Rosa’s Early Morning Routine

Rosa decides this is the best way to photograph her

Every morning when Rosa awoke, she looked out of her bedroom window and saw a lonely figure sitting cross legged with her wings outstretched, gazing towards the rising sun, and knew all was well in the world.

Rosa smiled as she sat there in her pink pyjamas with little kittens all over it, a late Chanukah gift from Melody, who at that moment was stretched out under the nest still fast asleep. She watched her aunt, who she didn’t care much for, doing her hatha yoga stretches before flying off to her law office to spend the rest of the day threatening to sue companies who don’t comply with her warped reading of the world.

“You should join me some time,” Elizabeth said while she sat alone outside her nest after work making sure Jeremey didn’t come by. Rosa scrunched up her beak and rolled her eyes at her aunt’s suggestion.

“I don’t want to be a pretzel,” she replied not stopping but continuing her walk home in the company of her bodyguard, Melody. Elizabeth didn’t push the subject. She was always afraid that she may one day overstep her bounds and Rosa would send Melody after her and that would be the end of the slip and fall attorney. Rosa though never had any such thought and Melody she knew, even though she didn’t care for Elizabeth, would not comply feeling that the order wouldn’t be lawful or necessary, something she had overheard the Marines at Camp Lejeune discuss while walking on the beach with their little Marines in tow.

But for Rosa, just to see her aunt welcoming the morning sun on one side of the nest while her brother Timmy was on the other side welcoming the sun as prescribed by Judaic law, was a very tranquil feeling for her.

“You should join me some time,” Timmy had suggested when Rosa originally complained about how Elizabeth was blocking the sun and her view of Africa when she looked out of her bedroom window. However, when she complained about the two visions to Melody, it was she who explained to Rosa how peaceful it was to welcome the early morning sun is silence.

“Oh,” replied Rosa, “did you use to do that when you lived with humans?”

“No!” she had replied, “not the humans I lived with. They were only thankful they woke up in the morning after drinking beer and thunderbird all night long!”

Rosa wasn’t sure she wanted any further description, so she just smiled. But on this day, Rosa sat at her window for longer than usual, thinking to herself that yes indeed, Melody was a very mellow cat and that was probably why she named that by her parents. It was shame she didn’t know what happened to them, but Rosa was determined to seek them out one day probably when she was much older. Yes, it was quiet, it was very quiet. The tide was out and so the waves when they did wash ashore did so in silence, leaving a few crabs to scurry around looking for protection. Elizabeth though never noticed them as she was at the height of her yogic powers, which was when she claimed she communed with God.

“Wow!” Rosa exclaimed when her aunt told her that one day as a further inducement to get her niece to join her. But it actually had the opposite effect, because Rosa wondered in her 8 year old mind how her aunt could commune with God at 5 am, and then strangle people a few hours later until they emptied all their pockets on her desk and were left destitute.

But that day was different. Rosa had set up her boundaries and knew her aunt would never be allowed to violate them anymore, so she could just sit there imagining heavenly music being played on a harp while watching her aunt look so serene.

“Help!” shouted Elizabeth, “help!” she shouted again and Rosa suddenly jumped out of her little fantasy and looked out at her aunt who at that moment was surrounded by a bunch of ugly seagulls, looking to tear the little sandpiper apart. Fortunately, the same cry for help was heard by Melody who quickly awoke and sprinted before she rid her eyes of the gook that accumulated in the corners of them from sleeping outside all night, and let her honing skills guide her way. The seagulls knew their little war dance had been violated, when a few of them saw their feathers flying around in the onshore breeze, while others found they could no longer fly.

“Come on,” said Melody, “follow me back to safety,” and Elizabeth who for the longest time berated the feline, who was now part of the family ran in front of Melody to the safety of her sister’s nest. All the while, Rosa sat there with a big smile on her face watching the seagulls floundering on the beach, some fully formed while others were trying desperately to gather their feet and separate body parts. But that all ended when a large wave made landfall and swept them out to sea. The remaining intact seagulls had now flown away in desperation thanking their lucky stars.

Rosa got down from the window ledge and made her way out to the sand. The entire nest was now awake, as they had woken up with the sound of Elizabeth’s cries for help. Elizabeth met Rosa downstairs and hugged her. She then turned to Melody who was busy rubbing seagull blood off her beautiful fur, threw her wings around her and gave her a big kiss on her cheek which made Melody blush.

“I’ve never been kissed by sandpiper before,” she said as she went back under the nest to return to her sleep. The rest of the Blau family were now on the sand standing around Elizabeth making sure she was all right. Melody put up her paws to stop others from coming over to thank her, as she was blushing and was very uncomfortable with all the attention being paid to her.

“Where’s Jeremy?” asked Timmy who had left his prayers to run over to help.

“Who’s Jeremy?” asked Elizabeth knowing full well who he was. She didn’t want him there because all he ever did was try to get her drunk so he could have his way with her. He wasn’t missed. A few minutes later after the family had watched with much satisfaction some seagulls trying to patch themselves up, but were unable to as another wave crashed on shore washing them out to sea, returned to the nest to continue their day.

“Would you like to join us for breakfast?” asked Sybil to which Elizabeth immediately agreed knowing she had nothing to eat at her place. Jeremy made his appearance looking as if he was still in a drunken stupor.

“What’s was all the noise?” he asked scratching his head.

“Oh, there you are Superman,” said Elizabeth. “Don’t worry. I was nearly beaten to death by some seagulls but Melody here saved me.” Jeremy thought Elizabeth was joking and turned to walk back to his nest. He wasn’t in any mood to try and figure out jokes. “What’s for breakfast?” asked Elizabeth.

“Oatmeal!” shouted Rosa. Melody opened one eye, smiled and closed it. She was beginning to enjoy her position in the family as their guardian. She would remain there as long as they would let her and that, she knew was forever.