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09-04-03, for Katie
A room full of wishes
No one ever said that the job was an easy one. The brochures never showed smiling faces and, “we want YOU” type rah-rah slogans. Yes, she knew from the start that sometimes doing the job right would mean facing unpleasant and difficult tasks. With the fun comes the work, and for every job that allowed for sparkles or good food or frivolity, there would be one that required complicated manuverings and logistics.
But geesh, this was just almost too much.
As often is the case, we hear her before we see her. It's a normal afternoon in La Taverna. Drinks are being consumed, words are being written (and, in some cases, slashed), writers are writing, commentators are commentating (and uncommontaters are being uncommon), pundits are punditing, waitresses are waiting (although why they're not serving is anyone's guess. I'd check first, though, with that table of rowdy men in the back corner. They seem to be keeping most of the waitresses overly occupied). And then, from outside the heavy wood and iron door she is heard.
“Dang it! Get back here. No. Not there. Stop. Stop. STOP!”
There's a flash-bang and the door flies inward. Framed by the bright sunlight, sparkling wings looking a tad bit frazzled and wilted, is Our Nymph. And streaming around her feet like a multi-colored furry river, are cats. Cats, cats, and more cats. Cats of all shapes and sizes. Long tailed, short tailed, long haired, short haired, tabby, white, black, grey...cats. And Our Nymph appears to be engaged in a losing battle to herd them all into the bar.
A Patron stands and wades through the feline fracass. “Um, Nymph. I don't think you can bring those cats in here.”
She freezes him in place with a glare not normally seen in the eyes of Our Nymph. “These are for a birthday greeting. I'll bring whatever I darn well want to bring in here. You have a problem with that, maybe?”
Wisely, the Patron returns to his drink.
<ahem> (as if she needed to get the attention of any of the patrons.
“Thank you. Yes, we have a birthday celebration today. And yes, the cats are for the birthday girl. I was informed that for some reason what Katie might want most for her birthday is a room full of eager cats. I don't know why, but that's the message that my secretary took. Eager cats. Eager ...”
One can almost see the light of understand dawn over our Nymph.
“Oh, for heaven's sake. I absolutely have got to get a new secretary. Sorry, Katie. But the thought was there. Happy Birthday.”
