[Vip-humor] Marilyn the Cat

[Parker]

Marilyn the Cat
When my family and I travel with Marilyn, our cat, we try to pick hotels that allow you to have a pet in your room. But one night on a recent road trip, we stayed out too late and the only hotel available had a policy that forbade animals.

Sneaking Marilyn past the front desk was not terribly difficult. However, the next morning, when my husband Murray packed Marilyn into the little duffle we used to carry her in, she began meowing. On the crowded elevator down to the first floor, Murray would cough loudly to cover the sound of the cat. Everyone else on the elevator politely ignored the meows coming from the bag.

When the elevator doors opened, Murray bravely marched out, praying the cat would shut up. He needn't have worried. His fellow elevator passengers marched with him, coughing loudly all the way through the lobby and out the front door.