Cat Confidantes

He’s rustling a sack as he walks, as he slows his pace. He begins whispering to the gathering crowd and smiling. He has come to pay his respects to the cats that run his town. Down a side street, past the dock with towering cruise ships, he has a bit of time to spare. He tosses small pieces of chicken, other treats, and he chats with various street cats.

He misses someone, I can translate this much of his spoken secret. I don’t want to eavesdrop, even to practice my Turkish, so I opt for a separate street. I’ll take another route, giving him room to move ahead, giving the man and his friends some privacy. Those cats are excellent listeners, all gathering in for his tale, and catching up on life over lunch.

–Istanbul, Turkey