"Now I know what a drought is," he said, flicking his tail, waiting for her to feed him.
"No, you don't. This is just a temporary lack of rain," she said.
"That's why it's called a drought," he said. "That's what a temporary lack of rain IS. You might not be as smart as you look."
"Are you telling me that I look smart?"
"Don't put words into my mouth. It's just a saying. And, by the way, a new dog moved in this morning. He's two apartment buildings down the street. Jinx and I went to meet him and tell him how things work around here. Name is Brownie. What kind a name is that for a dog? Sounds like something you'd eat for breakfast."
"Maybe it's because of his color," she said, laying out some treats.
"He's white. He hates his name and asked if we'd call him Richard. I told him we would. People need to think before they name others."
"Well, at least you worked it out."
"He's about six years old. Came in from the suburbs. Said he hated that too. He seems happy now, though. Said there's a lot to smell and look at. He likes cats and squirrels. He said he has a girl. He sleeps on her bed. She's really nice and he protects her."
"That sounds great," she said.
"Cats protect people to, you know."
"I do know that. Cats are brave."
"We are. There was a black thing on wheels, running through the alley, over there. We killed it and some kid started crying."
"It was probably a toy car."
"Could have been a drone."
"I seriously doubt it. Why would a kid cry over a dead drone?"
"Maybe he's a robot and that was part of him," he said.
"No."
"What if you're wrong and I just saved the universe."
"If I'm wrong, then thank you," she said.
"Life is a lot more complicated than it was when I was a kitten."
"That's true and it's getting more complicated by the day."
"The humans who are born now won't know what things used to be like."
"Not anymore than we do," she said. "We have no idea what those who came before us went through."
"I know that cats were worshiped."
"They still are," she said.
"Yeah, but not in the same way."
"That's true," she agreed. "But that was in Egypt."
"Those Egyptians knew what was important. They understood that cats were Gods."
"They thought scarabs were important too."
"What are you trying to say?" he asked.
"Nothing. Never mind," she said, running her hand down his back.
"Are you saying that beetles and cats have something in common?"
"Not at all."
"We kill them. The scurry and we end them."
"I know. You're great killers."
"Not great, we're the number one killers on the planet, after you, of course. But you use things to kill, we just use our bare skills."
"I see that Molly had her kittens," she said. "They're beautiful."
"Two grey ones and a white one. The vet checked them all out."
"I'm happy for her."
"The vet said she'll make it so Molly won't have anymore kittens. She said there are too many cats. How can there ever be too many cats?"
"It's hard for them to live on the street. You know that."
He looked away. "I do know that," he said.
"I agree that there can never be too many cats but we want everyone to be healthy, right? And having kittens all the time will be hard on Molly, too."
"And winter's coming," he said.
"Yes, it is."
"Did you bring a book for me?"
"I did," she said, pulling a book from her tote bag.
"Parrots?" he asked. "What do I want with parrots. Parrots don't even live here."
"I brought this one too," she said.
"Ah, string theory. That's more like it," he said, pushing back the cover.
"Are you all coming over tonight?"
"Yes," he said, running his paw down the page.
"I'll see you then. Enjoy your book," she said, grabbing him and kissing him all over his face.
"HEY!" he said, "What are you doing?"
"I'm giving you kisses, that's what I'm doing."
"Control yourself," he said, pushing his paw over his face.
"I love you," she sang.
"Ack!" he said.
"See you tonight, tell Jinx I'll see him then. Meanwhile his food is over there."
"You better have live hamsters after kissing me like that!" he shouted after her.
"In your dreams pussycat," she said. "In your dreams."
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