I finished folding my laundry and sat back, staring at the neat pile on the coffee table in front of me. Freddie was on the couch next to me, grooming his fur. We were both getting our chores for the day done. Outside, the rain fell in a steady, moderate stream, the wind making the chimes tinkle pleasantly. I turned to watch it out the window. This kind of storm is relatively rare here; California is coming off of a decade of drought, so a rainstorm is a beautiful thing. Especially if you are at home with nowhere to be.
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The sky lit up with electricity followed quickly by a loud clap of thunder. Freddie froze, his eyes rolling up to meet mine. “What was that?” he asked.
“Just thunder!” I said, maybe a little too loud in my haste to make it No Big Deal.
He uncoiled and looked at me directly. “Why are you talking like that?”
“No reason!”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the sky light up again. I spoke quickly over the bang that followed. “It’s nothing!”
He stood up on his back legs like a meerkat to see over me. “What’s happening out there? Should I be scared of this?”
“No!” I said quickly.
He dropped back down. “You are acting really weird,” he told me.
Thunder crashed outside again and we both flinched. I took a deep breath. “It’s really nothing,” I told him. “Just a side effect of the storm. I just don’t want you to be scared of the noise.”
He thought about it. “I’m...not,” he told me.
“Good,” I said on a sigh.
The thunder answered us both.
He ducked a little, startled, but straightened again once it stopped. “What causes it?” he asked.
“I don’t know.”
He looked at me. I shrugged. “I studied literature, not science. I don’t know everything.”
He rolled his eyes. “Why did you think I’d be scared?”
“A lot of cats and dogs are scared of thunder.”
“It’s loud,” he told me. “I don't really like it. But I’m not scared.”
“I’m glad!” I said. “I guess I should have expected that since you aren't afraid of the vacuum.”
"The vacuum?” he asked, confused.
I shrugged. “A lot of cats are scared of it. Desi was.”
“It’s loud too, but not scary. That’s just silly.”
I laughed a little. “You are definitely in the minority there, I think.”
He shook his head. The thunder crashed outside again and he flinched. “That is really loud,” he said, his tail beginning to swish in agitation.
“It’s OK!” I said, overly loud again. “It can’t get you!”
He looked at me, eyes wide. “Why would you say that? Should I be worried —”
“No!”
We stared at each other.
“Not like the vacuum can, anyway,” I said quickly.
“What?!”
“That’s not what I meant!” I said quickly. “But the thunder is outside and the vacuum is inside — “
“No!”
We were both shouting now.
“It’s OK! I control the vacuum so it won’t hurt you. Not like the thunder. I don’t control that.”
“The thunder will hurt me?!”
“No! It’s outside!”
“But the vacuum is inside!”
I stopped. We were going in circles. I took a deep breath and blew it out.
“We’re panicking for no reason,” I told him. “You are safe.”
He just stared at me, tail swishing. I turned to look out the window and was surprised to see sunshine. While we had been working ourselves up like idiots the storm had nearly passed. “It’s OK,” I told him. “I think the thunder is finished for now.”
He stepped on my lap and looked too. “It’s getting lighter,” he observed.
“Yes. I think the rain is just about done for today.”
He turned to look into my face. “It’s coming back?”
“Um...a different storm. On Saturday.”
He curled up on my lap. “You better pet me,” he said. “I’m not ready to do this again.”
I obeyed and we sat enjoying the silence for a while.
“The good news,” I told him, “is that rain keeps the ducks away.”
His claws curled into my leg. “Why would you bring up ducks?!”
Happy Caturday, Peeps! In case you wondered, it is true, actually, that my neurotic weirdo of a cat is scared of kissey noises and ducks but almost totally unbothered by thunder and the vacuum. He doesn’t like either thing, but he doesn’t run and hide.
I hope everyone effected by it made it through the crazy weather this week with a minimum of damage and drama. Just remember — Spring is around the corner. 🌷 🌹 🥀 🌺 🌸 🌼 🌻
Today is the last of my three Saturdays at work in a row. I’ll be here in the early evening and I look forward to chatting. Have a great day, Peeps!