Disclaimer: Garfield and all related characters are the intellectual property of Paws Inc. and Paramount Global/Nickelodeon at the time this story was written.
Warning!
The following chapter contains sensitive situations that may be uncomfortable for certain readers.
Viewer discretion is advised.
Chapter 2: Arlene
December 17, 2013
Paradise World
Inside the hut of Chief High Rama Lama, a female cat is about to give birth as both him and his beautiful daughter, Princess Owooda, watch with high anticipation of their family's newest arrival.
"Meroooooooow!" The cat roars, her newborn kitten finally out of her stomach. It was a pink cat, who shares the same gorgeous eyes as her mother.
"Oh, wow." A member of the tribe whispers, peeking through the open window.
"She's so beautiful." Another tribe member said quietly.
The princess didn't bother to hold back her tears, for this is a very joyous occasion for both her cat, and her tribe. As the mother cat closes her eyes for a well-deserved rest, Owooda gently picks up her newborn feline.
"Welcome…Mai-Tai." She whispers her name, holding her very close.
"Heh heh heh, welcome to the Ding-Dongs, sweetheart." The chief rubs the kitten's tummy, very happy for his daughter, and now both of her cats. Exiting the hut, he calls for the attention of the audience anxiously waiting outside.
"Everyone! I'm proud to announce our newest member, Mai-Tai, princess of the felines!" Chief High Rama Lama proudly declares, the crowd bursting into cheers upon seeing the newborn in the princess' hands.
Over the next few years, Owooda and Mai-Tai were pretty much inseparable, for they would do almost everything together, including watching and admiring all the boys surf around the beach, listening to some old records the tribe found, dancing the hula with everyone, watching all the boys play volleyball, share the luxurious cuisine together, and watching all the other girl cats get boyfriends except for her.
Everything was fine and dandy for a while…
…but as time swiftly flies by alongside the winds of the beach…
…it grew very repetitive…
…and boring!
Every now and then, even moreso in recent days, Mai-Tai would sneak out of her owner's hut and stare at the moon, which was something she doesn't usually get to see very often, what with her sheltered lifestyle and all. To her, the moon represents a whole new world to explore, a life outside the island, but can never reach it. Sure, she loves her home here in Paradise World, as it's a very beautiful place, but it's better off as a simple tourist attraction, as there's almost nothing to do if someone decides to come live here.
And then there's Princess Owooda, her beloved owner, and the primary reason for not already sneaking on board an airplane and leaving this island for good. Yes, she can be just a smidge overprotective of her…
…y'know, like keeping her in the hut most of the day…
…and not letting her go out and about with all the other cats, unless it's a special occasion…
…but she loves her with all her heart…
…and would be devastated if anything ever happens to her.
*SIGH*
Mai-Tai feels conflicted with her life. She wants to leave this boring island for good, but yet she can't just abandon Owooda like that. If only there was a way to convince her to leave the island, but there's no way in hell her father would ever allow that. Staring at the moon for a few more seconds, Mai-Tai turns around and starts to head back to her hut, wondering to herself if her life would ever change.
On a hot summer day, all the cats gather together at the beach to play games, surf the waters, gorge on the luscious fruit, and to overall have a good time with one another. Mai-Tai is hanging with her fellow female cats as they all watch the muscular boys surfing the tidal waves.
"Cowabunga!" A male cat shouts from the waters, hanging ten as the girls all cheer for him.
"He's so dreamy!" One of the girls said right before fainting.
"Typical." Mai-Tai rolls her eyes, for this is how her fellow cats usually react to seeing these men whenever they hang ten. To her, they're all interchangeable…
…and yet…
…even she can't seem to take her eyes off of them…
…particularly, the blue one who's just performed a tail slide. Literally, his tail is in the wave as he slides right through it.
"Heh heh, still got it, baby." The blue cat said to himself, returning to shore…
…only to be suddenly swarmed by every female member of the audience.
"Whoa, whoa, ladies, there's always plenty of me for everyone!" He insists, trying to give himself some personal space. However, one cat in particular caught his attention as soon as his eyes caught a glimpse of her…
…and that cat just so happens to be princess Mai-Tai.
"Well, hello there, princess." He said in a suave manner.
"H-Hey." Mai-Tai greets him, smiling nervously as he approaches her. "I-Is he really approaching me!?" She ponders in her thoughts.
"Don't really see much of you in these parts." The muscular cat said, grabbing her paw. "Say, how'd you like to go to dinner with me after the show?" He suddenly asks.
"R-Really!?" The pink cat exclaims in delight before clearing her throat. "I mean, s-sure." She calmly replies, her cheeks becoming red from blushing.
"Oh, you lucky girl, you!" One of the girls exclaims, the rest cheering and squealing in delight upon seeing such a potentially cute couple. While some of the other guys paid no attention to this, as the thrill of surfing still releases enough serotonin in their minds to keep them occupied, while others felt immensely jealous of their fellow blue feline, believing that they were a much better fit to be the princess' boyfriend, as they have a greater amount of muscles and masculinity compared to him. What makes him so special?
Mai-Tai herself, though, was both excited and anxious at the same time. On one hand, she's just been given the golden opportunity to go on a date with the one guy that was able to catch her attention, for he seemed like the coolest and bravest of all the male cats on the island. On the other hand, Owooda and her father would most certainly not allow her to go out with him, what with her royal status and all, as she assumes they'd want her to only want what's best for her and go out with the best guy of the whole island in their eyes. Plus, the idea of no longer spending a majority of her time with Owooda would certainly break her owner's heart, and the last thing she needs is the guilt of leaving her behind should she decide to move into his hut.
"Hey, Mai-Tai, you still here?" A female cat asks, snapping the princess out of her own thoughts.
"Oh, y-yeah. Sorry." She replies, realizing that her paw is no longer held by the blue cat…
…nor is he anywhere near her, for that matter.
"This one's for you, princess!" He shouts from a distance, performing a full 360 across the waves, flexing his muscles whilst doing so.
"Wow!" A female cat said, who, once again, faints from the very sight of him and his fancy maneuvers.
"You really are a lucky girl, Mai-Tai." Another girl cat said, patting her on the shoulder.
"Yeah, I guess I am." The pink cat smiles, believing she's just found the key to escaping her boredom…
…and that everything will turn out just fine…
…hopefully.
"So, how'd you break the news to Owooda?" Garfield curiously asks.
"I didn't." Arlene replies, drinking what's left of her soda. "I went to dinner with him without her knowing."
"Wow." The orange cat bluntly said. "Just like how Jon went on his first date without telling his parents."
"How'd that go for him?" The pink cat asks.
"Let's just say that when they got the bill for all the damages their son accidentally caused to that restaurant, they had him doing quadruple the amount of farm work to make up for it, and made him pay them back in full." Garfield explains in the simplest manner he can make it, not wanting to disrupt her story for one of his owner's million or so blunders.
"Huh." Arlene bluntly said.
"By the way, what ever happened to your mother?" Nermal asks. "Did she ever find out you've been dating this guy?"
"*SIGH* She passed away not long after I was born." Arlene reveals, lowering her eyes. "So no…she didn't."
"Oh." Nermal said, feeling sorry for her loss.
*MMMM MMMMMM MMMMMM* Odie whimpers, sad that two of his friends had such tragic departures from their own mothers…
…just like how he lost his.
"I'm so sorry, Arlene." Garfield said, gently placing his hand on her shoulder.
"Eh, it's alright, Garfield. Nothing can be done about it now, just like you said. *SNIFF*" Arlene wipes a tear from her eye, preferring to avoid the topic by getting back on track with her story. "Anywho, after my dinner with him, we started dating for a few months. All was swell, until the day where he finally asked me…"
"Mai-Tai…
…will you marry me?"
*GASP* The entire crowd gasps upon hearing the blue cat's question to his girlfriend, including the princess herself. For a moment, she didn't know what to say. Sure, these last few months with him were among the best she's ever had…
…and yet…
…that was it…
…just a few months…
…only that small amount of time she's been with him…
…she didn't feel prepared for such a sudden shift to her life…
…and to leave her beloved Owooda for this guy she's barely known for only a few months…
…and yet…
…she didn't want to let him down…
…for this is the moment that'll make or break his life…
…and this may be her only chance for a much more fulfilling life than spending most of it locked away in her owner's hut.
So…
…after giving herself a moment to ponder…
…she makes her decision…
…and says…
"Yes!"
"YAHOOOOOOOOOOO!" All the girls cheer in excitement, for a tremendous ceremony is about to occur for their fellow cat.
"And, like the fool that I was, I said yes." Arlene furiously grinds her teeth, the sheer strength of her bare paws was enough to fully crush her empty soda can in an instant, dropping it to the ground afterwards.
"Aaaaand, I take it that you've since regretted making this decision?" Garfield nervously asks, slowly backing away from her.
"Ya think!?" The pink cat glares at him, as if it weren't obvious enough looking back at her decision.
"Okay, okay. I'm sorry for asking." The orange cat apologizes. "Sheesh."
"Ahhhh, I love when she's able to scare Garfield like that." Nermal said to Odie, enjoying every second of this moment. "Serves him right for scaring me while pretending to be a ghost*."
(*Garfield Quickies - Season 2 - Chapter 1 - The Invisible Feline*)
"Anyway, the wedding came not too long after that." Arlene continues the story. "But beforehand, it took a lot of convincing to make Owooda let me go through with this. She was very hesitant about letting me go, but at the same time, she knew I was ready to have my own life, and with the blessings from the chief himself, I was finally allowed to get married. *SIGH* Little did I know that I just made the biggest mistake of my entire life…
…for after we settled down, he began to show his true colors."
"Oh, this oughta be good." Garfield said.
"Babe! I'm going out surfing!" The blue cat calls out from the front of their hut.
"Sounds fun, sweetie!" Mai-Tai exclaims, excited to join him. "I can't wait to go say hi to the girls while we're over there!"
"Uhh…actually…it's just gonna be me going to the beach." Her husband reveals.
"What!? Why!?" Mai-Tai asks.
"Because…well…I need some alone time, yeah. You know, get myself some fresh air from being cooped up in here all the time." He attempts to explain.
"I see." The pink cat said, eyeing him suspiciously. "You're not hiding anything, are you?"
"No! Of course not! Why would you ever think that!?" He glares at her.
"Because you're telling me that you're wanting some alone time on a crowded beach, and yet I can't come for some fresh air too!?" She points out.
"Hey, sometimes we just need to be apart for a while!" He argues, this being the best excuse he can think of at the heat of the moment. "Besides, someone needs to prepare my meal when I get home."
She really wanted to slap him in the face for saying that, but kept her cool with him regardless. Though, from that moment on, the red flags were already starting to reveal themselves to her.
"Fine." Mai-Tai mutters, crossing her arms.
"That's a good girl. Don't worry, I'll be back in a few." He smiles. "Oh, and don't burn the food this time." He reminds her before taking his leave.
"Wow, I didn't know you were such a bad cook, Arlene. Heh heh heh." Garfield chuckles.
"Shut up." Arlene glares at him before resuming her story.
After throwing away the dinner that she accidentally burned out the window for any of the weirdos stalking her outside to gorge on. Mai-Tai takes a seat on their bed as she reminisces about everything that has happened to her life over the past few months. She should be happy that she's now married to the sweetest and handsomest cat on the island, and having a much more thrilling life with him…
…but she isn't…
…in fact…
…she's already starting to miss her old home…
…living with Owooda…
…everything! It's not easy moving from one place to another in such a short span…
…then again…
…she feels more fulfilled living with him…
…for he provides her with the freedom to go anywhere in the island she desires.
Once again, the pink cat feels conflicted with her current situation. She misses Owooda very much, but she's with him now…
…in fact…
…she should be there with him right now…
…for something's fishy about his recent behavior…
…and she's going to get to the bottom of it, whether he likes it or not.
Running out of the hut, Mai-Tai runs to the beach and eyes the area carefully to find her muscular, blue husband…
…and lo and behold…
…there he is, laying in front of the ocean water…
…cuddling with another girl!
Upon seeing this random girl laying right next to her man, the princess became FURIOUS! In fact, she's now even more infuriated with the fact that literally nobody else on the beach seems to care, or even notice, that he's doing this, despite how popular they were all around the island. Guess their marriage is nothing but old news to them now.
"HOW! DARE! HE!?" Mai-Tai grinds her teeth, her ears fuming with steam. She wanted to go over to him and give him the biggest beating of his life for this…
…but, she didn't want to cause a scene, and disrupt the fun time everyone else was having. No reason to get anyone else involved in her personal drama…
…so she'll confront him…
…alone in their hut…
…tonight!
Later, when the moon reaches its peak in the sky, the blue cat returns exhausted from all the surfing he's endured…among other things.
"Whew. I hope she doesn't have kittens anytime soon." He mumbles to himself, wiping the sweat off his forehead.
"Welcome home." A voice said from the other room. "Come in here, I've prepped something for you."
"Swell." He said, heading into the room, wondering why she sounded so serious…
*WHAM*
…right before a frying pan slams right into his face!
"How dare you, Mai-Tai!?" The blue cat angrily shouts, getting himself back up.
"You had this coming, cheater!" The pink cat furiously shouts back, ready to hit him again, and hopefully cause permanent damage this time.
"Why, you little-"
Before Mai-Tai could react, her husband immediately swipes the frying pan from her grasp, grabs her from the arm and…
*BAM*
…punches her right in the mouth!
Falling to the ground, the pink cat not only coughs out blood from her mouth…
…but also a tooth, which ends up covered in said blood.
Before she could get herself back up, the muscular cat slams his fist right into the back of her head, making her collapse to the ground once more.
"STAY DOWN, BITCH!" He furiously shouts, slamming his foot down right on her back.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" Mai-Tai's agonizing screams echoed across the village, her body feeling even more immense pain with each and every blow dealt to her by her husband's own fists.
"Perhaps this will teach you to properly behave, you spoiled brat!"
Right as those last words echoed through her ear drums, a horrible realization hits her much harder than any of the hits she's taken from him.
She'd been played by him this whole time!
All the affection, the promises, the love he had for her…
…was all a complete lie!
Upon feeling her heart being sliced in half, something begins to boil inside of her…
…for she was more than just enraged…
…she was BETRAYED!
Slamming her fists to the ground, she swiftly gets herself back up and draws her claws out. Leaping towards him, she slices and dices his skin, covering his entire body with blood and scratch marks…
…and this is only the beginning!
The blue cat was not having any of this, however, for as soon as he gets himself back up, he grabs her by the arms and…
*BAM*
…slams her directly to the wall, pinning her with little to no chance of escaping his grip.
"I'll make sure you forget everything about tonight, or anything else for that matter." He chokes her, preparing his fist to make sure it'll give her amnesia. "Sweet dreams, princess."
Struggling to release herself from his grip, Mai-Tai prepares for the worst as her so-called "lover" winds up his fist…
*BAM*
…right as he gets smacked in the head from behind. Losing consciousness, his muscular body collapses to the ground, inadvertently releasing the pink cat from his grasp.
"You alright, princess?" A male voice asks, revealing himself to be her rescuer. "I heard you guys shouting from my hut right next door."
"N-No, you idiot! *SNIFF* Do I look okay to you!?" Mai-Tai cries, the physical and mental pain too much for her to handle.
"C'mon princess, we need to patch you up. Looks like he really did a number on you." The green muscular cat helps her get back up and takes her out of the hut.
"*SNIFF* T-Thank you." The injured cat whispers as she leaves her ex-husband for good.
"After he helped patch me up, he became my second boyfriend." Arlene said. "And all was well, for a while that is."
"Let me guess, he started beating you up, too?" Garfield asks, unsure if he wants to hear her response.
"No, no. He was definitely nicer than the first guy, but he was a little too…scatterbrained…for my liking, and was rather neglectful of things…including me. So, I ended up breaking up with him not too long afterwards, and the less said about the third guy, the better." The pink cat finishes her story.
"Fair enough." Garfield said, content with everything she's told him, and sad at the same time. "I'm sorry you had to go through all that."
"Yeah, me too." Nermal agrees.
*MMMM MMMMMMMMMMM* Odie whimpers.
"Eh, it's alright." Arlene assures her friends. "Besides, the fourth guy I've met was the one that made my life all worthwhile."
"Oh, and who might that be?" The orange cat asks.
"You, Garfield."
"Really?"
The pink cat nods.
"But do you even see in me, though?" He asks. "I'm a fat, lazy asshole. I don't go around pretending to be someone that I'm not. What you see is what you're gonna get out of me."
"And that's what sets you apart from all the other guys." Arlene said, placing her hand on his shoulder. "I love you for who you are, Garfield, so please don't ever change for me or anyone else's sake. Just be you."
"Don't worry Arlene, I won't." Garfield smiles, wrapping his arms around her.
*AWWWWWWWWWW* Odie can't help but smile upon seeing such a sweet moment from both of his friends.
"Lucky." Nermal mutters to himself, jealous of Garfield's apparent luck of attracting all the ladies.
*GRUMBLE*
"Yeesh, all this talking is making me hungry." Garfield said, releasing their hug. "Nermal, go get me the cookies from the counter."
"Ugh! Do I really have to!?" Nermal complains.
"Yes!"
*SIGH* The kitten, once again, heads over to the kitchen to grab the cookies. Arlene gives the orange cat a blank stare, as if she's saying "Really?"
"What? I'm just being me." Garfield said, laying back down on the couch.
"Yep, I guess you are." The pink cat lets out a smile.
Next Chapter: Odie