Page 9 of We’ll Prescribe You Another Cat
On her lap, inside the carrier, was a cat.
As she sat in the examination room, waiting for the doctor, Moé reflected on the past three weeks. Each cat had been a handful. They had made a total mess of her apartment, leaving fur and cat litter everywhere. They had also given her a lot to worry about.
The white curtains parted, and the doctor came in. Before Moé could say anything, he raised the carrier up to his nose and began speaking to the cat.
“How was it? Did you have fun? Really? I’m so glad to hear it. Chitose! Please take the cat!”
The nurse strode in and swiftly took the carrier away. The doctor sat down before the befuddled Moé and gave her a warm smile.
“So, how are you feeling?”
There was a kindness written into his face. The loneliness she felt from seeing her cats leave was replaced by certainty.
“Even if I’m separated from the person I love, I’m going to keep trying my best.”
“Is that so?”
said the doctor.
“That’s great. Now, a patient with an appointment is waiting, so we should wrap this up soon.”
“But—”
Moé blurted out. She didn’t mean to cut into the other patient’s time, but there was something she wanted to ask.
The doctor tilted his head.
“What is it?”
“When I came to look for this place with my friend the other day, we just couldn’t find it.”
“Oh, I see. That’s because Kyoto addresses are so confusing. ‘North of this street’ and ‘east of that street.’ The street names seem helpful, but they only make things trickier to figure out.”
“But we circled this neighborhood over and over and couldn’t locate the alley or the building. But today, I managed to find it straightaway.”
“You’ll find it when you’re meant to,”
said the doctor matter-of-factly. Then he broke into a grin, like a child about to play a prank.
“But don’t go spreading the word about this clinic. We’re not accepting any more new patients at the moment.”
Suddenly, the curtains behind him swung open. The nurse glared at the doctor.
“Dr. Nikké, why are you subtly promoting this place? If you keep the rumor mill running, it’s you who’ll end up in trouble, especially with you always napping on the job!”
“I don’t nap on the job.”
The doctor chuckled.
The nurse huffed and glared again before briskly pulling the curtain behind her.
Moé was dumbfounded.
“Our nurse really likes to fuss over things. Well, it’s about time now. Take care.”
“Um—”
“Yes? Is there something else?”
“This.”
Moé showed him the Cat Record journal.
“What should I do with it?”
“Oh, you can keep it. When you feel stuck, go through it and remember the colors and shapes and such.”
Colors and shapes.
“Oh, and smells. Now, take care!”
When Moé passed the reception window, she saw the nurse, looking unfriendly as always.
“Take care.”
“Thank you!”
She closed the clinic door behind her and went out of the building. The ground, so damp beneath her feet, the sky, so vast as it stretched away into the distance—all of it was real. All of it existed.
She wondered if she would be able to come back if she ever had any more problems. The thought made it hard for her to walk away. But she knew she couldn’t linger. There was probably someone else looking for it. Moé walked straight ahead and emerged onto the street, the name of which she didn’t know. The street names in Kyoto seemed helpful, but they only made things trickier to figure out.