It started as a normal day. Monday morning, alarm, yawn, stretch, tumble out of bed, shower, blue uniform, and holster. Yeah don’t forget the gun. Ready for work. Just another day. Just another week.
Alex sighed, straightened his tie with the right hand and reached for the briefcase with his left.
Only it wasn’t in its usual place on the hall table. It had been moved and Mr. Tibbs sat on it.
“Come on Mr. Tibbs – you know I have to go to work.”
Alex picked up the tabby and that’s when he heard the snarl.
“No going to work for you.” The voice seemed to be coming from the cat.
Alex jumped so high he lost his balance.
“Yes, that’s right. You are fired” said Mr. Tibbs arcing his tail.
“What do you mean fired? And since when do you talk? You have made me late you bad boy.”
“I have always talked. Just not to you. I had you fired”. Mr. Tibbs ran out to the backyard dragging the briefcase with him.
Alex started to follow the tabby when he noticed the TV was on. The local news channel showed a raging fire. Alex looked in shock. “This just in”, said the anchorman, “an early morning explosion inside the police station has destroyed the building and all personnel inside are feared dead.”
Alex was stunned. It was his precinct headquarters.
Did Mr. Tibbs know something?
“Did you just try to stop me from going to work because if I had, you knew I wouldn’t have come back.” Alex looked at the devastation on the TV screen and back at Mr. Tibbs looking regal and refined as always. How is that possible? Animal instinct? Do urban cats have animal instincts?
Is a cat even an animal he wondered. “Heck, I am more of an animal than you are Mr. Tibbs.”
Not sure what to do next he watched the news. Now it was repeating the fire video. Alex looked out. Mr. Tibbs was in the backyard, true, but this time he noticed the briefcase was on the hall table. Just as it always was, just where he always placed it when he came back from work, ready for the next day, so he wouldn’t have to go hunting for it, making him late for work.
Alex looked out again. Mr. Tibbs stared right back.
Neerja Raman 