The Fates

Part XLVIII: Mr Ferret

I didn't want to see another paper again but I had one more exam in two days, on Wednesday. I sighed and trudged into my apartment, after unlocking the door. I scrunched my nose. Something musky permeated the air.

Eeew what was that?

There was this long rodent in a carrier with a little pale brown face mask. It looked like a slinky toy in fur.

Was it some sort of hamster or guinea pig? As I got closer, I saw it had matted fur, pink bald spots, a snotty nose and its cage was bare. So, the big wires poked its little paws. It scuttled away from me and huddled in the corner.

"Hey, baby. It's ok. No-one will hurt you."

Did it understand English? Wasn't it used to sentiments in Italian? Oh, well it's a rodent it doesnt matter.

My housemate, Michelle, came and looked at me queerly.
"Hey, Makayla."

"Hi, why is there a rat here?"
She giggled.

"This is not rat, it's ferret."
"Ok, what's it doing here?"

"Oh, I'm just taking him out so I can give him to our downstairs neighbour."
"He looks terrible; are you sure anyone will want him like this?"

"Oh, that does not matter. He will be eaten anyway."
I opened my mouth wide.

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I coaxed my housemate's bedraggled pet from the cat carrier I borrowed from my friend Ruelle. She accompanied me to the vet in town near her apartment.

In exchange she made me promise to cook for her anytime she wanted and she did need someone to edit her paper for civil procedure.

I looked at her blue hair, my inspiration to have my blue ombre braids, as she drove. The ferret whimpered before hiding in my hoody.

Alejandro had made me feel it too bold a hair colour but Ruelle made everything look fun.
"Ah, Ruelle it's going in my hoody!"

She giggled.
"I had one of those as a child, they like burrowing, it makes them feel safe."

She wore fishnet stockings, biker shorts and a long-sleeved jean shirt. She looked like a typical biker but with a gothic streak, because of her dark makeup.

Despite her crazy fashion sense, she was a homebody unlike me. She had refused multiple times to be set-up with Demetri or even just going for a drink by the corner of her flat; she wouldn't have it.

She had a inside joke with me; whenever we met new people, she'd say I'm the wild one and she's religious.

No one believed her at first until the semester had reached its end. I think the funniest thing that had happened was I was with Marcus and one of her friends walked in on us, even though I'd closed the door.

She turned beet and gushed out apologies in Italian. Marcus got off me and gave a shy smile. She got out much faster.

She never walked into my room without knocking since then. I was quite happy about that. But then people started questioning me that if I was so religious wouldn't God be angry with me for sinning.

I would just roll my eyes this was from chicks who had abortions before...I didn't care about that, I just found it hypocritical. Maybe they didn't expect me to find anyone...especially someone who's atheist.

"I don't feel safe with a rat up in my clothes."
She sighed.
"Not a rat; it's a mustela."

"A say what now?"
"Mustela like a weasel, hey."
Oh. I stroked the mustela absent mindedly.

"I can't believe your housemate though... how can she buy animal she doesn't want then she decides to feed it to snake, because it's boring."

Her beautiful face marred by anger.

"I know right? I hate animals but why even do that? She was just thinking it'd be like owning a cat."

Ruelle shook her blue bangs.
"That's idiotic. Ok, so we are almost there."

We were stuck in a jam; people were rushing back to work after lunch. We eventually made it past the highway squashed with cars onto a narrow road leading to a suburb, two roads from Ruelle's place.

I would have missed it if she didn't take me there. A house with identical, peach paint as the other neighbourhood houses. With a shiny black roof.

"There's a vet here?" I asked.
Ruelle nodded.

"My stepbrother has his new business here at this old office, just until he creates his own clinic in the country."

She reversed into a parking spot deftly before shutting off her engine. She clicked off her seat belt and I followed suit.

As we walked to her brother's business, she asked how we were doing.

"Looks snug as a bug, doesn't he?" I said.
"Surprisingly needy for a ferret," she said.

We walked into the house and found a few clients, a man with a black cat, a little girl and her mother with a hamster; an old granny with her Bichon, looking nearly as ancient as herself.

The black cat watched the mustela I held in silent fascination. The fluffy white dog barked in greeting.

My friend enthusiastically greeted the clients. I said hi shyly. We sat and we waited until all the first clients were attended to and then we barged in.

"Famiglia!" she yelled.

A man with choppy, hay hair glanced up at us. He wore a blue tee and some jeans. A stethoscope was around his white neck. He flashed a smile.

"Ruelle, what brings you?" he said in Italian
It was getting easier to understand more Italian by the day.

She pointed to the balding animal in my arms.
"My friend and I have a client for you."

His coffee eyes brightened.
"A ferret? Those are so rare here. Let me see the beauty."

I was worried he wouldn't be able to treat the creature like the previous vets I visited. I laid him on the examination table.

He didn't like that so he tried burrowing into my hoody pocket. I stroked him reassuringly. That soothed him enough.

He palpated his body then opened his mouth. He scowled, the gums were pale and a few teeth were rotting.

"What's my little client's name?"
"Mr Ferret." I said.

My dormmate had the dumbest ideas. That was the worst name.
"How old is the ferret?"

"I don't know."
He gave me a sceptical look, I fidgeted self-consciously.

Ruelle poked him in the side.
"This is not her animal; she saved him from being snake chow."

He gave me an apologetic look.

"My housemate, apparently had him cooped up in her room. She thought hed be like owning a cat; it  wasn't apparently. Today he was in a wire run ready to be shipped downstairs, to our neighbour with the python."

He frowned.

"Poor girl," he muttered as he listened to the ferret's heartbeat.

"Girl? Sorry, but this is a boy; my housemate mentioned that."

He laughed.
"That is a common mistake but look at her genitals."

He set her on her hind legs, she started fussing. then I did see she was indeed a she.
"Oh, Mrs. Ferret, then?"