Everybody Wants To Be A Cat

Chapter 5

We waddled all the way back to Paris, a goose ran out of a restaurant and stumbled around.

"Why! it's Uncle Toshinori." Tsu said and looked at her sister.

"Uncle Toshinori!" Mina shouted and Uncle Toshinori screamed.

"Mina! Tsu! My two favorite nooses." Uncle Toshinori hiccuped.

"Uncle Toshinori, have you been drinking?" Tsu asked.

"Oh. What happened to your tail feathers?" Mina asked and looked at his tail.

"Girls, it's outrageous." Toshinori cried. "You won't believe what they tried to do to your poor old Uncle Toshinori. Look. Look at this." He pointed at the menu sign. "Prime country goose a la provencale." "Stuffed with chestnuts?" And, "Basted in... White wine." He finished with a hiccup, he leaned on Hitoshi.

"Basted? He's been marinated in it." Hitoshi said and leaned away from him.

"Dreadful," Toshinori added. "Being British, I would prefer sherry." The geese laughed.

"Uncle Toshinori. You're just too much" Tsu laughed.

"You mean he's had too much." Mina laughed. She turned to her sister. "We'd have to get Uncle Toshinori to bed."

"What's all the whispering about, huh?" Uncle Toshinori asked.

"Shh!" They shushed him.

"Now, now, now, girls. Girls, don't shush you old Uncle Toshinori." He shouted. "You'll wake up the whole neighborhood. I snickered at the scene in front of me.

"Come along, Uncle Toshinori," Tsu said and puts his wing around her shoulder.

"I think we'd better be going," Mina said and put his other wing around her shoulder.

"Right-o, girls. Birds of a feather must-" Uncle Toshinori hiccuped. "Together."

"That's "stick together." Mina corrected and giggled.

We watched as they walked down the streets of Paris stumbling everywhere because of Uncle Toshinori falling everywhere.

"You know something?" Hitoshi said. "I like Uncle Toshinori."

"Especially when he's marinated." I giggled.

~

Hitoshi led us on top of the roofs of houses. Hitoshi led with Momo on his back. Me behind him and my two sons trailed behind me.

"But, Hitoshi, Chiyo will be so worried. Are you sure we can't get home tonight?" I asked.

"Mama, I'm tired." Momo yawned.

"Me too, and my feet hurt." Denki agreed.

"Look, baby, it's late and the kids are bushed," Hitoshi said.

"I'll bet we walked a hundred miles," Eijiro grumbled.

"I'll bet it's more than a thousand," Denki added.

"Darlings, cheer up. Mr. Shinso knows a place where we can stay tonight." I said softly.

"How much farther is it, Mr. Shinso?" Eijiro asked.

"Keep your whiskers up, tiger shark." Hitoshi chuckled. "It's just beyond that next chimney pot."

We turned the corner and found the place Hitoshi knows.

"Well, there it is. My own penthouse pad." Hitoshi said and pointed towards a broken-down window. "It's not exactly the Ritz, but it's peaceful and quiet."