Angel meets his guardian angel, bites hand that feeds him

Angel, the ebony ball of feline fur I'm kitty sitting until his relocation paperwork is all figured out, had to move into temporary housing last week while I attended a conference up north. His vet offers basic yet practical accommodations, plus they know him and really, who is better at caring for pets than the vet, right?

I opened the door just a few minutes before they closed for the weekend and the place seemed deserted. I heard some music way coming from the back of the office so I just waited patiently and give Angel a little more time to acclimate to being back at the vet. Before long, he emerged from the rear. Gabriel. I wasn't expecting a really cute latin guy to walk through the door, but I kept my surprise in check.

After explaining why I was there, he prepped Angel's equivalent to the hotel room I would soon be living in for a week and we talked about Angel's dietary needs general disposition. The conversation flowed easily, as it should for what it was. Soon it was time to move Angle from carrier to cage. This proved to be a bigger challenge than either of us expected. Angel pinned himself in his carrier good and Gabriel and I had to carefully coax him out. Angel's efforts to remain in the carrier were simply not meant to be and we convinced him to finally exit his transport.

As Angel explored his new 2-foot x 2-foot world, Gabriel and I continued our conversation, drifting away from talking about Angel and moving on to more less specific topics. Normally I have a hard time talking to an even half-way attractive guy, but it was different talking with him. If my timing was better I could have stayed and talked with him for hours, or at least until he had to lock up and head home, but I had still had to run to the office and pick up conference supplies and finish some last minute work before running home to pack and begin my drive north. When I realized this I suddenly became very self aware that I was going to have to find a graceful exit. In the blink of an eye, I went from someone who might actually be confused with a suave guy to someone who clammed up and started what would be just another awkward silence in my dating (and non-dating) life.

I looked at the watch that wasn't on my wrist — I'm pretty sure he noticed I wasn't wearing one — and said I had to head out. I'm sure it sounded more like an excuse than an actual reason, but he smiled anyway and my heart skipped a beat at the already building anticipation that if I hadn't just blown it with the awkward silence and "gotta run" moment, that I would get to see him again when I returned to take Angel back home. My next three hours on the road found me over analyzing my chance meeting with Angel's guardian angel, Gabriel. To be honest, I'm not even sure he's on my team, but there's no ring, and there was the tiniest blimp on my GAYDAR. This is where I should point out that my GAYDAR is often more wishful than accurate. So, really, no point in getting my hopes up.

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One week later…

I'm back in my own county, driving up to the vet's office, secretly hoping that Gabriel would be there to greet me. I pause, take a deep breath, and walk through the door. "And you are…?" a cold voice asks. Damn, it's the vet. She always has this look on her face like she doesn't trust me, which I don't understand. I look over to the reception desk and see another woman, not Gabriel. I was both disappointed and secretly relieved. I explain who I'm picking up and as I'm saying Angel's name, lo and behold, Gabriel rounds the corner, our eyes meet, and smiles appeared on both of our faces. He said he'd get him and the bitchy vet retired to her office.

Standing side by side, assuming our positions from a week ago, it all felt so natural again. As he gathered Angel's food and carrier, we made small talk about Angel's stay. Turns out that not more than 10 minutes after I left the previous week, Angel had a bit of a panic attach that lasted the entire week. He wouldn't let anyone near him, howling and hissing at anyone within visual range. I sighed, as that's exactly what he did when he first took up lodging with me. He remembered that from our talk the week prior. Promising!

Less promising was the chances of getting Angel to calm down and get into his carrier. He was reacting as though we were trying to kill him, rather than to take him back to familiar surroundings. To make a very long story just a little less long, it took 15 minutes, a net, and Angel peeing on us three times, to get him safely into his carrier. Gabriel was so kind and compassionate — swoon! — during the ordeal he earned major bonus points. At this point there was three of us standing around Angel's carrier as he howled his protest, Gabriel, myself, and the lady from reception. This made talking with Gabriel, let alone the possibility of asking him out, less than realistic. So instead I settled the bill (a fraction of the cost of my own conference lodging), apologized again for Angel's "problem child" behavior, and made my way to the car.

Within seconds of leaving the vet's office Angel's howls had transformed into quiet meows, the same kind that he makes whenever I've had him in my car. But at that moment I could care less about his happiness as I wondered how I might be able to find an excuse to ask Gabriel out with Angel about to board a plane bound for his actual mommy and daddy.

Without a doubt, such thoughts will preoccupy my weekend and possibly even my upcoming vacation. But before I can think that far ahead, I must tend to one pee-soak kitty cat before he sits on my bodily fluid-free (feline or otherwise) sofa. As on Angel takes flight, with another soon take his place to snuggle up with at home? Stay tuned…

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I just realized it's been more than a month between updates. Now that the nightmare work hours are behind me, I'll have more free time to, for better or worse, write. Fear not, this blog is by no means dead.