glory and gore go hand in hand

Come on, go with me. It’ll be fun.

Fine! Okay. You win.

Oh, I understand that. My dad has donors who do that. He explained it to me once, when I asked why they gave him money so easily. But that’s on a bigger scale than a guy expecting you to want him just cause you got a good steak or something. I know guys expected I wanted to go date them if I danced with them once at a party. 

Yeah, I’m sure that’s not exactly the same but similar enough, I supposed. Guys expect a lot from us, it’s easy to feel guilty for not giving it to them, but never feel like you have to. Not just with romantic or sexual stuff, but just generally.

That’s an easy solution. You get two cats. They keep each other company.

You have no idea how tempting that is!

I dunno, I think cats like us more than they let on. They just play hard to get.

Oh, I don’t know. I don’t think I’d be a good pet owner.

Guys are generous like that, cause, y’know. At least, my mom said something like that when she was trying to encourage me to meet boys. 

It’s not really generosity when they think it’s expected in order to get something in return. Most are happy doing it just for a date and maybe some brownie points that are eventually turned in for sex, but unless it’s a really good date, I hardly ever go through with it.

I know! I love cats. I like dogs too, but they require more maintenance. I don’t feel like I’d be able to give it the attention it deserves. Cats kinda just do their own thing.

Cats really do their own thing. I think if it wasn’t for the fact that we give them easy access to food and water, they would have just up and left us already.

Food is usually worth a lot. If it’s good. 

Oh it is. Thankfully there’s always guys who are willing to pay for it.

Oh, it’s fine, it’s fine. You don’t have to. Like I said, only if you want. I’m just not sure I make the best decisions on my own. I guess I just second-guess myself a lot. Actually, it’d probably be good for me to go by myself.

I’m sure once you find the right cat, you’ll know it and you won’t be left to second guess it. Although I do get where you’re coming from. The cats are so cute, it’d be hard not to want to adopt them all.

Absolutely. Um… would you go with me? I mean, you don’t have to, if you don’t want.

Um, as fun as it sounds, I’m not sure I will be able to enter the shelter and come out without adopting an animal...  and I probably shouldn’t considering how much I work, but I’ll think about it.

That’s true, and there’s far too many of me that needs a companion, so it works out for both me and the cat.

See? It does work out. I don’t mean to sound preachy, but I recommend adopting from a shelter.

“You can’t just not give me the juicy details. Spill. Was it someone I know. Oh my God. Was it Richard?”

“He was just this guy I met on Tinder. Which is how all the awful dates start off don’t they? He took me out to a steakhouse and it ended up with him trying to get me to sell his beer at my bar. I may have been willing to try it out if he wasn’t so rude to the staff at the restaurant. Hell, I would have spat in his food. The food was good, though. I don’t really date from the area. If I did the only place I’d be taken out to is Dunks. And no, why would it be Richard? That’s just weird.”

Well… he doesn’t really come to my apartment, so I could probably get away with the cat. Plus it’d help keep the mice away.

It’s kind of rude to tell someone they’re being annoying, but as long as you don’t mind some positive thinking, I think you’ll be fine.

Was it really though, Lynch? Was it really?

A girl’s gotta eat.

It’s nothing spectacular. Good food, horrible date.

I don’t know if my dad would let me have a pet. I’m not so good at taking care of myself, much less anything else, and I don’t really have a lot of money anyways, though I’d like to have a cat. I guess I could get a plant, but I’m worried I might start talking to myself more than I already do. Mostly I’m just trying to make some friends in town now that I’m back around, but talking to people is so hard. 

No, it’s not pathetic. It wouldn’t hurt to have a pet, if your dad allows it. If you ever need someone to talk to though, I’m  happy to be here for you.

Yeah, my uh… my place is pretty small too. You learn how to be with yourself though, in a place like that. It’s kind of what I’ve been working on, though it can get pretty lonely. I don’t really have a serious relationship, platonic or romantic, with anyone, so… yeah. But, no, it shouldn’t be long. I’ve slept on my fair share of sofas and park benches, so any accommodations is fine with me.

Ever considered pets? Or plants even? It might help. With the loneliness. Like I said I’m always working so, going home at night alone is most of the time a relief. Right well, if the couch gives you any problems, let me know.