Our New Life

Now

  It has now been five months. A very long time. In that time, I've been to the "rat doctor" (veterinarian). I had a nightmare and became stressed and skittish. I'm scared at a lot of things. I can't trust anyone. Particularly because I couldn't tell who or what was trying to kill me. I'm getting older everyday. I've survived this long, and would rather let go now. I've had a hard, but great life. Lizzy has done everything to her ability to make me and Ivy happy rats. But I'm so old now Lizzy can't do anything. I'm going to pass any day now.

  Ivy is old, too. But still young. About as old as me when I was taken away from my horrible home. She isn't really going anywhere. She hasn't gotten sick, like me, yet. And she hasn't had any dramatic change. She's just aging.

  Lizzy has started giving us baths, though. Once a month. But not a real bath. Well, it is a "real" bath.  Lizzy has a pet-safe wipe and runs it across our bodies and shrubs our tails and rubs our feet, one at a time. The non-stressful way.

  And I had almost forgotten that today is bath day. I actually like it. A little.

  Lizzy walks into her room, shutting the door behind her. She opens the door and Ivy runs out. I hobble out, slowly, behind her.

  "C'mon, old lady," Lizzy says in a funny voice. I finally make my way out and Lizzy picks me up and places me on her shoulder. She reaches underneath the cage (into the dark part) and pulls out a cylindrical object and opens the top. She then pulls out a wipe. She takes me off of her shoulder and let's me sit in her hand above the floor. She starts wiping my back. She runs the wipe along my long tail and I feel it become cold. Then she shrubs each of my feet. She puts me on her shoulder and picks up Ivy. Then she mimics the exact the same motions she did to me. We're placed back in our cage and gives us each a piece of Romain lettuce.