I sensed rather than saw him behind the curtains. I remained motionless waiting for him to make his move. He was headed for the kitchen for sure. Today I was going to catch him red-handed, the fatso! All he could think of was food, food and more food. When he got the chance he even polished off what was in my plate and all the time poor Mom thought I had finished it all off like the good girl I am. Many days I have had to go hungry because I just couldn’t tell on him to Mom. Besides, Mom would probably blame me. She is always telling me I am older now and should have more sense. Gawd, how I hated seeing his smirk at the times he outwitted me. Today all that was going to end. I was going to catch the fatso in the act and prove to Mom once and for all that I wasn’t dumb like she said I was. Ha!

I kept my eyes closed and pretended to be asleep. The fatso glided past me noiselessly in the direction of the kitchen. His confidence amazed me. I wondered at his gall. How many times had Mom told him not to do it and still there he was, throwing her words to the wind. Unlike him, I never disobey my Mom. What she says goes for me, Yes sir it does. I love her. I know she loves me too though she refers to me as that clumsy dumbo when she is really annoyed with something I have done wrong according to her books. Still I know she trusts me a lot. After all wasn’t it to me that Mom entrusted the job of stopping fatso’s forays into the kitchen?? I have heard Mom say quite a few times that if the fatso went on eating this way, he was going to burst at the seams one of these days. Even that does not seem to bother him. I saw him smirk behind Mom’s back at what she said.

Just then I noticed that the fatso had entered the kitchen. I got up stealthily, walked over silently and peeped inside. Sure enough he was taking an undue interest in what Mom had cooked for dinner. We were having guests later that night. Mom had been working real hard throughout the day. All the delicious dishes were in the kitchen waiting for the guests to arrive to devour them. She had given me special instructions not to let the fatso get anywhere near. And there he was in the kitchen, bent on disobeying her, all set to dig into the goodies Mom had spent so much time making.

Even as I watched he was preparing to open the lid of the dish nearest him. My blood boiled at the sight. I forgot all caution and the decision of catching him quietly in the act. Instead, I let all hell break loose, shouting at the top of my voice, trying to wake Mom from her blogging stupor and let her know what the fatso was up to.

“Bow bow bow…. Bow bow bow….”

Hahahahaha!! That sure scared fatso out of his furry skin!! I almost died laughing at the way he jumped up in the air and landed with a startled look before vanishing through the kitchen window with a scared yowl and an angry swish of his ugly tail. Oh bother, I had not accounted on that kitchen window being open. I was hoping he’d jump down from the kitchen counter and I’d have him by his ruff for Mom.

I was pretty mad by then. I made a hell of a racket and Mom left her laptop, long enough to come check what the matter was.

“Here Mom, here!” I said barking at the window. “He went that way! I almost had him”

Bow bow bow bow… bow bow bow…

Mom was not impressed. I heard her tell Dad later on that the cat almost had her fish molee for its dinner and that that dumbo as usual could be seen running around like a steam engine gone berserk, snorting every few minutes, hours after the cat had left the kitchen. Sigh. I guess I am dumb like my Mom says I am when it comes to keeping thieving cats off the premises. But this time I did save the fish molee for the guests didn’t I Mom?? Hey Mom… Mom?? Mommmm??!!! Oh well, I guess she is back to blogging. I might as well go and snooze a bit.