Lately, it has been very hard to get
up from my naps. I would rather just nap
all the time and forget about anything else but eating.
However, instead of being allowed to
do that, I now have to learn something new.
Mom is insisting that I learn to read lips. I have no idea why, but she keeps moving her
lips just the way she does when she talks, but no sound comes out. It’s very frustrating, even though I am
beginning to learn some of the things she is saying. I have learned to read Mom’s lips when she
says: “Patchy, I love you.” That’s nice to know, but I would love to hear
her voice again. She just refuses to
make sounds, though. She is even cruel
enough that she no longer calls me for supper, so I have to be vigilant about
the time, or I might miss my meal.
Sometimes I can hear her talk, but very softly; she must forget that she
is teaching me to read lips. For some reason,
Dad has joined in this cruel behavior, as well.
I don’t even think that Mom and Dad make sounds to each other anymore,
either. I see them moving their lips to
each other, but no sound. When I talk,
Mom always puts her finger to her lips, telling me to be quiet or to talk more
softly. I just don’t understand this
whole thing. Why are they doing this to
me? It’s funny, but Mina says she hears
them. I think she is just lying to
me. How could she hear them and I
cannot?
They also sneak up on me all the
time. Whenever I have my back turned, I
will turn around and there is one of them coming toward me. It makes me jump because I am so startled. Sometimes, I feel the air move when they are
passing by, and it really bothers me that they are sneaking up on me. Why are they doing this? Don’t they want me to know that they are
there? Are they trying to avoid me? So many questions, but no answers.
At least Mom has been cooking some
good food lately. The last batch had
what Mina said Dad calls Hamsi in it. It
is very obviously fish and it tasted very good mixed with the chicken, livers,
and hearts. Mom is a great cook when she
wants to be. Dad cooked some of the
Hamsi for himself, too, because I could smell it very strongly. Mina told me that Mom said it made the whole
house smell for days and she hated it. I
smelled it, too, but I thought it smelled very good and I was sorry when it was
gone. Mom didn’t eat any. Some people just have no taste. She doesn’t eat livers or hearts,
either. Very strange! How does Mina know what they are saying? Can she already read lips?
Mom has started something new with
me. She hates it when I scratch the rug
in the bedroom and it always wakes her up.
I thought it would be a good way to get her to wake up and feed me my
breakfast early. I guess I was wrong
(for the first time ever). Mom now gets
up and chases me into the small bedroom and shuts the door. I was pretty mad about it this morning, and
left her a little present on the floor. She
noticed it right away when she opened the door to let me out for
breakfast. I saw her wrinkle her
nose. Well, she fed us and then cleaned
up the mess. She flushed what she could
pick up, then used a wet paper towel, and then mopped with the smelly floor
cleaner. When she put the mop away, she
stepped on our water dish and flipped it over, getting a lot of water in her
slipper and all over the floor. I
laughed a lot. That should teach her to
lock me up! I hope she isn’t thinking of
doing it again.
Dad has gone away again. I don’t know when he’ll be back, as they
never tell me anything anymore. I feel so
hurt and unloved now that they are not talking to me. Will it ever end?
It is time for a nap now. Writing makes me really, really tired, as
does thinking about my problems, so I will say goodbye for now.
Yours,
Apache
