Who doesn’t remember Jake? Nobody, I’ll bet, because that cat sure makes an impression. Katsu got Jake in the dinner-and-beer divorce settlement (I got this awesome table though, so we see how that works out) and he spent the summer living in the garage. Jake, not Katsumi. Jake lived in Katsumi’s parents garage. Katsumi lived in the bedroom, I assume, or, you know, wherever.

The garage was fine for Jake during the summer months. He got to roam around the yard, kill wild things with his teeth, and managed not to get any ticks or be mangled by any coyotes. All in all, sounds like a good time for a cat. But now, you know, it’s December, and I guess small Jake has moved into the basement. The basement that I once refused to sleep in, during the great cricket / snake infestation of 2002.

I can’t have Jake living in those conditions, so I agreed to take him back provided that he gets a thorough vet examination and, finally, gets his balls snipped. I think it’s a fair trade. Katsumi agreed. We worked out cost-sharing over a couple pints at Deep Ellum last month, and I should have a freshly clipped Jake back in my arms sometime before Christmas.

I’ll miss a lot of things about my clean apartment – the fresh smells, the lack of hairballs – but I think I miss Jake more. I’m excited for him to come home.