The Chairman is no more, Long live the Kingdom
We must have a terrible dust problem in Ingber, all our eyes (and hearts) have been infected , puffy , swollen almost as if we are digesting a terrible event.
And we are.
Salem the last remaining African great cat has left us. Salem II alias Salem the Black, “The Chairman” is now a painful memory.
Salem arrived with his brother Chandra (the Magnificent) seemingly a looooong time ago, 2001 I think. He was together with Chandra a rescue cat from the factories in Johannesburg. He moved in with us and as the classics say so often, “The rest is history”
He was not as outright demanding as his brother Chandra, not a hunter, not a shadow chase but he was “Designed for comfort” preferring a warm lap or blanket than hunting mice in the fields.
Lately he began to snuggle under the blankets every night …purring away until he got too warm …when he would make a loud and dramatic exit.
Much like Chandra he was extremely vocal, I think it was a few years ago already that he became the Chairman when after him answering to all our calls rather frantically we realised that when we said chairman…he said Meow and so Chairman Meow became his new title
Being well read is a prerequisite to having the name Chairman …Meow !
Chairman had little respect for personal body space …he created his own space and as everybody who has every visited will know…he didn’t really take NO for an answer.
Laps were his domain.
He was particularly fond of getting himself as comfortable as possible as quickly as possible. After business trips away from home it was always a pleasure to get back and be welcomed by the tribe. Of course once comfortable it proved really difficult to move them. (Snacks helped !)
Welcome home after a business trip !
In fact he together with his brother didn’t really like me disappearing downstairs to the basement for too long. Loyal babies both of them.
Back in South Africa we shared our garden with an assortment of creatures…the strangest perhaps was Monty…a mongoose that suddenly appeared on the wall. We (I ) obviously began to feed it eggs every morning and night and so it stayed.
We were concerned about the cats but soon realised they had some sort of “understanding”, cats would sit on the lawn staring up at the wall where Monty would bask in the sun ever alert of the hawks that would circle above.
Of course if I was late with the eggs he would come down looking…
Salem grew up with Kelly, Niki was “almost” a teenager when he arrived but he soon became “her baby”, so sad to think he won’t be sharing this Christmas with us again.
Saturday morning Reflections 
Hi Daniel, it has been a very long time since we spoke. I stumbled upon your blog and is no so hooked on your wisdom’s, life insights and experiences. It reminds me of the days that I came to visit you in your office in Isando with a question or two and end up staying much longer than intended (Dobson always miff why I took so long). I miss those days. Life has dealt you a bad hand but it seems you are making the best of it. I am sometimes struggling with understanding why things happen the way they do (control freak). I have gone through a lot in the last year on a personal note and cant help sometimes wonder what is the purpose of it all? You chase success, business etc but in the end you still feel that something is missing. The business thrives but yet its a very lonely place. People look in and think, wow he is doing so well, yet there is longing for purpose…. In my life I have overcome many challenges but the scars remain and in the process I have become less tolerant of bullshit. I really would like to chat and catch up. I hope all is well with Kelly and Niki and that they get to visit you often. Conor (8) and Aidan (5) is my purpose in life and keep me on my toes. Aidan is a little fighter since being born 26 weeks prem. Today, although smaller than his friends, he gives his brother horns. They are my joy. I am going follow you blogs and look forward to the next installment.
LikeLike