Here's a story for you

I took my mail wagon to get serviced today. I was at a Jiffy Lube. You know the drill. They call you up to look at the computer and tell you all the things they recommend be done to the car. Anyway, I sat back down after my "consult" and 2 minutes later my "tech" was back in the waiting room. He asked me to step out into the bay. Kind of ominously, especially in hindsight. As I walked toward him he asked if I have cats. It sounded conversational but totally random. Then he got more specific. "Do you have a black cat?". "Um, yes. Yes I do. (hesitatingly) Why?". "Well, sorry to have to tell you this but there is a cat in your engine and, um, it's dead, obviously".

I walked up to the car and saw the furry back of a black cat. All my instincts told me that it wasn't Una. The fur wasn't right and I was sure that she was sleeping on the bed when I left home. Still, I couldn't look too closely until I called Matt to double check. My heart was beating really fast. Matt picked up the phone and the first thing I said was, "Is Una sleeping on the bed?" No hello. He was all, "What? What are you talking about?" and I'm all, "Please just tell me is Una sleeping on the bed." He said yes and asked what is going on. I told him there was a dead black cat in my engine and he said, "where are you that you are suddenly aware that there is a dead cat in the engine?" Jiffy Lube, blah, blah, blah.

The tech put the cat in a box and then put the box into a (clear) plastic bag. He came back in the waiting room and asked me if I could take it home and bury it. He said he could do it but it would be really hard to find a place. I've got nothin' if not space so the cat, box and bag went into the back of the mail wagon and off I went.

When I got home Matt and I decided on the best spot on the property for our pet cemetery. He was still working so I hoofed it out to the back of the property and started to dig, and dig, and dig. I don't want a coyote getting wise. All the while I had been so relieved that it wasn't one of our cats that I hadn't been able to absorb what I was doing until I unwrapped the cat and put it in it's grave. I began to cry. It was much more difficult putting the dirt (clay) back in the hole than it was getting it out. Matt came out to help me.

We can't figure out where the cat came from. We haven't seen any strays around. Matt was thinking maybe it crawled in while I had the car somewhere else but that cat seemed to be rather freshly dead so I feel certain that it got into the engine here. So sad. It was a little thing. I am guessing only six or seven months old.

When we were finished we hosed off the shovels and as I walking away to take them to the shed Matt squirted the hose at me!!! Have you ever? Seriously!! It would be one thing if it were summer but it's not. It's freakin' cold and crap. He did not look properly ashamed of himself. I have yet to decide on my retaliation.