Glaze of Our Lives: A Story of Passion and Reduction
Johnny Cash the pottery cat takes a nap on a few mugs. Delores finds a date maybe.
After Johnny Cash blew by Jimmy’s leg in his mad dash out the studio door into the great wide open, he ran to the large oak tree by the fence and sniffed around some then laid down to relax in the grass. The sparrows were darting in and out between the branches and a red wing black bird squacked to scold him.
It was quite easy being a pottery cat. Johnny Cash had Delores right where he wanted her. Their history went way back. Johnny Cash was a gift to Delores from her husband Bill when he was just a kitten. Bill just finished trimming with the weed Wacker along the side walk when he thought he heard a fait meow. Bill turned off the loud motor and walked to the curb where the trash was set out. He set down the wacker picked up the bag of garbage and under it was the smallest black kitten he ever seen.
Bill took the cat to the house to show Delores. She was smitten by the cute little fur ball. The kitten looked starved so they pored it some warm milk . The little guy lapped up the milk and was still for a long time . Bill and Delores were worried and poked the cat a little and made sure he was breathing. “Awww!” said Delores ” I think he is sleeping right there in his milk.” All of this happend five months and six days after they found the lump on Bill’s neck. Five months and six days because that is how fast the cancer spread .
The doctors tried everything possible but the lump was found to late. It was Johnny Cash the pottery cat that would curl up on the lap of the slowly dying man , both warmed by an electric blanket to ward off the chills. Delores sat by and cared for them both , lightly stroking Johnny Cash’s soft black fur to ease anziety as she did what she could to make her dying husband comfortable until the bitter end.
The undertaker drove the herse slowly to the cemetery on that cold rainy day in October when they laid Bill in the grave. It would be months before Delores felt like going back to the studio again. Everything she seen reminded her of Bill. He built the drying shelves, her kneading table, even put in the glaze booth. Cobwebs grew in her throwing bucket and rack of mugs went bone dry without being handled.
By Spring Delores thought she might try to go back down to the pottery studio to just have a look with Johnny Cash the cat circling underfoot. Delores started making pots again slowly. First only one mug was all she could take . She looked at the lonely form turning slowly on her wheel , her heart sank with grief and tears streamed from her eyes. She just had to make another mug, Bill would want her to. Before long one mug turned into one wearboard of mugs, which turned into one shelf. She found creating therapeutic.
Back out in the yard under the tree Johnny Cash thought he heard a truck pull in. He raced to the frount steps and found it was the UPS delivery man. The sound of the UPS delivery man ment that Johnny Cash would get face and belly rubs and at times a treat . By time the black cat made it to the steps Delores was already signing for her package. “Aww whose a good boy?” said the short stout delivery man as he seen Johnny Cash trot through his legs purring.
Johnny Cash made sure he did some cute rolls at his feet and was rewarded by belly rubs and face scratches. ” Your getting to be a big kitty! I have a surprise for you!” The UPS man reached into his shirt pocket and gave Johnny Cash three treats from a Frisyies bag. ” He’s almost twenty pounds now ” said Delores. “But he still manages to climb all over and knock things off shelves. He’s a big clumsy boy. Aren’t you Mr. Cash?” The delivery man laughed “He sure is a just big fluff ball! Well I need to run! Have a great day ! ” He turned and walked back to his truck. A small piece of paper floated across the lawn and Johnny Cash seen the movement and playfully pinned it down with his paw then sat on it. ” What are you hiding Mr. Cash?” said Delores as she picked up the large cat.
Johnny Cash hung over Delores ‘s arm like a large over stuffed purse while she opened and read the paper.
” Dear Delores,
I would find it enjoyable if at some time you would join me for a coffee. I know you have been though a lot but whenever you are ready just let me know. ”
It was not signed anywhere. Delores flipped the paper over to see if there was a name or number on the back. But it was just written on a sales receipt from the gas station. Whoever wrote the note also bought $50.00 worth of gas and a soda. Johnny Cash started to growl and scratch at Delores’s arm with his hind legs as a signal to be let down. She dropped him to the ground as she thought about the note. ” Hummm..I wonder if…” Delores said out loud as she folded up the paper and put it in her pocket.
Johnny Cash had already ran back inside to the studio and made a jump for the fourth drying rack up but missed mostly and hung on by his two front paws. Straining but determined the large cat found footing on a freshly made wet vase to give him a lift , knocking it into 3 others as they all plopped to the floor bats and all. Pleased with himself he then stretched out on six of eighteen mugs that all caved to his form under the weight like a memory foam mattress. It seemed he preferred the pots just before leather hard stage, but not wet.
“Johnny Cash! You get down! Bad kitty! ” Delores yelled when she seen him reclining with ease up on the shelf on the pots now all mangled and dented into a somewhat cat form. ” Why do you have to be so bad! Those were custom orders! Scat!” She yelled. It was almost a game to Mr. Cash as no matter how mad Delores got he always seemed to land on his feet with her. He jumped from the shelf as if inconvenienced, and lumbered away with his tail in the air. “Ohhh noo…your such a bad kitty! That was alot of work you just messed up! Now get!” Delores begain to pick up the mess. But in the back of her mind she wonderd about the note . Maybe it was time to get a coffee.
