Snuggs

Molly was feeding Tripod on top of his hutch, and Snuggs was watching both of them from a fork in the tree overhead.

The Glass Rainbow James Lee Burke 2010

After supper, I watched Alafair feed Tripod and Snuggs in the backyard.

The Glass Rainbow James Lee Burke 2010

I changed into my gym shorts and a T-shirt and my running shoes, and in the backyard, under the supervision of our warrior cat, Snuggs, and our elderly raccoon, Tripod, I did fifty push-ups with my feet propped on a picnic bench, five reps of sixty-pound curls, three reps of military presses, and one hundred stomach crunches.

The Glass Rainbow James Lee Burke 2010

“Bring Tripod and Snuggs inside, and bring in their bowls, too.”

The Glass Rainbow James Lee Burke 2010

I fed Tripod and Snuggs, then fixed a fried-egg and bacon sandwich and took it and a cup of coffee and hot milk and a folding chair down the slope of my backyard.

The Glass Rainbow James Lee Burke 2010

I saw Molly and Alafair saying good-bye to me, and Tripod and Snuggs walking back up the slope to the house.

The Glass Rainbow James Lee Burke 2010

As I sat on the steps with Snuggs and Tripod, I wondered if those soldiers of long ago were still out there, beckoning to us, daring us to witness their mortality, daring us to acknowledge that it would soon be ours.

The Glass Rainbow James Lee Burke 2010

I went outside and fed Snuggs and Tripod and came back in.

The Glass Rainbow James Lee Burke 2010

I WOKE BEFORE SUNUP the following day and fed Tripod and Snuggs on the back steps, then fixed a bowl of Grape-Nuts and sliced bananas and sat down on the steps and ate breakfast with them.

The Glass Rainbow James Lee Burke 2010

We had brought Snuggs and Tripod inside, and the two of them were eating out of their bowls on the floor.

The Glass Rainbow James Lee Burke 2010