Glitter Years

Chicken or Beef

Anna drags her feet as she walks home. She was by herself today since Jaci had a date with Dannielynn, her girlfriend. "I can't believe he didn't like Luke's burger." She wipes the tears from her cheeks as she recalls her instructor's words. Chef Ned was hard on her but he never lied to her. He said the burger was good but ordinary and with that kind of cooking, she might as well be a lunch lady. It made her question everything. Was her palate too basic for a high-level culinary school? She looks forward to the food at Lukes's more than at her grandma's.

She thought the high-end food at Emily's was amazing. But, it didn't wrap her in a hug like Luke's food did. That burger that he insults picked her up when she was feeling down and made her victories feel like a true celebration. The best food was the one that moved you. The flavors should be so great that you forget about all your troubles as you eat. She felt that way about Luke's cooking, never about any fancy dishes. So maybe she didn't have enough imagination to be here. She was wasting people's time and her grandparent's money.

Anna was so busy pouting at the ground she didn't notice the hound dog behind her until he nudged her leg to get past her. "Oh sorry," She moved out of their way.

"Oh no, I'm sorry. He is just a lazy dog that is in a hurry to get back to his bed." The lady holding the leash shook her head.

"I feel him." Anna chuckles.

"Well, have a good day." She waves before opening a door and going inside. Anna realized that the lady was a volunteer at the pet shelter. The one that Jess and she had been talking about going to get a dog. She figures that looking at some animals would cheer her up.

She went into the shelter and was greeted by a man behind the front desk. "Hey, looking for any particular animal?"

"Oh no, I'm just looking around," Anna told him.

"A kitty mill was busted, so we have a lot of cats right now." He pointed to the door that was labeled kittens.

"I'll have a look." She walked into the kitten room. Her eyes went immediately to a cage. "We are Siamese if you please." She sang as she went over to the siamese kittens.

"Hi," She stuck her fingers through the fence. A few came over to paw and nip at her. A scratch to her elbow made her turn her head to see a white fluffy ball pawing at her for attention. "Hey there." She moved to scratch the cat under his chin. He rubs himself against her hand.

"Do you want to take him into a room?" A worker appears next to her, pointing over to a few doors on the side that lead to small rooms for people to have some playtime with the kittens. Anna jumps in fright. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." She apologized.

"It's fine." Anna looks over to the rooms. "I want to take him in a room."

"Great." She opens the cage and grabs the kitten to hand it over to Anna. She led her over to a room. It had a cat tree in the corner, a water bowl, a litter box, and a few toys on the floor. "Have a good time." She closes the door.

Instead of sitting down on the bench with him, she sat on the ground. She puts him down and rolls a ball over to him. He pats it back to her. They play like that for a little while until he rubs himself against her leg purring. They cuddle and play and then cuddle again.

Anna looked down at the kitten on her lap that was sleeping and realized that she felt relaxed and re-energized. With a clear mind, she was able to remind herself she was fresh outta high school. It wasn't a big deal if she wasn't perfect, she had time. She had two years to learn and hone her skills.

"Hey, I just came to check on you, it's been an hour." The worker cracks open the door.

"Oh my god, has it?" She pulled her phone out of her bag to see that it was and she had a text from Jess asking if she went out for lunch with Jaci. She texted him that she was on her way home before looking down at the kitten. She thought about calling him and asking for his opinion, but she would be crushed if he said no. She figured that he would be happier with a cat than a dog. He seemed more like a cat person. "Can I get him?" She asks the worker.