Imaginary Conversation with My Wife

Imaginary Conversation with My Wife
23 February 2017

Me: I love the cats, but…
Her: Yes
Me: But the thing I hate the most about them is cat barf.
Her: Really? That’s the one thing you hate the most about having cats?
Me: Okay. I hate them getting sick and my having to subject them to all sorts of indignities that they don’t understand and sometimes it seems to make them more miserable.
Her: So, cat barf is number two?
Me: No, I hate to see them suffer, whether it’s because they are sick or because I’m trying to help them with matted fur or whatever.
Her: Got it. No sickness or suffering. Anything else that’s worse than barf?
Me: Okay, biting. I hate it when one of them bites me. That is painful.
Her: So, barfing is number three, then.
Me: Scratches aren’t any fun, either, but those are definitely below cat barf in terms of awfulness.
Her: So, it’s sickness, suffering, biting, barf, scratching. That’s your list?
Me: Oh, the absolute worst is them dying. I still get emotional over every one of the five who have passed away.
Her: So, what you’re saying is barfing is the fifth worst thing you can think of about cats.
Me: Yes. I suppose I am.
Her: Just out of curiosity, what is the fifth worst thing you can think of about me?
Me: The only bad thing I can think of about you is that you are no longer here with me, so this conversation is just imaginary.

Gertie cat in the tub

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(The books on dealing with loss say that grief is an emotion; it’s how you feel. Mourning is how you express that feeling. So, I hope you will see this as part of my mourning, not as me going mental. 😀)