The story of El Gato Negro

I’m holding a painting for my friend in my trunk. He has deemed it “El Gato Negro” which literally translates from Spanish to English as to “The Black Cat.” It is cumbersome, probably about 3 feet by 2.5 feet. I cannot describe its utterly awesome ugly aesthetic properly. It’s velvet. It’s a bobcat. He placed it in my trunk this past weekend while we were out as to not have to carry it around the city. There is nothing like black velvet with a yellow bobcat oversized art piece to capture attention as we meander around.

I then insisted he put it in my trunk. With much hesitation and a five minute lecture on the importance of El Gato Negro, he succumbed, closing the trunk, the black cat stored safely inside. “If anything happens to my El Gato Negro, I will never forgive you.” We walk away from my car, forgetting about El Gato Negro for the rest of the night.

I had not thought about El Gato Negro until it popped open my trunk on 1-5 and almost fell out onto the freeway this morning. Let me explain.

I was driving, carelessly really, (I’m a self-prescribed ‘bad’ driver). I’m staring straight ahead, singing along to E.L.O. It was cloudy, I was tired, the drive is practiced and redundant. I notice that people are looking at me as they drive by with panicked faces; the kind of panic that is both incredibly hilarious and confusing. One man with a mustache in a truck looked at me, looked down and stroked his mustache and pointed at my car. The Semi truck behind me flashed its high beams.

At this, point I’m trying to figure out what the hell is going on. My car is ok, everything is running smoothly. I look in my rear view mirror. I see El Gato Negro hanging over the edge. Oh. Shit. Literally, the large velvet is snagged on a part of my trunk and is just hanging onto the trunk. “If anything happens to El Gato Negro I will never forgive you.”

I slow down, there is a fine balance that has to happen so El Gato Negro does not fall out and cause chaos on 1-5. People pass. I can only imagine what must have been going through their mind, on route to work as they see El Gato Negro dangling from my trunk, its ugly magnificence out for everyone to see.
I take the nearest exit and park in McDonald’s parking lot. I get out of my car, stare at El Gato Negro and take it and shove it in my backseat. At this point, I’m pretty sure I’m going to donate it to Dot’s café in Portland. The décor there is textured velvet, as are the walls. I also hate El Gato Negro. Yes, you heard me, hate.

Moral of the story, don’t take prized art possessions and say you will keep them safe. A bobcat is fierce, a 3x2.5 ft velvet bobcat dubbed, “El Gato Negro” is fierce enough to try and escape the confides of my secured trunk.