The number 84.
You remember how I told you Roly Poly was special?
And I hope you remember I told you he was unique?
Well all of that is true,
So it won't surprise you to know that last Thursday he caught the number 84 bus from Swansea to Baglan.
I can't tell you how or why he ended up in Swansea,
But he did.
It was an awful day,
Wet and windy,
And Roly Poly will do almost anything to avoid getting wet.
So a ride on a bus was definitely that day's preferred option.
Roly rarely walks the streets.
He may occasionally take a stroll on a sunny day,
But that's not to say he was lazy.
On the contrary,
One way or another he was always on the move and he never missed his cat yoga in the morning.
Sorry,
I digress.
Where were we?
On the number 84 bus.
The driver gave him a knowing nod as he boarded.
Strictly speaking,
Cats are not allowed on the bus.
Roly Poly was not a fan of rules in general and he was of the opinion that forgiveness is easier to get than permission.
Let's be honest,
Who was going to complain about a gorgeous,
Creamy-coated,
Cuddly cat?
Even if they did,
Roly Poly had the art of disappearing at a moment's notice.
No one would find him if he did not want to be found.
Rita got on the bus by the Union Inn.
She was in a good mood,
But also in a sad one,
If you get what I mean.
Rita lived with her husband Thomas,
But they were not happy.
Tommy spent all of his time in his shed mending things that no one needed mending.
He was always bringing home rubbish from skips.
He had almost forgotten that he even had a wife,
Despite the fact that he'd been married for 43 years.
Rita once tried to remind him,
By wearing her wedding dress all day on their 40th wedding anniversary.
Amazingly,
He did not even notice this.
I know,
I find that hard to believe as well,
But some people are strange.
Today Rita wanted to celebrate.
She wished that she had a friend that she could talk to.
She had some good news,
But no one to share it with.
She read the letter again.
First prize in the short story competition.
Rita had always wanted to be an author.
It was her dream to publish a book.
Tommy was less than supportive.
In the beginning she would try and tell him her stories,
But he never paid any attention.
He never showed any interest,
He just did not want to know.
So when Roly-Poly looked up at her with those big brown smiling eyes and that gorgeous grin,
Covered in his curly,
Warm,
Woolly coat that for all the world surely belonged on a fluffy lamb,
It made her day to say the least.
It really is a mystery how he got this coat,
But I've told you that before.
Rita had never seen a cat on the bus before,
Let alone one as gorgeous as Roly-Poly.
So when he jumped up onto her lap,
Her heart was filled with joy.
Oh my,
Where ever did you come from?
Her voice filled with excitement.
Roly snuggled into her purring.
Today he was the friend that she needed.
She told him all about the letter she had received and about the prize money and the award ceremony that she wanted to attend,
But didn't have anyone to go with.
Then a crazy idea popped into her head.
Hmm,
Would you come with me?
Looking into Roly's kind eyes,
Surely everyone would like to see you.
That is why on Saturday evening,
Complete with a black bow tie,
Roly-Poly found himself sat next to Rita at a table with a crisp white tablecloth on a golden chair with all of the other distinguished guests.
He had his own plate of fresh salmon.
Everybody of course did love him.
There were so many kind comments.
Rita did not really know how to explain how he got there,
But it didn't seem to matter.
As the night went on,
The guests mingled and chatted,
Rita was in her element,
Roly-Poly had done his job and now it was time to leave.
This was Rita's night after all.
She was radiant and everyone wanted to talk to her.
She didn't notice as Roly found his way out through the stage door.
I can't tell you where he went,
But you can be sure he had a warm and cosy bed somewhere.
Roly-Poly was never short of places to sleep,
For he made friends wherever he went.
