Tinkletoes Takes A Moment

                                               

“Mom...chok-ing me...”   Dobby croaks.

“I'm so happy.”  Writer Lady says through her tears.  “I was afraid I would never see you again.”  She hugs the ginger tabby a little bit closer.

“It's okay.  He's back.”  Tinkletoes says.

Writer Lady continues to squeeze as tears of joy roll down her face.

“Is he supposed to change colors like that?”  Tinkletoes asks.

“What are you talking about?  He's a cat.   Cats don't change colors.”  Writer Lady says as she loosens her grip and holds Dobby out at arm's length to study him.  “He's orange.   See?  Dobby looks the same as he ever has.”

“Thanks.”  Dobby says as he looks up at Tinkletoes and lets out a relieved sigh.

“You're welcome.”  Tinkletoes says.  “It's nice to have you back.   I didn't want to see you die again.  Not this soon, you still owe me a re-match.”

“You must like getting your butt kicked by a cat.”  Dobby responds.

“I'm done letting you win.”

“Letting me win?   You say that like you've been doing me a favor.   If anyone has been doing the favor it's me.  I make sure you have at least a few hundred points before you get rekd.”

“Show me what you got cat.”

“Let's go.”  Dobby looks up at Writer Lady.  “Mom.   If you don't mind.”

“Of course kitty.”  She answers placing him on the floor.

Dobby sits in front of Writer Lady looking at her.

“What's wrong kitty?”

“You got dragon poop on me.”  He says holding out his right front leg.  “I know you didn't mean to, but I'm not licking that.”

“Of course not.   I wouldn't want you to.”  After a few slips, Writer Lady manages to pick herself up, leaving the room she returns with a damp rag.  She wipes Dobby's leg clean.  “All better.   You can go play now.”

Dobby leaves the room making his way into the main house.

“Great.  We get to go play now.”  Tinkletoes grins.

“You don't.”  Writer Lady says looking up at Tinkletoes.

“What?  He...we...”

“First I need help with this mess.   We need to find out how this happened.  Then there's whatever is happening in the living room to contend with.”

“It's poop.  Cleaning up poop.  That's woman's work and besides this is your house as you are always reminding me.  Take charge of what's going on in your house and clean up your own crap.”

“This is my house that's true.  I love my house.  I love taking care of my house.  There is one small problem with it.”

“The roof?   I noticed you're going to be needing a new one soon.”  Tinkletoes agrees.

“The problem is this.”  Writer Lady began; hand out, arm extended gesturing to the mess in front of them.  “Messes like this.  Do you have any idea how many of you are here now?  Twelve.  Twelve!  In this little house and all of you poop!  You make messes, leave stuff laying around, get into things you have no business being in.  Doing crazy experiments!”  She says gesturing to the living room, there is a round of cheering and the sound of more glass breaking.

“I kept my experiment contained.”*  Tinkletoes counters.

“On my feminine napkins.”

“Yeah but they were still contained.  Even the poop.”

Writer Lady glares at Tinkletoes.

“Don't forget I replaced them.”   He reminds her.

“Incorrectly.”

“I gave you money?”  He offers.

“Okay fine you paid for your crime, that time at least.”  She admits.  “This has been a long day, crazy stuff is still happening and I'm tired.  Dobby died today, it took a lot out of me.   I could really use some help.  Will you please help me clean things up?”

Silence echoes throughout the room.  Something in Tinkletoes' eyes change and one corner of his mouth crooks up in a smile.  “So you're admitting that you need me.”

“Need you...what?”  She asks.

“You needed help and you asked me for it.  Admit it.   I'm your guy.”

“What?”

“I will help you with everything when you admit that I'm your guy.”   Tinkletoes repeats.

“You have got to be kidding me.”

“I'm not.”

“Fine.”   She looks at the poop smeared along the surface of the floor.  “I don't think this is toxic.  I'll clean this up myself as soon as I find some gloves.”  Writer Lady says disappearing from the room.

Tinkletoes leans against a wall and waits.

“It can't be toxic.  It was on my hand. If the poop were toxic I would have had a reaction.”  Writer Lady mutters to herself, returning to the bonus room wearing cleaning gloves and carrying a bucket of soapy water.  She kneels and begins scrubbing the floor.   “You know...if you wanted out of helping that bad you could have just said 'No'.  I might not have been happy about it but it would have been okay.”

“Maybe this isn't about avoiding work.   Maybe it's about something else.”  Tinkletoes replies.

Writer Lady looks up at Tinkletoes.

“Maybe it has been about avoiding work in the past.”   He admits.

She raises an eyebrow.

“I didn't say how far it was in the past, did I?”

Looking down, Writer Lady returns to her scrubbing.   “You don't have to say those things to get out of helping.  You can go now.”

Tinkletoes doesn't move from his spot.

Writer Lady looks up, “Really, it's okay, I've got this.”  She says gently.   “You can go now.”

Tinkletoes looks away, his eyes surveying the room,   “No Writer Lady, I think I like it fine right here.  I'm staying.”

*See previous posts “Finding Trouble” and “Out Of Their Gourds” November 2013