Fall/Winter 2006 - Mendocino Art Center

The hot, rattling, dieselscentedresponds instantly. They tell herride takes an hour and athe situation. She takes the kittenhalf, with many transfers, andS. S. Southern Crossand holds it. Dave sees that nowgives Dave, who’s never been to L.A. before, a glimpse of theboundless sprawl of the city. The final bus dumps them offin the approximate neighborhood of Berth 93. They seeships on the horizon, lug their bags across four lanes ofheavy traffic and approach a gate where a guard sits in abooth. Sleek cars glide through; Dave and Elaine are theonly ones on foot, and wonder if there’s maybe some ruleabout having to be in a car. The guard is kind, though, andpoints the way toward a huge faraway terminal building.You want to go to the second floor, he says.They set out across the infinity of baking-hot parkinglot. In the distance, like some maddening mirage, they seeluxurious tour-buses pulling up to the main door. Why wasit always like this for them? Why did they always wind up onfoot, dragging their bags across acres of scorching asphalt,while others arrived in air-conditioned comfort and serenity?Why were they always on the outside of such knowledge?They get to the terminal and find an outside staircaseat the far end. The main entrance where the buses arepulling up is two hundred feet away. Each looks at theother’s sweaty face. Stairs, or door? Stairs, they agree.They have not yet put a foot on the first step when akitten, an infinitesimal striped job, in color and design aperfect miniature replica of Maurice, pokes its head out ofthe ivy and looks right at them as if to say: What the helltook you so long?A moment ago, they were walking free. Now they areensnared. They can’t possibly just leave it, and they can’tpossibly take it on the boat to Mexico. Can they? Could theysneak it on board? Make the man at the booth take it? Howwould they feed it? It’s no older than three or four weeks.Dave scoops up the kitten and climbs the stairs. At the top,they find that they’re at a deserted end of the terminal. Theygrab a longshoreman’s cart from a storeroom, pile the bagson, and proceed down a long hallway. There are peopleahead, and their attention has been attracted. A man in asuit and a young blond woman wearing a uniform and abadge approach with frowns, plainly intending to tell themabout union rules pertaining to Longshoreman’s luggagecarts and such. Before they can speak, Dave deflects whateverthey were going to say by holding the kitten aloft like atalisman.The woman, who wears heavy blue eye shadow,she’s ensnared, just as much as they are. She says she doesn’tknow what to do, she just doesn’t know. Dave and Elainestart talking, fast.Keep the kitten for the five days we’re on the boat, saysDave.We’ll take it when we get off the boat on Friday, saysElaine. There’s no way we can escape you. You can nab usright at the gangplank.We promise we have no plans to defect in Ensenada,Dave adds.The woman chews the inside of her mouth. She’s softening,but she has obstacles. My boyfriend doesn’t like cats,she says.This is not a CAT, says Elaine, a little too sharply. Itweighs three ounces and can barely walk!The woman goes to make a phone call. Someone producesa box for the kitten. It becomes assertive, rubbingagainst Dave’s finger. The bottoms of its feet are black velvet,just like Maurice. The man in the suit looks disgusted.Sweat rolls off Dave’s nose and drips on the counter; he cansee Elaine trying to rein in her temper. Jesus Christ, shemutters through clenched teeth.In the next moment, they are all saved: Dave, Elaine,the kitten, the woman in the uniform. Another womanstrolls in from the landing. She’s tan, pretty and wearing aflowered dress. She looks into the box, listens to Dave andElaine’s story, and calmly, firmly, without vacillation, says:I’ll take him.Later, onboard, they learn that the ship, now called TheAzure Seas, had been built in Belfast and christened by theyoung Queen Elizabeth the S.S. Southern Cross. It used totravel from England to Australia and New Zealand andaround the world.From the deck, Dave and Elaine watch the woman whotook the kitten. She sells flowers to embarking passengers.She moves serenely, wheeling her cart this way and that. Noanxious sweaty rushing about for her. They wave. She wavesback, holds the kitten up.As the ship starts to move, Dave feels it pulling, wantingto get back out onto the open seas. For now, though, itmust be satisfied with running back and forth between L.A.and Ensenada, Mexico. As must they. We’ll just squint andpretend it’s Acapulco, says Dave.33