No-more-el

Noel is dead.

18th May, Sunday.

Mei Yee left the house at 2 pm. Noel was still in the house. Mei Yee went to the office to edit Scott and Anne's wedding video.

I was traveling back from Malacca at 3 pm. When I was back, I went straight to Mei Yee's office. I reached her office at 6:30 pm. We went out for dinner.

After dinner, we went to Mei Yee's house. It was already late. Noel was nowhere to be found. We both knew she must've ran out. "Not to worry. She will come back tomorrow," I said.

19th May, Monday.

Mei Yee called at 5:30 pm. She asked me to go to her place and look for the cat. I was like, no... It's psycho! Why should I make a 45-minute drive to Section 10, and walk around the neighbourhood to look for Noel? Mei Yee's office is just 5 minutes away from her house.

She said she is working. I said, then stop editing the video a while, and go look for it lah.

She said she has tried this morning. I said, so try again lah.

She said I wasn't doing anything at home anyway. I said, which is more practical... For me to travel 45 minutes there to look for a cat, or for her to do it herself from 5 minutes away?

So, ding-dong-ding-dong back and forth. I was adamant. I'm not going all the way there to look for a cat. I thought it was really impractical. Crazy... The cat is scared of me anyway. If I go around calling her name, she will probably run and hide. I couldn't picture myself driving all the way there, walking around the neighbourhood, calling out Noel's name, feeling like a psycho, failing to find her, and driving back again. Mei Yee has already tried this morning. How lucky can I get if I try?

Well... After a while... I thought I'd go there and do it anyway. After all, it's not the first time I've done unreasonable things. Some things are just not meant to be reasoned. Does it make sense? Doesn't matter. Just do it. Is it practical? Doesn't matter. Just do it anyway. You want to get into complications? No. So, just do it.

But why should I?
No, I shouldn't...
Yes, I should...
No, it's nonsensical!
Yes, it's a good thing to do...
No, how many times must I allow myself to do this?
Yes, you should do it because you should...
No...
Yes...
No...
Yes...
No...
Yes.

The ding-dong-ing within myself ended at a yes.

So, I took a bath...
Muttered why I allow myself to be led to do such foolish things...
Changed my clothes...
Muttered back that usually, those foolish things don't turn out to be silly enough to regret about anyway...
Went to the storeroom to look for a flashlight...
The muttering self-debate went on...

Then the phone rang. Mei Yee said Noel is dead.

Suddenly, I wished I wasn't such a pragmatist.

After I got to Mei Yee's neighbourhood and did further investigations from eye-witness accounts, this is what really happened.

Eyewitness: Neighbour. She saw a small, black and white cat being attacked by two dogs. The neighbour said the cat did not look like a stray cat. The cat looked too clean to not have an owner. The neighbour shoo-ed the dogs away.

The two dogs: Not guilty.

Eyewitness: That same neighbour saw another dog coming for another attack at the cat. It was a fiercer one. That dog took Noel's life.

Time of death: Approximately 5 pm, 18th May, Sunday.

Last seen alive by Mei Yee: Approximately 2 pm, 18th May, Sunday.

Between 2 pm and 5 pm, Noel must have found a way to dash out of the house. Maybe a housemate carelessly left the back door open while doing some cooking. Noel dashed out, climbed to the roof, and hopped down to the back alley.

Noel met two stray dogs. She tried to fend for herself. A neighbour came to her rescue and shoo-ed the two stray dogs away.

The two stray dogs went and reported to their boss. They did not like a small cat to be on their turf. The cat was too small and too cute and too clean to be left alone. Irresistible to the canines, they sent their boss to deal with Noel.

The fierce dog came and attacked Noel. This time, the neighbour failed to intervene. The fierce dog killed Noel.

Noel's body was found by a lamp-post. The neighbour testified that the body looked ok. Noel was not badly mauled. She was probably fatally bitten on her neck.

The neighbour's maid put the body in a black plastic bag. The plastic bag was left at the junction, where the trash will be collected. The trash will be collected tomorrow.

There was nothing Mei Yee could've known about it. There was no way Mei Yee could've done anything about it.

Mei Yee: Not guilty.

There was no way I could've saved the situation from happening. By the time Mei Yee and I discovered Noel was missing, it was already nightfall. Even if I had led Mei Yee to go out to look for Noel that Sunday night after dinner, we would have seen the body by the lamp-post. That's about as far as we could've changed things.

Joshua Hooi: Not guilty.

A sobbing Mei Yee harboured the hope that Noel could've still been alive. Mei Yee did not see the body. Maybe Noel was just injured. Maybe she did not really die. Maybe she was just badly hurt and hiding somewhere. Mei Yee would not gain closure without seeing the body.

Evidence: Located as described by the eye-witness. But the bag was not opened. Mei Yee did not want to see the body.

Do the stray dogs have any prior criminal offence?

Witness: The stray dogs had mauled another neighbour's Siamese cat. The fierce dog had also bitten a kid before.

Verdict: Stray dogs guilty. 2 counts of cat-slaughter, 1 count of man-slaughter.

Sentence: One day, the driver of a red Proton Iswara was driving his car along a back alley in Section 10. It was late. He was feeling tired. He wanted to get home as fast as possible. The road was dark. He thought he saw something ahead. He was fatigued. He was a little slow to hit the brakes. So he didn't. And he thought he heard a thud...

Date of sentence: Not confirmed until further notice.

* * * * * * * * * *

Mei Yee: Will there be cats in heaven?

Joshua Hooi: Well... There will be lots of weird animals with wings and many eyes...

Mei Yee: Dowan... I only want Noel...

* * * * * * * * * *

Mei Yee is busying herself with the wedding video at the moment to keep her mind off things.

I guess that is her way of getting closure.

I guess this way is mine.

I loved Noel too.

*sniffle*

Noel

25th December 2007 - 18th May 2008

Rest in peace, Noel. There will never be another kitten as cute and as notty as you. You will be dearly missed. By both Mei Yee and I.

*sniffle*

It is a sad day...