Part 1: Bobo in the Lady of the Green
Bo Didley, or Bobo for short, thought himself a courageous boy that hot summer. He went on a wild adventure that used up at least one of his nine lives!
His journey began one June day above the coastline in the Algarve, southern Portugal, when his human mom June, drove from their home in Alvor north towards the hills of Senhora do Verde (Holy Lady of the Green), a distance of 12 kilometres.
“Where is our human mom taking us now?” thought Bobo, a handsome orange and yellow striped three years old feline, as he stared in wonder from the carrier window, mesmerised by the green agricultural land that zipped past the car. He licked his tiger sister Bella in the carrier beside him, her fur quivering in the sunlight.
When June pulled into a long driveway, angry dogs almost ripped down a fence trying to get at the car. “Be quiet!” shouted Ana, running from the house and chasing them back.
The two ladies walked towards a long narrow building framed with wooden posts, covered with wire fencing. Inside were several rooms with little connecting tunnels. Eyes, hidden in dark shadows, followed their every movement. Low growls and deep murmurs echoed in corners.
Bella let out a deep growl and cowered in her carrier. Bobo, with his soft, feminine-like face, calmly surveyed the enclosure.
“Why were they in this strange place?” he thought. “And what’s for lunch?” He licked his lips.
“How many cats do you have? asked June.
“Oh, about 24, maybe more,” replied Ana, shooing a big grey cat off the carrier.
“Everyone is dropping off kittens, senior cats, injured ones, cats nobody wants. Oh boy, I can hardly keep up,” said the tired-looking woman with salt and pepper braided hair.
“Thanks for caring for my cats while I’m on holiday.”
Ana nodded, “You want to let them out?”
“Are you sure the others won’t hurt them?”
“No, they are used to new cats.”
When the carrier door opened, Bobo stuck his head out cautiously, his green eyes bulging and shiny, waiting for a pack of cats to pounce on him. None did. He eyed an old grey tomcat with a mangled ear sizing him up at a safe distance. In slow motion, he stepped out, surveying every crack and corner. Suddenly a soft meow broke the silence. A slender white cat walked up and winked at him, and he calmly followed her to the food bowl, sharing some biscuits. It was a flirtatious gesture – considering he was snipped – but he still enjoyed the chase.
Bella hightailed to a corner and was surrounded by two large cats. She hissed loudly and swatted the nearest male cat, who immediately cowered back.
“I’ll see you in two weeks,’ Bobo heard his human mom say as she closed the door.”
He laid on a pillow with his lady friend, his sad eyes fixated on the door, longing to go with her.
He thought of the day his human mom had rescued him from underneath the caravan at the camp, along with his brothers and sisters. He was so sick that she gave him awful stuff to drink and stayed with him. They grew to love each other. Now she was gone for the first time in his life.
Over the next few days, a feeling of heightened nervousness was felt among the new arrivals and its residents.
One morning, all hell broke loose. After feeding them breakfast, Ana left and closed the door. It jammed against a feeding bowl. Bobo and Bella ate their breakfast while the others silently looked on. Rolf, a black alpha male, growled furiously at Bobo and pounced, swatting his ears. Fur flew in the air, along with bowls and biscuits. Howls and screeches resonated throughout the enclosure.
“Stop it,” Ana shouted, rushing back in.
Bobo focused on the mayhem and realised it was now or never. When the dust had settled, Ana saw two furry bums slip through the partially open door, one being a ginger bum.
“Bobo, come back,” she yelled futilely, watching his yellow-striped tail disappear into the tall grass. She ran into the bright sunlight scouring the green fields. But the handsome ginger was long gone.
Ana searched until nightfall. As the sun set over the Serra De Monchique mountains, casting a red shadow on Foia, the highest peak in the Algarve, she whispered to the wind, “Should I tell her?”
Two green eyes followed her as she went back into the house.
A ginger tail bobbed in the fields as darkness descended over the Lady of the Green.
(to be continued)
June is a writer, author, and artist.
The story: ‘The Adventures of Bobo in the Lady of the Green’ is one of June’s adventures rescuing cats in Portugal and will be in her second book: Crossing the Pond – Tales of Adventure. The book is a sequel to her first book: I Heard the Alps Call His Name.
