White Dog Fell from the Sky

15



Isaac had heard Amen come home in the night, but he didn’t wish to see him. Before the sun rose, he left for the Old Village. On his way to work, he stopped to see the old man who’d made the sunken garden. He told him he’d dug a similar one but was now filling it in. When the old man heard the story, loud laughter poured out of him. He bent over double to catch his breath. And then he laughed again, barking and coughing.

The old man dug up a tomato plant and wrapped it in a plastic bag. His hands were old, turned on themselves sideways, as though they were asking a question.

As he left the yard, Isaac heard the old man’s laughter again. He turned to wave, and the old man was gesturing for him to come back. “I have something for you,” he said. He walked Isaac to the shade of a tree on the opposite side of the garden. Inside a cage were two young cats. “Do you want them? The master says I must find a home for them or else I must drown them.”

“Drown them?”

“He doesn’t like cats. You’d better take them.”

“I don’t know.”

“They came into the garden last week. I’ve been feeding them milk. He tells me I must kill them today.”

Isaac opened the door of the cage and picked up the smaller of the two by the scruff of its neck. White Dog sniffed it, and the little one hissed and arched its small back. It was very thin, the color of a lion, and had a pattern of circles on either side like targets. He peered into the cage. “What happened to their eyes?” One cat was cross-eyed, the other wall-eyed.

“I don’t know,” the old man said.

Isaac laughed. “Go siame, rra, I’ll take them. Tomorrow, I’ll bring back the cage.”

When he returned with the cats, he was unlucky enough to meet the master.

“What’s in the cage?”

“There are two cats, rra. To rid the garden of snakes.”

“The snakes will eat them, not the other way around.”

He remained silent. He had learned back home never to contradict a white man, no matter what nonsense they may utter.

“Alice!” Lawrence called toward the house. “He’s got cats.”

She came out. “Awhile back, I told Isaac I’d look for an outdoor cat for the snakes.”

“There are two of them,” said Lawrence.

She looked into the cage. “What’s wrong with their eyes?”

“I think their mother had venereal disease,” said Isaac.

“They look healthy enough otherwise,” she said.

“Did you forget I’m allergic?” asked Lawrence.

“Darling, relax. They’re outdoor cats. They’re for the snakes. I told you, don’t you remember? Isaac killed a black mamba.”

“These cats won’t stand a chance against a snake like that.”

“I want to keep them anyway.”

“Well, then, keep them.”

“Do you like the name Mr. Magoo?”

“I don’t give a damn. Call it what you want.”

“They were going to be drowned today,” Isaac said.

“So you had no choice,” said Lawrence.

“Ee, rra, there was no choice.”

The madam always paid him on the last Saturday of each month. Out of the thirty rand, he gave twenty to Amen and Kagiso for room and board. And each month, he saved five rand for shoes for Nthusi, putting the money under a loose chunk of concrete in the floor in Amen’s house. The rest he used for food.

When he opened the envelope on that particular Saturday, he found ninety rand.

“You’ve given me too much, mma.” He held out the extra money to her, but she reached forward with both hands and closed them around his. “For your two brothers and your sister, for school,” she said. He stood before her, his heart pounding. Before he could gather himself, she walked quickly back inside the house.

He returned to Amen’s house with the money inside his shoe, thinking about how he could best send it to his mother. After everyone was asleep, he took out enough for room and board and food for the month. The rest he placed under the chunk of concrete.