Against the Odds

25

Miranda stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her body. As she opened the door and entered her bedroom, a quick movement caught her eye. She let out a loud scream, leaping onto her bed. She didn't care that she was wet and dripping water everywhere.

"What in the hell was that?" Miranda exclaimed, her heart beating a mile a minute. The small creature at that moment decided to dart across the room and hit the foot of her bed.

" It's a rat." She semi-screamed to herself, not wanting to wake her kids. She stood up fully and walked to the headboard to get to her nightstand, where her phone was. Miranda reached for her phone and tried to figure out who to call. Animal control would probably take hours and she didn't have any clothes on. And she certainly wasn't getting off the bed to get any.

Dialing Ben's number she waited for him to pick up.

"Hello, Miranda. Is everything ok?" He asked concerned, especially since it was almost 1 am.

"Benjamin it's a rat in the house." She whispered, shouted in the phone.

"A what?"

"A rat, you know fury thing, with fangs."

"Miranda check again. I'm sure it's not a rat. The house has rodent barriers and the garage has rodent guards."

"Ben I'm serious. It scurried under the chair in my room. "It's under there waiting to attack me." She whined. "I can hear it."

"I'm pretty sure it's Mia's hamster, she must have snuck him out tonight when I dropped them off."

"A hamster when did you get her that?"

"Two weeks ago.

"What's the thing's name?"

"Fluffy." He replied, trying to hold in his laugh.

"You need to come get Fluffy then. He scared me half to damn death."

"I'll be there in a few minutes. Make sure it doesn't go anywhere."

"What, how in the hell am I supposed to do that? I'm not getting off this damn bed."

"Miranda just make sure it doesn't leave. I don't want to be searching all over the house for it."

"Ben I can't." She whined. "I'm naked in a towel, standing on my bed. I don't know how much assistance I can be."

Ben bit his lip at the image that flashed through his mind. "Miranda, why do you have to be difficult."

"I'm not being difficult. You're being difficult and you should have thought about this before going and buying her a mouse. Suppose she would have snuck it to school."

Ben rolled his eyes and walked to go get the cage out of his daughter's room.

"I'll be there in 10 minutes."

"Thank you. Use your key and let yourself in."
Ben did as told and used his key to let himself in. As he walked down the hallway, he heard a shriek.

"Just Stay right there." Miranda pleaded with the thing as she was on her hands and knees, looking down to the floor.

Ben stood in the doorway with an amused look on his face. He would have paid money to see her jump on the bed earlier. His eyes cast over her towel-clad body. Why was she a masterpiece?

"Are you going to stand there staring or get the damn thing?" She huffed, turning her head slightly.

"Right, right, sorry." He said quickly before springing into action. Miranda watched as he got down on the floor and started cornering the animal.