Western Walkabout: The New Bed
...The bed holds them firm in its bosom and they fall into a restful sleep, the cat purring and him – no, we won’t go there...
Richard Harris and his cat luxuriate in the embrace of a new bed.
Richard and his cat have been sleeping well lately. They’ve bought a new high-tech gee-whiz bed, made in Austria.
You can raise or lower the head or foot to any position required for comfort by pressing the appropriate switch.
The bed came with a winter and summer quilt but because of the time of year they started with the summer one, which has a satin feel against the skin.
It has silver threads through it and some witchcraft spell against the bed mite.
The bed holds them firm in its bosom and they fall into a restful sleep, the cat purring and him – no, we won’t go there.
As he drifts off he holds in his nose the subtle scent of some rather fine herbs folded into the mattress, which is contoured to the human body to keep the spine correctly aligned. A truly restful sleep follows, interrupted only by that nuisance water clock which bids him rise and tip out 300 mills of whatsit – a combination of last night’s wine and coffee – usually about 3.30 am.
The only other disturbance is when the cat has hysterics when another feline walks past the bedroom window in the moonlight.
The sounds of the night include midnight and early morning aircraft noise – the house lying on one of the approaches to the international airport. There’s the double thud of the two morning newspapers, hitting the drive in their gladwrap jackets usually about 4 am.
There’s something missing from this scene of domestic bliss and it’s more than traffic noise. He and the cat lie alone, with no opposite person spooned against him, touching him with her foot from time to time, checking that he’s there.
There’s no nightie for him to lift, no one to get up and make a cup of coffee for.
But it’s a great bed and they both enjoy it and wouldn’t be dead for quids.
