Noki Journey - Part Five

After talking it out, we decided to do the hand off after my sister’s graduation. My parents were in town and they would be going back home the next day. It was a stressful week, but it was the best time.

I cried.

A lot.

Just the other day, my partner was helping me trim my facial hair and they told me to think of something sad to stop smiling. I thought of Noki. He was my first child—even when I get a human one, he was still the first. I know living with a cat is not the same thing, but he’s good practice. He cried for attention, would wake me up before my alarms, and wanted me to hold him constantly. Pretty much a baby who could travel around the apartment on his own.

Every time I drink milk tea, I think of him. His favorite toy was the plastic straw wrapper. A little treat for me, meant a little treat for him as well.

Any time I get sad about Noki, I think about how happy he is now with my parents. My mom loves him to death and he’s having fun with my dad as well. He’s told me how he has a routine with Noki every time he comes home. Noki races him to the bedroom, waiting to sit with him in his chair. Just like how he used to sit with me.

The other cats are doing well, both have started speaking up more. Noki would do all the talking, but now both Lika and Aiko will talk to us more frequently. Lika has replaced Noki as my new morning alarm. Noki just craved so much attention before that it was hard to spread the love around evenly. Now that he’s away, both cats get more interactions and are opening up with us and each other. Aiko would also hiss at Lika any time she got near, but now, I only hear hissing after Lika has chased her around the apartment one too many times.

I believe Noki resembles me very closely. Maybe not so much in looks, other than us being both dashingly handsome, but by the way he acted. From the stories my mom told me and from what I can remember about myself, I was also a cry baby who constantly wanted attention. Noki is a little me, and I could tell that was something my mom really needed.

And because Noki is a little me, I knew that he too, needed to move away from home.