It was a hot and muggy and surprisingly a clear evening of Friday, August 20 – 80 deg. F and 83% humidity.

 

I had just returned home – around 8:30 p.m. after an hour of solo tennis in Jefferson Park’s tennis courts.

 

The park was nearly abandoned – only a few hard-core users were there. Activity in the park has dropped precipitously since the senseless gun violence of Monday, July 26th -- that left one dead and two hurt.

 

As I pulled my shopping cart with my bag containing the tennis equipment and campaign signs (I am campaigning for one of the candidates for Mayor of Cleveland – the name has been blocked out) – I was greeted by Smokey and Gingy (mother and son) – our two outdoor cats and my constant outdoor companions. Of course -- there was Galena too – their dear friend --our golden retriever with a curly tail – watching from above at the Rainbow Bridge.

And what did I see as I got past the driveway gate in the evening's semi-darkness – (the sun had just set a few minutes ago) -- a cat sitting like a mini-statue – more like a keystone -- on top of our garage – a good – 10 feet above the ground. See first photograph. We have a 2-car garage – but there are no cars – I don’t drive, don’t have a license, and enjoy walking for miles on end.

 

The gray cat has been visiting our house this summer – every now and then – looking for food. When the cat is around – the cat is fed dried food -- and there is always enough water around in a container.

 

In fact – I had fed the cat before I left for my tennis game -- around 7:00 p.m.

 

Nothing un-nerves me more than seeing a hungry pet.

 

May be that was the cat’s way of saying – I am feeling on top of the world – I am free and I am full of energy.

 

I asked the cat to please get down – the cat ignored me (no surprise here) – and continued sitting on the garage roof. Both Smokey and Gingy, both in a relaxed mode as the second photograph shows ignored the cat as if to say – no big deal sitting on the garage roof. (The cats have easy access to the garage roof from the rear). Smokey and Gingy have met the gray cat and they coexist peacefully.

 

The cat immediately reminded me of the play “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” by Tennessee Williams – the famed American playwright (1911-1983).

 

And here was a cat on our garage roof – no tin covering -- only asphalt shingles – and probably not very hot. The cat sitting on the garage roof was not a stage performance (not sure if the cat would agree with this) – but definitely provided a lot of live drama.

 

My late wife (Sarah Clingain Puri) and I are from New York City.

 

When in NYC – we loved going out to see live theater performances – very few on Broadway, a few on Off Broadway – but mostly on Off-Off Broadway – places that tourists never heard of – but where one saw quality performances by skilled artists – who survived by waiting tables or doing menial jobs but were otherwise masters of their craft.

 

My late wife (from Derry, N. Ireland) was a serious student of literature (among her multiple accomplishments) – and had read playwrights from Ireland, England, Europe, and the United States.

 

And she loved the Off-Off Broadway performances – better than the performance she had seen in Ireland and England (a lot of Irish live in England).

 

And when I was a high school student in India – I had performed the lead part in the Post Office -- a play (rendered in English) by the Indian Nobel laureate -- Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941) who wrote in Bengali – one of the nearly two-dozen Indian regional languages – part of the Indo-European family – stretching from Ireland to India. Mr. Tagore was also a writer, poet, composer, philosopher, social reformer, and painter.

 

I believe we saw a stage performance, when in NYC, of the “Glass Menagerie" by T.W.

 

And we saw the 1958 movie version of “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” starring Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman. The movie did not have Richard Burton – the two of them (Ms. Taylor and Mr. Burton) always made a lovely team.

 

After a short while – the cat moved away.

 

It was getting dark and I came inside after feeding Smokey and Gingy and wishing them a good night!

 

What a pleasant past mid-summer’s evening – tennis, cats, memories of plays seen in New York City, playwrights, -----!

 

Enjoy the summer!