by Leo Wong

Created on: May 22, 2008

Connection

What makes us do the things we do? Whether we sit or lie down or stand, there is always a purpose for our actions. Most of the times, we are quite aware of what the purposes are. But there is a minuscule cluster, hidden from the recesses of speck where those actions cannot be explained.

I wouldn't call it a gift or a talent. It's more like a sensitivity trait. I'm not saying that I'm the most sensitive person in the world. But there is this "thing" that I notice about a person after I meet him or her for the first time. It's hard to explain. Let me give you an example instead.

I remember when I was in my high school years, something unexpected occurred within a span of two years. My best friend, Laura, and I were always together. We would go to the shopping mall after school, stay over at each other's houses overnight, find part-time work at the same places. We were so connected in our lives that we were called The Twins by all our friends.

We even had the same kind of pet, black cats that we both found at an animal shelter when they were kittens. They were sisters and from what we were told, the kittens had gone through a very traumatic experience of witnessing their mother being killed by a car. They had also been abused by bullying children who threw rocks at them and chased them with sticks. If left on their own, they most likely would have perished either from starvation or from fear. Fortunately, they were rescued into this cat shelter where we decided to adopt them and care for them. My cat was named Ex. Laura's was Spand. We decided on these names so that they connected either way because we weren't sure which one was older. Ex-Spand were the dearest of kittens. And the reason that they were purest black, Spand-Ex was a perfect fit.

We took great care in helping our kittens. We held them and petted them and hoped that our love could heal them. During the first few weeks, it was almost every day that we'd bring home a different toy for them. We spoiled them silly with cat treats and encouraged them to spend time with us. And we were very patient.

You can imagine that life was not always rosy, though. My efforts were not always receptive as Ex would still hiss at me and be fearful of people. Hiding under the bed, all I could see were her glowing blue eyes, both as wide as the full moon. When she closed them, she would completely disappear into the darkness.

At first, Ex seemed to be recovering a bit. She seemed courageous at times, willing to

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