Mippies! – 1 February

What a long story this is going to be! There is such a lot to tell! I just hope I don’t forget any details – I know that Rose is eagerly waiting to hear how my mippies are doing!

Let me first relieve you of any anxiety: They are doing well! All three of them!

What a time they have had, though! Their initial itinerary was to be collected from the Cattery before eleven, fly at one, arrive 14:35, three quarter to one hour for collection and a one hour drive. Worst case scenario, they travel about six hours.

They were collected and checked in on time – I received mail to that effect, when I came home after shopping. But that’s as far as the itinerary matched reality. First, the flight was delayed by about 40 minutes! So they were in their crate, huddled together, at the noisy airport an additional 40 minutes! At two, I received an update, they’ve departed and scheduled time of arrival is 15:10 and that Tanya will contact me once she collected the cats – which could take up to an hour.

At quarter past four I receive a call. The voice is clearly male and, although he introduces himself and gives the company he works for – neither are familiar, and it’s a bad connection, so at first I could only assume it was about my mippies! It was, I was told they arrived safely, were huddled together in their crate and would be delivered in about an hour.

Five o’clock came and went, I was anxious, but not really worried. It had started to rain a while back and it was coming down by the bucket load – plus it was Friday and month-end, so traffic would be at its worst.

Twenty to six, I try calling – no reply. Anxiety is building up – but I’m also thinking it’s a good sign that a driver doesn’t answer the phone while driving. So I wait.

I message Rose (I don’t want to call, in case the driver tries to call back) to let her know that the mippies haven’t arrived, yet.

Five past six my phone rings. It’s the driver! All is well, he apologized profusely for not calling earlier (I assured him I fully understood, and no apologies were necessary) and told me he’s just coming off the R21 turning onto the N1! Whoa! Two hours to drive the 40km from the airport to that interchange? I didn’t say anything, since he was still talking – he told me that apparently a truck overturned blocking several lanes. Shame, what should have taken no more than half an hour took two full hours!

Two hours and they were only halfway! Travelling a road with multiple lanes for each direction – 3 to 4 lanes each!

I called Rose to give her the latest update and promise to call when they’re here.

I was already struggling to keep my eyes open at five, so I decided to sit outside in the fresh air to wait, lest I fall asleep.

My landlady and her husband came outside to show me a tortoise which had come into their garden! The put it down in my garden by a spekboom, since they like those! Too darling!

Funny thing: I watered my plants in the rain! I had placed the can under the gutter drain, and needed to water the ones under the roof.

I waited and waited and waited. Ten to eight the phone rings again – he’s on the road leading to this plot, but can’t find it. Sigh! The directions said very explicitly: 2.3 km from the off-ramp! Did he look at the km reading? No! He’s been driving up and down the road looking for I don’t know what in the dark! Even worse, he told me that his mum lives in this area, so this is home to him – yet he has no clue how to find me! I set off with that bright load-shedding torch thing, first to the gate – opened that – and then set off on the dirt road towards the main road where he’s still going up and down like a blind chicken. He can’t see my bright flash light, he can’t see the sign board, I don’t know what he can see … I ended up walking all the way up to the road waving that bright light like a lone lighthouse keeper! And watched him drive past! I only knew it was him, since he had described his van and told me he put the indicators on. Seriously? All this while we’re talking on the phone … eventually he stops, reverses and turns where he should!

I have to help carry the crate inside, since it’s too narrow for him to come with it side-ways – boy, are they heavy! They have water, though no food. I had shut all the doors off the passage, so even if they get out the bedroom, they’re just in the passage.

We let them out! Mewthos comes straight into my arms! Ziva comes tail-high to me as well – but poor Lady Jane dashes under the bed, tail between her legs! Awww, my darling girl has had her confidence dented.

I leave them alone, while we take the crate back outside and I get in the van, so he can drive me to the gate. I lock it and walk back. Lock up and finally I can spend time with my mippies! It’s quarter past eight!

Lady Jane won’t come out from under the bed, so I leave her for now. I go sit on the bathroom mat and pick up Mewthos, then Ziva, hold them, stroke them … and call Rose! Mippies are all crowding me, mipping at me to let me know how unpleasant everything has been for them, wanting lots of cuddles and lovies to make up for it. Lady Jane comes out from under the bed as well, but hers is the only tail still lowered.

I gave them their favourite wet treat: Royal Canin – but they didn’t even finish the third I had put in each bowl. The walk around but come back to me as if on a very short leash, over and over I must pick up Janey and Mewthos and Ziva needs her tummy rubbed. All they while they tell me all about their fears and worries, mipping and mewling in concert.

Some time after nine, I need a break and go outside for a smoke. I shut them in the bedroom – but can hear them crying non-stop the entire time!

When I come back, they want more and more and more cuddles and reassurances that I missed them, too! And that they didn’t do anything to have deserved this, that I really had no choice.

Some time between ten and eleven, I’m finally allowed to go to sleep – with three mippies cuddled as close as they can be!