Temperance
Mature adaption to whatever life offers; individualized existence.
I walked into the kitchen, and heard the soft mew of my cat snow, so of course it’s an all black cat, and a male. I always loved the irony of his name. I looked to the corner of the white-blue room, and realized his food bowl was empty.
“You’re such a pig snow, geez.” I said as I walked over and filled the small glass food bowl. I then filled both water bowls, one for snow, the other for pumpkin. Then I walked down the hall, and opened the first door to my right, the instant smell of feces hit me, but it was normal, routine.
The room had many cages, rabbits and guinea pigs, and a snake, a frog, and finally a turtle. All animals I had gotten as gifts in the past months for my solitude. I fed them all, made sure they had water. Turned on the fan to air out the room, and cleaned the cages that I had to right then.
This is where I belonged.
When I finished I left the room, door open, trying to get rid of that rancid smell. Pumpkin ran to meet me, and then snow came and grabbed the mutt’s tail. Pumpkin turned on the feline, and proceeded to cover him in slobber. The cat arched his back and scampered away to lick the saliva off. I couldn’t help but laugh, the routine of their encounters never seemed to get old.
As I went to my room, the last on the right, pumpkin followed at my side, and when I opened the door she jumped on my bed, and almost immediately fell asleep. I smiled to myself, and grabbed some clothes from my closet. I had to go work at the diner tonight, so I would have to wear the customary black skirt, black tee and finally black apron and heels.
I looked back to the drooling dog occupying my bed, and then went to the bathroom to shower. I quickly discarded my clothes to the hamper, and grabbed a towel from the cabinet. I turned on the shower, and jumped in as the water started to heat up. I adjusted it, and quickly washed my hair, and body, and then turned it off.
I used to love long showers, but now it was hard to do. I threw on my uniform, and dried my hair the best I could with the towel, brushed it, and put into a messy bun. I put on eyeliner, mascara, and lip gloss before leaving the bathroom, only to return with a laundry basket which I dumped the contents of the hamper, the clothes of the past week, into it. I hurried down the hall, heels clacking on the wood floor, down the stairs to the laundry room. I dropped the hamper, and would do the laundry when I got home that night.
Thank god for Fridays.
I went back up the stairs, and into the kitchen. I took out some bread, peanut butter, fluff, and grape jelly, and made myself some early dinner. Then after putting everything away, I finally sat down, ate, and relaxed, until I had to leave for my shift.
I guess I fell asleep.
