REYN 6 A- DRAFT/SOURCE Reyn's Tabby-let- Part One 1747/370

Now she is safe and happily at home with Reyn and me, and of course we are overjoyed that she is back.


PICTURE

This picture was taken the same week, perhaps the same day, that we began discussing Reyn's desire to upgrade her outdated eight-inch Samsung tablet and get her something larger. Something more suitable for her blooming career. She had been pestering me about this nearly every day in Nalini’s absence.

It was three years ago, we were still living in La Canada when I gifted Reyn this tiny, well-used tablet. Since then she's published her first book of poetry, ‘Paws for Reyn’, and is now outlining her first book “Who’ll Stop the Reyn?”. It's evident to all that she wants to be a writer.

It wasn't just a larger tablet, but now she wanted a laptop as well. Not only that she wanted her own checking and savings accounts. She wanted to invest some of her royalty checks into an IRA. She felt ready to make her own financial decisions, control direct and indirect purchases, and manage her business independently of our family.

She needed to purchase specific equipment to reduce her workload, to make writing physically easier, and to streamline her creative process. She insisted she must establish short and long-term capital gain accounts, "so I can depreciate or sell my assets and earn some tax relief for us. We may need them.”

She had already applied for ADA assistance. It looked likely that she would receive it.

“Don't you see", she exclaimed, "it’s like our fax machine and copier, they just aren’t good enough anymore. Nobody faxes, and we can't do FaceTime or Zoom with our old Windows Vista OS. We need to update.

"I don't want you guys to be running off to Kinko’s all the time! And it's not that I don't love you, you know that I always will. I just need a little freedom. you know. And I'll always be your house cat, but I just need a little more space for myself. I’m seven years old and I’m already on my third life!”

Reyn had been calm but firm with her requests, but she just stopped abruptly. Nalini was taking it harder than I was. She was leaning into me on the sofa, head on my chest, weeping softly.

Reyn couldn't bear seeing this and gently leaped to Nalini's lap, consoling her softly in Hindi.

Having been home together for the past few months, just Reyn and me, I could see this morning coming. It was a lot for Nalini to digest. Reyn was not her little kitten anymore. She had grown up and Nalini had to adjust to that. Yet, the advantage for Reyn to invest in a laptop and tablet made perfect sense. She was still apprehensive about the other things.

Nalini thought it unwise to place any large sum of money into a bank. She warned, “The internet keeps saying that cash will be obsolete in a month or two and that the dollar will have no value at all." She added "In India, we invest in gold. You should consider gold, and then maybe some Fortune 500 stocks with an IRA or two on the side.”

Reyn listened patiently, licking and grooming herself as she'd done for most of the time we spoke. She rolled on the carpet from side to side, finally stretching each limb to its fullest. She popped to her feet, licked her forearms, and sat bolt upright. Completing a long wide yawn, she extended her tongue as only cats can do. She shook her head and torso briskly and firmly before responding to our suggestions.

Like a latter-day teen would conclude, she said flatly... “But it’s my money…”

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Pictured below is Reyn, and her godmother, Nalini. The photo was taken about a month after Nalini returned from India. She sat out the first four months of the Pandemic there visiting her parent's farm in Rajasthan. It was a much-deserved vacation for her and a safe harbor from the confusion and intolerance imposed by the emerging Trump regime.
Now she is safe and happily at home with Reyn and me, and of course we are overjoyed that she is back.






PICTURE

This picture was taken the same week, perhaps the same day, that we began discussing Reyn's desire to upgrade her outdated eight-inch Samsung tablet and get her something larger. Something more suitable for her blooming career. She had been pestering me about this nearly every day in Nalini’s absence.

It was three years ago, we were still living in La Canada when I gifted Reyn this tiny, well-used tablet. Since then she's published her first book of poetry, ‘Paws for Reyn’, and is now outlining her first book “Who’ll Stop the Reyn?”. It's evident to all that she wants to be a writer.

It wasn't just a larger tablet, but now she wanted a laptop as well. Not only that she wanted her own checking and savings accounts. She wanted to invest some of her royalty checks into an IRA. She felt ready to make her own financial decisions, control direct and indirect purchases, and manage her business independently of our family.

She needed to purchase specific equipment to reduce her workload, to make writing physically easier, and to streamline her creative process. She insisted she must establish short and long-term capital gain accounts, "so I can depreciate or sell my assets and earn some tax relief for us. We may need them.”

She had already applied for ADA assistance. It looked likely that she would receive it.

“Don't you see", she exclaimed, "it’s like our fax machine and copier, they just aren’t good enough anymore. Nobody faxes, and we can't do FaceTime or Zoom with our old Windows Vista OS. We need to update.

"I don't want you guys to be running off to Kinko’s all the time! And it's not that I don't love you, you know that I always will. I just need a little freedom. you know. And I'll always be your house cat, but I just need a little more space for myself. I’m seven years old and I’m already on my third life!”

Reyn had been calm but firm with her requests, but she just stopped abruptly. Nalini was taking it harder than I was. She was leaning into me on the sofa, head on my chest, weeping softly.

Reyn couldn't bear seeing this and gently leaped to Nalini's lap, consoling her softly in Hindi.

Having been home together for the past few months, just Reyn and me, I could see this morning coming. It was a lot for Nalini to digest. Reyn was not her little kitten anymore. She had grown up and Nalini had to adjust to that. Yet, the advantage for Reyn to invest in a laptop and tablet made perfect sense. She was still apprehensive about the other things.

Nalini thought it unwise to place any large sum of money into a bank. She warned, “The internet keeps saying that cash will be obsolete in a month or two and that the dollar will have no value at all." She added "In India, we invest in gold. You should consider gold, and then maybe some Fortune 500 stocks with an IRA or two on the side.”

Reyn listened patiently, licking and grooming herself as she'd done for most of the time we spoke. She rolled on the carpet from side to side, finally stretching each limb to its fullest. She popped to her feet, licked her forearms, and sat bolt upright. Completing a long wide yawn, she extended her tongue as only cats can do. She shook her head and torso briskly and firmly before responding to our suggestions.

Like a latter-day teen would conclude, she said flatly... “But it’s my money…”

<< End of part one. Hit "like" or make a comment to read part two >>

I suggested to Reyn that we simply gift her a thousand dollars and help her to find the tools she needed, then she could save her money and… do what? I almost said “Help us pay for you to go to college”, but instead I said, “For whatever you want, maybe upgrade your Barbie Jeep and get a Smart Car or Minnie Cooper…” I was grasping for straws and finally said “Actually, Reyne, I can see you’ve thought this out pretty well. It is, after all, your money. Keep us in the loop, posted as you will, and under advisement.”

On Thursday Reyn had plotted everything she wanted to buy. She was still poking around the internet looking for better values, securing her choices, but she was ninety-nine percent confident with her choices, maybe more. She knew better than to ask my advice. I’m no help at these things. I have no patience. I buy what people recommend, or what the salesperson says suits me best. I just want it to be done.

Saturday was the big day. Our plan was to visit Target, Best Buy, Office Depot, Staples, and a Chic electronics store Reyn had heard of from a friend. During lunch, we would choose which stores to return to and complete our purchase. Yes, this was old-school shopping, but we’re tactile people. Besides, ever since Covid, at least for me, it’s really nice to get outside. Reyn loved to get out as well, a chance to poke her head out of her accessorized Barbie carry all and look about. It turns out that she is a real believer in 'touch before you buy.'

On Friday everything changed, or was diverted when a thick certified envelope arrived mail from Reyn’s publisher. It contained, among other papers, a Bank of America Gold Visa with a five-thousand-dollar credit limit. The accompanying cover letter read something like, “Dear Reyn:

“This is for incidentals. Should your Barbie Jeep break down, and you need a Lyft. If you discover you need or want books, an e-reader, stationery supplies, or need to travel for research, whatever. This is yours.  It is your quarterly expense account. If you find you need a higher limit, ask.  *1–

What was that about Indians and their gold?

*1– “Your Guardians, Nalini and, or Dalton, or your agent Gigi Jillbus (representing  Piedmont Publishing) will have to approve all purchases (see addendum to your contract).  We trust you know how to use it. We’ll warn gently for mistakes. Enjoy, but not overly! Keep in mind that other expense and cost provisions of your contract remain in effect until modified by mutual consent “

ORIGINAL

REYN 6- WIP- Reyn on the Prowl

Reyn has a desire to leave the house. Her goal is to one day walk to the mailboxes with me.  She says that she may even concede to a leash to blend in with the dogs.  She seems capable when allowed to step confidently over our threshold.  Then once outside and a bit past our porch she waits for me to join her near her side.

When we reach the grassy courtyard I think the wonder of space entices and perplexes her. The buildings must all seem the same, but suddenly so many!  She's known the outdoors only through windows.  Now here is a sky so huge and blue.  Clouds- so strange.  Trees are gigantic.  Everything is larger than the life she has known or even ever imagined.  Then suddenly none of that matters...

Please don't tell Nalini, but I allow Reyn to hunt during our walks.  At times she will wander more than 20 feet from me, but she always checks over her shoulder to see that I'm there.  There are rare occasions on the quad when packs of dogs are not there pooping and watching their masters obediently pick up their presents in provided green bags and place them in the trash. Or not.  It seems that everyone here has one or two shepherd-sized dogs.

But I digress. Reyn is constantly complaining about all of the dogs around here, and it rubs off on me.   Their constant presence, especially at certain portions of the day, is intimidating to other species and limits the times which Reyne braves to go out.

Back to telling of Reyn's hunting prowess!  Oh, but first this:

WARNING!!

Please note that no prey have been injured or killed on any of Reyn's hunting expeditions.  We do not include occasional trophies bagged inside of our home due to instinctual reflexes which are presented to us in bed.  Usually, these are moths or occasionally spiders.  These gifts are seldom received and are predominately deceased.

When spies a chance flittering bird or two in a bush, or an undecided butterfly fluttering in no direction.  Even a cocky crow strutting across the way will pique her interest.  She will slow and stoop, crouch to her belly, and intensely pause. Haunches low bent and tight, forepaws bent and low, tail involuntarily dusting back and forth. Her chin to the ground, her head frozen her eyes spying back and forth. 

I can almost feel her teeth clench as she imperceptibly crawls and creeps as silently as a falling leaf.  This is the stalk of a tigress.  Her prey is unaware until- POUNCE!  Just as she does to her tiny stuffed fish she's been training with for years.

The tiny gray and blue fish she tosses and teases and throws through the air and all through the house preparing for the big hunt someday outside.  Sometimes, for no apparent reason, she will hide the fish from herself.  Just leave it somewhere in plane sight, usually very conspicuous.   Next to the leg of the coffee table for instance. Or else under the couch or the bed. We figure it's dead.

After a week or more this violent play, death, and resurrection cycle she tosses her tiny fish into her water dish for cleaning.  Sometimes she places it into our bathtub.  She loves to stare into the bathtub.  Sometimes she pats at the water there. This is why we not only keep the toilet seat down but the lid as well.  This hapless cat toy is Reyn's only victory over the animal kingdom, unless you count bugs.

Nalini prefers not to have Reyn out of our apartment, at all. Even more so since the night we were coming at about 8:30 and saw a man ahead of us in our headlights. 

This had a German Shepherd-sized dog tugging on its leash. The two were struggling in the middle of Sawmill Road, the two-lane frontage road running past our 1200-unit complex.  It's fortunate that we saw them because the street lighting is inadequate in most parts of Santa Fe.

The peril was that six, yes six, Yes Six!  Six Coyotes were Facing down this man and his dog!  The coyotes were circling around them. This was happening less than a hundred yards from where we were turning into the main drive of our building.

I kid you not.  I am not lying or exaggerating.  Six coyotes surrounding a man and his dog less than 100, more like 50 yards away!

As we were already entering our complex's half-mile parking loop we sped toward the group honking our horn until we stopped about 50 feet from this potential not-so-happy meal.  Before I could say anything, Nalini shot from our car and dashed over the 12-foot-high berm, while screaming and waving her arms. 

Believe me, as quiet-spoken as that Hindu woman can be, she can really scream. The coyotes decided that they might be better off running further down Sawmill Road, maybe snack on roadrunners in the morning. But getting back to how Nalini calls Reyn into the house, even if Reyn is only approaching the front door. Nalini calls out, in a sweet yet teasing call: "Coyote! Coyo