As Told by Zero
How it all Began
Before I turned 3, changes began. A few weeks ago, mom started bringing boxes to Yellowhouse. She slowly packed a few throughout the week and they were gone over time when she would go away for a night here and there. Random Guy and I would hangout a lot. The vibes were off, but everything was still pretty normal. They still woke up at the same time to feed me, came home to eat lunch and give me some of their tuna, and came home later again to eat dinner (and feed me, of course).
Something Happened
Then, last week there were lots of boxes! I love sitting in boxes, so I thought this was the best thing ever. I sat in all of them. I sat on top of a few too. They both started filling them up and stacking them. One night, Random Guy would hold up thingies and show mom and she would say yes or no. The no’s went back away and the yes’s went into the box. The next thing I knew, Random Guy came with a big box truck and I watched from the window as they put the boxes and other big things into the truck. They ate some cheeseburgers and then drove away. I went downstairs to nap by the window.
Later, they returned. I looked around the living room. It was so empty. There were holes in the wall where art and shelves once hung. I wondered what was going on. I stared at them as the watched the rectangle in the living room, sitting far from each other.
The Next Day
The next day, everything was the same with less stuff in the house. Maybe this is what they call “Spring Cleaning”. They sure cleaned a lot of stuff.
At my dinner time, mom came home. Where’s Random Guy? I thought as I munched on my wet food. It was so delicious. I’d love to meet the chef that creates these culinary masterpieces.
Mom spent a lot of time on the phone. I heard her saying the words “Athens” and “credit” a lot. She started crying at one point. It sounds like she wants a “flight” after “cancelling another flight”.
When she was done, she started gathering more things. She unplugged my water fountain, scooped my litter box and began shuttling things to the car. There I was, sat at the door staring, and sometimes just seeing if maybe I could take a step outside.
Mom gently kicked me in the head as I resisted the force of her foot, trying to sneak past through the small gap in the door, the fresh air from outside tempting me.
Outside Time
After she was done, she put my harness on. We walked around the garden beds, then to the front yard, around the street a little, and back into the back yard. So many good smells to smell!
Then, she placed my travel bag in front of me. Uhh… no thanks lady. I dodged it.
There were treats presented. Oh, I do love treats. Ok, I’ll have a couple. She put them in the back of the bag. That’s like, kind of rude. But I’ll get them, I guess. As I reached inside, making myself long (as this felt a little like a trap), she pushed my butt into the bag and zipped it up. She started laughing at me! What the hell, mom.
“Oh, well that’s kind of mean” She said, still laughing and looking at me.
I looked around. I was bulging out of this little bag. She was right. I can’t be in this! What’s even going on! She let me out. I looked at her with disgust.
“Sorry buddy, that was a bit tight.”
She looked around, clearly stuck on something. I know she moved my other crate in that big truck.
“Well, we’ll have to just go for it” She sighed.
What does that mean!
Going For It
Mom picked me up and plopped me in the car, closing the passenger door. Then she ran away! Wait! Come back! She came back 30 seconds later with a few other items.
She sat in the seat with the wheel.
“Ok. Here we go! Be a good boy”
We started driving. Oh man. I hate this feeling. I peeked out the window, letting out a tiny cry. I spent some time on her lap. I hate the feeling of this activity. Why do humans like this?
On the Road
My head was kept down for a while, mostly because mom had her hand over my eyes. I felt a bump and looked up. The word around us was flying by! Why must we time travel! This feels so unnatural. I let her know again how upsetting this was. I got up and moved to the other seat. She reached over and put her hand on my head again. I still had objections, but this calmed me down slightly.
Pit Stop
We stopped at a grassy area, but in the distance, I could see water. Mom put my harness on.
“It’s time for a little break.” She gave me nice face pets.
We got out of the car and walked over a grassy area. This is nice. I started sniffing and walking. I had a feeling I’ve been here before. I walked across toward the trees. I heard some rustling in the bushes but couldn’t see the creature responsible. As I was sniffing. I looked up and turned away, poofing up. What the hell!
“It’s just the highway.” Mom explained.
There were giant trucks going really fast. They were loud and looked like they were coming toward us, though they were far away. Spooky. Mom coaxed me back to the car. We got in and she gave me some treats and took my harness off.
On the Road… Again
We set off again. She let me crawl into the back. I laid behind her seat and she covered me with her jacket. I could feel us getting onto the big road. I felt okay for a while, but I couldn’t help but meowing now and then. Then, I let out a big one. I was so embarrassed. I peed.
Mom pulled over. I think she though I was hurt. She felt around and found my secret pee puddle. She got a little frustrated, but then apologized.
“I know you don’t like this either. I’m sorry buddy.” She held back tears.
I felt bad. This was scary. It’s hard and I don’t know why we’re doing it.
She placed me on the passenger seat again with her hand over my eyes and we took off again. I moved a little but was mostly a good boy the rest of the way. When we finally stopped I could see relief on mom’s face and I knew we were where we needed to be. I looked out the window.
Oh. We’re at grandma and Grandpa’s! The last time we were here it was Christmas.
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