Mimita, a Scottish Fold
“Oh, wow, so you’re a doctor of animals?” asked Abino as she poured a cup of sake for Dr. Suda, who sat blushing in embarrassment.
Guests at these dinners were usually prosperous individuals like company presidents, lawyers, and consultants. A veterinarian was a first.
“Yes, Abino. Dr. Suda is the most amazing veterinarian,” said Ioka.
Ioka was a wealthy man who owned several buildings in Kyoto and was one of Abino’s regulars. He was known for his generosity, which made him a bit of a celebrity in the Gion district. With his shiny forehead and flushed face, he looked every bit the big shot company president, but in reality, he was a good-natured gentleman.
“There, keep pouring more sake for Dr. Suda. I owe him a great deal for saving me.”
“Really?” replied Abino, pouring the sake with a steady hand.
Dr. Suda, a quiet man in his sixties, perhaps unaccustomed to settings like this, was acting very shy.
“It’s an exaggeration to say I saved you, Mr. Ioka. On the contrary, I never expected you to invite me to a dinner in Gion with a geiko—I’m embarrassed.”
“What are you saying? You were a tremendous help when I was in a tough spot.”
“What happened?” asked Abino.
Ioka scrunched up his face dramatically.
“You know my building in Nakagyō? Well, one of the tenants skipped town. They didn’t just take off without paying rent. They left behind a bunch of cats in the unit.”
“Oh, wow, cats?” Abino glanced at Suda.
He emptied his sake cup and smiled thinly. “The tenant was an illegal breeder,” he explained. “They were breeding the cats in the unit and selling them online. But it looked like they couldn’t make the business work, so they abandoned the cats and ran away.”
“That’s terrible. So, what happened to the abandoned cats?” asked Abino.
Ioka, who was tipsy, exclaimed loudly, “Well, we got so many complaints about the terrible smell, and when I sent the building management company to check it out, it was a disaster. But we did find a few cats still alive, though in critical condition, and Dr. Suda treated them. He and some volunteers helped clean up the place and even held a memorial service for the cats. Just so you know, I paid Dr. Suda for his work and also made a donation to whatever that volunteer organization was called.”
“I’m very grateful to Mr. Ioka for his support in that regard. The cat shelter was apparently in dire straits financially.”
“But, Dr. Suda, I hear that you treat dogs and cats more or less for free,” said Ioka. “You truly are a good person.”
Ioka laughed heartily, and Abino joined in. Since patrons paid a premium for a geiko’s company, she was forbidden from looking unhappy. But inside, she was heartbroken. When Ioka left his seat for a moment, Abino discreetly asked Suda for more information.
“About that story just now—what happened to the rescued cats? Maybe I can ask some of my clients if they might be interested in adopting one.”
Suda shook his head. “Mr. Ioka was generous with his praise, but in reality, we could only save two cats. The rest didn’t make it. Both are still at our clinic. When people hear about the circumstances from which the cats were rescued, they’re reluctant to adopt them. It was truly a terrible situation, too distressing to describe in this setting.”
Suda laughed, but his eyes looked so sad that Abino didn’t know how to respond. It was hard to imagine what kind of condition the cats had been in. Afterward, she did her best to liven up the party as always.
After graduating from middle school, Abino left her hometown and started training as a maiko at the okiya Komano-ya, eventually debuting as a geiko in Gion. She was turning twenty-six this year.
Once geishas become independent, they have the freedom to choose their own hairstyles, clothing, and living arrangements, but some choose to remain at their okiya and work on a salary basis. Abino was one of them. She lived in Komano-ya and worked as a right-hand woman to Shizue, the proprietress.
A few days after that dinner, Abino was walking down Rokkaku Street with her phone in hand. Dressed in casual clothes, she didn’t attract the usual stares. Even her hair was down.
“This is the place.”
She came to a stop on Tominokoji Street in front of Suda Animal Hospital. Like the surrounding residences, the hospital building showed its age.
I am really here. With a pounding heart, she was about to walk into the building when she nearly collided with a man coming from the opposite direction who was trying to enter at the same moment. He apologized first.
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
He was a plain-looking young man, this side of thirty. When Abino gestured for him to go ahead, he gave a grateful bow and walked through. She followed after him and found that the waiting room looked no different from that of a typical clinic. A poster advertising dog vaccines hung on the wall. The bulletin board was full of photos of dogs and cats.
Abino wondered if they were patients of this hospital. She saw a photo of a cat wearing a pet cone being held by its owner, and a smile spread across her face. The owner was laughing, but the cat looked incredibly unhappy.
The young man bypassed the reception desk and entered the examination room. Abino couldn’t tell if he was a regular patient or an employee. Unsure of the protocol, she informed the receptionist of her appointment and sat on the sofa to wait.
A little while later, the young man, accompanied by Dr. Suda, emerged. When Dr. Suda spotted Abino, he gave a wry smile.
“You really came, Abino.”
“You didn’t think I was kidding, did you? I’m very serious.”
Suda chuckled. “I’m sorry about that.” He turned to the young man and said, “Thank you for coming all this way, Kajiwara. I’ll be dropping by the center next week.”
“Yes. I look forward to it.”
The man, his head slightly inclined, was holding a plastic pet carrier. A cat was visible through the mesh panels on the side. The cat was black like midnight. Its nose and mouth were barely visible, but its golden eyes shimmered.
