Lulu Kitty

FIC

July 06, 2023

Lulu Kitty magnet got thrown away because her owner P, my friend of 26 years, was being evicted from the condo I manage right next-door to me.P and I got Sober together 26 years ago. P went out using again when we were five years sober because she was so angry … she was spewing that anger at everybody and her going out(using), saved my life because I knew if I didn’t get in touch with my anger, I was going to go out too … it saved my life.She was in and out of sobriety for years and got sober again in 2021, but decided to use again in early 2023 … things went downhill from there … not paying rent, erratic behavior, psychosis, and inviting other people who are using to her place… right outside my front door … she had to go …In the end, as she was leaving, she left in a hurry and left a few things behind, including Lulu Kitty’s magnet on the refrigerator …I saw the magnet there several times, and knew I should grab it, but somehow it didn’t happen… to be fair, There was a lot of other crazy stuff going on in my life at the same time, it’s not like I have tons of time to keep track of everybody’s shit… they need to handle their own shit …To be honest, part of me was mad at the whole situation, and I thought maybe she has to lose Lulu kitty magnet due to her irresponsibility to learn what she needs to learn … just being honest here …The cleaners came and cleaned out the rest of the home, and Lulu Kitty magnet was thrown into the dumpster …It was my 26 year sober anniversary yesterday, July 5, and I was celebrating with my friends, out for the evening … at dinner, I get a frantic text from P about the magnet of her cat that was left on the fridge… FUCK!I told her Lulu Kitty magnet was in the dumpster in a black trash bag…The dinner companions said I should leave it alone … “can’t she get another cat/magnet?!”and “don’t go after it” …I’m a dumpster diver from way back and I knew myself well enough to know that I was going in after that damn cat magnet …It was after midnight when I got home… I changed into my sweats, put some plastic gloves on my hands and dug out a couple of trash bags that I knew Lulu had to be in …OK, this is where shit gets crazy … crazier?! Cos it was already crazy with the eviction and all the bullshit surrounding that, including a grand finale with broken glass tabletop all over several parking spots and a full dining room set left on the sidewalk and in the parking spots as well …Keep in mind we are having a heat wave in Las Vegas… July 5 was 104°… The cleaners got done at 11 AM so that trash was sitting in the sun all day long… Do not ask me how this happened, but that trash smelled like a bed of fucking flowers!!! Now I’m talking about two bags, full of refrigerator and freezer food … how in the hell do they smell beautiful?One of the bags was all wet and I think it was the flavored creamer that spilled, which is probably why it smelled so sweet. It was dark, so the flashlight guided the way …The other bag had the cat litter box and that is where I found Miss Lulu …Why did I go in after the magnet? Because I could. Because I love P. Because I understand the love of cats. Because I’m an old dumpster driver. Because I’m a property manager with a heart. (Shhhhhh … don’t tell anybody that it’ll ruin my Bad Ass reputation. Ha!) Because I knew exactly which bags Lulu would be in. Because I love Lulu Kitty and I have never even met her! Because I knew it meant something special to P.God knew all of this … he picked the right person, with the right skills, and the right heart, at the right place, at the right time, to do the right thing.P is suffering enough in her active disease… she hates herself right now. One very small act of kindness could make the difference… and I didn’t really mind it that bad … just keeping my dumpster diving skills up ;-)This all happened on my Sober 26 birthday … a reminder to me what it could be like if I picked up again… And also, a reminder to be of service to those we can be of service to … this is called love.Thank God, that God gave me a change of heart from ‘this will teach her a lesson’ before it was too late, and we had lost Lulu Kitty magnet forever! I know me, and I would’ve felt bad about not grabbing it when I thought I should have in the first place… another reminder to follow my gut/intuition when it tells me to do something…The other miracle is that in those messy garage bags, Lulu Kitty magnet was left unharmed by the wet garbage …How does all this happen? GOD & LOVE. They are the same thing to me. Love will do strange things. Love will do crazy things. Love always wins.Glad we got Lulu Kitty magnet back!Love it!!