I'm Trapped as a Cat?

Still squashed under Maverick’s arm, I tried to remain still despite my instincts to rip into his arm with my back feet and possibly bite his thumb. As we crossed the threshold into the house Maverick slapped the switch on the wall and the back porch was plunged into darkness again. The cat wondered somewhere in the back of my mind where the mouse had escaped to. Now that there wasn’t an annoying light blaring in my eyes I was able to gain more control over myself. I studied the Swift’s home while he carried me purposefully upstairs towards his bedroom.

Everything looked so much different than it had last month at the barbecue. Little things like the tassel on the window drapes and the frayed edges of the couch stood out to me. My ears swiveled when I heard a rustling in the wall that Maverick passed by without a second glance. The living room disappeared behind us rapidly and before I knew it I was sitting on Maverick Swift’s bed. I had fantasized about this moment so many times in my head, but the experience of it turned out to be quite different.

“Now I want you to stay right here okay Maya? I’m going to bring you something to eat.” I couldn’t discern what he was saying from the inane babble that came to my kitty ears but I guessed he must be getting me something to eat because he made an eating motion with an imaginary spoon and emphasized the bed with his hands. That was fine by me; it would give me time to explore the room. I waited patiently for him to leave, and once he was gone it took everything I had not to rub myself all over his bedspread. After a silent debate with myself I decided to explore his bedroom. I may never get this opportunity again after all, and cats are hardly ever reprimanded for being nosy. I might as well get familiar with my surroundings if I was going to be staying here.

His bedspread was black and white checkers, and it contrasted well with the light blue walls and hardwood floors. There was a computer desk with homework and books piled on it and next to the desk sat the expensive stereo system that I had heard the day of the barbecue. Across from the bed was a closet that stood ajar and I crept inside the dark space to investigate. His clothes were in perfect order and it seemed strange to me that a guy would care that much. There were a few huge portfolios leaning against the wall, but I was too small and didn’t have the hands to open them and see what was inside. I scurried back out and forced my cat brain to look at the walls, even though she really wanted to look under the bed for little odd tidbits to bat around. He didn’t have any porno on his walls, and that was a relief. It would have been difficult to live with a pervert who stares at pictures all day and… you know. From what I could see, there were several posters of bands he must have liked, but mostly there were drawings. Huge drawings, small drawings, colored or black and white, they covered his room like wallpaper.

I knew he liked to draw but I had no idea he liked to draw this much! I pondered.

The smell of tuna fish wafted through the doorway and it blocked out any thoughts I might have been having at the moment. I found myself pawing at the closed door, desperate to find the source of the heavenly smell. Maverick stepped though the door with a plate in hand and he almost tripped over me in his haste.

“Oh there you are Maya! I wondered where you went. I brought you something special tonight, but don’t get used to it, I just don’t have any cat food on hand right now.”

I didn’t hear any of this; I was too fixed on what he was carrying. He set it down for me and I attacked the tuna with a force I did not know I possessed. He laughed at me and then left me to my own devices. I happily munched away at my prize, and I imagined that the only thing one could experience that would come close to what I was experiencing now was drugs. Everything else was gone and it was just me and the delicious tuna. Tuna was the crack of cats apparently. After I had made sure that there wasn’t a single atom of tuna left in the dish did I turn around.

I wish I hadn’t.

Of course Maverick wasn’t going to be shy around a cat, but when I turned to see where he had gone he was standing stark naked with his back to me. Thank God he wasn’t facing me. I tried to look anywhere but at him but the muscles that rippled in his back begged to be stared at. He was bending over the bed to look at something and I could now see that he had his pajamas laid out on the bed. His hair was wet and upon closer inspection a towel lay at the foot of the bed next to his naked foot. He must have showered while I was wrapped up in the deliciousness that was tuna fish. When he went to step into his pajama bottoms I looked away in case his unmentionables decided to make a peek-a-boo appearance. I scurried under the bed and hoped that he would leave me there.

“Maya?”

I could recognize my name now, and I hoped that I would eventually get used to the sounds and be able to understand him when he spoke. I watched his bare feet pad over to the empty dish and then over to the closet to inspect it. The door to the hallway was shut, and the list of possible hiding places was rather small. He walked deliberately over to the bed and stopped, his toes wiggled enticingly close to my face. My pupils must have been huge. Before I could stop myself I had darted full force onto his feet and bit into one of his big toes.

“Ouch!” he bellowed and I scrambled back into my hiding place when his deafening roar hit my ears. I watched him lift up his foot to assess the damage.

“Damn you Maya! You better not have rabies!”

Rabies? What do you think I am, some street cat ravaged by disease?

He crouched down so that I could see his face and he could see me.

“Come on kitty. I’m not going to hurt you, I brought you tuna for Christ’s sake!”

I stayed where I was. I had had a very trying day, and I didn’t want to bother with him right now. I just wanted to think about how I would get out of this mess. His presence made it impossible; he kept trying to reach under and grab me but I would scrunch back just out of reach. Finally he resigned himself to defeat and sat down on the bed, the ceiling above me shrank several inches.

With Maverick immediately out of sight I could finally concentrate on myself and let my guard down a bit.

I wonder what I’m gonna do now? At least I can keep an eye on Arthur from here, at least somewhat. But I’m gonna need help if I want to take him down, human help.” I thought about the possibilities.

Mom was absolutely out of the question. She was under Arthurs influence and I knew I couldn’t count on her. Maverick himself was a likely candidate, but he didn’t really know enough about me. Marie was the only person I could think of that could possibly help me, even with the communication barrier between us. She knew me so well, and she was likely to go insane once she realized I was missing. Arthur would make sure that no one besides himself would know that I snuck out tonight, and he would probably destroy my vehicle, the only evidence that pointed to him as the culprit.

As I thought about my next course of action the cat within me noticed an enticing piece of shoelace dangling over the edge of the bed, swaying back and forth. I knew it was a ploy to get me out from under the bed but I could not argue with the cat that was part of me. She batted at it until it disappeared over the edge and she jumped after it with glee, eager to begin the hunt. Once he had me out from under the bed he grabbed me, pulling me to his lap. The cat was peeved that she had been led on so easily and attempted to escape, but with a few scratches behind the ears and some soft stroking that felt so good I was embarrassed she calmed down and agreed to stay in his lap. The last thing I can remember before I fell asleep was the rumble of Mavericks chest beneath me, and his smile as he looked at me every once in a while from around the book he was reading.

And then I was out.