Chapter 266

I woke up at 6:30 and walked the dog. Everything was going the same way it usually goes, with the dog peeing and shitting in his regular spots, and as I was crossing the street, I saw a small kitten. He looks frightened as all hell, and blood caked his face. I picked him up and brought him home, thinking if I don’t do it, he’ll almost certainly die. I gave him a plate of milk with a few nuggets of wet dog food, and he voraciously ate, he must have been very hungry. Then he fell asleep on the bathroom floor. The dog was very curious, roughly poking the kitten with his triangle face and nibbling at his neck and ears, so I closed the bathroon door to keep them separated while I’m at work.

I had three labs scheduled. I like teaching labs, but it’s also draining and takes a lot of energy. In between periods I sat in the office, there was an ornate box of chocolates and nougat candy on my desk, which can only mean one of my coworkers is getting married. One of those little nuggets of Chinese culture I’m dropping daily for you, my dear readers (or reader).

I went home for lunch, and the dog was parked in front of the bathroom door, excitedly yelping, wanting to play with his tiny new sibling. I took the kitten out and held him in the palm of my hand. His left eye was closed shut, with a big purulent scab of dried blood, I wonder what happened and if he lost his eye for good. Hard to see when his face is about two inches wide. I also questioned what we should do with him, if we’ll nurse him back to health or adopt him.

Yeah, I’m very aware that just a few days ago I talked about the logistics of repatriating and leaving China. And now I’m considering having a cat, because he’s just too cute. His high-pitched meows and his slow, hesitating movements as he’s discovering sensations like walking on a cushioned couch were tugging hard at my heart strings, and I thought I couldn’t just abandon him. Pragmatically, I know I can’t save every animal on Earth, but when I’m face-to-face like that, it’s hard to say no. I sent the girlfriend a bunch of pictures and videos, we’ll talk about it later.

I also had a Skype conversation with my cousin, the one who equiped a van with living amenities. He and his girlfriend drove it to British Columbia, and new they were reunited with a guy from that area we hung out with on the island of Ko Tao in Thailand when our travel paths all intersected. We talked for about half an hour while I ate my lunch, it was really cool to catch up.

In the afternoon I was supposed to be observed, but there was a serious communication screw-up and the students didn’t show up to the lab until much later. The other lab teacher was already in class, and I was wondering if I even notified her of the temporary schedule change. So plan B, the students went back to the classroom, and the math teacher taught his lesson like it says on the regular timetable. I took ownership of the situation, but the principal didn’t seem to mind too much, and we rescheduled the observation.

At night there was an English speech competition in the auditorium. The principal had asked for volunteers to act as judges and I threw my name in, sure there are a few things I’d rather be doing with my Thursday evening but someone gotta go. Nineteen students from all grades gave their speech, some were a bit bland, about what they did during their summer holiday or about a general “Don’t give up!” message, but some were quite interesting and eye-opening, with a nationalist slant about the future of China, measures to encourage people to make more kids, and how Chinese youth should be encouraged to look up to scientists and generals rather than vapid boy bands and internet influencers. I enjoyed most of the speeches, some students have a pretty impressive command of English, but some stopped for a few seconds here and there, trying to remember their memorized script.

There were also ceremonies where students got scholarships, and a short musical interlude. It was over at 8, and I headed straight to the gym, with my changes of clothes. I had a pretty good workout and then went home. The girlfriend was doing calligraphy, with the unnamed kitten gingerly walking around on her desk. She had washed his face and as it turns out, his left eye is not permanently damaged, though it’s a bit swollen and surrounded by cuts and scrapes.