The Conversation…

“It’s going to be hot all next week,” he said.

“I noticed.  Well, I wanted summer, so here it is,” she sighed.   “I wasn’t asking for temps in the nineties, though.”

“Be careful what you wish for.  You need to be more specific,” he said.  “I’m glad you have air conditioning.  A lot of us may be staying with you for awhile.”

“I would love that,” she said, putting a dish of food in front of him.

“You never followed through with the cat cafe.”

“I did look into it but everything cost more than I could afford and with inflation, no one wanted to risk becoming part of it.”

“It would have worked.”

“I know.  Maybe we can do it later on.”

“Tomorrow is father’s day.”

“It is.”

“Do you have a father?”

“I had one.”

“And?”

“And what?” she asked.

“Is he alive?  Are you going to buy him a tie?”

“No and No.”

“I don’t know who my father was,” he said.  “A lot of cats don’t know who their father’s were.  Indoor cats have a better chance of knowing.  I’m not sure why it matters.”

“I don’t know what to say about that.”

“There never was a big bang.”

“I know,” she said, putting treats down in front of him.  “Are you taking a summer class in astronomy?”

“Yes, but I’d be a better teacher.  The guy who does all the talking doesn’t really get it.”

“Hmmm.”

“Hey, some of us have a more natural intelligence, which makes us smarter than a lot of those who went to what you call school.”

“It is called school.  What do you call it?”

“Brain washing.”

She nodded.  “Fair enough.”

“Have you ever seen a live cow?”

“Yes.  Have you?”

“No.  Can you bring one over so we can all see it?  The kittens would like that.”

“Bring a cow to the neighborhood?”

“How hard can it be?”

“I’d need a trailer and a cow.”

“So?”

“I’m not bringing a cow here so you can see it.  I could probably bring you to see a cow, however.”

“Bring me?”

“Yes. We can drive to the country and find a cow for you to look at.”

He stared at her in amazement.  “You mean leave the city?”

“It’s the only way to see a cow.  There are no cows in the city.  There might be one in the zoo.”

“Now you want to take me to a place where they put animals in cages?”

“Hey, you’re the one asking to see a cow and the cow would be in a pen, not in a cage.”

“Forget it.”

“Why do you want to see a cow, anyway?”

“They look pretty big in books and I wanted to see just how big they really were.”

“Big.”

“You’re not really that helpful, do you know that?”

“Let’s talk about something else,” she sighed.

“How about a zebra?”

“We don’t have zebras around here, other than in the zoo, and I’m not stealing a zebra so you can see it.”

“Why don’t we have any wild zebras?” he asked.

“I don’t know.  Probably the wrong environment.”

“If they can live in the zoo, why can’t they live outside the zoo?”

“They could, I guess.  But they don’t.”

“Great answer,” he sighed. “Want to talk about the election in November?”

“Not even a little.”

“Old, crazy white guys, who are…”

“I know, so just let it go.”

“Do you realize how many people there are, compared to the few guys you let boss all of you around?  Cats would never allow that.  I’ve told you before, you should have been a cat.”

“I told you before, that I agree but, there’s nothing I can do about that.”

“Have you even tried?”

“To become a cat?”

“Yes.”

“It’s not possible.”

“If they can bring wooly mammoths back to life, they can surely change you into a cat.”

“What are you reading?” she asked.

“Is this a segue into a different topic?”

“Yes.”

“It’s not a very good one.  You’re better than that.”

“Desperate times…”

“I’m reading a book about the fall of civilizations.  I’m watching one fall, right now, in real time.”

“We all are.”

“Too bad, but your timing is pretty much spot on.  They all seem to fall around the same time, years wise, that is.  Hey, can you get me some sting cheese?”

“Cheese isn’t good for cats.”

“Like you never eat anything that’s not good for you,” he chuckled.  “Everything you eat is bad for you. And your food is poisoned.”

“Is there anything we can talk about that’s not stressful?”

“Probably not.  I mean being alive is stressful.  Whoever thought up this place should be locked up in a padded room forever.”

“I agree.”

“It’s like an open air asylum.”

“I put another bee house on the fence.”

“So we can all get stung?”

“Yes, that’s exactly why I put another one up.”

“I know you’re trying to save the bees but maybe you could do it farther away.”

“I’m going home,” she said, standing up.  “Tell Jinx his food is over there.”

“We’re all coming over tonight.”

“Good. We can watch a movie.”

“Puss and Boots?” he asked.

“Sure, we can watch that again.  It’s fun.”

“Think about the string cheese thing.”

“Okay,” she said smiling.

“See you later.”

She bent over and kissed his face, his neck, and shoulders.  Then she hugged him and kissed him again.

“I lov…”

“I know,” he said, yawing.  “You love me.”

She nodded.

“Nap time,” he muttered, still purring from all the kisses, while he curled into a ball.  “See you tonight.”

“I love you,” she whispered.  Then she turned and walked away.