The Cat on the Windowsill

I’ve only been at Beit Ruth for about two months now. I’m not going to lie, my first few weeks here were rough. Adjusting to life at Beit Ruth was a little difficult for me. People here have so many expectations of you. Wake up, clean your room, make your bed, go to school, do chores, half an hour for cellphones and Facebook, do homework, garden, art…talk to each other. It’s not that these expectations are unreasonable (I can say this now) it’s just that no one has ever had expectations of me before. No one ever really cared.

Anyway… Every morning for the first few weeks I would wake up (earlier than I have had to wake up in a long time) and go downstairs for breakfast. Every morning, I see the stray black cat sitting on the windowsill watching us eat. Stupid cat. I hit the glass to make him jump off. Get lost!

Hours later I’m back to eat lunch. All of us and the staff sitting and eating together…and the cat sitting on the windowsill watching. We all sit together and don’t leave the table until everyone is finished. We’re supposed to sit and talk. At first it’s weird for me… I’m not used to this. We definitely didn't sit around the table talking to one another in my family. I still don’t have much to say, so I sit there and stare at the cat still sitting on the windowsill staring at me. Stupid cat.

Dinnertime, and we’re back at the table. And the cat is back at the window. I don’t get it.

Time for bed. Lights out. We’re getting ready to lock the doors, shut the lights, and close the blinds…and the cat is still there looking in. I hit the button to bring down the electric blinds. They move so slowly. Lower, lower, lower, and when they finally start to close over the cat’s head, he hunches down and strains his neck to see in until the very last second. Every day, morning to night, the cat is on the windowsill, looking in.

It’s been about two months and I’m getting into a routine. I have more to say at the table, I like the girls and the staff, and it’s nice to just talk to people who are interested in me. And I guess like the cat too. I realized that for him to sit there every day, wishing he was in here with us, says a lot about Beit Ruth. Beit Ruth is a place for love, support, caring, and warmth for all who come here. Even the cats.