Marie Bennett

Still building. Still dreaming. ✍️ 📚
I love writing stories.
I enjoy sharing everyday stories and little moments in life.

[Marie Bennett @mariebennett1_]

I asked to see the intake form.

Travis pulled it from the clipboard. “NO SHAVING” was still circled in blue ink.

He looked at it, then said, “I made a judgment call.”

I asked why he couldn't have called first.

“We were busy.”

I said being busy didn't make it his decision.

He told me the fur would grow back and I was upsetting Felix by arguing at the counter.

Felix was sitting quietly in his carrier.

The shop owner came out from the back and asked what was wrong.

Travis told her I'd been unhappy with the grooming results.

I showed her the form and explained that he'd shaved Felix without permission.

She opened the carrier just enough to look at his back.

Her face changed.

She asked Travis how much fur he'd removed.

He said he'd used clippers on two spots.

“That's not what you wrote on the ticket,” she said.

He claimed he'd been trying to save time.

She refunded the appointment and removed the extra charge. She also said she'd review the incident with him and call me after speaking to the regular groomer.

I took Felix home and checked his skin. There were no cuts, but he had two short, uneven patches where his long fur had been.

On Saturday, the owner called to apologize again.

She asked if I'd like a free bath once his coat grew back.

I thanked her, but said I'd find another groomer.

Felix spent that evening stretched across my clean laundry, getting black fur on everything.

I wasn't about to complain.

[Marie Bennett @mariebennett1_]

I took my cat in for a bath and nail trim.

When I picked him up, the groomer had shaved two patches of fur down his back.

I hadn't agreed to any haircut.

My cat, Felix, is a four-year-old black longhair with a white chest. His coat takes work, so I brush him most evenings and book a professional bath every couple of months.

I'd used the same grooming shop three times without problems.

On Thursday, the woman who usually handled Felix was out sick. A man named Travis said he could take the appointment instead.

At check-in, I asked for a bath, brushing, and nail trim. Nothing else.

He wrote it on the intake form. I watched him circle “NO SHAVING” after I mentioned Felix had sensitive skin.

Two hours later, he brought Felix out in his carrier.

I could see bare patches along his back through the door.

I asked what happened.

Travis said he'd found some tangles and “cleaned them up.”

I asked why he hadn't called me.

“They would've turned into mats,” he said.

I told him I'd brushed Felix that morning.

He shrugged.

“Some owners don't realize how bad their pets' coats are.”

Then he handed me the bill.

There was an extra $30 charge for dematting.

I'd brought in a cat for a bath. I was being charged for a haircut I specifically refused.

[Marie Bennett @mariebennett1_]

@AFTERMATH_1984 They really do remember so much. I just hope Walter remembers those quiet afternoons as something good. ❤️

[Marie Bennett @mariebennett1_]

For six months, I spent the last fifteen minutes of my shelter shift sitting beside a cat who pretended I wasn't there.

Then one Sunday, his cage was empty.

His name was Walter. He was eleven, a gray tabby with one folded ear, and he spent most of his time hiding in a cardboard box.

I volunteer at a small animal shelter on Sunday mornings. I clean cages, change water bowls, and wash more blankets than I ever thought possible.

Walter had been surrendered when his owner moved somewhere that didn't allow pets.

The younger cats would come right up to the doors, batting at toys and trying to catch people's attention. Walter stayed in his box.

A staff member told me not to take it personally.

So after my chores, I'd sit on the floor outside his cage and read whatever paperback was in my bag.

For weeks, nothing happened.

Then one Sunday, I noticed he was sitting just outside the box.

The next week, he came close enough to sniff my sleeve.

I never tried to pick him up. Sometimes I just sat there until my shift ended.

One morning, he leaned his cheek into my fingers.

I thought about it the entire drive home.

When I found his cage empty that Sunday, even his cardboard box was gone.

I went straight to the front desk to ask what had happened.

[Marie Bennett @mariebennett1_]

@SandtownMama That’s exactly what I hoped for with Walter. I never wanted to rush him, just let him get comfortable having someone nearby. ❤️

[Marie Bennett @mariebennett1_]

@dane_golang Thank you! Walter found a wonderful new home. I’m just happy I got to spend that time with him before he left. ❤️

[Marie Bennett @mariebennett1_]

I took pictures of the sink, my clothes, and the machine running Valerie's towels.

Then I called our building manager.

He came downstairs about twenty minutes later.

Valerie was still there, waiting for her wash to finish.

She told him I'd left my laundry unattended and she'd assumed the cycle was over.

I explained that I'd paid for a forty-five-minute wash and returned before it should've finished.

The manager asked Valerie if she'd stopped the machine.

She said, "I needed it, and nobody was using it."

He pointed at the clothes in my basket.

"Those were in it."

She said people couldn't expect to leave things in shared machines all day.

I told her my clothes hadn't even been in there for half an hour.

The manager asked her to reimburse me for the ruined shirt and the wash she'd interrupted.

She refused.

He told her he'd document the incident and send her a written notice about interfering with another tenant's belongings.

Suddenly, she wanted to know how much the shirt cost.

It was $32. I showed her the receipt from when I'd bought it for work.

She transferred the money and covered another wash.

Then she said, "Next time, maybe stay downstairs with your laundry."

I told her I'd rather live somewhere people didn't empty a running washing machine.

The manager had the broken machine repaired that Wednesday.

He also put a notice above both washers asking residents not to touch anyone else's laundry while a cycle was running.

Valerie saw me reading it on Thursday.

She said the building was getting ridiculous with all its rules.

I didn't argue.

I just started my wash and went upstairs.

[Marie Bennett @mariebennett1_]

I found my wet clothes piled in the laundry room sink.

My neighbor had stopped my washing machine halfway through its cycle so she could use it.

Our apartment building has two old washing machines in the basement. One has been broken for weeks, so everyone has been sharing the other.

Sunday afternoon, I put in a load of clothes, paid for the cycle, and went upstairs.

When I came back thirty minutes later, a woman named Valerie was loading her towels into the machine.

My clothes were sitting in the utility sink beside a bottle of bleach.

I asked what happened.

"Oh, those were yours?" she said.

I told her the washer hadn't finished.

She said she needed to get her laundry done before leaving for work.

"You weren't here, so I figured you could wait."

I picked up my clothes. They were still covered in detergent.

One of my black work shirts had a pale stain across the sleeve.

I asked whether she'd put it directly into the sink.

"Where else was I supposed to put it?"

I pointed to the bleach bottle.

She said I couldn't prove the stain hadn't been there already.

Then she turned back to the washer.

"Anyway, my load's running now. You'll have to wait."

I told her she needed to finish washing my clothes first.

She laughed.

"I'm not stopping another load just because you're upset."

[Marie Bennett @mariebennett1_]

@LuxDevine Thank you! I’m so relieved he wasn’t seriously hurt. His paw is healing, but he’s still pretty shaken up. ❤️

[Marie Bennett @mariebennett1_]

My neighbor's dog knocked my cat's carrier down the stairs.

He told me I shouldn't bring a cat into a hallway where people walk dogs.

I live on the second floor of a small apartment building. My cat, Cricket, is seven, black with a little white patch under his chin, and absolutely hates car rides.

Tuesday morning, I was carrying him downstairs for a vet appointment.

My neighbor, Derek, opened his door as I reached the landing.

His golden retriever came charging out without a leash.

The dog jumped at Cricket's carrier. I turned away, but he hit it hard enough to knock the handle out of my hand.

The carrier bounced down six steps and landed against the wall.

I ran after it.

Cricket was pressed against the back, shaking. The door was still latched.

Derek finally grabbed his dog's collar.

"He's friendly," he said.

I told him his dog had just knocked my cat down the stairs.

"He was excited. You didn't need to yell."

I asked why the dog wasn't on a leash.

Derek said he was only taking him outside for a minute.

Then he looked at Cricket's carrier.

"Maybe don't bring cats through here during the morning rush."

I stared at him.

"This is the only staircase."

He shrugged.

"Then hold on tighter."

I took Cricket straight to the vet. He had a bruised paw but, thankfully, nothing broken.

The examination and X-rays cost $216.

Derek ignored my message asking him to cover the bill.

[Marie Bennett @mariebennett1_]

@meezer2000 He really is! Dad has always had such a soft spot for him. ❤️

[Marie Bennett @mariebennett1_]

My father asked me to stop sending photographs of his dog.

I’d been sending one every morning since he moved into assisted living.

Teddy eating breakfast. Teddy asleep under my kitchen table. Teddy carrying a sock he had no intention of returning.

Dad usually replied with a question.

“Did he finish his food?”

“Are you putting warm water on it?”

“He needs a longer walk than that.”

Then I sent a picture of Teddy lying with his chin on Dad’s old walking shoes.

I’d brought them over with the dog’s bed and bowls. Teddy kept pulling one out of the bag, so I left the pair beneath the table.

Dad called instead of texting.

“Don’t send me any more of those.”

I thought I’d upset him with that particular photograph.

“I can send happier ones.”

“Please just stop.”

For the next week, he didn’t ask about Teddy. When I mentioned him, Dad changed the subject.

The staff said I could bring the dog for a visit in the courtyard. I asked Dad first.

“No. He’ll think I’ve come to take him home.”

“We could just sit outside.”

Dad looked at the wheelchair beside his bed.

“For eleven years, I’ve taken that dog out twice a day. Now I can’t even get him around the block.”

Then he asked whether Teddy was still sleeping beside the shoes.

[Marie Bennett @mariebennett1_]

@Maria4renault I actually went there to have fun and catch up with friends, not to pay for someone else's wine and steak.

[Marie Bennett @mariebennett1_]

The waiter set down our dinner bill, and my friend immediately told him to divide it six ways.

I'd ordered a $24 pasta and water.

She'd ordered two bottles of wine.

I went out Friday with five people from my old office. Jenna had suggested dinner to celebrate her new job, and I'd been looking forward to catching up.

She picked a restaurant with a big table near the back. I got there a little late, after they'd ordered appetizers.

When the waiter asked if I wanted a drink, I said water. I was driving.

Jenna ordered another bottle of wine for the table. I said I wasn't drinking, but she waved her hand.

"It's for everyone."

I didn't touch it.

By dessert, Jenna had ordered two bottles of wine, three shared starters, and a steak she said was worth the price.

I had my pasta. That was it.

When the bill came, Jenna grabbed it before anyone else could look.

"Just split it evenly," she told the waiter.

I asked how much the total was.

She turned the receipt over.

"About six hundred, with tip."

I said I'd rather pay for what I ordered.

Jenna laughed.

"It's dinner with friends, not an accounting exercise."

I told her I hadn't had the wine or appetizers.

"Nobody kept track of who ate what," she said.

"I know what I ordered."

She looked around the table.

"Are we seriously doing this over a few dollars?"

[Marie Bennett @mariebennett1_]

@Karenshea I wouldn't have minded paying a little extra. It was being expected to cover wine and food I hadn't ordered, without anyone asking me first, that bothered me.

[Marie Bennett @mariebennett1_]

I told him he was.

Dad rubbed his face.

“Bring him Saturday. But don’t make a big thing of it.”

When we arrived, Teddy walked straight past the courtyard chairs, following a smell along the wall.

Dad watched him.

Then he said, “What have you found, you old nuisance?”

Teddy turned so quickly that his leash caught around my ankle.

I untangled it. By then, he was pressed against Dad’s legs, his tail hitting the side of the wheelchair.

Dad bent forward as far as he could.

“There you are.”

He kept saying it while Teddy pushed his head beneath his hand.

After a while, I asked whether they wanted to go around the courtyard.

Dad said he couldn’t manage the chair and the leash.

“I’ll push.”

I gave him the handle and stayed close enough to take it if Teddy pulled.

We barely made it past the first flower bed.

“He always does this,” Dad said. “Has to inspect everything.”

So we waited.

Then we went a little farther and waited again.

Dad started telling me which side Teddy preferred to walk on, and how he’d pretend he hadn’t heard you when it was time to turn back.

We did three slow laps.

Before we left, Dad asked me to bring his blue jacket next time.

“It’s warmer than this one.”

That evening, I checked the pockets before putting it in the wash.

There were dog biscuits in both.

I called to ask whether he wanted them thrown away.

“Only if they’re stale,” he said. “And put some fresh ones in.”

[Marie Bennett @mariebennett1_]

@Woody148321 Haha, I'm glad Walter's story made your day a little better! ❤️

[Marie Bennett @mariebennett1_]

@SchiazzaEric Thank you so much. That's very kind of you. ❤️

[Marie Bennett @mariebennett1_]

@LuxDevine Thank you so much. Spending a little time with Walter was something I looked forward to every Sunday. ❤️

[Marie Bennett @mariebennett1_]

@DJaneE52 Walter was adopted! His new owner sent the shelter a photo of him resting on the couch and said he comes out to sit nearby whenever he reads.

[Marie Bennett @mariebennett1_]

@cab1951 The story continues in the second post. Walter was adopted by a man who wanted an older, quiet cat, and he's settling into his new home.

[Marie Bennett @mariebennett1_]

@Evol210 That sounds a lot like Walter. Some cats just need their own time and space before they feel safe enough to come out.

[Marie Bennett @mariebennett1_]

@tysonrileyreggi I really missed seeing him in that cage, but knowing he was finally home made it easier. ❤️