Page 79 of Hold the Pickle
Dear Residents of Apartment1405:
It has come to our attention that you have pets. Under the terms of your rental agreement, all pets must be approved by management and be accompanied by a deposit and a monthly rental fee.
Additionally, your pets violate the following terms:
I scan the list.
Over 50 pounds.
Banned Breeds.
There is a check mark halfway down.
Number of pets exceed the limit of two.
I glance up. How did they know?
Next to the door, the lone window to the outside winks at me. It’s the white blinds, moving back and forth.
What in the world?
I step closer.
A white paw peeks between the slats, moving them aside. Then a face. Ferris Mewler.
“Ferris!”
Soon he’s joined by a gray face. Greyson. Then a flash of orange. Pumpkin. Then a black set of ears. Doppelgänger.
So that’s what happened. The kittens discovered the window. Someone walked by. Maintenance. One of the office workers. And they knew.
Since I can see where the kittens are, I quickly unlock the door and dart inside.
Mama Cat and Catzilla lie together on the sofa. The kittens turn to me, leaping from the sill to the arm of the sofa. They got big. They got brave.
They got busted.
I sit on the sofa to read the rest of the notice, quickly swarmed over by cats.
Pursuant to your rental agreement, you must immediately remove the pets from your premises or pay the deposit and fees, and comply with any additional violations.
Your apartment will be inspected onSeptember 16. If you are in violation again, you will be evicted with no refund of your deposit.
That’s in two days! I can’t re-home the cats that quickly!
I glance over at Catzilla and MC. They are licking each other.
How could I separate them? Catzilla is so happy to have a bestie.
Hopelessness washes over me. What will I do?
I unlock my phone to text Dalton.
The cats have been discovered. I have two days to remove four.
Tears drip onto the smooth surface. What will we do?
I don’t expect to hear from him right away. If he’s seeing a patient, or under direct scrutiny by a supervisor, he won’t risk even checking it.
