CHAPTER 2:
Two days later at about noon, Alice and Ken took Grace to their appointment at the local animal shelter to pick out a pet, as promised. Walking in the door, they heard dogs barking and yelping. On their right, they saw a parrot with bright orange feathers sitting on a bird stand. Then they walked through two security doors to see the animals.
"Dad, why did we have to walk through two doors?" Grace inquired.
"It's so the animals don't escape," Fran told her.
Throughout their visit, the family found many possible pets. Some of them were animals Grace didn't expect to see in a shelter, such as hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits, and rats in their critter room. Further along the way, the family saw a couple of fish tanks, as well as a bunch of cats and small dogs. It was a tough choice, but eventually, while in the free-roaming cat room, Grace had narrowed it down to two kittens, a white male Persian named Eli or a female Ragamuffin named Miley. Both of the kittens were only eight months old.
"Why does the Persian look so much bigger than the Ragamuffin?" Grace inquired.
"That's because their fur is three times thicker than all other cats," Fran explained.
After doing some thinking about it, Grace came to her decision.
"Looks like we have a winner," Fran said.
"Yeah, I like this one," Grace told them.
Once Grace had decided that Miley would be the newest addition to their family, Ken filled out the adoption application and Fran reviewed it.
"Okay, this shouldn't take more than a few days, but once you're approved, you can take your new kitten home," Fran explained.
"Yay, I can't wait!" Grace exclaimed.
With that, the three of them went to pick up a cat litter pan, a bed, and some toys in preparation for their new arrival.
Three days later, at about 6 p.m., Amy and Bumper arrived at the bar where Bumper worked.
"I've got to hand it to you, Bumper. You sure have been working a lot of hours lately," Amy noticed.
"Yeah, well, with our little girl on the way, I've got to make sure we're financially ready for the big day," Bumper reminded his wife.
"Money shouldn't be an issue, babe. We've got lots of money in our budget," Amy reminded him.
"Yeah, you're probably right. I'd offer you a drink, but that'll have to wait until after the baby is born since your doctor told you not to drink during your pregnancy," Bumper said.
"That's right. I'm usually a risk-taker, but not in this instance," Amy added.
The journey through Amy's pregnancy had been quite an adventure in its own right. She and Bumper were looking forward to the big day, especially since it meant a new addition to the Big Bella Family. After walking Bumper to his job, Amy took a cab back to the apartment since she wasn't able to walk all the way back - since she had never liked cardio, she wore out quickly, even when she wasn't pregnant. When she returned home to her apartment, she thought it'd be a good idea to take a load off and watch some TV before going to bed for the night.