E'rybody Wants to be a Cat
Rules for Class:
1. I have no problem with chewing gum, but it better not end up anywhere else but your mouth or the trashcan.
2. There will be no 'tinkering'. I hear you whistling and humming, tapping your sticks, playing that little riff, tinkling your keys. Don't do it. Just don't.
3. Don't talk back, speak unless spoken to, raise your hand to speak, you all know the drill. It's there to make class go smoother.
4. No prima donnas. I know some of you know what you're doing, but believe it or not, so do I. Don't try to tell me how to do things. I do them the way I do them because I've figured out that it's probably the best way. I've had 20 years to figure it out.
5. We are here to have fun. If you don't understand something, ask me. We can set up a lesson after school, and we can work on it. I want you to learn something, not just pass.
“Yea, I haven’t been here long enough to make any actual decision on it. It certainly is interesting, that I can agree on,” she smiled. “A momma’s boy? That’s actually kind of adorable,” she paused with a laugh, “in a completely rock and roll kind of way.”
He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, I know.” He laughed. “But if you tasted my mom’s latkes, you’d understand why living five minutes away is a good thing.” He looked up thoughtfully. “It’s Passover, soon, isn’t it? Weird.” He frowned. It was the first one that he’d be alone for, even though he didn’t really celebrate. His mother did, though, so he could expect a phone call from her about it.
“High praise. They must be good. From what I remember of my mother’s cooking, it wasn’t the best,” Trish could appreciate his affection for his home life; she didn’t think of her family much. They weren’t in touch at all, so it was kind of a dark topic - hard to explain why she left home. “I’m not sure, maybe?”
He shook his head. “The hell if I know. I’ll get a call that day from her, wondering if I;m observing it, and I’ll lie and tell her I am, and yes, I’m making latkes, and no, I won’t fry them in butter, even though they’re better like that.” He sighed. “Your family like that, or have you successfully escaped the nest?”
Meg pulled on the helmet and made a face at him. “I’m no kid,” she mumbled in Greek. She pulled herself onto the bike and gripped him loosely around the waist. The two finally left school grounds and headed off towards the town. They stopped in front of a small 24-hour cafe and she released him, assuming that this is where they were stopping to eat.
Scat walked the bike backwards into a spot near the curb and killed the engine. He unbuckled his helmet and took it off. “This look okay?” He asked, shaking his hair out. He usually tied his hair back to do this.
“I’ve never been in one place for too long, except when I was growing up. I went wherever the next pageant was. After that was over it was wherever the muse took me,” she shrugged, nothing to keep her in one place for long - not yet. “Is being here at least fulfilling?”
He shrugged a little. “It’s interesting, but I’m still not sure. I love my job, but I miss living six blocks from my parents. So sue me, I’m a momma’s boy.” He looked up at her with a smile.
“Yea, I haven’t been here long enough to make any actual decision on it. It certainly is interesting, that I can agree on,” she smiled. “A momma’s boy? That’s actually kind of adorable,” she paused with a laugh, “in a completely rock and roll kind of way.”
He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, I know.” He laughed. “But if you tasted my mom’s latkes, you’d understand why living five minutes away is a good thing.” He looked up thoughtfully. “It’s Passover, soon, isn’t it? Weird.” He frowned. It was the first one that he’d be alone for, even though he didn’t really celebrate. His mother did, though, so he could expect a phone call from her about it.
“Ah, another detail into the life of Scat,” she joked with a friendly smile, “I take it didn’t treat you well?”
“It treated me fine, but that was it. This is my first time being away for a long time, though.” He looked down and the floor, studying the splatters of paint across it. “It’s weird.”
“I’ve never been in one place for too long, except when I was growing up. I went wherever the next pageant was. After that was over it was wherever the muse took me,” she shrugged, nothing to keep her in one place for long - not yet. “Is being here at least fulfilling?”
He shrugged a little. “It’s interesting, but I’m still not sure. I love my job, but I miss living six blocks from my parents. So sue me, I’m a momma’s boy.” He looked up at her with a smile.
He looked up as he heard the door open. “Look at that!” He said with a low whistle. Definitely a change, but not necessarily a bad one. “Ready?” He asked, untying his bow tie and stuffing it in his pocket. He popped the collar and sighed contentedly. “Much better.”
Meg smirked at the whistle and tried to not let it go to her head. She laughed a little and licked the bottom of her teeth, walking over to him and folding down his collar a little. “I agree. You know, a suit and tie is to girls as lingerie is to guys. I wonder how many eyes you caught tonight.”
“Probably not as many as you think.” He laughed. “I’m old, remember?” He lifted his chin to let her fold his collar down. “Well, ready, lovely?” He asked, offering her his arm with a charming grin.
“Ready as I’ll ever be,” she took his arm and the two walked down the hall and out of the building to where his bike was. She let him start it up, the purr of the engine making her smile to herself. This was the first time she had left in weeks, and she was almost excited. “Let’s go, teach.”
He swung his leg over and looked expectantly at her. “Let’s go, Kid.” He laughed as she pulled on the helmet he’d handed her. He adjusted the strap of his under his chin as she swung on. He kicked the stand up and revved the engine a little before balancing them out and starting forward.
“It’s worked out well, so far,” she smiled, raking her fingers through her hair. Allowing for insanity made for some great memories. “If I didn’t live that way I would never have actually gotten to Germany.”
“Hmm.” He sighed softly. “Maybe it would have gotten me out of Chicago sooner if I had.” He mused. “Oh well. Ob la di, ob la da.” He sang softly.
“Ah, another detail into the life of Scat,” she joked with a friendly smile, “I take it didn’t treat you well?”
“It treated me fine, but that was it. This is my first time being away for a long time, though.” He looked down and the floor, studying the splatters of paint across it. “It’s weird.”
He looked up as he heard the door open. “Look at that!” He said with a low whistle. Definitely a change, but not necessarily a bad one. “Ready?” He asked, untying his bow tie and stuffing it in his pocket. He popped the collar and sighed contentedly. “Much better.”
Meg smirked at the whistle and tried to not let it go to her head. She laughed a little and licked the bottom of her teeth, walking over to him and folding down his collar a little. “I agree. You know, a suit and tie is to girls as lingerie is to guys. I wonder how many eyes you caught tonight.”
“Probably not as many as you think.” He laughed. “I’m old, remember?” He lifted his chin to let her fold his collar down. “Well, ready, lovely?” He asked, offering her his arm with a charming grin.
She leaned against the counter next to the easel, considering his words, “I’ll take that. But I will raise you living with sanity with the option to do something insane every now and then. Life is lived but also exciting.”
“Sounds like a perfect life to me.” He agreed with a nod, hopping up on the edge of her desk. He swung his feet a little and rested his elbows on his knees.
“It’s worked out well, so far,” she smiled, raking her fingers through her hair. Allowing for insanity made for some great memories. “If I didn’t live that way I would never have actually gotten to Germany.”
“Hmm.” He sighed softly. “Maybe it would have gotten me out of Chicago sooner if I had.” He mused. “Oh well. Ob la di, ob la da.” He sang softly.
Meg looked at the keys in his hand and noticed that they were to a motorcycle. “I don’t really care about my hair, but I am wearing a floor length dress… Why don’t we swing by my room so I can put on some pants, then we can go. Unless you’re one of those guys who keeps past hook-ups clothes…”
“Sure.” He agreed. Honestly, he’d never taken a girl on his bike with a dress longer than her knees, and he wasn’t sure how a full length gown would work. He shifted his weigh uneasily. “No. I don’t have any. So we should probably go to your room.”
Meg laughed and led him to her dorm room. As soon as they were there, she pointed in the opposite direction so she could pull her key out of her bra and unlock her door. “Welcome to my humble abode,” she said, laughing to herself again. “Actually, not very men get to see this place.” That was true. Most of the time she was in the other parties room. “Are you going to come in and just turn around, or wait out in the hall?”
He looked away until she’d unlocked the door. “I can just wait out here.” He decided, settling against the wall in the hallway to wait patiently. He’d gotten used to waiting on women to get ready. Part of life, he figured.
“Have it your way,” she said, walking in to her room and shutting the door behind her. Meg quickly pulled the bobby pins out of her hair and let it fall down around her shoulders. She sighed and started to rub her scalp, thankful for the fact that the hairpin headache had not set in yet. She unzipped the dress and let it slip down her body, pooling on the ground below her. The black jeans that she had worn earlier were on the ground next to her bed, as were her converse. Meg pulled those on and searched her closet for a t-shirt and sweatshirt. She pulled those on and opened the door to face Scat again. “From girl to Meg in two point five minutes.”
He looked up as he heard the door open. “Look at that!” He said with a low whistle. Definitely a change, but not necessarily a bad one. “Ready?” He asked, untying his bow tie and stuffing it in his pocket. He popped the collar and sighed contentedly. “Much better.”
She nodded slowly, playing along with his fake sneakiness, “Oh, alright. I promise to keep it to myself.” She mimed zipping her lips shut and throwing away a key. She raised a finger in protest, “I’d argue that there are some artists that actually do incredible work while also being insane. It just doesn’t seem to be something that is good for my livelihood,” she laughed.
He laughed. “There are, but many don’t do so well, soo…” He trailed off with a crooked smile. “Sanity makes it easier to really live.”
She leaned against the counter next to the easel, considering his words, “I’ll take that. But I will raise you living with sanity with the option to do something insane every now and then. Life is lived but also exciting.”
“Sounds like a perfect life to me.” He agreed with a nod, hopping up on the edge of her desk. He swung his feet a little and rested his elbows on his knees.
