People make mistakes in college. How else can sororities and fraternities logically be explained? Classes are failed. Hearts and promises are broken. Lines of credit are destroyed. I'm at a place where I'm emotionally stable enough to maturely come to terms with my biggest college mistake. No this isn't the story about how I ran my car into the closed garage door of the house I was renting, nor is it the tale of when I bought my text books before my financial aid money cleared my bank account, it's not even about the crush I had on my Geology 212 lab instructor (he was darn cute and knew a lot about rocks, he even had a dog!).
No, no those are all stories for another day. Today I tell the worst. Before you judge too harshly, can I just start by explaining that I was young, foolish and lonely. Three conditions which I suspect are at the root of almost all mistakes, collegiate or otherwise.
My mistake was a small furry grey kitten. So much destruction and havoc in such an adorable fuzz ball. I was seduced. I was almost instantly sorry. No, that's not true. It took six hours before I was sorry. The first five and half hours of kitten ownership were fun times. But when I saw this little, tiny (no bigger than an apple) creature leaking a yellow liquid on my bed, the panic
started in my heart, pushing aside whatever affection had taken root. What have I done?! I looked at my options. What were they? I couldn't think. The thing was leaking, was peeing on my BED!! AHHHRRRHHH!
So began my friendship with Aniwaniwa. (Ah-knee-wa-knee-wa)
Aniwa or Ani in less formal situations.
My roommates over the years are of two minds: Whitney and Emily (cat lovers) say I made a social commitment in adopting a pet and it would be irresponsible to dump the cat into a forest and drive away. Aimee (cat hater) encourages me to find Aniwaniwa a permanent home in another location. Me? I am torn constantly.
Pros: Aniwaniwa is fun to say, always a plus when I'm trying to think of something charming to say at a party or on a date. (Did I tell you I have a cat named Aniwaniwa?) But is that actually charming? Wouldn't it be cooler if I could talk about having my pilot's license?
Cons: Cats poop.
Pros: Ani is fond of me and meets 
me at the door to say hello.
Cons: Ani hates everyone else and is mean to children.
Pros: Aniwa will chase a laser pen light all over the house, which is entertaining during commercials.
Cons: I'm not really that fond of cats. Kittens I like. Cats, I know, are their inevitable end, but I didn't think that one through very clearly.
Last Thanksgiving I took this picture as a joke to hang up on my parents picture wall. I thought it would be funny to be the cat lady. Surprisingly and unfortunately, my Dad really liked the picture, so it's still up there.
Now that I've moved in with my parents, I walk past the Picture Wall everyday and chuckle. And what about Aniwaniwa? She has been dumped to live in the forest and loves it.
Yum.
