Honeysuckle

If you don't own a cat or have never been owned by a cat, this story probably is not for you.

I have not always been a cat lover, by the way. I grew up in a family that lived on a hilltop in Western Pennsylvania. We went hunting and fishing and we owned a hunting dog named Pal. I considered Pal the best hunting dog in Alleghany or Westmoreland County, but what did I know? I was just a kid trying to play baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates. I was also writing for my hometown newspaper.

My family never owned a cat, but we loved dogs. Mom had a Rat Terrier named Monkey and my brothers and I had Pal.

I learned to love cats after meeting a flight attendant for Delta Airlines. Her name was Grace, she was tall, blond and beautiful, and I met her while flying back to Pittsburgh for my father's funeral. She shared my sorrow at my father's death and supplied me with wine, compliments of the airline. She gave me her phone number but warned me if I called, I had better like cats.

'If you don't like my pussies,' she said, smiling, 'then you don't like me.'

Her cats were amazing. She did a lot of flights for Delta that took her to Hawaii, California or the Caribbean, and she would be gone days at a time. She kept her six cats in self-cleaning boxes and her apartment was amazingly clean and odor-free.

One of her cats, Blackie, had cancer. Grace scheduled the cat for surgery. I went with her to the veterinarian's dispensary on the day of the operation. Afterward, we took Blackie home where he made a complete recovery. Grace cried with happiness.

My daughter, Rossana, has a cat named Honeysuckle. Rossana picked up the cat as a stray while we were living in Springfield, MO. The cat moved with us from Springfield to Phoenix, AZ., then to Charleston, S.C. When we relocate to Phoenix, Honeysuckle will accompany us.

Cats are strange creatures. They don't demand affection or attention like dogs. They are simply there, taking up space, rarely seen.

A good poker player is like a cat. He is in a hand, then out of a hand, or maybe he raises the pot and becomes a part of the hand. If the cat is part of the hand, watch out. You could be in trouble.

I can be in the apartment sitting on the sofa, eyes closed, when I feel something soft and furry on my neck. It is Honeysuckle's tail. No question about that. She is making me aware of her presence.

This is the way a poker player should play a hand. Never overwhelming, but just making your presence known with a call, a raise or a fold.

You will never own a cat, just as you will never own a poker hand. It is yours only fleetingly. Cats and cards are illusions, held by a master magician. You never know where you stand with them, but it is always a pleasant experience.

If I ever own a yacht, I may name it after a cat and have a cat emblem on the front of the boat. And you can be sure Honeysuckle will be lurking somewhere nearby.

Author: Geno Lawrenzi Jr.

(Geno Lawrenzi Jr. is an international journalist, magazine author and ghostwriter and poker player who lives in Phoenx, AZ. He has published 2,000 articles in 50 magazines and 125 newspapers. If you want to share a gambling story or book idea with him, send an email to glawrenzi@gmail.com ).