An excerpt from In a Dog’s World. If you’d prefer, you can start with Chapter 1, return to the previous chapter, or skip ahead to the next chapter.
Katasha didn’t pay a lot of attention to the polite conversation Corina and Mama made with Blue as they followed his directions to drive him home. They parted amicably, agreeing that they were both looking forward to seeing each other in the fall. She watched him climb the stairs and enter the front door of his apartment building. If his whole family lived in an apartment — a two litter family — they must be quite crowded. Perhaps the older liter had already grown up and moved away.
Either way, Katasha found herself feeling grateful for the relatively small size of her family. Money could be tight enough covering the six of them as it was.
That’s one of the reasons Katasha wanted to go to a dog school like Isleywood. Everywhere she looked in the world, it was dogs on top. Politicians, CEOs, the biggest celebrities, even the most innovative scientists — they were all dogs.
It felt like there was a glass ceiling sometimes, and cats never rose above it. They stuck with their own kind, to their own detriment. Katasha didn’t want to be part of that. She wanted to succeed, and she wasn’t going to let her felinity get in the way.
“Are you listening, Katasha?” Mama asked. The strained tone in her voice strongly suggested that Katasha hadn’t been.
“I’m sorry,” Katasha said. “I was thinking about next year.” Katasha caught her mama’s green eyes glancing at her by way of the rearview mirror. Corina had rated shotgun by arguing that the future classmates should sit in the back seat together. Even though Blue was gone now, Corina was still in front.
“Do we have a stop to make before driving home?” Mama asked.
“Oh!” Katasha said. “Yeah… I… uh… I have a prom date.” She almost hoped Corina would jump in and tell Mama who her date was. When she didn’t, Katasha finally said, “You remember the upperclassman?”
Mama glanced at her through the mirror again. Her eyes answered Katasha with uncertainty. “There was an upperclassman there?” she asked.
“The… uh… yellow lab,” Katasha prompted.
Mama’s eyes widened a little, but her ears didn’t flatten. Katasha almost got the impression that she wasn’t surprised. “Well, I guess we have a dress to buy then.”
When they got home, Katasha hung the dress on the door to her and Corina’s room. Corina put her own dress in the closet, saying it would be safer there, but Katasha liked having her dress out to look at. It reminded her that the impending date with Howell was real. It reminded her that her acceptance to Isleywood was real. It reminded her that she was going to have a future in the big wide world where she intended to walk side by side with all the powerful personas. Feline, canine, or otherwise.
Katasha’s registration materials arrived on Monday. She would indeed have a roommate. Another first year she-cat, named Daria. A contact number was included, but after listening to Leon, Rover, and Blue gossip and argue with each other, she didn’t have much desire to reach out to Daria. They’d meet when they both got to Isleywood.
Howell, however, she couldn’t wait to see again. The days until prom couldn’t pass fast enough.
When it came time to call Howell and “work out the details,” Katasha cleaned every corner of her room — even ones the vid-display wouldn’t show. Then she fretted over which outfit to wear in a way that was completely against character for her. Corina was highly amused.
The call itself was brief but comfortable. Howell had been playing scramball and was still panting from the exercise. He looked good in a scramball jersey. As for the details, Howell had a car, so he’d be able to drive himself down for the prom. However, since it was such a long drive, he needed a place to stay for the night. Katasha had already arranged with Mama that Howell would be welcome to crash on their hide-a-bed. He thought that sounded fine, and he gave her the biggest smile before saying goodbye.
Katasha recorded the conversation and played it back obsessively. Ostensibly, she was examining what she could see of Howell’s dorm room behind him to learn about life at Isleywood. Really, she was watching Howell’s smile over and over again.
“Do you really think I don’t know what you’re doing?” Corina asked after the video played back for the dozenth time.
“It looks like a really small room,” Katasha said. “I hope it’s not too cramped.”
Corina rolled her eyes. “You’re not looking at the dorm room. You’re looking at the boy,” she said. “Even if he is a dog.”
Katasha’s ears flattened instantly, and she cowered behind the computer screen. “Don’t talk so loud,” she said.
“Geez, Tash,” Corina said. “No one’s listening at the door. No one overheard. But… do you seriously think D and D won’t notice when your prom date is more than a foot taller than them?”
Katasha peeked out from behind the computer, tentatively raising one ear. “No?” she said. “I guess I was just hoping they wouldn’t mention it.”
Corina thought about that. “Actually, they might not.”
“See?” Katasha said. “I have a plan.”
“Okay, let’s hear it then,” Corina said coming over to Katasha’s side of the room and plopping down right on the bed.
“What?” Katasha said.
“Your plan,” Corina said condescendingly. “Let me refresh your memory. It starts like this: you ask an upperclassman dog to the prom, don’t tell your papa or brothers, and hope they don’t notice or say anything when they meet him. Then what?”
“Then we eat a fancy dinner, have our pictures taken, and… dance?” Katasha hazarded.
“You are going to be so lost at college without us,” Corina said. “Seriously, though… Next year, is he your boyfriend? Or are you still pretending that you aren’t interested in dating? Or,” Corina stopped for a moment to consider something, “are you actually not interested in dating, and you’re just acting like this to throw me off and get back at me for trying to find you a tom?”
“Wow, Corina, that’s convoluted,” Katasha hissed and added sarcastically, “it’s definitely that one.” Katasha rolled her eyes at her sister, then, on second thought, she changed tacks: “Actually, it is that one. I’m going to the prom with a yellow lab just to get you to leave me alone. So… will you leave me alone now? Plea-ease?” She held her paws together in a pleading pose and made her eyes big, round, and hopeful.
Corina frowned, but she did as asked. The subject was left alone. In fact, the men of the household truly might not have learned about Howell’s canine nature until they saw him if it weren’t for Dominic’s car. However, as the family ate dinner the night before the prom, Dominic said, “I know your date’s driving over from Isleywood in his own car, Tash, but I think the two of you should ride to the Riverside with me and Florabella in the Cherry Racer.”
“That makes sense,” Dmitri said. “The rest of us are going in Erik’s car.”
Katasha and Corina looked at each other over the dinner table. Corina shook her head ever so slightly. She wouldn’t be handling this one. Katasha tried looking to her mama, but her look offered no help either.
“Well…” Katasha started.
“That’s a great idea,” Papa cut in. “I like it when my kittens all keep an eye on each other.”
“Maybe we could all go in Howell’s car?” Katasha suggested.
Dominic gaped, and Katasha cowered, realizing how insulting her suggestion must have sounded to him. “Are you kidding?” he cried. “You think that some science student at that overly pretentious college has a better car than the Cherry Racer?” He slammed his paws down on the edge of the table, pushed his chair out, and began to storm off.
“Wait!” Katasha cried. “I know he won’t have a better car than yours.”
“What then?” Dominic said. “You want to make some sort of statement by showing up in a college student’s clunker? Like you’re better than those of us who work for a living, getting our paws greasy? Like you’re too smart to care about something frivolous like cars?”
Katasha flattened her ears. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I don’t think that. It’s just…” Everyone was watching her now. She wished she’d told Dominic earlier. He wouldn’t have made a scene like this if he’d known. “Howell’s a yellow Labrador,” she said. “He wouldn’t fit in the Cherry Racer.”
Dominic sat back down, but he didn’t say anything.
After a moment, Dmitri said, “Perhaps Renee and I could come with you and Howell, Katasha.” Then, turning to Corina, he said, “Do you think Erik would mind leaving his car home and going in the Cherry Racer?”
Corina shook her head. “I’m sure that would be fine. I love the Cherry Racer.”
Dominic nodded.
Dmitri looked back and forth between his siblings. “Good,” he said. He looked pleased with himself for keeping the peace.
For a moment, it looked like the storm had passed. The four littermates had sorted their argument out. Then Papa spoke. He didn’t yell or forbid. He didn’t even address Katasha. Instead, he turned to their mama and said with his voice ice cold, “You’re letting our kitten date a dog?”
“I’m not dating him,” Katasha said, hoping to break the tension. “It’s just for prom.”
Four pairs of blue eyes looked at Katasha witheringly. None of her littermates nor her papa believed in or cared about that distinction.
“Right,” Dominic said, “You’re only going to the biggest social event of high school with him. That’s not dating.”
Katasha really regretted not confiding in Dominic. He would have been defending her if she had. Not sniping. She was also really tired of feeling like every choice she made had to be analyzed and weighed in the balance. She couldn’t be an individual when everyone’s lives were all tangled up. “This is why I don’t date,” she said, but no one was listening to her.
Mama and Papa were arguing about whether Mama was too lax with their kittens and whether Papa was too distant. The argument developed into shouting, and the four littermates each found a chance to slip away. They reconvened in the kitchen.
“I’m going over to Erik’s,” Corina whispered to the others. “Anyone want to come?”
“Anything’s better than staying here,” Dmitri said. Historically, he had the lowest tolerance for hearing their parents fight.
Katasha looked at Dominic and said, “How can you stay here next year? I know you don’t want to go to college… But… here? With the way they fight?”
“This is home,” he said, simply.
Katasha didn’t understand.
“Are you going to Erik’s?” he asked her.
Corina and Dmitri looked to her for the answer. Katasha shook her head. “It’s horrible here, but I need to stay and see how it turns out.”
“I’ll stay with her,” Dominic said to the others. “You can take my car.” He threw Corina the keys to the Cherry Racer.
When the other half of their litter was gone, Katasha and Dominic went upstairs to listen to the muffled sounds of their parents caterwauling. At least, they couldn’t make out the words from up there. Katasha sprawled out on her bed, and Dominic sat down at her and Corina’s computer. The two of them dwelled quietly in their own worlds feeling too oppressed to talk until they heard the front door slam. Moments later, they heard steps on the stairs. Then Mama appeared at the door.
“Do I still get to go to prom?” Katasha asked, her ears straight forward.
“Yes.,” Mama said.
“Oh no,” Katasha said, sensing there was more to come. “Oh no, no! I’m not going without Howell.”
“I know,” Mama said. “I convinced Papa it was too late to make you change your plans like that, but he wants you to work in his office this summer. He thinks…” Mama frowned, the delicate V of stripes above her eyes furrowing. “He’s worried about you, and he thinks it’ll be good for you.”
Katasha groaned. She’d been dragged in to work at Papa’s doctor’s office before. He always seemed to think it was a bonding activity for them, but mostly he kept crazy busy with patients while she sat at the front desk bored. “Did he lose another secretary? Is that it?”
“You didn’t have other summer plans, Katasha,” Mama said, dodging the question. Confirming the answer. Papa had a lot of trouble keeping secretaries. He was one of the few cat doctors in town, so there were relatively more — and poorer — patients waiting on his services than for most dog doctors meaning he was overworked and underpaid. His stress suffused into the rest of his office.
It would make for a miserable summer, but Katasha had practically been counting down the days until next fall started anyway. This wouldn’t actually make the number of days any longer. “Tell Papa, I’m looking forward to it,” she said with resignation.
Continue on to Chapter 6…