Photo Credit: © Can Stock Photo / pmakin
Joe heard the howling winter winds down the alley as ice pelted the glass pane on his back door. He was plenty warm beneath his blankets, and his efficiency apartment was well-heated by the little gas stove in the corner. Nevertheless, he knew his first steps out of bed would be cold ones since his place had been built long before effective insulation and weather-proofing. He braced himself, swung his legs around, and stepped into slippers; he felt the drafty bite of winter air around his ankles. Brrrrrrr, it was COLD.
Domino the cat sat atop the hot water tank next to the sink and standup shower in the tiny bathroom. The warm exhaust coming from the hot water stack was her personal heater, and she often lay there, watching Joe shave and brush his teeth. She stretched her paws as she lay on her side in a semi-welcome to Joe, and he petted her softly, looking into her eyes. Domino hated anything abrupt. Who didn’t? But she loved calm and quiet Joe. His mere presence seemed to settle her completely. “Well, a Merry Christmas to you, too, young lady,” Joe said.
He brushed his teeth, debated whether to shave, and pulled a hairbrush from the basket next to the shower. With one or two strokes, he knew his hair was beyond taming this morning, so he secured his baseball cap on backwards and glanced in the mirror. “Merry Christmas to you, too, you miserable old man,” he declared without commitment.