[ IP ] The Life and Times of Dewey the Cat

The rain dripped off my coat as I busted through the front door of my home. My parents were n't home, I knew that before I came inside. Their car was gone. I'm not a clairvoyant, christ, If I was maybe this would n't hurt so bad. I could feel all the anger bubbling up inside me. Like molten lava mixed with anguish. I continued down the hallway of my narrow home, the walls feeling like they were collapsing in on me. Melodramatic, I know, I'm aware, I understand completely that a broken heart heals. But, just. Fuck, you know? It just hurts. I walked into my room to see memories standing out like sore thumbs. Perfect little pictures inside gorgeous tight frames, of myself smiling like a fool, a fool I was, and the young women who shattered my soul. My bitterness poured into those photos and tainted them. No longer were they sweet memories of days spent in the sun, drinking alcohol whilst being too young, and nights spend huddled by a bonfire. Now, they were nightmares, burdens and devils delights. I grabbed them from where they stood, silently and harmless, but I destroyed them none the less. My anger washed over them. My anger washed over me. I just wanted to break those memories, to eradicate them. I just wanted to forget. 
 
 `` Meow,'' cried a little voice from behind me. I turned, hands bloodied slightly from glass cutting into my knuckles, to see my friendly tabby named Dewey, just staring up at me. He looked so silly. He was tiny compared to my room. Just this little ball of fluff surrounded by errant destruction. A let out a little puff of air from deep in my lungs. 
 
 `` You hungry little buddy?'' I asked out to Dewey, who just meowed again in response. I assumed it was a yes. He only ever talked to me when he wanted food. I walked past him, making sure to hold my hands inside each other, to prevent my blood from staining the floor. I walked into the kitchen. I moved a few plates in the sink before I washing my hands. Last thing I needed today was to explain why the dinner plates had blood on them. Dewey's repeating meowing and headbutting into my legs was a slight annoyance, but it made me smile. 
 
 `` Why would she do that to me man?'' I asked out to Dewey as I walked over to the cabinet. It's plain egg-shell white exterior was so disgustingly normal that it made me feel a little sick, but maybe that was blood loss. Or the anger. Or the fear. Or maybe it was all of it. What do I know. Dewey just meowed again and started to circle around my feet whilst staring up at me. I grabbed a small can of cat food from inside the cabinet. 
 
 `` I dunno man, I do n't think she had a reason. No one has a good reason to cheat. Unless I was a total sack of shit,'' I remarked while bringing the small can of cat food towards my friend. `` And I can be humble. I can be self evaluating. I was n't a piece of shit. Sure, I was n't perfect, but hey. Neither was she. I guarantee that one now.'' I knelt down to try and scoop the cat food into Dewey's bowl, but every time I moved the can near the bowl, he would just headbutt my hand over and over again, rendering it a fruitless operation. `` Come on buddy, you're making this difficult,''. Again, Dewey just meowed at me, his little brown eyes staring at me with a mixture of adorable and impatience. Deciding that struggling against Dewey was a waste of time, I simply grabbed the bowl and placed it on top of the kitchen counter, and proceeded to spill the guts of the can into the bowl that way. 
 
 `` It just,'' I started to choke out from my lips, the sting of tears appearing to form in my eyes. `` I do n't even know what to fucking say. My whole body hurts. My brain hurts. My heart hurts. It physically hurts. I always thought it was just an expression, to say'You have a broken heart', but my chest literally hurts. Why would she do this to me man?''. I placed the small bowl of cat food on the ground, walked to a nearby chair and sat down, whilst watching Dewey dig into his food with a ravenous intent. His small body was shaking every time he took a bite, as if eating was the most difficult task in the world to him. I just watched him silently, as tears started to slowly drip down my cheeks, and the words in my throat strangled each other. `` Dewey my man, this just. Really sucks hey.'' 
 
 Dewey had finished his food. I was expecting him to just walk away, or fall asleep where he was eating, or hell, knowing my luck today, to just shit on the floor. Instead, he walked over to me and leaped onto my lap. He just sat on me for a while, staring softly, with only the sounds of his purr breaking the silence. The feel of his fur in my hand as I patted him was so nice. Within a minute or so, Dewey tucked himself deeper into my lap, and began to fall asleep. I sat with my friend, letting the silence envelop me like a bubble, as he purred away the pain in my chest. 
 
 `` Thanks for listening Dewey.''
