Of Confusion and Routine

The repairs to the kitchen sink went well, and now water drains from it faster than it ever did. The pipes had long needed such a clearing, I think. The resident manager responded quickly to my request for plumbing assistance, which is one of the reasons I like that apartment building.

However, there was confusion aplenty at some point. Aside from the inconvenience of a stopped-up kitchen sink, I had to put the cats away for the day, to avoid the risk of them escaping when the plumber arrived.

I returned home during my lunch-break to see how things were. The plumber had not yet been to the apartment. I looked into the bedroom, where the four perma-cats were sequestered. Cats converged on me from every corner.

“The human is here! We will be freed!”

If that’s what they were thinking, they were disappointed. I cleaned the litter-box that was there for them - it had been used and no one had gone anywhere else - and gave them fresh water. I talked to them for a few minutes and tried to comfort them. They had no idea why they were locked up together, of course, and were displeased about it. But at least no one had killed anybody else. I next checked on Parker in the library. All was well.

When I came home at the day’s end, I was greeted at the front door by Parker. He tries to get out of the apartment, so I have to be on guard. But I didn’t think I would need to be, with him locked up in the library, as he should have been. I guessed that I had not securely closed the library door at noon.

As I pushed the sturdy boy back into the apartment, I greeted Josie, who was also by the door. Then I nearly did a double-take. What was Josie doing out? I couldn’t have also failed to close the bedroom door properly. All the cats were free. It smacked of rebellion!

But no, what had happened was that the manager, a cat-fancier who knows of my pets, had released them from their incarceration when he and the plumber left the apartment. I understand his motivation but I prefer Parker to be kept separate from the perma-cats, as there are still some issues to be settled among them. I don’t know how long the whole group mingled, but there was no fur flying about and no body parts to be found. Everything was well.

So we settled back into the routine. I was glad of it. I don’t care to live in transition, between two periods of normalcy. I think the cats would agree with such a sentiment. They were happy that evening.