Cat Sitter Makes Time For NYC's Elderly

I just had a rather interesting encounter here in the East Village. I went to visit Gilbert, who lives only a few blocks away from me, and when I hit the street after spending some quality time with him, I saw an elderly gentleman down the block slowly shuffling toward me.

I immediately felt empathy for this man, who appeared to be in his 70s and was struggling to carry a bag of groceries, leaning to one side. It was apparent to me that he had a skeletal disorder.

You see so many elderly people like this in New York, struggling to do the everyday tasks that we younger folks find so easy.

I wondered if this man had any family or even neighbors who could help him with his shopping.

He could have been my grandfather.

As he got closer, I could see he was saying something to me. I was listening to Madonna's "How High" off her Confessions on a Dance Floor album and quickly pulled out my earphones so I could hear what the man was trying to say.

This is one of the things that I love about being a cat sitter. While other people rush to their office jobs, I can take a few minutes out of my day to talk to a lonely person.

This poor gentleman could barely speak and was missing teeth. His skin was so weathered, and he looked tired.

At first, I couldn't make out what he was saying. He seemed to have trouble getting the words out.

I leaned in a little closer and said, "Excuse me?"

"I want to lick your pussy," he said, suddenly finding his voice.

I am an experienced cat sitter, and I immediately knew that he wasn't using the word pussy to refer to a cat. No, he was talking about something else.

I shook my head, laughed at my own gullibility and replied, "That's lovely."

He laughed, too, his eyes lit up, and a grin spread across his wrinkly face. He apparently found great satisfaction in being a perv.

I continued walking home, thinking how I'd been duped by this pig and wishing I had thought to push him over and take his groceries.