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shoulder bag and showed it to Otsuka. "She's wearing a brown flea collar."
Otsuka stretched out to gaze at the photograph, then shook his head.
"No, 'fraid I've never run across this one. I know most of the cats around
here, but this one I don't know. Never seen, or heard, anything about her."
"Is that right?"
"Have you been looking for her for a long time?"
"Well, today is, let me see... one, two, three... the third day."
Otsuka sat there thinking for a time. "I assume you're aware of this, but
cats are creatures of habit. Usually they live very ordered lives, and unless
something extraordinary happens they generally try to keep to their routine. What
might disrupt this is either sex or an accident--one of the two."
"Nakata's thinking the same thing."
"If it's sex, then you just have to wait till they get it out of their
system and they'll be back. You do understand what I mean by sex?"
"I haven't done it myself, but I think I understand. It has to do with your
weenie, right?"
"That's right. It's all about the weenie." Otsuka nodded, a serious look on
his face. "But if we're talking about an accident, you might never see her again."
"That's true."
"Also, sometimes when a cat's on the prowl for sex it might wander off and
have trouble finding its way back home again."
"If Nakata went out of Nakano Ward, finding my way home wouldn't be easy."
"That's happened to me a few times. Course that was a long time ago, when I
was much younger," Otsuka said, eyes narrowed as he searched his memory. "Once
you're lost, you panic. You're in total despair, not knowing what to do. I hate it
when that happens. Sex can be a real pain that way, course when you get in the
mood all you can think about is what's right under your nose--that's sex, all
right. So that cat--what was her name? The one that's lost?"
"Do you mean Goma?"
"Yes, of course. Goma. I'd like to do what I can to help you find her. A
young tortoiseshell cat like that, with some nice family taking care of her,
wouldn't know the first thing about making her way in the world. Wouldn't be able
to fight off anybody or fend for herself, the poor thing. Unfortunately, however,
I've never seen her. I think you might want to search somewhere else."
"Well, then, I suppose I should follow your advice and go to some other
place to look. Nakata's very sorry to have interrupted your nap. I'm sure I'll
stop by here again sometime, so if you spot Goma in the meantime, please let me
know. I'd like to give you something for your help."
"No need--I enjoyed talking with you. Feel free to drop by again. On sunny
days this is where you'll mostly find me. When it rains I'm generally in that
shrine over there where the steps go down."
"Well, thank you very much. Nakata was very happy, too, to be able to talk
with you, Mr. Otsuka. I can't always speak so easily to every cat I meet.
Sometimes when I try the cat is on his guard and runs away without saying a word.
When all I ever said was hello."
"I can well imagine. There're all sorts of cats--just like there're all
sorts of people."
"That's exactly right. Nakata feels the same way. There are all kinds of
people in the world, and all kinds of cats."
Otsuka stretched and looked up at the sky. Golden sunlight filled the vacant
lot but the air held a hint of rain, something Otsuka was able to sense. "Didn't
you say that when you were little you had an accident, and that's why you're not
so smart?"
"Yes, that's right. That's exactly what Nakata said. I had an accident when
I was nine years old."
"What sort of accident?"
"Nakata can't really remember. They don't know why, but I had a high fever
for about three weeks. I was unconscious the whole time. I was asleep in a bed in