Here’s a little information about the people that feature in my story, including direct quotes from the book.
Jaime
This is me – the main character of my story as I travelled around the globe with Mamma.
“So, allow me to introduce myself, Jaime Brown at your service. Actually, you are effectively at my service, since I’m a cat. You know the old saying: dogs have owners and cats have servants.”
Joey
My brother; a gorgeous ginger lad who we lost way too young.
“Joey found a catnip plant on the kitchen counter in the sunlight and we soon wised up to his addiction problem: not only was he a glutton for food, but also for narcotics! He decimated that plant, chewing his way through leaf after leaf and trying to roll in it.”
Mamma
My human; there was an almost instant connection that carried us through our life together.
“You’d think she’s crazy to spend all that money taking Jaime around the world with her, until you see them together, then you understand.”
Grandma
One of my favourite people and Mamma’s mamma.
“Grandma loved Mamma’s recliners and said that she would miss those more than either of us. Grandma’s lucky that Mamma and I love her so much!”
Grandpa
Mamma’s dad who looks remarkably like a garden gnome.
“Grandpa also showed up once a month to mow Mamma’s lawn, as she had never been the ‘yard type’ and Grandpa did not want his daughter’s home to look like a hillbilly homestead.”
Roommate
The friend that Mamma had as a housemate when we were adopted.
“The second bedroom was inhabited by Mamma’s friend and housemate, a rather large girl with an even larger overbite, but despite her size and rough looks, she was an incredibly gentle person with short blond hair and blue eyes that danced when she smiled.”
The Bombshell
One of Mamma’s girlfriends who became a second mother to Joey and me.
“The Bombshell had also taught us some bad habits, indulging our needs to be treated like the little princes that we were. The one that drove Mamma the craziest was turning on the faucet in the bathroom so that we could drink fresh water directly from it.”
Creature
The nasty little dog that came with the Bombshell’s presence in our lives.
“By this stage, I was particularly adept at hissing, spitting, and striking out at Creature and she found herself afraid of us. God bless sharp kitty claws and the ability of the martial art ‘strike and retract’ move.”
The Untrustworthy One
Another of Mamma’s girlfriends and one we didn’t care for from the moment we met her.
“She was five foot seven, had short dark hair, a round face, and glasses that framed deceptive brown eyes which is why we named her The Untrustworthy One.”
The Kiwi
A friend of Mamma’s from New Zealand that we lived with twice during our time in Australia.
“The second roommate was a lovely Kiwi friend that Mamma had made during her time in New Zealand and we liked her. She too, was short and round with short, curly gray hair, but her brown eyes sparkled with mischief and kindness.”
The Evil Cat
The awful creature that belonged to the Untrustworthy One – go figure!
“This nasty little ball of fluff had foul yellow eyes that became black when the evil took over, long hair, and was ginger in colour. He was a violent little critter whom you couldn’t pet or love as he attacked everything in sight – hands, arms, faces, whatever was within reach. Mamma, who was an ardent cat person, kept her distance from the creature and ensured that we were safe too.”
The Musician
Yet another of Mamma’s girlfriends who became one of my caregivers for a while, and who was very sweet to me.
““Good boy,” the Musician stroked my fur as I started to eat, “she’ll be back soon.” I appreciated the constant kindness that the Musician showed me and started sitting with her on the couch in the evenings.”
Dog
The only thing I didn’t like about the Musician – her creature.
“Of course, the house also contained Dog, who was absolutely enthralled by me. I, however, thought that she was below contempt and would hiss and spit if she got too close to my gate.”
The Grumpy One
One of Mamma’s housemates who overstepped a boundary with me.
“The Grumpy One exacted her revenge on me during this time and decided to give me a bath, something I had never had before. Now, I have very good hygiene habits and always have, cleaning myself daily and have never had a hint of an odour issue, so why she felt the need to do this I have no idea.”
Sugar
A dear friend of Mamma’s that took care of me whilst Mamma headed over to the US to set up our life there.
“Sugar and I got on pretty well, although she was an obsessive-compulsive clean freak and wasn’t too crazy about my hair and litter pellets everywhere – go figure.”
The Australian
The unsavoury character that we stayed with upon arriving in the US.
“After forcibly pushing me out of the pantry I was investigating with her foot, Mamma stood her ground; “don’t do that,” she said with a fire in her eyes. It took the woman by surprise as Mamma had been fairly meek since arriving there.”
The Professor
You guessed it – another girlfriend that bridged our time in Australia and the US.
“This one was also a kind soul and loved animals, so we got on well. We had little conversations together and she would side with me if Mamma scolded me for any one of my complaining sessions.”
The Cowboy
My Cowboy – she looked after me when Mamma had to go to Costa Rica. We mourned for her together.
“We were becoming a little family and I was quite happy. The Cowboy was very sweet to me and even put up a screen door in the cottage so that I could sit and ponder the outside world.”
Unstable Mabel, Buckless, Bay, and Sorrel
The horses at the Cowboy’s ranch.
“They also spent a few lazy afternoons on the back porch watching the lone horse in the pasture, sometimes letting her out to graze in the backyard. It was unusual to watch a horse wander past the front door, as I had never seen one of these huge critters before.”
Dawg
The ranch dog belonging to the Cowboy.
“Dawg had a sweet nature and had stationed herself outside the cottage from the moment we had arrived, deciding that we needed more protection than the pistol-packing Cowboy in the main house. Don’t get me wrong, she was still a rodent, but she was not allowed inside so she could stay.”
Sybil
The kitten that the Cowboy rescued from the racetrack who had a slight personality disorder.
“Sybil continued to live with us in the main house and became adept at stealing my food when the bedroom door was left open. This would drive Mamma nuts but I couldn’t be bothered, there was always more where that came from. I preferred it actually. I would eat the good fresh stuff and Sybil would finish off my leftovers, opening me up to receiving more fresh food; a sweet deal if you ask me.”
The Beast
Airplanes in general – thank the Lord that I will never have to ride in one again!
“And I liked it even less when the giant gaping hole closed, the Beast engulfing us in darkness. There was an awful sound, loud and oppressive, followed by a series of jerky movements and then the Beast tilted skyward.”