“So you said you have animals as in plural back home?”
“I have a bunch of chickens, two dogs, two birds, three horses and a goat.”
“That’s a farm!”
“Back home everyone has lots of animals.”
“I bet you’re real lonely here then.”
“I have one dog with me here in New York.”
“What kind of dog?”
“He’s a Rottie named Astro.”
“That’s a cool name.”
“He’s named after the dog from The Jetsons cartoon.”
“I never really caught that one. That’s a futuristic one, right?”
“Yeah, I’m a bit of a science fiction nerd.”
“Gotcha, aren’t Rottweilers kind of aggressive though?”
“No, they get a bad rap. My boy is a big softie. If someone ever broke into the apartment, all he’d do is lick them to death, especially if they gave him a peanut butter flavored treat. He’s a sucker for peanut butter.”
She laughs, and this time it hits the high point of her cheeks.
So fucking pretty.
“Do you like dogs?” I ask, hoping secretly that she does.
“I like both, but I have to say that in this time of my life, I’m more of a cat person. I need animals that can fend for themselves because I spend so much time at the hospital and the clinic.”
I shouldn’t even continue with this line of questioning, because I don’t want it to slip that I pay someone to take care of Astro every day… my assistant, Bryan. He’s probably in my apartment now, feeding him and following up on administrative emails.
“Do you have a cat now or did you just have one growing up?”
“I have a tabby named Mittens.” She beams. “She’s five-years-old and super cute. My cat before her was a gorgeous Persian named Loretta. I’ve always had cats.”
“I think there’s something wrong with people who don’t like animals.”
She looks toward the ground when she speaks next.
“Troy doesn’t like pets.”
“Aww, for real?” I say mockingly.
“When I came home tonight, I saw Mittens in the window of my office. For a moment, I thought he had locked her in the room and that perhaps he did it all the time when I wasn’t home. I was furious.”
“I think that was your sign right there. Wasn’t an animal lover on your list?”
“My list?”
“Doesn’t every woman had a list of attributes the perfect man should have?”
“There is no perfect man.”
