Domestic Comedy

Borrowing Michael Leddy's title, Domestic Comedy, here is a moment from life at my house.

We've had a mouse on the loose indoors for the past several days. Our cat has taken to sitting across from the stove, staring at it for extended periods, and I did once see him on a leisurely pursuit of the squeaker as it ran across the living room floor.

Today, my other half is going out of town for a few days, so I said, "It'll be just me and the cat." Then I remember the mouse and said, "And the mouse."

That's where it went downhill as I felt a sudden inspiration to be clever. I added, "Just me and Ben and Jerry."

Realizing I had the wrong partner for Jerry the Mouse, I said, "I mean Ralph* and Jerry."

Another pause.

Then finally, "Tom and Jerry."

_______


* Non-Minneapolis folks and more recent arrivals may not know that for decades, Ralph and Jerry's was a small grocery store in the University of Minnesota's Dinkytown neighborhood. For even more local color, it's fun to know that Ralph and Jerry's was next door to the Positively Fourth Street record shop. Both were located on Fourth Street, which was the inspiration for Bob Dylan's song title.