he was looking throughout the house for the cat 

when he visited he made a big to-do outside the front door before coming in to tip the beast off he was present she usually attacked him in the foyer from behind the potted plant it seemed they had established a game plan 

no ambush 

he wandered around came up empty  went into the kitchen where his mother was futzing around she didnt care for the word  why he used it 

                        So as you futz around in here  any idea where the cat is

standing at the counter her spine went ramrod hard 

                                                       We don’t use that word in this house.

futz is believed slang from the Yiddish phrase arumfartsn zihk a buddys grandmother said it all the time in their house three generations living together he wasnt Jewish but he gathered its meaning without explanation meant farting around  Jews had a wordwords for everything an liberally doled them out  

Yes you don but I do  Such is the beauty of keeping my own place 

                                                                         Seen the cat

Your brother’s cat?

My brothers cat  Did you and Dad get another

We did not.

My brothers cat

It’s gone.           

           Your brother didn’t treat it well so it began peeing all around the house. We got tired of cleaning up after it.

Shoud have made David clean up the mess

He’d only have treated the cat worse.

   Worse 

            Was he abusing Tigger

He wasn’t kind to it.

                        he suddenlyrealised where he learned his sense of semantics euphemisms  she shoud have been an attorney a politician  keen to split hairs 

                                          He abused her

He wasn’t kind. 

                 his brother was adopted  his parents medical records were expunged from Davids records  then no recourse was available  David suffered genetic hardships  in all likelihood his mental capacity topped out as an eightnine year old 

he was thirtyone

living his parents

Maybe we coud agree David treated Tigger with animosity tha was is fed by his frustration from his lack of agency lack of authority  an ask feeling like a coercion  frustration fed by his feeling of disempowerment

                                                                                                 He had power over Tigger 

No.

as a kid his parents were three-trick ponies when he had questions for them  Yes  No   Because (I said)

You don think so or No you havent considered it

                                                       Is he continuing to see his therapist taking his medication

No.

they were efficient too

Are you encouraging him

You know David, he’s hot and cold.

Id heat him up when he got cold

Then you're welcome move back home. 

                                              exasperated she shook her head You have no idea.

I have some idea

                  If he came to the phone when I called he called every weekevery ten days  Id probably have a better idea

He didn’t want to talk to you, you know that.

I know Didnt stopped me from asking

No. It did not stop you.

Stopped my brothers and sisters

Yes. 

Tiggs gone

She’s gone. She’s in a better place.

Euphemism 

             he didnt ask

2205,  day-between-two-Ts – Ides of March,  15  3. 23