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My Pet Fly
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My Pet Fly
I love the south. I knew I had reached the south when I found Stuckey’s. While I no longer drink their milkshakes, I remember them fondly. I considered buying a Virginia ham but decided against it.
I was driving on smaller roads and I nostalgically noticed all of the closed motels. I found gas for $1.24 a gallon.
How tempted I was to stop at a textile outlet and buy a towel.
As I entered my hotel last night, flies followed me in. As I watched them, I thought about how much they reminded me of my cat. I miss my cat.
Like my cat, I cannot control flies.
Like my cat, they are demanding when they want to be fed.
Like my cat, they rush in and out, every time I go in and out a door.
Like my cat, I want to swat them.
I asked for a fly swatter and tried to get rid of the flies. I had no luck.
I prayed the Serenity Prayer and began preparing my supper.
God,
Grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
The Courage to change the things I can,
And the Wisdom to know the difference.
The flies were hungry and they apparently like the same thing I do. No matter how much I said the Serenity Prayer, I still felt an obligation to fight for my food.
No matter how much I swatted, they continued to win. I realized I had lost it when I had the fly swatter lying next to my fork. I wondered how many flies had been killed by that fly swatter. I consoled myself by saying that possibly others had no better luck than I did.
The flies settled down after they were full. (Another similarity to my cat.) Now that I think about it, it is also a similarity to my husband.
I wrote a couple of stories and went to bed. I was afraid they would keep me awake so I laid out a rice cake to distract them. They were not impressed. No one ever takes me up on the offer when I try to share my rice cakes.
At 7:00 this morning, they decided they wanted to be fed. They started buzzing me. I showed them the rice cake but they were not interested.
Finally, I said OK and got up. I began to prepare our breakfast. I gave up on the fly swatter.
As I checked out of my hotel, one of them followed me into my car. He likes me. He must have heard that I am planning to get a dog when I get home and realized that I enjoy pets.
Throughout the day, I made vague attempts to open windows and lose the fly. I have gotten to know this fly and possibly may have felt a vague sense of loss if he had left the car.
When I left the car tonight, he stayed in the car. I do not think he can open a refrigerator so I expect him to be hungry in the morning. On this trip, I have met cats and dogs that could open doors but I have not met a fly that could. Can you train a fly? Cats leave home if you do not feed them. Maybe flies do too.
Does anyone have any suggestions for what I should name my fly?
Job 8:21
He will yet fill your mouth with laughter
And your lips with shouts of joy.
(from New International Version)
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