The Cat Lady of Monte de los Almendros

For several years, my friend Suzanne lived on the Mediterranean Coast of Spain. Recognizing a golden opportunity when I saw it, I was her first guest from the States. I enjoyed my visit thoroughly, and returned as often as I could. I made a total of fours trips during her years there, ranging from ten days to three weeks in duration. Suzanne lives in Amsterdam now, but I have yet to make a trip to The Netherlands. Keep the faith, Suzanne!


My first trip to Spain was also my first European journey, so I decided to splurge and fly first class. I bounced from home to Atlanta, spent some time in the private lounge, and boarded the big jet for an overnight flight to Madrid. The flight was wonderful, sort of like traveling on Air-Tran, I would imagine. I've never flown Air-Tran, but my buddy Sheldon tells me that no matter how long the flight, they won't throw you a pretzel fragment - or even a life-threatening peanut.


Before the plane left the gate I was presented with a crystal flute of champagne and a dinner menu. There was also a small dop kit in my seat containing all sorts of comfort items, including one of those eye-masks I remember seeing in old movies and I Love Lucy episodes.


What to order for dinner? As I pondered the menu, a flight attendant brought me a dish of mixed nuts. Served in a gold-bordered white china bowl, the nuts were piping hot, and there wasn't a lowly peanut in the bunch. See what I mean about being similar to Air-Tran?


Here's what I ordered, as described by Delta's sky-chefs:

Warm Smoked Chicken Roulade topped with grilled Eggplant and Feta
Cheese
Chilled tender Citrus Shrimp served on a bed of Lettuce
Tomato and Caper Relish will accompany your Appetizers (Well, I should hope so!)
Spring Mix with sweet Pepper Julienne and Cucumber
Assorted Rolls and Butter

Asian-Style Beef Tenderloin
Pan-seared Omaha Steak crusted with Szechuan Pepper and Ginger,
accompanied by authentic Shaoxing Rice Wine Sauce, served with Shiitake
Mushrooms in a Jasmine Rice blend and Bok Choy

Fruit and Cheese
Dried and Fresh Fruit with an International Cheese Board featuring
Gloucester, an English cheese with a silky texture and mild flavor; Domaine de
Provence, a goat's milk cheese from North America with a tangy, distinctive
flavor; and Danish Esrom, a piquantly-flavored semi-soft dairy cheese

Raspberry Poached Pears with Mango Puree

I was so relieved to see that I would be dining just like I did at home every night, and the meal was delicious. Just like Air-Tran, the flight attendant brought a tray-sized tablecloth, and tucked a cloth napkin over my lap. Wine flowed, chomp chomp, and the service was attentive.


Breakfast was Fresh Fruit (no descriptives!), and a Savory Carmelized Onion and smoked Gouda Cheese Omelet accompanied by lean-grilled Canadian Bacon and roasted New Potatoes (with the amount I was paying, those potatoes had better be new).


The sun was coming up as we flew over Spain, and in Madrid I boarded a flight to Malaga. Once I located Suzanne in the airport, we set out for the Costa Tropical along the coastal road. Heading east, we gradually left the tourist-laden Costa del Sol, and the road hugged the seaside mountains. All I needed was a head-scarf and sunglasses, and I would have felt just like Grace Kelly. I just hoped for a happier ending as we whipped around the cliffs. The Mediterranean was sparkling and blue, and I was with my dear friend from childhood. Life was good!


I'm sure I will write more tales of my travels to Spain, but this story is about a lady I saw from afar until my final visit to Spain. To have a clear picture of the story, though, I need to tell you about the location of Suzanne's home. She lived above the tiny village of La Caleta, which adjoined the slightly larger town of Salobreña.


We turned off the coastal road and began to climb the mountain, Monte de los Almendros, named for the almond trees which dotted its slopes. The drive up was dizzying after my long flight, and involved a lot of gear shifting as the vehicle negotiated the serpentine road. The drop-offs were sheer, and the road was closely bordered by villa after villa, each enclosed by stuccoed privacy walls and secured by gates. Good Lord, how far up did this mountain go? The sea looked far away down below.

Suzanne's villa, like the others, sat on a steep slope. I soon settled into the leisurely lifestyle, waking and sleeping whenever I liked. Each evening found us on her upper terrace, wine or martini in hand, talking and laughing, gazing out at the blue sea. Each evening, I noticed that cats began gathering at the same time, when the shadows started to first lengthen. Each evening, they came, singly or in pairs, and perched on the top of a wall separating two villas down below Suzanne's place. There were a lot of cats.


Then, as the cats waited, we would hear the car before we saw it round a curve in the road. Every day at this time before twilight, a Mercedes sedan would pull up beneath the cats gathered on the walls. A man was behind the wheel, and he left the motor running while a strikingly elegant older woman got out of the car and began placing bowls of food along the top of the wall. After she stepped back, the cats would begin to eat.


Suzanne explained that these were feral cats, and this English woman came very day to give them food. And so, each day I would watch for her, and I would gaze at her ministrations through Suzanne's binoculars (a must with such a scenic view of the Mediterranean, and handy for spying on neighbors). I noticed that the lady never attempted to touch the cats, and they never drew near her. They waited patiently and warily until she withdrew before they began to eat. When her work was done, she would get back in the car, and her husband would drive them back to their villa.


Watching the daily feeding of the wild felines became something I enjoyed each time I visited Suzanne. Prior to my last vacation in Spain, I got word from Suzanne that something terrible had happened. The Cat Lady had gone to England to visit family, and left the care of the cats to her husband. Somehow, either by accident or carelessness, he got too close to one of the cats. The cat, feeling threatened, bit the man during his evening duties in his wife's absence. He returned to his home, and treated the wound himself. He sickened quickly, and by the time he sought medical attention, it was too late. He died of septicemia.


On my last visit to the Monte los Almendros, we were invited to a garden party at a neighboring villa. There I met the Cat Lady. Her name was Glynnis, and she was as lovely in person as she had been from afar. And she still came each day when the shadows grew long to feed the cats that gathered on the wall.