11 #StoryADayMay #Caturday Mulligan’s Cat

shortstorymonthx240This is another beat of the story I started yesterday. There’s a transition between, but I’m not posting that. Why? Because it’s a down-beat, not a beat.

Thank you, Story A Day, for getting me started on this story. I’ve been wanting to write about Rat-Trap even since I dreamed about it for the third time.

Mulligan’s Cat

by Marian Allen

We settled at an outside table big enough for seven and waited for Mulligan to bring our order. I made the mistake of looking out at the ocean, and nearly got blinded by the sun on the waves. The raggedy old fishing net hanging over the outside area gave, like, no shade, but there was a great breeze off the water.

Something pushed on my leg. I cut a look at Steve-o to my left, thinking he was giving me a private signal to check somebody out, but he was talking to Lucas, so I looked down.

A cat was standing on its hind legs, one front paw on my thigh, one front paw tucked up against its furry chest.

My mom would have fussed at me for petting an animal when I was about to eat — like any of us had washed our hands after the drive — but my mom wasn’t there.

It was a big calico, bigger than a lot of dogs I’ve met.

A man at the next table said, real loud, “Would you look at that?” The people with him made those surprised noises people make. The man leaned toward me and said, “She doesn’t take to most people.”

You know how it puffs you up when anybody says that about an animal or a kid. I scratched the cat behind her ears.

“Is she yours?” I didn’t think so, because he had on a service station uniform, but he could live here and work in town.

“Nah. That’s Mulligan’s Cat.”

That made sense. A seafood restaurant was the perfect place for a cat, wasn’t it?

“I’m surprised there aren’t more.”

“There are, but not in the restaurant or out here. She won’t have it. Chases ’em off.”

I got pulled into some argument Luis and Tony were having, absentmindedly petting the cat and scratching behind her ears. If I stopped, she poked me until I started again.

Finally, Mulligan brought out our food, a tray the size of an extra-large pizza pan mounded with food.

“Nice cat you have,” I said.

“I don’t have a cat.”

I pointed to her. She was so big, standing on her hind feet, her nose was level with the table.

“That’s not my cat. What would I do with a cat?”

The next table had emptied Louis and Tony’s argument.

“A man at the next table said she was yours.”

“Everybody knows I don’t have a cat. She hangs out here, that’s all.”

“But he said–”

“He said what? Exactly?”

The guys were staring at the three of us: me, Mulligan, and the cat. They weren’t even digging into the food mountain, even though it smelled like Paradise for your mouth.

“He said, ‘That’s Mulligan’s Cat.'”

“That’s right.”

“She’s your cat, then?”

“I don’t have a cat.”

“You’re Mulligan.”

“Yes.”

“And this is your cat.”

“No.”

“You’re Mulligan.”

“Yes.”

“And this is Mulligan’s Cat.”

“Yes.”

“This is your cat.”

“No.”

Luis reached across the table and smacked me on the head. “Stupid! Mulligan’s Cat is her name.”

A woman older than my mom, wearing jeans and a Hard Rock Cafe t-shirt, came out of the restaurant clutching the necks of seven bottles of beer, and all talk was over. Brent paid Mulligan, and we forgot about the cat.

~ * ~

MY PROMPT TODAY: restaurant, cat

MA

About

I was born in Louisville, Kentucky, but now live in the woods in southern Indiana. Though I only write fiction, I love to read non-fiction. The more I learn about this world, the more fantastic I see it is.

You may also like...

One thought on “11 #StoryADayMay #Caturday Mulligan’s Cat

  1. Marion Driessen

    May 11, 2013 at 7:31am

    I could almost see Mulligan’s Cat standing close to you. Adorable. You have painted a living scene in just a few sentences. Well written, Marian!

    Permalink  ⋅ Reply
  2. Jane

    May 11, 2013 at 10:16am

    And whoozat? is on second.
    Love that wordplay. AND the cat-girl.

    Permalink  ⋅ Reply
  3. Kiril Kundurazieff

    May 11, 2013 at 11:37pm

    OOPS!

    Had to delete and re-post!

    I posted under MY name, not Nikita’s!

    A long day. 😀

    Loved your story, very involving and funny!

    Nikita’s Day 11 is Thoughts of Home

    Permalink  ⋅ Reply
    • Author
      • Kirilkundurazieff

        May 12, 2013 at 8:33am

        Productive, and illuminating, and tiring.

        Did a post on my daily project that led to a lot of re-thinking of my categorty archiveds there, and a little of the same on Opinionated Pussycat and my other blog, Musings of a Mad Macedonian, as well.

        Permalink  ⋅ Reply
  4. Mike Carlson

    May 12, 2013 at 10:35am

    Very detailed story, Marian. I was really picturing out the story in my mind.

    Permalink  ⋅ Reply
    • Author

      Marian Allen

      May 12, 2013 at 12:53pm

      Thanks, Mike. I’ll probably have more episodes in Rat-Trap before the month is over.

      Permalink  ⋅ Reply

Leave a Reply to JaneCancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.