the boss

Altonio

Altonio curled up next to Jeff Crews on the couch in Morgan Gregson Bennett’s writing den as Jeff petted Altonio’s belly just absentmindedly enough for her to tolerate. Jeff was staying at the Brownstone to keep Altonio company while Morgan and her wife Devon were on one of their escapes that involved disrupting Altonio's luggage hideaway in the spare bedroom.

Altonio didn't understand this need that Morgan and Devon seemed to have for leaving the Brownstone for long stretches at a time. So far, they'd been gone for a week of feedings. Still, Altonio had spent enough time on the streets and fire escapes to know how good she had it at the Brownstone. For one, she didn't have to share it with anyone but Morgan and Devon and there was enough space for Altonio to avoid them as needed. Sure there was BABST, the carrier pigeon who had been with Devon since her days in San Francisco, but he stuck to the outside and mainly only showed up when Devon was making dinner.  

Morty, an alley rat, patrolled the perimeter making sure none of those pesky roaches made it into the Brownstone, which Altonio appreciated. It gave her more free time to stare out the big back window watching her stories. Morty was also good for dropping tasty and unusual morsels from newly-opened neighborhood restaurants through the backyard grate that landed in the basement crawl space.  

Thanks to Morty and BABST, nothing outside was a threat. Inside was manageable. Morgan was rarely home during the day and she was fast asleep when Altonio was ready for her nighttime aerobics and binge eating. Devon, prone to insomnia, was less predictable but for the most part she stayed in her painting studio on the parlor floor.

All in all, Altonio knew she had a good life but lately, it felt too good. How much time did she really need to nap and eat and watch what was going on in the backyard? 

She wasn't a young cat, but she wasn't an old cat either and it was too soon to act like she was. But what could she do as a cat of a certain middle age and class relegated to the well-appointed rooms and fire escapes of the Brownstone?  

Altonio wouldn't be able to get a job like her friend Dabnes, a tabby who worked reception at the vet. It required a certain level of training and empathy, both of which Altonio lacked. Besides, Dabnes complained about the hours and getting drooled on by incontinent dogs. Despite the drawbacks, Altonio knew Dabnes loved greeting the sick animals and telling them jokes while they waited for the vet to make them better or send them to Ceiling Cat. 

Even Flossie, the Abyssinian down the street, took on small jobs across the neighborhood while trying to pass as a feral. Altonio knew Flossie wasn't feral or in need of work.  She was even better off than Altonio in some ways. She had five floors of brownstone where Altonio only had four, which included the basement and garden apartment when it wasn't being rented out.

Altonio had hated her time outside the Brownstone and it was distasteful to her that such a cosseted house cat like Flossie even considered passing as feral. Altonio's stomach turned at the thought of being back on the streets and a hairball that she'd been fighting for days finally made its way upwards.  

Altonio jumped down from the couch gingerly, making her way to the kitchen. It wasn't ideal to dirty her lunch plate, but with Jeff subtlety was risky. If she didn't pass the hairball in an obvious place, it could linger for days, taunting her with its hairy slime until the housekeeper came.  

Later that night as Jeff snored in the spare bedroom with a live stream of the home shopping channel blaring on his tablet, Altonio started one of her more grueling circuits around the Brownstone. From the foyer she streaked downstairs into the basement where Morgan and Devon stored their bikes along with memories they didn't have time to deal with. Altonio wedged herself through the door they left ajar for her exploration purposes and jumped onto the dusty futon to reach the top of Devon's first grown-up dresser.

From there, Altonio had a good vantage point of the entire basement. Morgan's tennis trophies were still home to the hairy spider who spun webs around Devon's first watercolor set. A pile of boxes containing the remainder copies of Morgan's second book were precariously balanced on top of Morgan's old camp trunk.

The day those boxes had arrived, Altonio was resting outside the studio door when the doorbell rang. Devon had cursed in frustration. She was in the middle of a still life set up that included a complicated artichoke heart fabrication. Her studio assistant was off on a gesso run, so she'd have to answer the door. Altonio sped downstairs with her and listened as Devon spoke to the delivery man in a hushed whisper, so that nosy Mrs. Farmer in the garden apartment didn't hear as Devon handed him a wad of cash from the tin can by the front door and asked him to haul the boxes into the basement, guiding him to a corner where she thought Morgan wouldn't notice them.  

But Morgan noticed everything. The night before Morgan and Devon left for Kauai, Altonio had been skulking around the basement searching for one of her felt mice when Morgan came downstairs looking for her middle school yearbook to show Jeff and his latest boyfriend that despite her current fashion plate status, she did indeed have a history of making questionable fashion choices that included pairing neon leggings with red slouch socks.

She'd gone straight for the recently delivered book boxes and murmured, "I wonder what art supplies Devon's hiding from herself this time." 

Altonio stayed very still, tail twitching ever so slightly. Morgan wasn't a snoop, but she liked knowing what was happening under her roof. She and Altonio were similar this way.  

Morgan opened the box and peered in. She didn't say anything as she pulled out a copy of her book and ripped the cover and then the pages, letting them fall to the ground until there was nothing but hard spine in her hand. And then, just as quickly as she made the mess, she picked up all the scraps and placed them carefully back into the box. She left the basement, not bothering to take her yearbook. Altonio had stayed behind, giving Morgan time to climb the stairs alone.

This time, with Morgan and Devon gone and Jeff snoring upstairs, Altonio didn't linger in the basement. It was getting dustier. She sneezed and took off for the family's residence on the floor above Devon's parlor floor studio and office. She'd do a perimeter streak followed by a series of jumps in the writer's den and from there she'd go to the kitchen to see if there were any crumbs under the island seating worth sniffing at. She'd finish off in Morgan and Devon's bathroom, resting her heaving hot fur-covered body on the dark cool ceramic tiles.

She'd made it as far as the kitchen when Jeff's cell phone rang. Altonio was torn between continuing onto the bathroom and slinking into the spare bedroom to eavesdrop on Jeff's conversation and maybe get a late night muscle massage in the process.  

"Morgan?  What time is it there?  It's the middle of the night here. Who died? Slow down. No!?! Promise, I'm awake." Hearing Morgan's name and "died" in the same sentence, Altonio sped into the bedroom and jumped on the bed. Jeff patted the space next to his pillow and the two of them listened as Morgan explained that she and Devon were extending their trip and heading to Los Angeles to meet Vabeh, the not quite 10 years-old orphan and soon to be newest member of the Gregson Bennett family.

The next morning, while Jeff was at the gym, Altonio called an emergency meeting on the fire escape with Morty and BABST. She hadn't gone to sleep after Jeff had finished talking to Morgan, promising to get the Brownstone ready for its new arrival. 

There was so much to do, including juggling the floor plan. The spare bedroom would become Vabeh's room, Morgan's writing den's couch would be replaced by the spare room's pull-out couch and the spare room linens. Devon's studio spaces would be spared, except for the office where some of Morgan's extra books would have to go, now that the pull-out couch would be taking up space in the writing den. 

Altonio's litter box, currently in the guest bathroom needed to be relocated to make space for a step-up stool to help Vabeh reach the medicine cabinet more easily. After a back and forth with Morgan, Jeff suggested they place it on the landing between the residence and parlor floor underneath a strategically placed bench that Jeff would buy from 123 Abodes. 

Upon hearing the suggestion, Altonio felt a flicker of the anxiety she felt whenever she spotted one of those centipedes with a zillion legs scurrying near Morgan's feet during family tv time.  

Altonio knew how much Morgan needed her to kill any and all insects who made it past Morty, but something about those house centipedes made her queasy. While it wasn't easy, Altonio soldiered on and killed each and every one. For her efforts, Morgan always rewarded Altonio with a bowl of bonito in the kitchen far from the kill zone while Devon bravely cleaned up the remains. 

Altonio looked forward to more treats and decided one little girl couldn't be that difficult to handle, even if she was the reason Altonio was losing her private bathroom. Maybe this was just the thing Altonio needed to get back in the game.  

Morty listened to the news, chewing his tail nervously. It was hard enough making sure that the Farmer girl who lived in the garden apartment didn't see him when he made deliveries. Adults had routines that they tended to stick to. Kids were always off-leash and hard to keep track of. Morty didn't move as fast as he used to. But if Altonio said they were in charge of this kid's stay, then that's what was what. He'd just have to get the lay of the land after she arrived before making any major adjustments.  

BABST was thrilled that there would be another member of the family and a little girl at that. He cooed with delight and launched into how little girls liked the looks of him so he would be sure to get lots of chances to flex his wings, even the busted right one, for her admiration. Altonio cut him off with a slap of her tail. He took it personally and sulked for the rest of the meeting. 

Altonio kept the meeting short and jumped back inside. Jeff and the interior decorator would arrive soon and Altonio needed to know what other changes were afoot. 

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