“Oh, Milo!” I cried out when my cat leaped on me as I was about to drink my coffee my husband had made for me. She has been getting a lot in my way lately and knocking things out of my hand, particularly when I was trying to eat something. I didn’t know what had happened to her, but she was behaving wild. Milo seemed to have despised William, my fiance, constantly hissing and dismissive of him, as though he had done wrong. I assumed it was only that Milo wasn’t used to him yet, because she wasn’t a very friendly cat. Grabbing a paper towel, I wiped up the mess and made a second cup of coffee for myself.
It was a humid Friday night in October with little wind. William offered to bake a pumpkin pie for dessert which was surprising since he always let me bake the sweets.
“Are you sure you know how to? I could teach you if you want for next time.” I suggested showing him how to make one first since he had never made a pie before.
“No don’t worry about it, dear. I have seen a video and got some advice from my colleagues at work. I will be fine, just go rest and I will let you know when it is ready.”
“Alright but if you need any help don’t hesitate to ask. A little advice, just try not to burn the house down,” we chuckled and I stepped into the living room, turning on the television. I called for Milo but she did not appear so I let her be, hoping that she was finally trying to make a better bond with William. An hour passed and I heard intense meowing and hissing. William walked into the living room holding Milo and put her down beside me.
“Sorry but she keeps getting in my way and won’t let me finish,” William looked at Milo for a few seconds before saying, “bad cat,” and heading back into the kitchen.
“Oh, Milo. Why are you behaving like this? You know you’re better than this so act like it.” I sighed and continued to watch my show. A couple of hours had passed, and I appeared to have been passed out on the sofa with Milo. We both jumped at a sudden beeping noise coming from the kitchen, only to find that it was just William’s alarm on the pumpkin pie. Standing up, I went to the bathroom to wash my face and then made my way to the kitchen table where William was already sitting.
“You’re awake!” William was startled, not noticing we had woken up. “You seemed to have been in a deep sleep so I didn’t want to wake you.”
“That’s pretty thoughtful of you, William,” I replied, grinning. “Well, I’m up now and ready for that pumpkin pie.” I pulled out a chair and put Milo’s bowl on the floor next to me, filling it with last night’s tuna leftover.
“I want you to have the first bite and tell me how it is.” William sliced a piece and handed it to me on a styrofoam plate. As I was about to take a bite, Milo sprung onto me and then hopped on the table, causing me to drop my bite and the whole pie on the floor.
“Milo! What has gotten into you? You’re crazy!” I took a napkin and cleaned up the pie from my shirt. “That’s enough. I don’t know what has gotten into you but I’m taking you to the shelter. William, grab the keys and meet me in the car.”
“Are you sure you want to do this?” William asked as I drove us to the shelter.
“Yes, I have made my mind. She’s deranged and needs help. I can’t take care of her anymore so she needs to go.” Milo was whimpering and meowing nonstop when I grabbed her. I didn’t have a choice and needed to get rid of her immediately before she had gone totally insane. For the last time, I stared into her imploring eyes before dropping her off at the shelter. Her meows and purrs became quieter as I headed back to the car. I sighed and started driving back home.
The ride back home was awfully quiet and dim. When we arrived home, I headed straight to bed to try and get my mind off of what happened tonight. I switched the lamp off and closed my eyes, and I was asleep before I knew it.
The next morning was rainy and I had no intention of heading outside for the day. William had made me a cup of coffee as he did every morning, except this time I was actually able to drink it without Milo interrupting me. The thought of her made me miss her but I did what I had to do last night.
I took a sip of the coffee and suddenly began choking. I fell to the ground and had a hard time breathing. “William!” I tried shouting but my voice was hoarse. Luckily, I heard footsteps running towards me. “H-help me. I c-can’t breathe.” I couldn’t talk and kept stuttering.
“Hahahaha. Finally, after many days, it worked.” Why was William laughing? What was he talking about? I turned my head to face him and looked at him in confusion.
“Please help,” I tried my best to get the words out of my mouth but it hurt.
“That cat made it hard for me. I’ve come so close to poisoning you all these days. First of all, I tried it in your coffees, but that stupid cat kept getting in the way. I put it in the pie last night, too, but, of course, the cat still spoiled the idea. Thanks to you for taking her away it finally worked.” He picked me up and put me on the couch before heading out of the living room.
Milo has been trying to help me? Realization dawned on me that every time she kicked the coffee or food out of my hand, it was because she was trying to stop me from being poisoned. Sending her away was the worst thing I could do, and I was overwhelmed with remorse. I was helpless now and knew I was going to die. My insides were burning and I could not move. Soon, everything felt numb and I laid there, accepting the fact that I was not going to make it. Milo was just trying to save my life and I just sent her away with no hesitation. I felt tears stream down my face and I could not do anything. I laid there, knowing that I was going to die being filled with regret over an innocent animal who was just trying to help. I knew I could not do anything anymore so I closed my eyes and accepted the end of time.
inspiration: https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/844987948834503672/