Lisa Pimental and
KJ Hannah Greenberg

Lisa Pimental
“Foozle”

Response

The Ballad of Jeremy One Sock
By KJ Hannah Greenberg
Inspiration piece

Jeremy One Sock leaned forward a bit in order to lick his left front paw. He rubbed the top of that foot with his nose before letting his tongue roll gently over his toe pads.

Thad watched the kitty. He sighed. Then he spilled most of his oatmeal onto the carpet. He wanted to pet kitty so badly, but kitty shied from his touch.

A butterfly flitted past the livingroom window. Jeremy One Sock jumped to the top of the sofa and mewed at it. The butterfly hovered, anyway, hearing no cat sounds through the glass.

Jeremy One Sock jumped down to root under the sofa. He caught a deflated balloon, an unmatched sock, and two pistachio shells.

Thad’s face got wiped. What’s more, he was released from his high chair. Thad still wanted to pet kitty.

Jeremy One Sock licked his left front paw another time before cleaning his right one. Thereafter, he gracefully twisted himself enough to clean his hind feet.

Thad knocked over the vase that held Daddy’s flowers to Mommy. Bits of china and petals crashed onto the carpet. Thad continued to move forward.

Jeremy One Sock stopped grooming. The small, unstable giant was a source of food. He was also a source of pain. Jeremy Once Sock jumped to the top of the sofa a second time.

Thad approached. He tried to scale the sofa. It was too high. After a few attempts, he screamed.

Mommy came running. She saw Thad. She saw Jeremy One Sock. She picked up Thad and brought him to his play corner.

After a span passed, Jeremy One Sock jumped off of the sofa and walked over to Thad. He sniffed the boy’s blocks. He sniffed the boy’s stuffed animals. He sniffed the boy’s diaper.

Thad reached a hand to pet kitty. Jeremy One Sock stiffened.

Thad almost cried. Jeremy One Sock smelled Thad’s arm. He sat down next to Thad’s leg.

Thad again tried to pet kitty. Jeremy One Sock ran away.

Thad toddled after him, but banged his head on the coffee table. He cried.

Jeremy One Sock, who had been watching from the relative safety of the kitchen doorway, inched forward.

Mommy came running. She, too, sniffed Thad’s diaper. Her back unclenched. She sighed.

Mommy sat on the sofa, hiked up her shirt and nursed quaking Thad.

Thad quieted.

Jeremy One Sock liked Mommy. She smelled like good things. Mommy never used perfume or hairspray. She stopped applying makeup after Thad was born, claiming she’d rather spend her free time with people.

The kitten inched forward.

Thad was starting to breathe slowly and regularly. His eyelids were drooping.

Mommy, too, relaxed. Her shoulders started to settle away from her ears. Her entire torso grew limp. Most of Mommy’s muscles assumed an open position.

Jeremy One Sock stuck a paw past the kitchen doorway.

Thad’s eyelids completely covered his eyes. He still suckled, but he sighed between gulps.

Mommy’s eyelids, too, grew heavy. She, too, sighed.

Jeremy One Sock, his body pressed against the wall, slowly moved into the living room. Mommy was warm. He wanted to be where it was warm. Mommy, however, had Thad on her lap.

The hand Thad had used to hold onto Mommy dropped. His entire arm hung loose on Mommy’s lap. His mouth fell off of her breast. He snored faintly.

Mommy gathered Thad close to her. She closed her bra and pulled her shirt back down. Once more, she drew her little boy near. The laundry could wait. There was no need to cook a fancy dinner. The answering machine did just fine with the phone calls.

Jeremy One Sock crept to the foot of the sofa. Thad still lay flaccid in Mommy’s arms. Mommy was soft. Jeremy One Sock wanted to be on her lap, too.

With a small jump, the kitten settled half on Thad and half on Mommy.

Mommy hugged Jeremy One Sock.

As his own lids fell over his eyes, Jeremy One Sock purred.

 

©KJ Hannah Greenberg
drkarenjoy@yahoo.com

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