just follow the cat

Part 6 - How to Deal with the Blindspot

Saturday, November 13

The first thing Cassandra noticed were the collection of small pen dots in the upper left corner of the hot pink card. They looked like black stars on a pink night and like any decent constellation they told a story. This one said, "These words did not come easily. I had to think deeply and slowly to write what I have just written."

The exact words on the card were as follows, "That is an excellent question, CLA. And it's not the kind they ask you in Introductory Philosophy. But I think the likely answer is that God drives a 1959 Cadillac Eldorado convertible. It's a convertible because God would want to drive in style. It's a powerful car, so God can speed around the universe. It also has tail fins so the car can catch the solar winds and get better gas mileage. And finally, it's a big car. It has room enough for one major deity and 5 minor ones. Are you worried about the blindspot, though? AS, 902"

Cassandra hadn't expected such a detailed answer and she definitely didn't expect a question about blindspots. Mostly because, it didn't make a lot of sense that any car that God drove would have a blindspot. But finding an answer also didn't seem impossible. Later that morning, Cassandra walked down the street toward the main branch of the Enoch Pratt Free Library. All the knowledge any Baltimorean could ever want was stored there in neat shelves that filled an entire city block.

Like most people who've spent time on the streets, Cassandra had lived many days inside the library. It was warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Cassandra spent cold winter days on the top floor of the library. She especially liked the corner where they shelved the books on Tarot cards. It was a quiet space. On cold days, as she climbed the stairs to the third floor, she'd often say to herself, "No one believes in magic in the winter. They are just trying to survive until spring."

In the summer, Cassandra spent her days in the cavernous first floor of the library. It was cooler down there and also quiet in the area where they kept the books on mathematics. That part of the library was just as quiet in the winter as it was in the summer. And it was almost always empty. No one opens those books if they don't have to.

That morning, Cassandra read as much as she could find about the 1959 Cadillac Eldorado. She found old sales brochures, loose leaf sheets with technical specifications, and a mechanic's repair guide. She even checked the Blue Book price she'd have to pay if she decided to buy one. Sadly, if she bought the car, she wouldn't be rich anymore and that was a price she wasn't willing to pay. Regardless, the car was everything that AS said it was. It was big, powerful, had terrible gas mileage, and an unusually large blindspot.

Cassandra pictured all those beautiful highway gods and goddesses cutting off other drivers as they switched lanes. They'd barely touch the wheel and let the car's power steering ease them to the right or to the left like an ocean wave taking control of a boat. She didn't have to read any more. This was clearly the most spectacular car that she had ever seen and it was obviously the kind of car that God would drive.

When she got back to her room, she responded to JT with a short note. It read, "The blindspot is a problem, but I try not to worry about things like that. Some people might think it explains why they're unhappy. But that's not me. Cadillacs are beautiful cars and I'm glad I know more about them. CLA, 208"

Then a few minutes later, she pushed another card under the in-between door. It read, "You forgot to tell me your cat's name..."

It wasn't long before AS slipped two pink cards under the door. The first one had a long answer. It read, "My cat is named 902. He (I think he is a he) was born in Mars, Pennsylvania which makes him a Martian. He was one of six cats and his brother and sister cats have long since passed away. I sometimes hear their cries in the distance, but I am happy that 902 is still with me. I say that even though (as a Martian) he has peculiar habits. He likes to imitate the sounds that a baby makes and he is missing one toe on each paw. He is also an accomplished artist, but he only draws pictures of lemons. Martians are so advanced compared to the rest of us. He is also green. AS"

Cassandra didn't notice that the message continued on the back of the card. Side 2 had these words, "I'm glad to hear that you don't worry about the blindspot. I worry about it all the time. Between us, I guess we're keeping the universe in balance."

Then Cassandra picked up the second hot pink index card. The message on this card was simple. It just said, "Is it okay if 902 writes to 208? AS"

Cassandra was thrilled with this idea.

x = y = x