One of the resident foster animals is a wonderful Manx named Rabbit Rabbit. She has the most dog-like disposition of any cat I've ever known. She is the alpha dog even among the dogs of the house, often going so far as to steal the dogs' rawhides directly from them, just so they know who's boss.

Unfortunately, she also eats like a dog. I decided she needed to go on a diet to avoid the common diseases that afflict overweight cats, so recently she has been on a low-calorie diet. This did not sit well with The Manx. First, she figured out how to open the dry food bag on the counter. Then she figured out how to open the closet and get the dry food bag out from where it'd been hidden. Then she started eating my breads, croissants, and cereals off the counter if I forgot to put them away. And last but not least, I found her head-first in the dog treats bowl on more than one occasion.

So here in this second installment of the ad-lib series, I try to imagine Rabbit Rabbit's dream scenario: a brief solo sojourn down Broadway Avenue. It's a luscious Friday afternoon, and the college kids are strolling about. The Manx works her way down the ave, delicious food smells pouring out of the open-air restaurants that surround her on both sides. So many places to eat, how is a Manx too choose? She nods to the avenue regulars... of course they all know her!

But then, the unthinkable happens! Distracted by the prospect of limitless gastronomic delight, she has run herself smack into one of those blue-shirted street solicitors.

"Do you have a minute for the children?"

The Manx knows nothing of children. She stares at the solicitor blankly, and wonders if the droning pitch will ever stop. She tries to meow a brief lie, and say that she already gives to this particular charitable organization. But nothing helps. It is as if she has pressed play on a mobius tape recorder.

But as swiftly as luck plunged her into this predicament, so too does it deliver her. For just as the sales pitch has reached its crescendo, a crowd of people passes by, and due to her small stature, she slips out under their cover.

Free once again to take in the promenade, the Manx rejoices at the wonders of the day.

Note: One of the rules of this game is that I am not allowed to edit anything, since it's ad-lib practice. I actually rather like how this came out, but there's one note that I hit wrong, and I knew it at the time, and it just kills me. It's killing me right now. I hit wrong notes all the time, but when there's obviously the one right note to hit at the time, and you know it, and you hit the wrong one because your brain just hasn't caught up to your fingers... well it's just so aggravating! I apologize in advance for this note, above all the other mistakes contained herein.

Topics: Manx, Broadway, food, solicitor, paradise, wonderful, delicious, exciting, cat, freedom, exploration

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