Purring Along

It was a cold, rainy Monday. There I was, practically chained to my desk, busily, busily working on something that was probably muy importante when the front doors chimed and a co-worker called back to tell me my new assistant had arrived. 

Eager to be of use and out of the cold, she offered to answer emails and quickly typed up an important message to our county's super in some sort of secret, feline code. 

She must have heard the rumors that when the river floods, we sometimes have mice who try to sneak into the building, because she abandoned her email post for a thorough search of the premises. 

Perimeter secured, she stood guard, attentively watching the office door for intruders, large and small. 

At the end of a long workday, I asked her if she had a place to stay. She said no, perhaps she could reside at the office? I wasn't sure we were zoned for residential occupancy, so I told her she could come home with me, sans spousal approval. 

My co-workers were worried for me. What would my husband say when I snuck home a kitten? They offered me spare rooms at their homes if the introduction of man and beast went poorly. 

I assured them and my kitten-assistant it was all in the presentation. We drove home; I snuck her to the basement and instructed her to be adorable. And if that didn't work—offer to work on the laundry. There was quite a pile. 

At first, the man said, "No! We agreed no new animals." 

Twas a true statement. We had agreed on a plan of attrition. As pets passed on, we'd not replace them, all but one dog. And maybe one cat. 

I told him I misunderstood the policy. I thought the maybe one cat was maybe one more cat, because surely there was never a maybe on owning a cat. 

He was adamant. No. The policy was one dog, for sure. Maybe one cat. I told him fine. I'll go get my phone and post her pic on Facebook and find her a new home. All he had to do was get a good photo of her to post so someone on the web would want her. Then I disappeared for a really long time. 

When I finally made it back to the basement, I was formally introduced to Princess Psylocke, my husband's new baby. "It's a girl," he said. "Where's my cigar?"

                  My husband and his new kitten, Princess Psylocke*

*Psylocke (from Wikipedia) Elizabeth "Betsy" Braddock is part of the X-Men franchise. After being rescued by the New Mutants and taking up residence at their mutant-training academy, Braddock is formally invited to join the X-Men and officially adopts the codename Psylocke, becoming an enduring fixture of the team over the next three decades...

How's that for purrfection?