Back, and better than ever.

Feelings Become Real

On the other side of the park, Minnie sat on a park bench and stared at a faded photo she had taken out of her pocket, trying hard not to cry in a public place. It was a picture of her and her mom, when she was only about six years old. Minnie was holding her sheepdog, Calando, as the puppy licked her face. Her mom was holding her and Calando in her arms in one big bear hug, and they were all smiling.

"You miss your animals, don't you?" Said a voice suddenly behind her. Startled, Minnie suddenly turned around to see a boy standing behind her, staring at her with soft amber eyes. "Oh, hey! You're Mickey Allwine, right? From first period history?" He suddenly blushed, something that Minnie thought was weird but decided not to say anything about.

"Uh, yeah. So, what was his name?" Mickey said, pointing to the puppy in the photo. "Calando, but if you don't mind me asking, how did you even know he was mine?" "Daisy told me. Sorry if that makes me sound like a creepy stalker or something." Minnie laughed a little, trying to not let her sadness show.

"It's fine. Are you a friend of Daisy's?" Mickey rubbed the back of his neck shyly, and Minnie wondered why he was being so nervous around her. "Yep, my mom is friends with her mom, so we kind of grew up together. Anyway, sorry to pry, but why did you have to sell him in the first place?"

Minnie's dipped ever so slightly, and her eyes welled up with tears again. "My mom got breast cancer about a year ago, and the only way to pay her medical bills was to sell the animals. My chickens were the first to go, then my rabbits, then Calando and my horses went along with the farm when she died. Dad thought it would be better for both of us to move to the city, where we wouldn't be reminded of her, so here I am."

Startled at the sight of seeing her cry, Mickey was suddenly stuck with no idea what to do. "Sorry! I'll go." With that he turned around, smacking his forehead with his hand and grimacing at himself. Why did I have to go and make her cry like that? I have no Idea what it's like to lose a family member, and if I try to comfort her or even sit down she'll think it's weird. Ugh, why didn't I just give her a papercut and pour lemon juice on it?

"Wait! Where are you going?" She said, turning around and placing her knees on the bench. "Well, you were crying. I thought you'd want some privacy." Minnie quickly shook her head and smiled. "No, I just want someone to listen, and to understand me." Not sure what to do, Mickey walked back and sat down with a sigh.

"Well, if you want someone to understand you then I'm the wrong guy. My childhood was completely free of trauma and death, I have never once not known what to do next and my parents have been happily married for nearly seventeen years." "Yes, but you're a pet owner. I've seen you walking Pluto around the neighborhood. Daisy and Clara are great, but they have parents who are allergic to both dogs and cats, and Clara lives in an apartment that doesn't allow pets."

"Oh. Okay then, I guess I can do that." Mickey puffed up his cheeks with air, let it out and looked over at her. "So, what would you like to talk about?" Minnie bunched her hands up in her lap, looked at them and started to speak. "It just feels so strange. Before I came here, all I ever wanted was to have friends like the teenagers that I saw in movies. Now my dream is coming true, I feel like I'd give it all away to have my animals back."

"Well, they say that you don't know how good you have it, until it's gone. This is nothing new, Minnie. Humans are greedy creatures by nature, so don't feel bad about wanting something you don't have. Still, it's not very healthy to feel like that all the time. You need to find some middle ground, compromise the two situations. What if, you got a smaller pet, one you could keep in your house?"

Minnie shifted on the bench with uncertainty. "I don't know, I'd have to find one that can be at home while me and my dad are away for the day, and we don't have very much money since we just moved here. I can try to look around, but I don't know." Suddenly her phone rang, and when she flipped it open to discover a text from her dad. "Sorry, I have to go home now! Thanks for the talk though!"

"No problem." Mickey muttered under his breath, before his eyes lighting up at something he could do, something that mattered. He stood up and raced to his bike, which was chained up nearby, and took off in the direction of the animal shelter.

Minnie was sitting alone in the living room, watching tv, when suddenly someone rang the doorbell. Hmm, I wonder who that could be. Dad's not coming home for two more hours, and it's about the time that Clara and Daisy said they eat dinner, so it couldn't be them. She cautiously opened the door, and gasped in surprise and amazement at what she saw.

An adorable black kitten with a white face and stomach lay curled up in the basket placed on her doorstep, and meowed when he heard Minnie open the door. Minnie felt her heart break as she saw two big black eyes stare up into hers, and fell to her knees in adoration. "Oh my goodness! A few hours ago I wished for a pet that I could have here in the city, and here you are! I wonder who brought you over here though?"

Her eyes scanned her front yard and the portion of the street in front of it, then looked down to see a small envelope with her name on the front. "Aha! This ought to give us some answers, shouldn't it?" She wiggled her finger under the flap to get it open, and unfolded the note that had been put inside.

Dear Minnie, I heard about how much you miss your animals, and I thought maybe he would help the pain heal a little. His name is Figaro, and everything else you need to know is on the form I got from the animal shelter. I also put in some toys, a breakaway collar; a few cans of cat food, a litter box and a bag of kitty litter to get you started. Signed, a friend.

Minnie looked at the note for a few minutes, then down at Figaro. "Well then, let's bring you in out of the cold, little one!" She said, gently picking him up with one arm and grasping the handle of the basket with the other.

Minnie then carefully put him down on the living room floor, and started to take out the supplies that were placed in the basket. When she saw him playing with a little ball with a bell inserted into it, she smiled and realized that she felt a lot more more at home. Mickey had heard what she had said as he started to walk away, and felt a warm feeling inside as he punched the air triumphantly.