I shift my gaze to see Muffin primly in place beside the carrier, her graceful, puffy tail doing that snake charmer’s dance.
“Looks like you’re ready to go,” I tell her, moving my gaze to the luggage resting beside the door. The fluffy Persian presses her face against her carrier before rubbing the side of her body along it as well. Muffin always knows when we’re going someplace and, like me, she’s ready to get this show on the road.
Moonshine, on the other hand, is ramping up to do what he does best: cause chaos.
“Okay, you two,” I say, moving over to the carrier and pressing the metal gate tabs. “Time to get in the carrier.” I barely get the grated door open before Muffin leaps gracefully inside, her puffy tail swooshing softly against my wrist.
“Atta girl,” I praise. “Come on, Moonshine. Get in your carrier.”
An evil growl sounds from under the bookcase. It’s like no other noise on earth. I’ve considered selling soundbites to agencies to use for horror flicks and such—let’s face it; I have the contacts, but I don’t think the world is ready.
I leave the carrier door open and snatch my coffee mug off the table. Thank heavens I set it down before Moonshine attacked me.To-go cup or down the drain?
I decide on the drain. I may not have slept much last night, but I’m nowhere near tired. In fact, I’m amped up enough you’d think I was already a pot and a half in. But that’s just the anxiety taking over.
I dump the remaining coffee while running the tap, then hand-wash the mug—a diner-style one; white with blue stripes—and put it back in place. I might not keep the tidiest home from day-to-day, with my supplies not-so-neatly stacked in the hutch and my growing mug collection lined up on the windowsill, but before I leave town, I make this place sparkle and shine. Nothing pleases me more than coming home to a clean—
That thought is interrupted as something squishy gives way beneath my shoe. I gasp, lift my foot in horror, and peer warily at the sole of my shoe. Nothing. Whatever it is, it’s underneath the rug…again.
I’m quick to peel back the corner and spot the smooshed evidence. I groan. “Why? Why when you were just in your litter box minutes ago? What kind of cat hides it under a rug?”
I clean up the mess, scrub the kitchen tile with disinfectant, and pry open the door to my laundry room so I can stick it in the wash. Yet just as I lift the lid, I reconsider. I don’t have time to transfer it to the dryer which means it will mildew in the days ahead. And since Janis is already giving me a ride this morning, I don’t want to ask for any more favors.
Besides, I tell myself as I head out my sliding glass door toward the trash bin, I’ve been wanting to replace this rug for a while.
I hurry to my garbage bin, toss the thing with a farewell wave, and dash back inside. I tug the magnetic pen off the fridge and writenew rugon the list, almostruing the day I agreed to adopt Moonshine. Of course, I can’t bring myself to fully regret it. Sure, he’s a wretched creature, but I love him. Besides, when he’s not digging his claws into my rear end, he’s digging them into my guests’, which is highly entertaining.
A series of knocks raps against the front door. My ride’s here.
Every muscle in my body goes tight. “Be right there.” I can’t believe I said yes to this. I want to say I stand behind my decision; like with Moonshine, I made the choice to adopt him, so I deal.
But with this—a six-day appearance on a reality TV show—I think I got it right the first time when I said no.
I twist the knob and fling open my front door to see Janis standing there with a lit cigarette between her fingers. It’s a reminder that things between her and Carl are off. Again.
Janis glances down at the thing before looking back at me with those darkly lined eyes. “Well, that didn’t last long.” She takes one more pull before shoving the lit end into the planter on my porch. “You ready for this?”
I step back inside my apartment and head for the bookcase. “I guess so.” I reach into the vase that doubles as a bookend and pull out one of Moonshine’s mangled straws.
“Is he hiding?” Janis guesses, strapping one of my bags over her shoulder.
“Yep.” I hunch down and drag the straw across the tile.
A hollow hush sounds, and a crusty gray paw darts out of hiding.
“I’m going to drag this toward the dining area,” I say. “Once he’s all the way out, grab him.”
Janis’s dark eyes go wide. “Do I look crazy to you?”
I glance over the series of chest, neck, and sleeve tattoos that cover a good portion of her skin. “To me or to other people?”
Janis rolls her eyes. “I’lltake the straw. I’m not letting Moon-shiz get his nasty little hooks in me today.”
Another paw makes an appearance, searching, patting, claws clicking against the tile.
“Fine.” I relinquish the straw and motion for Janis to head toward the hallway.
She does, ducking low so she can drag the straw over the floor, zig-zagging this way and that, her black bangs covering both eyes.
