Photo by Audrey Pavia
Lucas came to visit and made me laugh more than once.
When my friend, Lisa, asked if she could leave her mom’s Rat Terrier, Lucas, in my spare bedroom today, I figured why not. I’d never met Lucas, but Lisa said he was a good boy, so I wasn’t worried.
Lisa was off at a horse show (she’s a trainer), and she just needed someone to watch him during the day since her mom was out of town. Lisa got Lucas settled in the spare bedroom and left, telling me she’d see me later tonight.
I went for a long ride very early in the morning with two friends, and when I came home, I sat right down to work. I forgot Lucas was even here, he was so quiet. That is, until I decided to take a break by lying on the couch and napping for a bit. The cats piled up on top of me, and we all dozed off.
I was awoken by the eeriest, most bizarre sound I think I’ve ever heard. It sounded like a cross between a moan and a wail. I opened my eyes, and so did all the cats. We all stared wide-eyed in the general direction of the spare bedroom. This unearthly noise was apparently coming from Lucas. I sent Lisa a text.
“Lucas is howling,” I wrote. “What do I do (besides laugh)?”
She called me right away and told me it was OK to let him walk around the house. So, I opened the spare room door and out he came.
Stubby tail tucked between his legs, Lucas slunk out of the room shaking, looking around as if he had died and gone to hell. He had the distinct “What am I doing here?” look written all over him.
I bent down and petted him, reassuring him he was fine. He seemed to relax a little bit and followed me closely into my office. He curled up at my feet, looking out nervously from between my calves.
Eventually, Lucas developed the courage to wander away from me. He soon left the room and disappeared. As I became engrossed in my work, I forgot about him. Then, suddenly, a shrill, bloodcurdling scream pierced the quiet of the house.
“Oh no!” I thought. “Something horrible has happened to Lucas!”
I jumped out of my chair and ran to the dining room. I saw Lucas on the windowsill cowering but completely intact. Then I noticed my orange tabby, Cheddar, on the floor several feet away, his tail puffed up like a raccoon’s.
It was then I remembered Lisa telling me that Lucas had been beaten up by a cat once — an orange tabby. From what I could gather, Cheddar — who loves dogs — got a little too close to Lucas, and he panicked.
Lucas is going home tomorrow, and it’s too bad. He made my day on this urban farm even more hilarious.
