“What a great
winter morning, guys,” said Doc, seating himself at the
philosophy counter and flipping his cup to the upright and
fillable position. “Makes a guy glad to be alive.”
We all nodded and sipped.
“Say Doc,” said Herb, “how’s old Chipper getting along
these days?”
We all chuckled, because all the locals know Chipper
was invented by Doc a few years back to be his very own
imaginary squirrel. Yeah, Doc’s like that.
Doc laughed, too. “Hibernation, boys,” he said,
“Sacked out ‘til spring. You should all get hibernating pets.
They’re really easy to care for as long as they stay asleep.”
“And he’s all tucked in?” Steve wanted to know.
“Fluffy tail covering his face. The very picture of warm
beds and happy dreams.”
“That’s good,” said Dud.
The man in the uniform stood up from his place over in
the booth and walked over to the counter. “Excuse me, sir, but
are you Doc?”
Doc nodded.
“Doc that has the squirrel?”
“Well, yes,” he said.
“I’m the new game warden here and I’d like to see your
squirrel permit, please.”
“Squirrel permit?”
“A civilian can’t keep a wild animal without first
obtaining a permit. Otherwise, it’s a $500 fine.”
We sat in stunned silence, then Dud spoke up.
“You boys haven’t met my cousin Jimmy yet, have you? He’s here
for the weekend and I put him up to it.”
We made Dud buy the coffee. We all chipped in for
Jimmy’s breakfast. Most cafes only serve food.
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Brought to you by “Packing the Backyard Horse” by Slim
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