Joe Murray: Stories

12: Who's the Daddy?

I was raking up the back yard when I heard her voice above the rustle of leaves.
‘Hullo, Daddy Joe’ she said, ‘busy?’
‘Aye, not seen you for a while,’ I answered. ‘Where’ve yo— wait a minute, where did Daddy Joe come from?’
Bibs looked up at me with a smirk, ‘Maddie says that’s the name Jan gave her for you, Daddy Joe.’
‘Maddie? You eat her food and bully her, why would she talk to you?’
‘We talk a lot, Daddy-O,’ she replied, ‘we cats have a complicated relationship that whomans don’t really understand. We get on fine.’
‘Daddy-O, is that me getting a cool beatnik name now?’ I smiled at her.
‘Nup, the O is for Zero.’ She let out that weird cat laugh. ‘That’s what me and all the other cats call you. You’re the Big O round here, Daddy Joe.”
I got a wee bit annoyed at her. ‘In the auld days my workmates used to call me Pappa Bear, I was respected y’know.’
She looked up at me, ‘Pffft, aye, where did it all go wrong, Big Man?’ That cat snigger again.
I looked down at her, ‘your always makin fun of me, ya cheeky wee bugger, stay oot ma gerden.’
‘You’d think you’d be used to that by now, wouldn’t you?’ said Bibs who turned to walk away. She stopped and said without turning back. ‘In the cat world, which is where you actually live, Daddy-O, “your garden” is ours, so it is – see ye!’


Articles/ Thoughts Poems COPYRIGHT © 2021 Dr Joe Murray		Bibs the Cat we’re all family, really a little feline philosophy excuse my french on the cludgie the baby a lesson in socialism sleeping with the enemy on the level a little black and white philosophy the magpie ultimatum Indy Cat? Who’s the Daddy? It's no about flags Video Stories Alasdair Gray & the Book of Prefaces Keekin Through Windaes The Two Heifers The Congo The Hotdog Other Stories Aye, right ennuf a natural balance a short tale of woe Maggie and the Little Pollok Carpet
	12: Who's the Daddy? I was raking up the back yard when I heard her voice above the rustle of leaves. ‘Hullo, Daddy Joe’ she said, ‘busy?’ ‘Aye, not seen you for a while,’ I answered. ‘Where’ve yo— wait a minute, where did Daddy Joe come from?’ Bibs looked up at me with a smirk, ‘Maddie says that’s the name Jan gave her for you, Daddy Joe.’ ‘Maddie? You eat her food and bully her, why would she talk to you?’ ‘We talk a lot, Daddy-O,’ she replied, ‘we cats have a complicated relationship that whomans don’t really understand. We get on fine.’ ‘Daddy-O, is that me getting a cool beatnik name now?’ I smiled at her. ‘Nup, the O is for Zero.’ She let out that weird cat laugh. ‘That’s what me and all the other cats call you. You’re the Big O round here, Daddy Joe.” I got a wee bit annoyed at her. ‘In the auld days my workmates used to call me Pappa Bear, I was respected y’know.’ She looked up at me, ‘Pffft, aye, where did it all go wrong, Big Man?’ That cat snigger again. I looked down at her, ‘your always makin fun of me, ya cheeky wee bugger, stay oot ma gerden.’ ‘You’d think you’d be used to that by now, wouldn’t you?’ said Bibs who turned to walk away. She stopped and said without turning back. ‘In the cat world, which is where you actually live, Daddy-O, “your garden” is ours, so it is – see ye!’