The Uninvited Guest
A Lease Violation with Fur
The sun wasn't up yet. Wouldn't be for another two hours, actually. This time of year in Montana, sunrise is more of a concept than a reality before 8 AM, so I do what any reasonable person does... I watch it on TV. There's something almost meditative about it, sitting in the dark living room with a fresh cup of coffee, watching some beach somewhere do what our sky refuses to.
But this particular morning had other plans. The heater had quit overnight. Just decided it was done. So before I could properly settle into my sunrise routine, I had to trudge out to the bike shop in the dark to grab a space heater. Nothing like a 6 AM errand in a cold house to remind you that Montana winters don't negotiate.
I came back in, plugged in the heater, and finally sat down with my coffee. The fake sunrise glowed on the screen. The space heater hummed. For a moment, everything felt handled.
Here's the thing about our rental agreement, it's very clear on one point. No pets. No critters. Not even a goldfish, probably. It's written right there in black and white, the kind of clause that makes you feel vaguely guilty for even thinking about a houseplant with personality.
So the timing was almost poetic. We were literally about to call the landlord to report the broken heater when I noticed movement in the shadows. Something had snuck in while I was fetching the space heater. A furry little lease violation was lurking somewhere in the darkness.
Then Blue appeared.
Blue is the neighbor's cat. Orange and white, fluffy, and completely unbothered by concepts like property boundaries or rental agreements. He jumped up on the couch, circled twice, and settled in like he owned the place. Like he'd been paying rent here for years.
"Hey buddy," I said. "You're not supposed to be in here."
Blue did not care.
I'll admit I paused. For about five minutes, actually. Maybe longer. I petted him. We snuggled a little. The space heater was warming up the room, the TV sunrise was doing its thing, and here was this cat who had simply decided that cold mornings are better spent indoors with company.
I finally walked him to the front door and let him back out into the cold morning. He gave me a look that suggested I was making a terrible decision, then wandered off toward home. I went back to my coffee, the couch a little emptier than before.
On This Day
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