The Mouse in the House

Chapter 1

          I’m tired of living someone else’s life.  I want to be me.  The cops didn’t care.  They brought me to this shelter after living on the street.  Next thing I know they’re looking at my teeth.

          “You have to go to a dentist.  We will take you to one.”

          So, they took me to the dentist.  And he fixed me teeth.  Now what?  Yes, the dentist wants to be paid.  That’s nice.  Paid with what?

          So, they go through some files and they find out—I’m worth—like—wow!  This is beginning to sound like some fuckin’ fairy tale!

          Well, to make a long story short, I’m now living in a lovely apartment in a respectable neighborhood in the City, with no trouble eating well and dressing well. 

          And all because the dentist wanted to be paid.

Chapter 2

          I did it.  I went to Art School.  And I’m now painting, oil painting.  I started painting in Art School and I love it.

          Then one night after painting at home until three in the morning I went to bed.  I closed my eyes and went to sleep.

          I woke up when Prince Charming kissed me on the lips.

          “Let’s go on a cruise,” he said.  “We’ll visit lovely places and eat in lovely restaurants.  Would you like that?”

          “What’s there not to like?” said I.  And off we went.

          Next thing I know, we’re in Italy.

          “Let’s visit the cities and towns in Italy,” said Prince Charming.

          And off we went.  First, we went to Venice.  Everything was on the water—no cars—just ships.  There was a hospital ship, a fire engine ship and there were tourist ships.  But we were on our own private ship. But since there were no cars, there were no roads, just walkways.  So, we parked the ship on a dock and went on a walkway.  You could walk down the street on a walkway with one hand touching the buildings on the right side of the street and the other hand touching the buildings on the left side of the street.  How cool!

          What happened next?  I woke up.  “What a lovely dream,” I said to myself.  I looked at the painting I was doing.  “Very nice,” I said to myself.  “I like it.  And the next painting I will do will be of Venice.”

          What a lovely life.  And all because the dentist wanted to be paid. 

Chapter 3

          Most women do not like rats.  If they see one in their apartment they scream and the super comes running.  Me, I’m used to them.  You see them on the street near the garbage.  They never bothered me because I did not have food when I lived on the street, so they did not come near me. 

          But I remember my parents and my parents’ house.  They never had a rat but they did have mice.  And my father hated them.  Whenever there was a mouse in the house he would run out of the room and my mother would go after the mouse.  She would kill the mouse and put it outside in the garbage.  Then my father would come back in the room. 

          But where I live now, so far there have not been any mice or rats in my apartment.  No, not where I live now.

          And all because the dentist wanted to be paid.

Chapter 4

          Now I have a partner—not a live-in—Don’t want that—But someone special to spend some time with, someone to travel with, someone to go on a cruise with.  And my partner and I did just that.  We went on a cruise, visited many islands in the Caribbean and relaxed.  We spoke about the future, what we wanted in life, how we wanted to live.

          I told him I love the way we are living right now.  And he agreed.  And how I wanted to go on this way as long as possible.

          And how did this all become possible?  All because the dentist wanted to be paid.