Friday, November 30th, 2012, 1:15 PM
The atmosphere around the lunch table was tense. As had it been for the last few days. It was of course because of another argument, and the argument had of course been about the same thing as all the other times.
JoJo didn't understand why Buttons and Henry were so against getting a cat. They both liked them, so what was the problem? JoJo had been told why several times during these arguments, but if they were being honest, they didn't think the guys' reasons were that logical. Plus, Elmer didn't see any problem with getting a cat, so they were tied.
Buttons kept saying that they didn't have the time to take care of a cat. It was obvious he'd never actually had one. A moment rarely passed where not one of the residents of the apartment weren't home. If such a moment did happen, it would only last for a few hours. Cats could survive days alone. Where was the problem?
Henry also kept insisting that they couldn't afford one. Once again, an illogical argument. They'd only need some cat things, and an occasional refillment of litter or food. Then of course, the cat itself too. Henry seemed to think that all cats costed tons of money, no matter how much JoJo told him that they knew someone who once bought a perfectly good cat for five dollars. It was like the others weren't even trying to make good arguments for why JoJo shouldn't get them a cat right damn now.
"I'm done," JoJo said quickly.
They got up from the table and took their dishes to the pile on the sink. It was starting to grow too big. Someone would have to do the dishes soon. It wouldn't be JoJo. They did the dishes way too much. They should've had a dishes chore chart or something.
"Jo?" Buttons said.
"What?" JoJo answered irritably, not looking away from the pile of dishes they were trying to make more steady.
"We kinda need a new paper towel holder," Buttons said, unnecessarily slowly.
"So?"
"You said you were headin' to the corner store afta' lunch... D'ya think you could head ta furniture store too?"
"Is this really a that urgent problem?" JoJo turned around, leaning back on the kitchen counter.
"I mean..." Buttons looked behind himself, at their very broken paper towel holder.
"Since you're headin' out, can'tcha just get it?" Henry joined the conversation.
JoJo just frowned. It was only slightly annoying how they shut JoJo's idea down so quickly, and only a minute later asked for services. What was even more annoying is how right they were about the paper towel holder. JoJo went back to the table, and demonstrated their anger through the way they picked up their keys from the table.
"Fine."
"Thanks," Buttons tensely said, pinching his lips.
JoJo took their cue to storm out of the apartment. They shouldn't be this angry about such a silly topic. Just getting a cat? Why were they so upset about it? Obviously, cats meant a lot to them, but this much? So much that they couldn't even take a rejection to the request of getting a cat?
Now you're just acting rude, JoJo. But then again, you've gotten no logical explanation about why you can't get a cat. You've got a right to be mad. Yeah. That's it.
They pushed the doors to the apartment building open, and angrily started walking towards the furniture store a ten minute walk away. Off to get a damn paper towel holder, when they could have been on their way to getting a cat. All because of Buttons, Henry and Elmer.
Well, within a short while, they'd get a cat, no matter what the others said about it. They'd just have to suck it up and live with it.
____________________________________________________________
Elmer followed JoJo with his eyes through the living room window. He was thankful they didn't live on the first or second floor. Then JoJo would have seen him through the window for sure. The third floor was perfect height for JoJo to not notice Elmer, but for Elmer to be able to watch JoJo as they stormed down the street. They went past the lamp post with the flowers, past the rickety bench, past the crosswalk... and around the corner.
Elmer turned his head towards his friends behind him.
"They're gone," he said.
Grins immediately appeared on Buttons and Henry's faces. What they were about to do had been in the planning for several weeks, and all without JoJo knowing anything. Consistently lying to them had probably been the hardest part of the process. Whether that was listing the reasons they could not get a cat, or saying that they were going to the store when they actually were going to the animal shelter. Not to mention breaking the paper towel holder so they'd have a reason to get JoJo out of the house for long enough. Now it was finally time.
"Henry, you get da stuff out," Buttons instructed. "Elmer, you an' I go down ta the shelta'."
"Got it," Henry gave him a couple of thumbs up, before heading straight for the storage closet next to the front door.
As Buttons and Elmer got their coats on, Henry swung the door open. Keeping JoJo out of the closet had been surprisingly easy. All it had taken was saying "I'll get the cleaning supplies for you" a few times, and reminding them of the spider. JoJo had been slightly afraid of the storage closet since they found a huge spider in there. If there was one thing JoJo did not like, it was spiders. What they did like however, was cats.
Henry removed a blanket and a few coats that were covering what he was in there to get. That was of course cat supplies. Food and water bowls, a litter box, food, a scratching post, all the necessities. This was going to be the biggest surprise of JoJo's life. The front door closed outside the closet, and Henry grabbed the litter box and the food bowl. Not only were they necessary things for owning a cat, but they also filled up empty spaces in the apartment. It was a perfect arrangement.
Meanwhile Buttons and Elmer hurried down the stairs and onto the street. In Button's hand, the pet carrier swung around violently. It was lucky the cat wasn't in it yet, or it would have gotten hurt for sure. On the way back to the apartment, they'd have to walk a lot more slow and careful. That was just all the more reason to walk fast now. They guessed they had about half an hour to finish the adoption, get the cat home, and prepare the surprise.
The shelter was a few blocks away, so they needed to hurry. JoJo had been pretty fast when Elmer looked out the window, so Buttons and Elmer needed to be faster. It was practically a race, unbeknownst to JoJo, who thought they were just getting something from the store. None of the boys in the apartment could wait to see the look on their face when they came in throug the door and found a kitten.
After a short walk through busy streets, Buttons and Elmer reached the shelter. The bell above the door clinged pleasantly when they walked in. Currently there was no one in the lobby but them and the girl behind the counter. Therefore, it was very easy for her to spot them.
"Hello there!" she cheerfully said. "Can I help you in any way?"
"Ya most certainly can," Buttons said. He walked up to the counter with Elmer close behind him. "We're Benjamin Davenport and Elmer Kasprzak. We're here to..." he automatically started smiling. "We're here to pick up our cat. We're adopting Beany."
1:45 PM
Was a paper towel holder really that necessary?
One of the many questions JoJo asked themself in their head on their way back from the furniture store. Before they had their previous one, the paper towel roll had just stood on its own on the table. Sure, it had fallen over a few times, but if they lived with it back then, couldn't they live with it now too? Couldn't they get a cat instead? JoJo was well aware that the things had absolutely nothing to do with each other, and couldn't be compared, but they would much rathered have gotten a cat today.
Then they looked up. They almost couldn't believe what they saw.
On the other side of the street, a shelter was having an event. Tons of cats and kittens were outside, in big cages and pens, and equally many people were looking at them. Staff at the shelter were handing out forms, and talking to the people. On the side stood a large sign, with lots of cat pictures, and bold text, saying ADOPT TODAY! SAVE A CAT!
There was no way JoJo could ignore this. As quickly as they could, they moved to and crossed the closest crosswalk, and pretty much ran to the shelter event. This was meant to be. It was meant to freaking be. JoJo was getting a cat, right here, today.
"Excuse me." They tapped the shoulder of a staff member who was currently placing one of the kittens in a pen.
He looked up, and smiled at JoJo, who smiled back.
"Hi," JoJo began. "Is this like... where ya can just come an' adopt a cat?"
"It is," the man said. "Not that simple a' course though." He chuckled.
"'Course not," JoJo agreed, also laughing. They looked around at the cats and kittens around them. Not squealing at all the cuteness was difficult. They looked back at the man. "So what's the adoption protocol here?"
"Well, you'll interact with the cats, and see which ones you bond with. Then we'll also see if we think you're a good match, and if you are, we'll interview you a bit, and you'll fill out a form for us to see if you'd be a good cat owner."
JoJo nodded excitedly. This was it. It was actually gonna happen.
"Got yer eyes on any cat already?" the staff member asked.
JoJo's eyes had been glued to a certain small, fluffy one since the moment they arrived. So in response to the man's question, they nodded.
"That fluffy one."
The man turned his head, and nodded when he saw which one JoJo meant.
"Ah," he grinned. "That's Milo. Wanna go meet him?"
JoJo couldn't even get an answer out, but just nodded, very excitedly.
If this worked out well, they were getting a cat today, no matter what the others said about it. They'd just have to suck it up.
2:15 PM
Elmer had an absolutely overjoyed smile on his face as he watched Beany stumble around the apartment, exploring every last corner. He'd found the food bowl, and tried a bit. From the looks of it, the food they had bought satisfied him. He'd also found the cat tree, and very much enjoyed playing with the toy dangling from one of the levels. The gang had only had Beany for a few minutes, but if anything bad happened to him, Elmer would pretty much be ready to kill everyone. Beany was just such a precious little bean. No harm could ever come to him.
"JoJo's just a minute away," Buttons squealed. He'd just hung up the phone after briefly speaking to JoJo.
Elmer wasn't really paying attention. Watching Beany toddle around was way more fun than watching Buttons excitedly jump around.
"About time," Henry said somewhere in the background of Elmer's currently Beany centered world. "Why are they so late?"
"Prob'ly got hypnotized by some street cat or somethin'," Buttons sneered.
Beany approached Elmer on the sitting pouffe. He let out a tiny meow that immediately melted Elmer's heart. How could he ever had argued - even fake argued - against them getting a cat?
Buttons and Henry's conversation, and Elmer's admiring of Beany was then interrupted by the sounds of footsteps outside the front door. Elmer quickly scooped up Beany, who made himself comfortable in his hands. He joined Buttons and Henry by the door, but placed himself with his back towards it. If he dramatically turned around, it would make for an even better surprise.
The door opened behind him, and JoJo walked in.
"SURPRISE!" the three others shouted, and Elmer did his dramatic turn around.
"Whaaaat?" Elmer gaped at the sight.
"Wait what?" JoJo returned the confusion.
They were both staring at the cats in each other's arms. Buttons and Elmer's eyes were also glued on the fluffy, gray cat JoJo was carrying. They were all practically frozen in place, as if someone had paused the scene.
"Ya got a cat?" Buttons finally said.
"Y-yeah," JoJo stuttered. Elmer had a hard time determining whether they were embarrassed or just shocked. "You did too?"
Elmer looked down at the kitten in his arms.
"Yeah," he said, looking back up at JoJo and the other kitten.
"Huh..." JoJo looked from Elmer, to Henry, to Buttons, looking like he was trying to figure out if this was all a joke, and the cat was some kind of fake.
"So let me get this straight," Henry started speaking, in an actual sentence this time, and not just short words. "Ya went an' got a cat without tellin' us, and without any cat stuff at home?"
JoJo closed their gaping mouth. Then they slowly nodded.
"I was gonna like... get stuff when I'd left him here... I got the paper towel holder too." They held up the simple holder and reached their arm out for Buttons to grab it, which he did.
For the next couple of seconds, it looked like they tried to form sentences to say, but failed several times.
"You also got a cat?" they gestured at Beany. "I thought you... we didn't-"
"Yeah, that was all a trick," Buttons interrupted. They chuckled. "We were gonna surprise ya with a cat!"
JoJo laughed along with them. Elmer and Henry quickly joined.
"Guess we's got two cats then," JoJo said. "Milo," they held up the cat in their hand, "an'...?"
"Beany," Henry answered.
"Milo an' Beany," JoJo said. "Dream team."