MY FRIENDS
It wasn’t until a week later that I received an unexpected call from Ricky La Raccoon.
It was 8:30 P.M. I was lying on my bed watching a documentary about elephants in Africa. I must say, I was so deeply imbedded into the program I barely noticed my cell phone ringing. Thankfully, I later took notice of the ringing.
I reached for my cell phone and then spoke.
“Hello, who am I speaking to?”
“Umm, this is Ricky La Raccoon. I think Comrade told you about me.”
“Yes, he certainly did. And there’s something I wanted to ask you; how’s our friend Blackie?”
“Oh, he’s all right. But at least for now try to place a buffer zone between you and him. He was very shocked and hurt by what happened in your apartment. Without going into further detail, it’s best this way.”
“You’re correct. Perhaps another six or so months should do the job.”
“Yes, that’ll likely be long enough.
“Comrade and I were talking about some kind of a get together. The three of us, like, umm, maybe we can go out to eat at the Eaton Centre sometime soon?”
“That sounds fine. Look, it’s Wednesday, how about we meet up in a couple of days, say Friday.”
“Comrade informed me that he’ll accept any rendezvous that you and I decide upon.
Where and when should we meet on Friday?”
“Umm, hmmm, let’s meet in front of my apartment building at say, umm, 5:00 P.M. And how about we go to the Eaton Centre Food Court and we have ourselves some burgers, fries, drinks and dessert?
“Zoe that sounds nice. So, what have you been up to these days? Maybe, bumming around or maybe waiting for an important phone call from a new friend?”
“The latter is precisely what I was doing. But for now, I’m watching an African elephant documentary. I put it on MUTE as soon as I realized my cell phone was ringing.”
“Zoe, it rang like, umm, ten or so times before you answered it. I think you really love those animal documentaries.”
“Yes, of course, we’re animals, right? Therefore, animal stuff should always interest us.”
Blackie and I conversed for an additional half hour before we said our goodbyes. It was a very enjoyable conversation.
But as soon as I turned off my cell phone and the MUTE option on my HD (High Definition) television my mother knocked on my door and then stormed in like a roughshod soldier.
“Zoe, who were you speaking to? Was it a girlfriend?”
“Mom, no, it was just a close friend of mine. Besides, why are you asking?”
“Cat bites your tongue!
I’m your mother, damn it! How many times do I have to remind you?
Zoe, show your mother some respect.”
I frowned, then pulled the bed cover over my face and then closed my eyes. I didn’t want to hear any more of that. Besides I had a big rendezvous tomorrow. I certainly didn’t want my mother to suspect anything or to be overly pissed off at me.
3:00 P.M. Friday I gave Ricky a call. “Hello, is that you, Zoe?”
“Yes, it sure is. Is our meeting still on?”
“Of course, silly, Comrade and I are really excited about going out with you. The three of us can be like brothers, brothers-in-arms.
Comrade and I will meet you in front of your apartment building at 5:00 P.M. We’ll go straight to the Eaton Centre. How’s that sound?”
Suddenly, I remembered about my mother’s snooping behaviour. I was terrified at the prospect of my mother seeing us. Thankfully, Ricky and Comrade didn’t want to bum around in front of my apartment building for too long. There was no telling what my mother would’ve said and done if she saw me with a Siberian cat and a Francophone raccoon.
At 4:50 P.M. as I was leaving my apartment I received a sudden jolting shock.
“Zoe, where are you going?”
“Umm ... umm, I mean, mom what, like, umm ... I’m taking a walk.”
“Zoe, can mommy come with you?” “Mom is a rain check okay?” “Zoe, don’t you love me?”
“Mom, of course I ‘care’ about you. See you soon.” Apparently, I lost my patience. I wanted to see my friends.
I descended to the lobby and then exited the apartment building.
Therein, waiting for me were Comrade and Ricky. I was ecstatic. So were they.
The three of us rubbed our faces and bodies against each other, sniffed and scented away and then began our walk to the Eaton Centre.
“Guys, remember, everything’s on me, and I won’t take no for an answer,” I said.
“No problem,” replied Comrade.
We talked due east on Lincoln Avenue until we reached Guy Street. Thereafter, we scanned the area and decided to take the less busy route, Maisonneuve Blvd. We were hungry and certainly weren’t in the mood to bump into anyone or get into a skirmish.
“See, guys, these buildings are new. Concordia University is really expanding, and very fast may I add.
I think that we’re going to have a ball at the Eaton Centre. I don’t anticipate any problems.
As soon as we get there we’ll descend the escalators to the FOOD COURT. Thereafter we’ll scan the area to find a good place to eat.” I said.
“That sounds really nice. Let’s keep walking. Comrade and I are really famished. I guess you are too, right?”
“I certainly am. Look we just passed a Tim Horton’s, an A&W Burger joint and several small restaurants.
Be mindful, up ahead are several restaurants. Things can get pretty hectic,” I responded.
We continued walking eastward until we arrived at Peel Street. Then, we entered a series of incredible indoors malls and corridors leading to the Eaton Centre. We were no longer bound by the outdoor elements. Cats love the outdoors, but there are times when they appreciate an enjoyable indoor walk.
As we were strolling to the Eaton Centre the three of us began to drool. Even Ricky La Raccoon was drooling like a big cat. It was nice because it signified to me that he was, well, in a way umm ... blood kin of sorts.
Who said cats and raccoons can never get along?
As soon as we entered the Eaton Centre we scanned the area then decided to go downstairs to the Food Court.
“Guys, as a reminder, I’m paying for everything even dessert. And if by some chance we have snacks or additional drinks on the way back, I’m paying for those too,” I said.
We decided to eat at Burger King. Naturally, we stood in one of the lines until our turn came.
The cashier was a beautiful young South American looking girl, dark-haired and shiny-eyed. She had a smile that was bigger than a star.
“How may I help you?”
I leaped onto the counter and then ordered for the three of us. Comrade and Ricky gave me a ‘yes’ nod signifying that it was okay for me to order for them.
“Umm, we want three quadruple whoppers, super-sized fries and super-sized Coke. Oh, please give us six pie desserts three apple and three cherry. Each of us needs two pies each.”
“Oh, honey, our maximum burger size is the triple whopper. I’m sorry. How about that, will it satisfy your appetites?”
I took a deep breath, glanced at the ceiling and then at Comrade and Ricky. I needed some help. I got it in the form of a whisper from Ricky, but not until after he leaped onto the counter.
“Zoe, put a loony (a one dollar Canadian coin) in the palm of your hand and then offer it to her but be very careful the manager is in the kitchen. For some reason she keeps glancing over at us.”
I placed a loony in my paw and then tried to ‘reward’ the cashier for being so friendly.
“Honey, I’ll give you this loony if you give us quadruple whoppers. It is tax free and no one including Revenue Canada will ever find out. The manager is pre-occupied with the kitchen staff.”
“Oh my dear, no customer has ever given me tip of any sort. Don’t worry kitty, I’ll sneak in the kitchen and personally fix your meals.”
After I paid for the meals, we waited intently. Thankfully, the cashier wasn’t kidding about what she was going to do. Better yet, she carried our food tray to a specified location; near a television screen.
“Thanks, and umm, what’s your name anyway?” I asked. “Oh, I’m Amanda. What’s yours?”
“I’m Zoe, this is Ricky and that is Comrade. We really appreciate what you’ve done for us.”
“Gosh, you guys are welcome. I love cats, oh ... and raccoons too. Please come by to Burger King as often as you want to. I work Mondays through Fridays until 6:00 P.M. Please don’t forget me.”
“Thanks, you’ve been so kind to us. Do you want to be a member of our clique? I asked.
With a tear in her eye, Amanda replied in the affirmative. That was really nice. Now, we had a good friend, a friend who worked at one of the food counters at the Eaton Centre.
As soon as Amanda walked away we got down to the business at hand, food and drinks.
“Guys, we need to pack our burgers and fries with ketchup; regarding the fries pepper is also needed.
These burgers look so nice. And, the fries, wow, Burger King Inc. has thickened their fries,” said Ricky.
The Eaton Centre Food Court was full to the rim. Everyone was pre-occupied with his/her own food.
Sitting at a table near us was a preschool boy. His parents were wearing sub-Sahara African clothing.
The boy glanced over at us, grinned and then stood up and took a couple of steps in our direction. Unfortunately, his mother grabbed the back of his shirt and yanked him back to his seat.
As soon as the little boy gave a pre-cry face I quickly responded by smiling at him and then covering my mouth with my paw. I was signifying to him that everything was all right and that he shouldn’t throw a fit or any kind of temper tantrum, certainly not in a food court.
The little boy aped my move, and luckily, he resumed eating his Chinese food.
“Guys, we should do this every Friday. Don’t you think?” I asked.
Ricky and Comrade’s mouths were full of food. Furthermore, they didn’t look like they wanted to talk, at least until they were partially satiated. Seeing that, I resumed eating.
The meal was splendid and we’d become fully satiated. We needed a long walk.
“Guys, let’s take a walk in the Eaton Centre, afterwards we’ll walk in the other nearby malls, how about that?” I asked.
“Let’s go for it, we need to digest our gargantuan meal. We don’t want to put on 5 pounds in a single day,” responded Ricky.
We enjoyed our long walk within the indoor malls in the area. But by 8:30 P.M., we realized that it was time to go home. The malls officially close at 9:00 P.M. on Friday but even before that time, store owners and food court workers begin to clean up and get ready for closing.
We headed back home, tired but very enthusiastic about our next meeting. As soon as we reached my apartment we group-hugged and then rubbed the sides of our faces and bodies against each other. Ricky was becoming a cat, in the figurative sense.
“Please give me a call and be careful, my mother’s very strict about who I can befriend. Sometimes, she can be excessively picky.”
After saying our goodbyes I entered the apartment building while Comrade and Ricky walked due west.
I entered the elevator, pressed the number four button and then waited until I got to my floor.
As soon as the elevator doors opened, lo and behold, to my utter shock it was my mother, she was standing there all red– faced and red eyed, fists clenched and frothing at the mouth. “Zoe, where have you been and who were you with? I demand to know!”
“Mom, my friends are my own. You have your friends. Do I ever ask you who they are?”
“Cats bite your tongue, Zoe. I’m your mother, and as such I can ask you about your social life, including who your friends are and where you hang out at.
You on the other hand are my son you have no right to ask me any personal questions unless I give you permission to do so, understand?”
“Mom, I’m going to my room. I need a long nap, and when I awaken I don’t want to see you hovering over my bed like a raving lunatic. You’ve done it before until now I’ve been quiet about the issue, no more.”
I stormed to my bedroom, pissed off and not in the mood for conversation with anyone, including my friends.”
As soon as I entered my room I leaped onto my bed and then hid under the bedcover and closed my eyes.
I slept until 7:00 A.M. Upon awakening I stretched my legs and neck and then leaped onto the carpet and headed to the living room.
Thankfully, my mother was still asleep. I figured I had a couple of hours till she awakened. As such, I took immediate advantage of the situation.
I turned on our HD television and our DVD player. Then I pressed ‘Eject’ on my remote. Thereafter, I place a DVD on the DVD holder and then pressed the Eject button again sending the DVD back into the DVD player.
I watched one zombie movie. At no time during the movie was I scared. I’ve always been a brave cat.
The following weeks were very tough for me. I was still pissed off at my mother. Although I put on a fake smile she sensed that something was wrong.
Thankfully, my friends continued calling me on a regular basis. However, I asked them to delay the weekly get together at the Eaton Centre for a while.
Because I didn’t want my friends