Claire stretches her arms as she slowly wakes up. The cat is already meowing at her feet. "No reason to set an alarm with you in the house, eh Pretty?" she says to her pet. The Keeper stands up and walks to her kitchen, only pausing briefly to put on her robe. "Whatever shall we do today Pretty?" she asks the cat while on her way to her kitchen. "Should we work on analyzing nanomolecules? Or would you like to reorganize my quicksilver database files?" Pretty looks up at her and meows. "You're right. Food first, then work."
****
With the cat now fed and herself now dressed, the Keeper walks into her living room. "Where to start?" she says aloud, "The floors or the shelves?" Claire turns to her cat, which is now on the plush sofa cleaning her paws. "The shelves it is." Claire goes into the kitchen pantry and gets her cleaning supplies. Armed with dust rags, wood polish, glass cleaner and other items, Claire makes her way back to the living room to get started on her much needed spring cleaning.
****
The doorbell rang around mid-morning. Claire walked to the door, looking back to make sure at least the lower level of the house looked presentable. "Hello, you must be Claire," said a nicely dressed young woman, "My name is Sami. We talked on the phone yesterday about your ad?" Claire smiles, nods and politely lets the woman in her home. Secretly she had been dreading this moment. She knew that she couldn't keep Pretty, but she had become so attached to the cat over the last couple of days. "Yes, well hum, won't you have a seat? I'll try to see if Pretty is around so that you two can become better acquainted." "Oh no hurry." Sami appeared nice enough, in the Keeper's opinion. The Keeper wanted to make sure that she put Pretty in a good environment. She couldn't forgive herself if Pretty was mistreated because of Claire's neglect. That is why she didn't take the cat to an animal shelter when Claire first found her a couple of days ago. Finding Pretty tucked in the blanket Claire had given her to use as a bed, Claire picked up the cat and took her into the living room where Sami sat neatly. "You named her very well!" said Sami, "She is beautiful, aren't you Pretty?" Sami holds the cat in her arms with care and begins to pet her soft coat. "You should have seen her when I found her. Covered in mud and sand and wet from the rain. Poor dear didn't look as if she had eaten in a while too." Claire smiled at the memory of that night. "Why are you giving her up? You seem to like her." "I already have a dog and I'm not at home much as it is. Have two animals to depend on me wouldn't exactly be fair for them." What she didn't tell Sami is that Pavlov had a massive fit when Claire first walked in with the cat, and hasn't been all that grateful to share HIS space with the stray. "Where is your dog anyway? It doesn't bite?" The woman looked about nervously for the missing animal. "No, no. He's been at the vet's. Yesterday he got into a spat with the poodle next door. Poor Pavlov took a bit of a beating, but he'll be home later today." The two women chatted a little bit more, but it became obvious that Sami was ready to leave. Claire gave her what little food she had left for Pretty and the blanket that Pretty had been sleeping on. "It will help her with the transition of moving into a new place," she told Sami. "Thank you again, so very much. Are you sure you won't take any money for her?" The Keeper nodded. "Yes, I'm sure. I just wanted her to have a good home. I'm not looking to make a profit off this poor creature. She's been though quite enough as it is." With that, Sami picked up Pretty and her things waved goodbye and left. Claire sighed. She had grown accustom to the cat in the short time it was with her, but Pavlov needed her more. The Keeper needed Pavlov too. That in mind, Claire headed out to the vet to bring home her beloved "child", Pavlov.
***
Pavlov was happy to be home, the Keeper could see that. With the small dog in her arms and the ointment the vet have given her, Claire knew that today would be a good day to stay at home. Pavlov, immediately upon arrival, started to look for the now gone Pretty. "She got a new home now, so you won't have anyone to push around anymore," she says with a smile. "Except me, of course." The veterinarian had explained Pavlov's ointment directions to her, so she knew that her dog would be ok for a couple of hours before she would need to reapply it. "He is a handsome kind of fellow, isn't he?" she asks out loud. Pavlov cocks his little head in her direction. "I mean, if you're into that sort, of course." She puts her dog on his little doggy bed and heads for the living room. Claire picks up the remote and turns on the TV. "Oh good, I didn't miss it!" On the screen appears the opening credits to "Young and the Restless." The Keeper settles herself on the couch for the next hour, totally absorbed in her favorite soap.
****
With the cat now fed and herself now dressed, the Keeper walks into her living room. "Where to start?" she says aloud, "The floors or the shelves?" Claire turns to her cat, which is now on the plush sofa cleaning her paws. "The shelves it is." Claire goes into the kitchen pantry and gets her cleaning supplies. Armed with dust rags, wood polish, glass cleaner and other items, Claire makes her way back to the living room to get started on her much needed spring cleaning.
****
The doorbell rang around mid-morning. Claire walked to the door, looking back to make sure at least the lower level of the house looked presentable. "Hello, you must be Claire," said a nicely dressed young woman, "My name is Sami. We talked on the phone yesterday about your ad?" Claire smiles, nods and politely lets the woman in her home. Secretly she had been dreading this moment. She knew that she couldn't keep Pretty, but she had become so attached to the cat over the last couple of days. "Yes, well hum, won't you have a seat? I'll try to see if Pretty is around so that you two can become better acquainted." "Oh no hurry." Sami appeared nice enough, in the Keeper's opinion. The Keeper wanted to make sure that she put Pretty in a good environment. She couldn't forgive herself if Pretty was mistreated because of Claire's neglect. That is why she didn't take the cat to an animal shelter when Claire first found her a couple of days ago. Finding Pretty tucked in the blanket Claire had given her to use as a bed, Claire picked up the cat and took her into the living room where Sami sat neatly. "You named her very well!" said Sami, "She is beautiful, aren't you Pretty?" Sami holds the cat in her arms with care and begins to pet her soft coat. "You should have seen her when I found her. Covered in mud and sand and wet from the rain. Poor dear didn't look as if she had eaten in a while too." Claire smiled at the memory of that night. "Why are you giving her up? You seem to like her." "I already have a dog and I'm not at home much as it is. Have two animals to depend on me wouldn't exactly be fair for them." What she didn't tell Sami is that Pavlov had a massive fit when Claire first walked in with the cat, and hasn't been all that grateful to share HIS space with the stray. "Where is your dog anyway? It doesn't bite?" The woman looked about nervously for the missing animal. "No, no. He's been at the vet's. Yesterday he got into a spat with the poodle next door. Poor Pavlov took a bit of a beating, but he'll be home later today." The two women chatted a little bit more, but it became obvious that Sami was ready to leave. Claire gave her what little food she had left for Pretty and the blanket that Pretty had been sleeping on. "It will help her with the transition of moving into a new place," she told Sami. "Thank you again, so very much. Are you sure you won't take any money for her?" The Keeper nodded. "Yes, I'm sure. I just wanted her to have a good home. I'm not looking to make a profit off this poor creature. She's been though quite enough as it is." With that, Sami picked up Pretty and her things waved goodbye and left. Claire sighed. She had grown accustom to the cat in the short time it was with her, but Pavlov needed her more. The Keeper needed Pavlov too. That in mind, Claire headed out to the vet to bring home her beloved "child", Pavlov.
***
Pavlov was happy to be home, the Keeper could see that. With the small dog in her arms and the ointment the vet have given her, Claire knew that today would be a good day to stay at home. Pavlov, immediately upon arrival, started to look for the now gone Pretty. "She got a new home now, so you won't have anyone to push around anymore," she says with a smile. "Except me, of course." The veterinarian had explained Pavlov's ointment directions to her, so she knew that her dog would be ok for a couple of hours before she would need to reapply it. "He is a handsome kind of fellow, isn't he?" she asks out loud. Pavlov cocks his little head in her direction. "I mean, if you're into that sort, of course." She puts her dog on his little doggy bed and heads for the living room. Claire picks up the remote and turns on the TV. "Oh good, I didn't miss it!" On the screen appears the opening credits to "Young and the Restless." The Keeper settles herself on the couch for the next hour, totally absorbed in her favorite soap.
