Oliver
My first reaction when my mom told me she had a surprise was that she was sending me off to be married.
I don’t know why that’s what I thought, but it was.
While I sat in the car with her and Richie all I could imagine was meeting a teenage boy who would become my husband.
When we pulled up the tiny semi-detached house my heart nearly stopped.
After knocking the door were greeted by a tiny old lady,
Behind her hovered a tiny old man who said
“He’s just downstairs.”
A look of genuine disbelief crossed my face.
Who?
My mother instructed me to “lead the way,” so I made my way downstairs
Where I saw a living room with milky white carpets,
Two black couches
And a giant black bunny.
“He’s very friendly,” the old lady starts, “he’ll sleep on the bed with you.”
“Where is he?” The old man asked.
Then I saw a bunny run towards the couch and a grey and white cat following behind him.
My mom got me a cat.
The old woman gave us a litter box, a kitty carrier and two food dishes.
She told us that his name was Oliver and he was previously called “Bob,”
But that was a stupid name so she changed it.
While I attempted to soothe away Oliver’s motion sickness in the car, I couldn’t help but wonder how my mom would manage to get me a cat.
Of course it’s easy to go on Craigslist and search “free kitties,”
But my mom had told me her boyfriend was allergic.
So when I got home, after helping Oliver get settled I asked my mom
“Isn’t Richie allergic to cats?”
She looked down at her feet and said,
“I only told you that because I didn’t want to get one.”
I huffed, “Then why’d you get me one?”
She stared at the floor,
“Because I’d thought it would stop it from happening,” then she looked right at me,
“You’re becoming depressed.”
– Porridge: A Memoir
A memoir about life after death, and a little girl who nearly lost her life after her father lost his.
Famous Last Words 
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