“Daaad, my son wailed. “Amber is taking my toys again!”
“You guys stop it, or you’re going to be in really big touble,” I replied sternly.
I had baby-sitting duty that evening. As I was trying to break up yet another squabble involving my children using my now laughable parental phraseology “Stop… or you’re going to be in really big trouble,” the phone began to ring.
When I answered the phone, my messaging service said I had an emergency call. They connected me to a panicked Mrs. Thornton hysterically describing that her cat, Herman, was stuck in the engine compartment of her husband’s truck. With mind still on my squabbling children and not fully digesting what she was telling me, I instinctively said, “Oh no, poor kitty.”
“Well, just run him down to the clinic immediately, and we’ll have a look at him,” I instructed.
“No, no,” she exclaimed, breaking into a sob. ” You don’t understand. I can’t get him out of the engine … He’s stuck in the engine compartment. Can you come out to the house right now? Please, you must hurry!” She again broke into sobs.
Looking over at my two kids, I discovered they had progressed to wrestling around on the floor. I thought, Gee, two fighting kids, and I have to go to a client’s house to rescue Herman the cat, who is stuck in a truck engine compartment. Now they would need to go on a house call with me. Since it didn’t appear my earlier admonition had worked with the two, I vainly hoped they’d behave better. In the back of my mind, I thought Maybe I’m the one who will be in “really big trouble.”
“Sit on either side of the car and be quiet. And keep your hands off each other,” I barked, and we were off to get Herman.
Shortly thereafter, I screeched to a halt in front of Mrs. Thornton’s house. Before hopping out of the car. I grabbed a small blanket and a cat-sized kennel. Fearing the worst, I ordered my warring children to stay put in the car. “Or else you’ll be in big trouble,” I warned. Actually, I did not want them to witness some gory spectacle, as is frequently the case when cats and car engines intermingle unexpectedly.