.552,0-4.622,2.069-4.622,4.622S9.448,16.622,12,16.622s4.622-2.069,4.622-4.622S14.552,7.378,12,7.378z M12,15 c-1.657,0-3-1.343-3-3s1.343-3,3-3s3,1.343,3,3S13.657,15,12,15z M16.804,6.116c-0.596,0-1.08,0.484-1.08,1.08 s0.484,1.08,1.08,1.08c0.596,0,1.08-0.484,1.08-1.08S17.401,6.116,16.804,6.116z\"><\/path><\/svg><span class=\"wp-block-social-link-label screen-reader-text\">Instagram<\/span><\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size\"><strong>The Cat Boy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Jean-Marc Duplantier<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">__________<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">When my sister-in-law Amy died, Pascal, her seven-year-old son, moved in with us, and he brought his cat Minou with him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">On that first night, I watched from the door of the guest room as my wife Christina kissed Pascal, tucked him in, and put Minou onto his bed. Then we went to sit on the couch. A minute later, the cat\u2014a fat male tabby\u2014poked the door open with his nose, walked out, and sat in front of us. He looked at Christina. He looked at me, right into my eyes. He looked at Christina again. Then he turned around and strutted back into the guest room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Christina stood to close the door again, peeking in at the boy. Then she came back to the couch and reached for my hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cI love him so much,\u201d she said. \u201cI don\u2019t know what to do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cI know,\u201d I said. \u201cMe too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cAnd Amy,\u201d she said. \u201cI want to tell her. I keep wanting to call her to talk about it, about how much I love him, our new little boy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cI know,\u201d I said. And I thought at that moment that it was all too much, this love and this grief, that it might swallow us both, and Pascal too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">&nbsp;Christina was crying silently, the way she\u2019d cried after her miscarriage three years earlier. We\u2019d tried again for a baby, but it hadn\u2019t worked. We chose not to take drastic measures. We had our nephew Pascal, just down the street. Amy, Christina\u2019s sister, was raising him alone, and she needed our help. Maybe that was enough?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Then Amy discovered a terrible tumor. She chose not to take drastic measures. She bravely lived for six more months and then there he was, sleeping in our guest room: Pascal, our little boy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">But we were wrong about that: he wasn\u2019t our little boy. Pascal tried to tell me this when we went on a walk to find Minou the next afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cWe better check my house,\u201d he said to me as he put on his jacket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cI don\u2019t mind going over there,\u201d I said, \u201cif you want to stay here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Pascal looked up at me with one squinty eye. Then he smiled with his head cocked to the side, intentionally cute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cYou think going there will make me sad,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cWill it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cKind of,\u201d he said, \u201cBut not sad like you think. Come on.\u201d He opened the door and headed down the front steps to the sidewalk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cMinou probably forgot you moved in with us,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cI miss Mom,\u201d he said, \u201cbut I\u2019m not sad like you were, when your baby died.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cYou remember that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cYes,\u201d he said. He was walking fast, leading the way over the cracked Gentilly sidewalk. \u201cAunt Chrissy cried. You did too. But I don\u2019t want to cry. I don\u2019t feel like it. It\u2019s different.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cThat\u2019s okay,\u201d I said. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to cry. However you feel is okay. And it\u2019s okay to be sad, too. Even mad. These are normal feelings to have.\u201d Christina and I had read a book, <em>Children and Grief<\/em>, in anticipation of this moment. I was supposed to validate his feelings, but it felt weird now. He wasn\u2019t looking for validation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cI know that,\u201d he stopped and took my hand and smiled up at me. \u201cUncle Craig, you can say things to me. I don\u2019t mind. But you don\u2019t have to. We can just walk.\u201d I began to tear up. He\u2019d always been a perceptive kid, but how did he know to say things like this?&nbsp; Maybe he\u2019d read a book too? <em>Adults and Grief<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">The cat wasn\u2019t at the house. I unlocked Amy\u2019s shabby bungalow and gathered the mail from the floor around the front door. Pascal disappeared into the dark house. I sorted out the junk mail and then walked towards the back. Pascal was in Amy\u2019s room. I heard him say something, but I couldn\u2019t tell what it was. When I peeked in, I saw him pulling a blanket over the bare mattress of the hospital bed we\u2019d rented, when Amy came home to die. I stepped back into the hallway, to give him his privacy. My heart tightened in my chest, and I took a deep breath, trying to hold it all together. It was impossible to imagine what he was feeling at that moment. It was too much for anyone, let alone a little boy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Pascal stepped back into the hallway and stopped when he saw me. I wanted to hold him, to swoop down and pick him up and run out of there, to save him from this painful place, but I didn\u2019t. I just smiled at him. Pascal looked down at the Lego car in his hands. He\u2019d made it and put it near the hospital bed on Monday, Amy\u2019s last day. He tilted the car, put its wheels on the wall, and drove it down the hallway to his own room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">I watered some plants and then sat to wait for him. He came out a few minutes later with the car and a Lego book, then we walked home to wait for Christina to get back from work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">That night, I watched again as she tucked Pascal into bed. She hugged him tight, and his little arm came out from under the bedspread and pushed her neck away. She sat up and seemed a bit offended, but she re-tucked the sheet and touched him once more on the head before she stood to leave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Christina shut Pascal\u2019s door and walked over to Amy\u2019s house again, but Minou still wasn\u2019t there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cIt\u2019s too much,\u201d she said to me when she got back. \u201cHe can\u2019t lose a mom and a cat in the same week.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cHe\u2019ll come back,\u201d I said. \u201cCats always come back.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Christina broke down crying and curled into a ball on the couch. I wrapped myself around her. I\u2019d held her like this when we lost the baby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cHe\u2019s really smart,\u201d I said to Christina. \u201cAnd not just at school. He\u2019s emotionally smart.\u201d And I told her what he\u2019d said to me that afternoon, and how he\u2019d visited Amy\u2019s bed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cWhy did he do that just now?\u201d she asked. \u201cPush me like that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cIt\u2019s got to be hard,\u201d I said. \u201cHe\u2019s setting a boundary for us. He\u2019s telling us what he can take and what he can\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cMaybe I\u2019m too much like Amy,\u201d she said. \u201cMaybe I remind him of her.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cHe\u2019s got to find his place here,\u201d I said. \u201cIt\u2019s a new family we\u2019re making. It\u2019s a negotiation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cBut what do we say about Minou?\u201d Christina sat up and wiped her face. \u201cWe can\u2019t say he\u2019ll come back. He might be gone, like Amy. Is he going to expect her to come back too?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cI don\u2019t know what to say.\u201d I pulled Christina close again. \u201cMaybe we just say nothing. Maybe it will all be fine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Pascal and I walked back to his house the next morning. He held my hand again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cUncle Craig,\u201d he said, \u201cwhat\u2019s the word for when something is kind of the same as something?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cSomething that looks like something else?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cNo.\u201d Pascal shook his head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cGive me an example,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cLike when you hear one thing, and it makes you think of another thing. Something else that happened, but it isn\u2019t the same.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cI\u2019m not sure,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cYou know the book Mimi got me. The dead bird book, and she read it to me, because she knew Mom was going to die soon. Like that. What is that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cIt\u2019s like, an allegory, I guess?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cThat\u2019s not what this is,\u201d he said. &#8220;You think it\u2019s a story, but it isn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cWhat isn\u2019t?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cMinou,\u201d he said. \u201cYou don\u2019t want me to be sad about Mom because she died and now Minou\u2019s gone too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">We reached the house. Pascal climbed onto the porch and looked behind a bench.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cI <em>was <\/em>worried about that,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cYou don\u2019t have to worry,\u201d he said. \u201cMinou is different. Not like Mom.\u201d He stood next to me on the porch. We looked out over the street. The cat wasn\u2019t there. We walked around to the back yard and called for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cMaybe we should leave some food,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cNo,\u201d said Pascal. \u201cHe needs to eat with us, at the new house. He needs to get used to it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">We knocked on the neighbor\u2019s door and asked him to keep an eye out for the cat. I gave him my phone number. His splotchy cat was Minou\u2019s mother. Pascal petted her while we talked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cMimi and PawPaw are coming tomorrow,\u201d I said as we turned for home. \u201cThey\u2019re going to stay here, in your old house. Maybe Minou will see them here and come back.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cMinou\u2019s not in trouble,\u201d Pascal said. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to worry. He\u2019ll be back soon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cI\u2019m sure he will be,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cNo,\u201d he said. \u201cYou\u2019re not sure. You don\u2019t know. But I do. I know where he is.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cYou do?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cYes,\u201d he said. \u201cHe\u2019s visiting his friends. He has to tell them where he\u2019s going. It\u2019s what cats do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cHe\u2019s visiting the other cats?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cYes, but not just cats. Birds too. And rats. And dogs. And trees. That\u2019s what he\u2019s doing right now, talking to trees. He wants them to know that he\u2019ll be at your house, and that if they see him walking around over there, it\u2019s okay. He\u2019s in a new place. It\u2019s hard for the trees, because they need the cats. The cats tell them things about what\u2019s going on, because the trees can\u2019t walk around. That\u2019s why cats climb trees, to talk to them and say what they see when they\u2019re walking around. Minou\u2019s in the trees right now, telling them about where he\u2019s going. He\u2019s telling them about my new room, and where the food is in the house, and how far away the house is, in case it takes Minou a long time to go back and talk to that tree again, because four blocks is far away, for a cat. And the tree is telling Minou about the other trees near your house\u2014his friends, that Minou can climb and talk to. The trees talk to each other, and now they\u2019re telling each other where Minou will be, so in case Minou gets lost, he can just climb a tree and talk to it and the tree will tell him where to go. And the trees can tell the other cats too, and all the animals.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Pascal stopped under the sprawling live oak in front of my neighbor\u2019s house. He looked up and scanned the branches. He stepped carefully on the knobby roots at the base of the tree and then circled it, one hand driving the Lego car on the trunk, the other holding his book. He disappeared briefly behind the trunk and then he wasn\u2019t there. I waited. He must have stopped. Then he reappeared on the other side, and he looked at me and saw that I was crying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cNo,\u201d he said, frustration in his voice. \u201cThat\u2019s wrong. I told you. I\u2019m talking about Minou. Not me. You don\u2019t worry about me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d I said, clearing my throat. \u201cAdults are supposed to worry about kids. We don\u2019t know what else to do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cIt\u2019s okay,\u201d he said, taking my hand again. \u201cMinou is coming home soon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">We walked up the front steps. Pascal hopped up onto the porch swing, smiled at me, and opened his Lego book to read, his feet dangling a foot from the porch floor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Amy\u2019s funeral was the next day at Mater Dolorosa on Carrollton, where Amy had been a parishioner for years before moving close to us in Gentilly. Amy had arranged the funeral with her friend Father Francis, before things got bad. Tom, her boss at the Port of New Orleans, read from <em>1 Thessalonians<\/em> about how the dead will rise on the last day, and then the rest of us, who are still alive, will also be lifted up into the air, where we\u2019ll bump into the dead and fly around with them in the puffy clouds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Father Francis\u2019s homily was about faith\u2014Amy\u2019s faith, and the faith he presumed in the rest of us too, I guess. The resurrection is real, he said, not a symbol of something. God is truly present in the host; it\u2019s not a symbol of Christ\u2014he\u2019s really there\u2014and it\u2019s not merely a sign of community or of Catholic identity, although that\u2019s important. It\u2019s really Jesus, right there, fully present in the bread and wine. Amy knew this, he said, this simple truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Pascal sat next to me, flipping distractedly through the missalette. Everyone kept looking at him with tears in their eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Then Father Francis invited Christina to the altar to speak, which I guess priests aren\u2019t supposed to do, but he did it anyway. Christina fought through the tears and ended with a funny story about Amy crashing her first boyfriend\u2019s car. Then the ancient cantor stood and sang a wobbly \u201cAve Maria\u201d as Christina\u2019s parents, Mimi and PawPaw, walked the bread and wine past Amy\u2019s coffin and up to the altar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Mimi and PawPaw brought the extra food from the reception to our house. My parents were there too, and Christina\u2019s aunt from Memphis. A few people had brought presents for Pascal, left them right on a table at the parish hall like it was his birthday party or something. Pascal unwrapped them in our living room as we all watched\u2014two Lego sets and a book about trains\u2014and then he threw away the wrapping paper and carried the gifts to his new room. When he came out again, my dad gave him a $20 bill, pressed it right into his palm. Pascal gave him a tired smile and then walked over and handed me the money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cI\u2019ll hold it for you,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cI\u2019m going outside,\u201d he said, and he grabbed the Lego car from the countertop as he headed out the kitchen door and into the backyard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cHe\u2019s processing his grief,\u201d Christina said. She was behind me in the kitchen, talking to my mother.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">I watched Pascal through the window over the sink. He set the car on a patio brick, picked up a stick, swung it a few times at some leaves on the ground, and then smashed the Lego car to pieces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cHis cat Minou is missing,\u201d Christina continued. \u201cAnd he\u2019s grieving him too. He\u2019s been talking to Craig about it, which is good.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Pascal walked over to the pecan tree near the back of the yard. He put rounded hands to his eyes, to make binoculars, and looked up into the pecan canopy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cWas he very attached to the cat?\u201d asked my mother.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cOh, my God, yes.\u201d said Christina. \u201cThey were inseparable. Slept together every night. It was almost like his brother. And the cat would follow him around like a dog and play with him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Pascal moved close to the tree, leaning his forehead against the trunk. His lips were moving. He lovingly placed his hand on the knobby bark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cIt\u2019s almost like the cat is a symbol for Amy now,\u201d Christina continued behind me. \u201cHe\u2019s using the missing cat to express his grief. I was really worried when the cat ran off, but maybe it\u2019s okay. Maybe he needed it, like it\u2019s a way to talk about Amy without really talking about her.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Pascal spoke to the tree again. He twisted his face up and leaned his head back and shouted something, then he laughed and ran to the other side of the yard. I turned from the window and saw Christina bury her face in my mother\u2019s chest as they hugged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">The next day was Sunday. All the relatives left after breakfast, and we drove the car the four blocks over to Amy\u2019s house to load it with more clothes for Pascal, as he was returning to school the next day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Minou was not there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Later, I picked up a pizza for dinner and we sat down together, the three of us, to eat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cWhat will you do at school tomorrow?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Pascal shrugged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cDo you miss your friends?\u201d Christina asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">He shrugged again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cCan I have a fizzy water?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cDo you like them?\u201d Christina asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cMaybe,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Christina went to the fridge, brought him back an orange can, and popped it open for him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cPamplemousse,\u201d he said, reading the can. Pascal went to a French immersion school, and his pronunciation was absurdly good. He took a sip and swallowed it down and let out a burp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">I smiled, but Christina was annoyed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cYou shouldn\u2019t do that at the table,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Pascal looked over at me. Then he drank more, several big swallows, and he raised his chin and let out a bellowing frat-boy belch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cPascal,\u201d I said, \u201cChristina asked you not to do that at the table.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cI know,\u201d he said, and he burped again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cBut if she asked you not to, why are you still doing it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">He shrugged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">We were silent for a while. Pascal ate his pizza. I poured Christina more wine.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cBecause I\u2019m not yours,\u201d Pascal said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cWhat?\u201d Christina asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cI burped because I\u2019m not yours. You said not to, but I\u2019m not your baby.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cBut you\u2019re going to live with us now,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cThat\u2019s not what I mean,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m not your baby. Your baby died.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">I glanced at Christina. She looked alarmed. I hadn\u2019t told her about the dead baby part of my earlier conversations with Pascal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cYou already had a baby,\u201d he continued. \u201cThat\u2019s not me. I\u2019m Pascal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cWe don\u2019t think you\u2019re our baby,\u201d said Christina.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cYes, you do,\u201d he said. \u201cYou\u2019re making a story about me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Christina furrowed her brows and looked at me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cLike Minou?\u201d I asked. \u201cLike when you told me that missing Minou wasn\u2019t like missing your Mom?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Pascal laughed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cWhy is that funny?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cBecause <em>Minou <\/em>is your baby,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cI told you already that Minou was just going on a trip. You thought that Minou was making me think of Mom, and he kind of was. It kind of made me sad. But that\u2019s not all. He is not like Mom because he\u2019s your baby. We got Minou when your baby died. He was born the same day. He\u2019s your dead baby.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cPascal,\u201d I said, \u201cThis is not very nice. This can really hurt our feelings.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cI know,\u201d he said, and he looked down. \u201cI\u2019m sorry. I wasn\u2019t supposed to tell you. Mom told me not to. She said it would make you think of your dead baby and make you cry for me to tell this. But I have to now. I have to live here. I have to tell you the whole thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Christina took my hand under the table. Pascal looked at her and smiled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cYou had a belly, Aunt Chrissy. You let me listen to it. And I heard a cat. It made a cat sound. That\u2019s why I called him Minou. It sounded like that. <em>Minou<\/em>, <em>Minou<\/em>. And then the day your baby died, Minou was born. I saw him being born, at Phil\u2019s house. Peanut had kittens and Mom and me went over to watch it, and I saw Minou come out, in a little sack, and Peanut licked and licked and then he was clean and Minou sucked on Peanut\u2019s nipple with the other kittens. I knew which one I wanted because I could tell: he sounded different. He was your baby. Your baby didn\u2019t die all the way, it just went into Peanut\u2019s belly. I could hear the same sound when he made it, like in your belly. <em>Minou<\/em>. <em>Minou<\/em>. <em>Minou<\/em>. I knew I wanted that one, and I wanted to keep him safe for you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Pascal looked down at the table. Christina was crying silently and squeezing my hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cOk, Pascal,\u201d I said, \u201cSo, you think Minou can be like a baby for us, so you don\u2019t have to be a baby. You can be a big boy. That way, we don\u2019t have to treat you like a little child.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cNo,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s a story. This is real. This cat is your real baby. Aunt Chrissy had a cat in her belly. I heard it. This isn\u2019t a story I\u2019m telling. I knew it was a cat when I heard it inside you, Aunt Chrissy. It wasn\u2019t a baby. It was a cat.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cPascal,\u201d said Christina, \u201cyou\u2019re seven years old. You can\u2019t say things like this anymore. You\u2019re too old for that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cI can say it if it\u2019s true. You don\u2019t like me to say it, but it\u2019s true.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cBut we had a little boy,\u201d I said. \u201cA human boy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cDid you see it?\u201d he asked me. \u201cMaybe it just wasn\u2019t there. Maybe it was already in Peanut\u2019s belly?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cI didn\u2019t see it,\u201d I said. \u201cBut the doctor saw it. He told me it was a boy. It was tiny, but he could see it had a little pecker. It was a boy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cDoctors are liars,\u201d said Pascal, and we, all three, knew this to be true.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">We sat in silence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Eventually Pascal reached down for his pizza and began eating again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cI\u2019m sorry I burped, Aunt Chrissy,\u201d he said, putting the crust down onto his plate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cIt\u2019s okay, sweety,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cI\u2019m sorry I told you that about Minou. I don\u2019t care if you believe me. It doesn\u2019t matter. I want to be your baby, but I can\u2019t be, because of Minou. That\u2019s why I had to say it. <em>He\u2019s <\/em>your baby. I\u2019m just Pascal. But now Minou is here too, so you should be happy. He came to live with you again. That\u2019s why I had to live with you and not with Mimi and PawPaw. I had to bring your baby back to you. And you should keep him, even if I die. He\u2019ll stay here now. He\u2019s yours.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Pascal smiled at us and then wiggled out of his chair and dropped to the floor and walked to his new room. He returned a minute later with the cat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cOh, My God,\u201d Christina gasped and moved her hands to her mouth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Pascal walked through the dining room into the living room and sat with Minou on the couch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cCome in here,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cWhere did he come from?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cHe came home today,\u201d said Pascal, petting Minou behind the ears. \u201cAfter Mimi and PawPaw left. I let him in. He was really sleepy, so he took a nap on my bed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">I sat on one side of Pascal, Christina on the other. Then Pascal put Minou on Christina\u2019s lap, got up, and pulled me by my hand towards the empty spot he\u2019d left next to Christina and the cat. I moved over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cGood,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s right.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Pascal smiled at us, picked up his Lego book from the coffee table, sat down in the chair across from the couch, and began to flip through it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Minou purred as Christina stroked his head. I put my arm around her and rubbed the cat\u2019s belly. He leaned back and playfully nipped at Christina\u2019s hand, grabbing it and bringing it towards his mouth. Then he licked her twice and closed his eyes and purred again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cHe has a little pecker,\u201d said Pascal, looking up at us, \u201cbut it stays on the inside of his belly. You can\u2019t see it right now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Minou brought a paw to his face and licked it and cleaned his whiskers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cAnd they cut off his balls,\u201d said Pascal \u201cAt the cat doctor. He can\u2019t have babies, but I have balls. I can still have babies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Pascal stood and walked over to us. He touched Minou on the head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cI\u2019m going to bed. You can\u2019t tuck me in, Aunt Chrissy. You need to take care of Minou. He\u2019ll sleep with you now, in your bed. Good night.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">My nephew Pascal smiled at us, tucked his book under his arm, walked to the guest room, and closed the door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">We sat there in silence. Minou purred loudly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Christina reached again for my hand. I kissed her and sighed and took a deep breath. The first deep breath I\u2019d taken in weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cWhat the fuck was that?\u201d Christina asked, laughing through her tears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cWeird kid,\u201d said Christina.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Minou stretched and yawned and jumped from the couch. He slowly walked away from us, his tail high in the air, past the guest room and down the dark hallway. He sat in the open door to our bedroom and looked back at us, the tips of his whiskers glowing in the soft light that spilled into the hallway. He waited calmly, staring at us, not moving, then he rose again and walked forward and disappeared into our room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">__________<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Dedication<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">This story is dedicated to my own magical kitty Ruby Slipper. We found him at Christmas brunch at the Ruby Slipper restaurant in New Orleans. His powers are napping and murdering roaches and speaking to the trees.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"659\" height=\"879\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/04\/Ruby_Slipper.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-16635\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/04\/Ruby_Slipper.jpg 659w, https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/04\/Ruby_Slipper-225x300.jpg 225w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 659px) 100vw, 659px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>__________<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Jean-Marc Duplantier<\/strong> teaches in the Humanities Department at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts. He has a PhD in French Studies from LSU and is a Fulbright Scholar. He has published short fiction in <em>Willow Springs Magazine<\/em> and <em>The Pinch<\/em>, and his work won first prize in the short story category of the 2021 Faulkner\/Wisdom Creative Writing Competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>__________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"438\" height=\"211\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/01\/boudin-logo-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-15484\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/01\/boudin-logo-1.jpg 438w, https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/01\/boudin-logo-1-300x145.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 438px) 100vw, 438px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-large-font-size\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/2024\/04\/30\/how-my-dog-smells\/\"> Back<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/2024\/04\/30\/three-poems\/\">Next <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">To learn more about submitting your work to <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/boudin-submissions\/\">Boudin<\/a><\/em> or applying to McNeese State University&#8217;s Creative Writing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/mfa-application-submissions\/\">MFA program<\/a>, please visit Submissions for details.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Cat Boy Jean-Marc Duplantier __________ When my sister-in-law Amy died, Pascal, her seven-year-old son, moved in with us, and he brought his cat Minou with him. On that first night, I watched from the door of the guest room as my wife Christina kissed Pascal, tucked him in, and put Minou onto his bed.&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[205],"tags":[75,146],"class_list":["post-16539","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-boudin-april-24-pet","tag-boudin","tag-fiction-2"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16539","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/42"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16539"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16539\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18019,"href":"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16539\/revisions\/18019"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16539"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16539"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16539"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}