only one who knows

The News

I had finished my job at the café shop and today I could take half of the day off, so I went to a walk before checking the studio. It wasn't raining as it had been last week, but the sky was still very cloudy and heavy. I hoped it did not rain while I was outdoors; how unlucky I would be. I went to a park and stopped by a fountain, watching the water fall down. I felt slightly cold, but did not mind. It was summer but it certainly did not look like it.
Some kids were playing football near to the fountain and I watched them, careful not to be hit with the ball. Some of them were just a little younger than me... 15 maybe. I remembered a lot of kids from my district would spend the whole day playing football, no matter the weather, if it rained or snowed, they would be there. I did not miss my neighborhood then; they were all so rude. I particularly didn't like them at all. A good thing about 1970 is that everyone is ready to help you and be kind and nice to you, even if they've never seen you before.
Something touched my leg and dragged me away from my thoughts. I looked down to see what it was and had the pleasing surprise to see a black cat rubbing its face on my ankle.

“Oh, hello there! Are you alone?” I pet his head and he meowed in response.

I played with the cat a bit, but the wind started to blow stronger, so I decided to get up and leave the park. When I looked back, I noticed that cat was following me.

“Look, you gotta go, I don't have any food.” I told him, but he sat and looked at me with big sparkling green eyes. I had the idea to go back to the café on my way to the studio. Maybe I could get something for him to eat.

When I arrived at the café, I used the back entrance so I would go unnoticed. That yielding cat did not enter, staying in front of the door, waiting for me outside. I came back with a tin of tuna and a water bowl. I watched him while he ate and drank happily. He finished all the tuna and water when we heard a thunderclap. The cat startled and threw his body backwards, like a Spring. I felt a cold raindrop hit my head, grabbed the cat, wrapped him under my coat, and started to run towards the studio. It suddenly started raining and I got soaking wet really fast. Even though I had an umbrella, it was no use with all the wind. The rain grew even harder the moment I closed the door behind me and everyone looked at me when I entered.

“Ugh, a towel, anyone?” I asked and, out of sudden, fabric was thrown at me. “Thanks.”

I dried myself a bit and then dried the kitty. The poor thing was trembling. Or I was... I am not really sure. I made him a cacoon with the towel and he lied there, at the entrance. He got startled again when Steve, Pink Floyd's manager, stormed into the room with paper sheets in his hands.

“Boys, I have good news.” everyone went silent and he looked at each one of us before continuing “Guess who's going to spend their holidays in San Tropez!”

A moment of silence, then quiet excitement.

“Wait. Are you serious?” David was the first to speak.

“D'you really think I'd make up something like this?” Steve said, quite disappointed at this reaction “C'mon, guys, I'm not asking you to marry me.”

Roger looked at me and I looked at him. A trip! To the south of France! San Tropez! How were we supposed to react?

“Are you serious?” Repeated Nick.

“Look. There are plenty of people out there who want to see you, listen to you. This is a big bloody chance of well spent holidays.”

Suddenly Rick and Nick got up from their sits and rushed up to one another for an excited high-five. David made noises of enthusiasm along the other two and Roger got up to hug me, visibly excited. Nick ended up hugging Steven too, who found his manners quite intrusive and childish, but he too giggled at the moment.

--/-/--

I was in the car with Roger; he was driving us home.

It had stopped raining by the time we had left the studio, so I didn't bring the kitty. I had found a little shelter in the backs of the building created by some iron slabs neatly put together and he slept there. The cat would later appear everyday at the studio or at the café and would occasionally follow me home, staying in our garden or roof and I would always bring him food.

Roger was happy and particularly calm that evening, so he decided to take me out to dinner on an Italian restaurant. He knew it was my favourite. The place was very good-looking and had the best pasta in the whole town.

We had a drink or three, walked home like two gibbering, giggling morons and made sweet love that night. It was so warm, with the rain outside softly hitting the windows, and him, all around me, inside me, sucking and touching and teasing my body in a way no one else had ever done. It was so heady, so intimate; our shelter, our libido, our own personal Heaven and Hell.  At the end, we would kiss and cuddle and talk until we'd fall asleep entangled and intertwined, so tightly holding each other we could almost fuse together like two conjoined, incandescent souls.