Claudia's Visitation

So, as you all know from my whining yesterday, it was my birthday. And a very strange thing happened. I went through our little lobby here in the condo building, and there in the middle of the floor was a woman sitting. I was sort of taken aback, said hello and asked if I could help her. She said no, she was waiting for the Ambassador, and seemed very disoriented. I told her that there was no ambassador here, perhaps she had the wrong address, but then continued out the door because Molly was going nuts barking at her.

I got halfway around the block and realized I had left my door open so all she had to do was take the elevator up a flight, so hurried back, but she was still sitting there, and unfortunately now smelling sort of like a baby's diaper. She was maybe in her 40's in a clean pink teeshirt and khaki pants, still sitting exactly placed in the center of the round Oriental rug we have. I told her that this was a residence and she couldn't wait there, but could I call someone for her. She said no. Then said she didn't have a number and would have to look it up. So I went back upstairs to grab my phone and phonebook. TY stopped me. He called the police to come fetch her and sort it out because he had watched a CSI episode where a woman tried to help a homeless woman and got stabbed. So I described her to 911 and they were there in a few minutes, but she had gone.

As I was meeting the baby cop in the lobby and telling him about her, another tenant came off the elevator with his dog, and I asked him if he had been through the lobby recently and seen her. He had not but he said he had noticed several suitcases in the driveway. The cop said he had seen them too, so out we go to check it out. There was one of those huge roller cases, a stuffed-full backpack, and a smaller black case that seemed deflated in contrast to the big cases. Sticking our of the side pocket was a plane ticket from Denver to Atlanta and then to Boston, arriving the night before. Baby cop looked in her packpack and found a checkbook and some other identifying papers, an envelope with some cash, just a few dollars, and the usual travel stuff. Her checks had the name Claudia. Her address was Ft. Collins, CO, where my parents were both from. Her vet medication bottle was from the Cache la Pouder veterinarians. The river was where my great aunt lived who made me the Famous Lime Pickles that my first quilt was about- her old husband John, the mountain guide who has a peak in the Rockies named for him, would fish for breakfast trout every morning from his back yard.

So the Baby cop opens the other bag on the ground and jumps back a foot- there is a small cat inside, silent and scared. Well, he can't do anything, so asks me for a complete description so he can go look for her around the neighborhood. I tell him and his eyes get wide and he says he almost hit her on the way over- she ran across the street through traffic and then just stopped in the middle and stared at him. So he knew who to look for, and left promising me to come get the cat and baggage when he found her. Now, we live in a neighborhood that is full of huge old houses and many have been converted to different kinds of half-way houses or homes for different kinds of treatment, or group homes for mentally ill. These people are always walking around, directing traffic, talking to their imaginary friends, and they love Molly and talk to her whenever they see her.

I went back upstairs, and about a half hour later saw the cop return by himself and get the cat and the luggage. I don't know how this turned out for Claudia, I went down and taped a note to the wall that her cat was safe and how to get in touch with the police.

Claudia was sent there for me for some reason and I think I screwed it up. I could not help her, I didn't know how other than to pass the problem on to someone else. Why else would she appear on my birthday from 3000 miles away from my parents home town? I am not 'getting' something. And I worried about Claudia and her cat all night long- will call the police today to see what happened.