You know how when you are so in love, just saying their name gives you butterflies in your stomach?

"Eleven" "Eleven" "Eleven"

It's a beautiful name. It rolls off the tongue so easily. No hard consonants, it sounds almost French it's so mellifluous. 

Eleven is the most beautiful creature I have ever met. Soft as her name, tiny, completely feminine. She is the only creature who has lived with me 24/7 for over 20 years, and we've been exclusive roommates  now for over two and one-half years. 

We know each other now. I understand her cat language; she understands my person language. We have our routines, whisker-alarms at day break, soft plaintive meows when she is appealing to me for chicken. She understands "Where my kitty?" and eagerly greets me at the kitchen window and front door. We have our routines, like "I'm gonna get that kitty" as I hide behind the wall separating the kitchen from the living room and then spring out on her. She goes into spasms of excitement. She understands the game and play fights back, but now she knows she can't bite my hand too hard. I let her nibble on me and gently claw at my hand. 

She knows not to use me as a scratching post when I'm wearing my linen pants. Jeans, no problem. She can nest on my chest except when I'm wearing an Uniqlo tee-shirt, it's too thin.

She has her games. When I'm standing at the toilet I'm her step ladder with my arms against the opposite wall. She jumps up onto the toilet tank, springs up onto my left shoulder and then up onto the shower stall top railing. She used to jump back onto my shoulders when she was ready and I was finished. Now she plays forlorn cat stuck in a tree and pretends she's scared and can't get down. She then moves to the furthest place on the shower top from where I am so that I have to strain to squeeze between the toilet and reach up to grab her. Meanwhile, she backs away from me in faux fright and I have to stretch to my right to get a gentle grip on her belly and bring her down...to my shoulders, where she then alights, afraid no longer, having gotten me to indulge her, and onto the floor.

I am totally pussy-cat whipped. 

I am totally in love with "E-lev-en"..."E-lev-en."