Interruption

A night such as this is one to be dreamed of. The week had been painfully long and tedious; however, the stretch of hours before her is guaranteed to make it well worth it.

Her muscles ache quietly as a result of the after-work gym session that served to release any distracting tension that dared to have lingered once she clocked out of work at five o’clock, thirty minutes late of course. She had, as usual, pushed herself more than she probably should have, but the toning in her arms and stomach as well as the growth in her lower half proved that it was not in vain.

The muscles lightly groaned complaint as she climbed the steps that would lead her to quiet and peace. Her top floor apartment was a wonder as much as it was a curse. Between the lovely view her living room windows granted and the slow trudge up ten flights of stairs, it largely varied which she believed it to be. Today the stairs pulled at the girl’s dwindling energy; regardless, she would not be defeated. Taking the last set of steps in a quickened gate, her feet brought her to the door to her little home. The black and orange wreath that welcomed her showed more wear than she would have liked, but that is an issue for another time. For now, it served to remind her that it was her favorite time of year, and that meant there would be more than enough cheesy and frightening movies to choose from once she got settled.

Upon opening the door, she was greeted by an incessant meowing and whining that generally acted as her return home’s soundtrack. The meowing erupted with more volume from a black ball of fluff that was poised atop the old recliner that sat just in the line of sight from the entryway.

As was expected of her, she immediately went to the chubby black cat and scratched him behind the ears. “Hello Inky.”

The cat purred a deep lull then hopped down and walked toward the kitchen where the whining was becoming increasingly louder. The girl followed behind and, at the sound of approaching footsteps, the whining morphed into an excited bark. In her small cage near the table, a young dachshund puppy spun in joy.

“Yes, I know. I’m glad to be home too,” the girl’s words where spun with a giggle as she unlatched the cage and the puppy exploded forth.

After more happy yips, the puppy spun around her legs and bolted toward the sliding glass door that led to the balcony. With a shake of her head the girl opened it for her and watched as the puppy went directly to the patch of fake grass that served as her toilet. Without as much as a sniff she did her business and ran back to her mom.

The girl crouched down and cooed, “Aw what a good little girl! And no accidents today? Good baby Potts.” She petted the puppy as much as she could between the wiggling and rolling around on the ground that the puppy did. Her little tail beat furiously against the ground as she happily received her evening love from mom.

Standing up, the girl spoke to herself, “Alright now it’s time for me.”

Potts followed her happily back inside the apartment and went to sit somewhat patiently by her food bowl. Inky of course had been glaring in her general direction with his paw in his empty food dish from the moment she reached the kitchen to let the puppy out.

“Almost time for me,” she corrected herself with a shake of her head.

The girl filled Inky’s bowl first, because any other action simply would not be acceptable to that little blackhole. The puppy did its best to be good but, as always, stuck her head into the bowl before the girl finished pouring the food and it proceeded to fly all over the floor around them. Oh well, a puppy is an excellent pick up machine when it comes to food. With them situated for the time being, the girl stripped off her jacket and made her way to the fridge. Her favorite mug was already there on the counter waiting. The bottle of scotch behind it seemed to almost smile at her. While wine was the relaxing tonic of many women, scotch was certainly hers. She poured a small drink and, after dropping in a couple ice cubes, took a sip. The slow warmth eased down her throat like a gentle embrace while the stress of the week fell away. There weren’t many nights she got to herself, so this was as welcomed as it was needed.

Animals fed, puppy let out again, and now time to relax. Turning on the television, she went to the first Halloween movie she could find, which just so happened to be Hocus Pocus. It was about halfway through, but it would still serve as perfect background noise for her bath. She did know the whole thing by heart after all.

Inky took up his normal residence in the recliner and Potts trotted along after the girl as she made her way to the bathroom. Her candles sat waiting, as they always were, along the side of the bathtub and on the counter. She lit them all slowly, relishing in each individual scent. All four of them together sang a symphony of fall that paired very well with the babbling of witches drifting in from the television in the living room.

With her bath water now running, the girl went into her bedroom to grab her favorite loose t-shirt and old boxers that served as sleep shorts. She wasn’t planning to be seen anymore for the remainder of the night anyway, so why not be comfortable. With them and a towel in hand, she made her way back to the bathroom, the puppy still right at her heels. After stripping out of the still sweat damp gym clothes and securing her hair in a bun on top of her head, the girl grabbed her mug of scotch and slipped into the waiting how bath. Almost immediately her muscles seemed to breath a sigh of relief. She took another sip of scotch and smiled at Potts as she settled in on the rug in front of the sink.

The girl relished in the warmth, the wonderful smells, and the sounds of one of her favorite movies drifting in to her. She closed her eyes as she brought her mug back to her lips. A perfect night all alone.

All at once the dream was shattered by the sound of her door banging open and a loud voice bellowing out, “Myra! I know you didn’t think you could get out of game night this easily!”