Mary slept late into the afternoon. No sound, subtle nor strident, could wake her. Though she slept soundly, Mary could recall waking in the middle of the night for a fleeting moment and seeing the silhouette of a woman inching across her lawn, but perhaps it was just a dream.
When Mary finally woke, she only had a faint memory of her “dream”. She strode over to her mailbox and checked the mail, prepared a small breakfast composed of corn flakes, and then sat down on the bathtub to eat. Gigi meowed insistently throughout breakfast time. She knew it was breakfast time for her as well. Mary placed her bowl of cereal on the lawn and then began to fill Gigi’s bowl; only then did she realize something. There was no smell of ammonia wafting through the air, and Mary had not stepped in or tripped over the litter box on her daily trek to the mailbox that day.
After looking around Gigi’s area, Mary put her hands on her hips. “Robbed by my own coworkers and all they take is a measly litter box. Shameless.” So her “dream” hadn’t been a dream. “If I had been more awake . . . that lady wouldn’t have left with a litter box—she would have left with a black eye and no job.” Mary sighed. She replaced the litter box reluctantly. There was nothing she could do now except mutter “ifs”.
But the muttering had to be saved for later. There was too much to do and only a day to do it in. Mary’s “home” had become very trashy as of late. There were dirty bowls covered in dried cornflakes littered around, old newspapers were lying in a circle—some shredded, some intact—the raccoons had gotten into her trash can, and her new appliances were becoming dirty. On top of all of that, she had to pack in quite a few hours of exercise.
Mary exercised all throughout the day despite Gigi’s protests. She wanted attention that she hadn’t been getting lately since Mary’s schedule had become so hectic. Eventually, the cat realized that her friend would not be giving her any attention that day. She quietly slipped away and left Mary to exercise alone. Mary didn’t turn a blind eye to her companion’s loneliness though.
Another night passed. Mary woke bright and early to get ready for work. She hadn’t rested as well that night (due to previous events), and she was feeling the effects that morning. Her back ached and she felt very fatigued, but that wasn’t going to stop her. Mary was quickly rising through the ranks of the Criminal career, but she wasn’t high enough yet to carry out her plans, and nothing, not even a back ache, was going to stop her from doing that.
Mary returned home late into the evening. She had received yet another promotion, and she was now a Thug. With her money that she received from her promotional bonus, Mary bought a new bed and replaced her tub with a shower. After that, she was exercising yet again. Her job was very demanding when it came to athleticism, and Mary was determined to fill that demand.
She didn’t have much time that night to exercise though. After being promoted, she had to return to work that same night around nine. There was a slight delay though—Mary couldn’t find her uniform. Eventually she found it in the drawers of her bed, but now she was late—an hour late. Not only did that hurt her performance wise, it hurt her another way . . .
Mary had been promptly arrested upon her arrival and she had not been fast enough to get away. She hadn’t even gotten in the building, and she knew this was going to count against her performance since her boss didn’t know she had been arrested. Perhaps it was better this way though—Mary didn't want to think of how her boss would view this failure.
Hours passed. Mary had exercised and talked to other inmates the entire night, and she could now see the sun peeling over the horizon. It had been a long, long night. Finally, Mary had been released. She strolled home slowly. It felt good to be out of prison, but the feel-good feeling didn't last. A slow dread fell over her. She groaned, “There’s no telling what my parents would do if they heard about this.” Her parents . . . Mary kicked a can and gritted her teeth. This setback was something she should not have encountered. She had lost a day’s worth of work—a day that could have assisted her greatly in her plan.
Mary had broke into a jog halfway home and arrived in her front lawn soon after. She had planned to fall into bed as soon as she stepped onto her lawn, but it seemed that her plan had changed. Gigi sat on her bed and did not move until Mary came close. The cat then hopped down and walked behind the bed. Mary quickly reached down and began scratching her behind the ear. “Why are you running from me? I thught we were friends,” Mary grinned.
Gigi purred happily. Mary examined her long and hard and then sighed. She couldn’t just leave the cat alone like this. She pulled out her phone and dialed the adoption agency.
Henry was quite an exceptional cat in means of appearance, but that only made Mary appreciate him more. He looked as though he had come straight from the jungle. Sadly, Mary did not have time to get to know him—her bed was calling her—but Gigi had all the time in the world.
The two became friends very quickly, and they became mates soon after. Mary wasn't home often, but when she was, she noticed their loving behavior. Somewhere, deep inside of her, Mary felt a twinge of jealousy; a feeling of longing. She was a grown woman and she had four friends—one being a cat—and no love life whatsoever. Her mind drifted to one of her coworkers . . . his name was Kanoa Parrott. Mary blinked. Why was she thinking of him?
Mary shook her head and tried thinking of something else, but once again, her thoughts were targeted at him. Isn’t he a player? She thought, but felt indifferent to that. Mary had messed around when she was younger. Stop it. He’s married and his wife is pregnant. You have more dignity than that . . . but she doubted herself. She had become a criminal to defy her parents, gotten thrown in jail, and had nefarious plots which could lead to the downfall of her past. Could she really say she had more dignity than that? She realized all of this, and for a fleeting second, a sly grin crossed her lips.
* * *
A few days passed and Mary got promoted once more. She was now a Getaway Driver—level four in the Criminal career track . . . and she still had no home. This had to change. Mary sold off her old furniture and then used the left over money and her promotional bonus to build a small shack.
It wasn’t much, but it was a start.
<3
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