There was a clap of thunder, a flash of lightening, and Garfield and Rapunzel woke up in the pouring rain. The upside was that the fender filled quickly, and the cats drank all they wanted. Now they were just wet. There was no shelter anywhere around. *Maybe there's a bridge or something up the road?* Rapunzel looked hopeful.
*Yeah. With my luck, it'll stop raining just when we find one.* Garfield looked up at the black sky.
Rapunzel sighed. *Well, at least we can look.*
Garfield nodded dismally, and the two of them set off down the highway's shoulder. A light suddenly came at them out of the night, and there was the sound of tires squealing on the wet asphalt. A run-down old pickup truck stopped just short of the two cats.
The passenger door swung open, and a harried female voice called out to them. "Are you okay, kitties? Come on, I don't wanna come out there. Are you okay? Here, kitty kitty. Come here, have a ride?"
Rapunzel looked at Garfield, and shrugged. In another moment she was in the truck's cab. Garfield was right behind her. The driver, a pretty, auburn-haired woman wearing big torquois earings, reached over and slammed the door behind them. The truck started up with a jerk, and Rapunzel dug her claws into the seat to keep from slipping. The cab was a mess, littered with used take-out containers, old newspapers, loose playing cards, and empty Coke cans. A pair of balding fuzzy dice hung from the rear-view mirror. Peering out the back window, Garfield could see that the truck's bed was no better: it was awash with nails, bits of tarp, and pieces of wood and metal in varying sizes.
"You know," the woman said, "I used to have cats." She glanced at Rapunzel. "Like you. We probably had ten or fifteen hanging around the old place. A long time ago, now... But where are my manners? I'm Emiline, and this old truck is called Rover." Emiline laughed. "I must be crazy. Introducing myself to a couple of strays."
She paused, and peered out the windshield at the rain. "I guess I might've been crazy all along, from some people's angle. I named Rover, didn't I? And I've been talking to him until you two came along. But I don't see it like that, like I'm crazy. I'm just lonely, is all."
*Sure. Lonely. Right.* Garfield glanced at Rapunzel. *Of all the cars on the road, we had to get picked up by a lunatic.*
"Well, make yourselves at home. It's nice to have somebody around, even if you can't talk to me, I can talk to you. Sometimes all you need is for somebody to look like they're listening. You know?"
Rapunzel looked up at her encouragingly. Garfield settled down and went to sleep.
*Yeah. With my luck, it'll stop raining just when we find one.* Garfield looked up at the black sky.
Rapunzel sighed. *Well, at least we can look.*
Garfield nodded dismally, and the two of them set off down the highway's shoulder. A light suddenly came at them out of the night, and there was the sound of tires squealing on the wet asphalt. A run-down old pickup truck stopped just short of the two cats.
The passenger door swung open, and a harried female voice called out to them. "Are you okay, kitties? Come on, I don't wanna come out there. Are you okay? Here, kitty kitty. Come here, have a ride?"
Rapunzel looked at Garfield, and shrugged. In another moment she was in the truck's cab. Garfield was right behind her. The driver, a pretty, auburn-haired woman wearing big torquois earings, reached over and slammed the door behind them. The truck started up with a jerk, and Rapunzel dug her claws into the seat to keep from slipping. The cab was a mess, littered with used take-out containers, old newspapers, loose playing cards, and empty Coke cans. A pair of balding fuzzy dice hung from the rear-view mirror. Peering out the back window, Garfield could see that the truck's bed was no better: it was awash with nails, bits of tarp, and pieces of wood and metal in varying sizes.
"You know," the woman said, "I used to have cats." She glanced at Rapunzel. "Like you. We probably had ten or fifteen hanging around the old place. A long time ago, now... But where are my manners? I'm Emiline, and this old truck is called Rover." Emiline laughed. "I must be crazy. Introducing myself to a couple of strays."
She paused, and peered out the windshield at the rain. "I guess I might've been crazy all along, from some people's angle. I named Rover, didn't I? And I've been talking to him until you two came along. But I don't see it like that, like I'm crazy. I'm just lonely, is all."
*Sure. Lonely. Right.* Garfield glanced at Rapunzel. *Of all the cars on the road, we had to get picked up by a lunatic.*
"Well, make yourselves at home. It's nice to have somebody around, even if you can't talk to me, I can talk to you. Sometimes all you need is for somebody to look like they're listening. You know?"
Rapunzel looked up at her encouragingly. Garfield settled down and went to sleep.