Chapter 3: The First Date

Max was licking Rita’s tummy when suddenly Rita gave him a little tap on the head and jumped up, waking from her dream. She meowed and followed Mama Mary into the kitchen to get some food. That day, there was no sign of Max. Rita kept peeking around with every sound, but Max was nowhere to be found. At night, Rita sprawled out on the couch, her tail swishing from side to side. Mama Mary was patting her back to help her fall asleep. Suddenly, Rita saw Max peeking through the window. She jumped up, scrambled off the couch, and raced up the stairs. Mama Mary thought, “Rita must be seeing things again,” and went back to her phone.

Rita saw Max wandering in the garden and called out, “Hey, long-tailed!” Max looked up with a grin. “Honey.”

“What are you doing here at this time of night?” Rita asked. “I came to see my sweetheart,” Max replied.

Rita: “It’s bedtime for me, and I don’t go outside at night.”

Max: “All the best things happen at night. How can you not go outside?”

Rita: “I need to go to sleep early so I can wake up early for breakfast. I’m already sleepy.”

Max: “That’s too bad because I had a great surprise for you.”

Rita: “What’s the surprise?”

Max: “It’s not something you can just tell. You have to see it!”

Rita: “Is it a chick?”

Max: “No.”

Rita: “A bunny?”

Max: “No.”

Rita: “A box?”

Max: “What’s box?”

Rita: “If you’ve never seen a box, how can you surprise me at all?”

Rita playfully winked and licked herself. Max said, “Alright, as you wish. Maybe tomorrow, Namak and Fel Fel will tell you all about it.” Then he leaped into the bushes and disappeared. Curious, Rita imagined Namak, Fel Fel, and Darchin discussing Max and his surprise. She jumped out of the window and followed him. Max led her to a dark spot near a big tree and rock and jumped into a hole covered with dirt and grass.

Feeling scared and far from home, Rita jumped into the hole and landed in Max’s arms. “How is it?” Max asked. Rita looked around and said, “What a lovely box… It smells so good… and it’s so soft…” She flopped onto the den’s floor, rolling around: “Meow meow… meow”

In the early morning, the rooster crowed in the distance. Rita’s eyes flew open. “Oh no, Mama Mary must be waking up!” She dashed back toward the house.