Cathy Queen of Cats

Cathy Queen of Cats

She says, I am the great great grand cousinof the queen of France. She lives upstairs, over there, next door to Joe thebaby-grabber. Keep away from him, she says. He is full of danger. Benny andBlanca own the corner store. They’re okay except don’t lean on the candycounter. Two girls raggedy as rats live across the street. You don’t want toknow them. Edna is the lady who owns the building next to you. She used to owna building big as a whale, but her brother sold it. Their mother said no, no, don’tever sell it. I won’t. And then she closed her eyes and he sold it. Alicia isstuck-up ever since she went to college. She used to like me but now she doesn’t.

Cathy who is queen of cats has cats andcats and cats. Baby cats, big cats, skinny cats, sick cats. Cats asleep likelittle donuts. Cats on top of the refrigerator. Cats taking a walk on thedinner table. Her house is like cat heaven.

You want a friend, she says. Okay, I’ll beyour friend. But only till next Tuesday. That’s when we move away. Got to. Thenas if she forgot I just moved in, she says the neighborhood is getting bad.

Cathy’s father will have to fly to Franceone day and find her great great distant grand cousin on her father’s side andinherit the family house. How do I know this is so? She told me so. In themeantime they’ll just have to move a little farther north from Mango Street, alittle farther away every time people like us keep moving in.

猫皇后凯茜

她说，我是法兰西皇后的远远远房表亲。她住在楼上，那边，那个“捉小孩的人”乔的隔壁。离他远点，她告诉我说，他很危险。街角那家小店是宾尼和布兰卡的。他们还蛮好，可只是靠在糖果柜台上时才对你好。两个像老鼠一样邋遢的女孩住在街对面。你不会想去认识她们的。埃德娜是你家隔壁房子的主人。她过去有幢大得像鲸鱼的房子，可她弟弟把它卖了。他们的妈妈说，别，别呀，千万别卖。我不会的。可后来她一闭眼，他就卖了它。阿莉西娅自从上了大学就傲气起来了。她过去挺喜欢我，可现在不了。

猫皇后凯茜养了好多好多好多猫。猫宝宝、大个猫、瘦猫、病猫。睡姿像个面包圈的猫。爬到冰箱顶上的猫。在餐桌上散步的猫。她的房子就像个猫天堂。

你想要个朋友。她说，好的，我会做你的朋友，可只能做到下星期二，那时我们就得搬走了，不得不搬了。然后，她似乎忘了我才搬进来，说，这个社区的人越来越杂了。

凯茜的父亲有一天会要飞到法国去，找到远方的、她父亲那边的远远远房表亲，去继承家宅。我是怎么知道这些的呢？是她告诉我的。同时，他们要从芒果街向北面搬迁，离开这里一点路，在每次像我们这样的人家不断搬进来的时候。