Under the Skyway by James K. Douglas

Author:James K. Douglas [Douglas, James K.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-11-10T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

A twenty minute walk from my apartment, the most colorful carpet warehouse in town came into view. Poured concrete walls stretched thirty feet high, topped by an aluminum roof. Four roll up doors faced the street, and above them a great golden painting of the Buddha gazed down upon the street, eyes half closed in serene meditation.

Dozens of lines stretched from the outer walls to the surrounding buildings, tied to fire escapes, window planters, or whatever else was handy. From them hung brightly colored cloths in yellows, reds, blues, whites, and greens, waving their black letters in the breeze. Tradition held that these prayer flags carried the hopes of the Buddhists out to the universe, helping them to become manifest in the world.

“I honestly hadn’t realized there were any Buddhist temples in the city,” Jennifer said as we approached.

“Well, you’re not going to find them up on the Skyway,” I said, trying not to sound too hateful in my commentary about the disconnected elites.

“No. I suppose I wouldn’t.”

“We’re lucky to have them,” I added. “They do a lot of good work down here.”

We entered through a side door, removing the outer robes we had been loaned. I handed mine back to the nun who had wrapped it around me and thanked her. Jennifer passed hers back with slight bow. The nuns accepted them with similar bows and went about their business, taking their alms bowls toward the dining area.

“I’m sorry if we interrupted your alms rounds,” I said as Ani Ngawang led us into the building.

“Your lives are well worth the cost of a few hungry bellies for a day,” she responded. “Besides, once everything is shared around, no one will even notice.”

Ani Ngawang led us through the building. Along the western wall were a series of fenced off areas, each about twenty feet wide and thirty feet deep. The floors inside these fences were covered in layers of two foot wide random carpet samples laid over insulated backing to help keep the twenty or so animals in each enclosure warm. Also covered in the carpet samples that were once housed here were scratching posts, climbing trees, and warm little houses for the cats to snuggle up in.

Smaller areas on the far end were specifically set aside for nursing mother cats. Two or three mothers in each often shared nursing duties, raising their newborns communally. Occasionally, this saved the lives of orphaned kittens as well, as the mothers happily adopted those in need of their love. As soon as the kittens were old enough, a visit with the doctor insured that the population didn’t grow out of control. The mothers were also fixed when their nursing duties were done.

There were dogs here as well. Larger enclosures on the east wall each housed about ten dogs, separated by size and temperment. Jumping and playing on slatted floors through most of the day, they hardly had any idea that this wasn’t the best life any animal could have. Two times a

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