Week 26: on the couch

Morty had fallen asleep on our couch and woke up startled when he heard a noise. I couldn’t help but laugh as he looked at me with one ear turns inside out. He didn’t even realise that this had happened as he plonked his head back down on the mink blanket that covered our lounge and and closed his eyes to dream again. He knows he leaves cat hair all over the couch – ‘that’s why it’s called FURniture isn’t it.’ The blanket protects the brown suede original covers from his white and grey fur. The couch is coming up for it’s 2nd birthday next month. It sits comfortably in our family room for all to lounge on her. The grand couch is able to be transformed into a great sleeping place too as it converts into a double fold out bed (who cares if it caused people to roll into one another) it was the perfect space to spend time with quality people. 
I had promised Jacob I’d buy a new couch so that family and friends could bunk down stairs with him as he was no longer to physically get up the stairs anymore to his old room. The disease had robbed him of his mobility. His way of contacting me during the night to turn him over or help him up to the toilet was ringing my mobile phone which I kept on my bedside table. I’d always answer ‘I’m coming’ as I jumped out of bed and ran downstairs like a first time mum of a hungry newborn – always there no matter what age. This way I could be closer to him. 
Lots of memories are bound within every stitch of its fabric and manufacturing. If it had the ability to speak it would laugh, smile, sneeze and cry – cry happy and sad tears. The happy tears contain the jokes, the funny fart noises, silly family games we’d play and the comedy movies we watch together all squished up in one room. The couch held us together as we cried the sad tears, holding us close as we sunk deeper into its frame as Jacob took his last breath. This little couch witnessed so much love between the 20 people in the small room that day. 
As I write this weeks entry I’m on this very couch. Morty is with me on this cold but sunny winters day. I’ve got a little lap blanket covering my legs to give me extra warmth. My daughter Amy is playing the game on the ps4 that I wrote about in last weeks entry ‘quiet.’ She is sitting on the other brown suede couch that forms an ‘L’ shaped connection in the room. We are taking note of our carbon footprint this year and not getting the heater out. Instead we are putting on more layers of clothes, wearing the ugg boots proudly, warming up with lots of little lap blankets as we lounge on our comfy couch and inviting the cats to sit with us as our hot waters bottles. 
I have a photo of Jacob testing out the new couch. I looked at that photo today as he was surrounded by his friends and older brother. It was only a few weeks before we lost him. I took a closer look at the photo and the message he gave was clear. As he sat proudly on the new couch the middle finger stood up from one hand – we all knew it was for the big ‘C.’ I’m glad he got to road test the comfort this couch can offer as I sit here remembering and relaxing in all her glory in the exact spot he had once sat. Thanks to our humble couch for providing a nice place to just ‘be.’ So if you come and visit one day and want one of the best seat in our house you just have to move the cat first.