The Mystery Piece

*Photo creds by an old friend, Kendel *If you want your random photo to be used for my blogs, go on my Facebook page @Kaitlyn Baker and find my pinned post from October 20th and post your picture with no context :))

I had this pretty, pretty cat. Her name was Laiona. She was the sweetest lil’ cat. Some days she would do the weirdest ol’ things. Sometimes I didn’t know how they happened, I just know they happened and that it was her that did it. I came home from school, nails freshly done ’n’ everything. I found this weird little object. Was a fur ball? No, it was too hard, and not round enough. Was it poop? Nope, still too hard, and it wasn’t brown enough. It sort of looked like dirt. But what could it possibly be? Why was it inside? How did it get inside. I picked it up out of curiosity. I kept it and I cherished it, because well- I loved this cat, and I had to cherish every weird mishap this cat got into. This cat was a very eventful cat. It carried wisdom and personality. I hadn’t always been a cat person, but this cat was very cute and comforting. This cat brought me joy after my favorite little dog passed away last winter on my birthday, my 18th birthday. I took a picture of this weird little shaped clump of dirt, all covered in cat saliva— Laiona’s cat saliva. I put it in a clear shaped box, and it went inside of my display case with souvenirs and lined paper that tell stories of this precious little cat. I got out one of my index cards, took out my favorite little pen, and wrote “October 21, 2023”. That was the day where I found this weird piece of something. It could be dirt, but it sure does resemble reptile skin. The mysteries of this cat in this household live on, and I still love Laiona for every part of her, from her soft fur to her wet, sloppy saliva— from her long-tongued kisses, and her sharp-clawed scratches. I love her for every part of her because I would want someone to love me for every part of her like I do her and all of her perfectly imperfect flawed imperfections. I want people to love me for my bad moods, and love me for my perfectionism, that I’m working on. I want people to love me even through my people-pleasing; ironic, huh? I want a Me to my Laiona. Will you be my Me while I’ll be Laiona?