Continue the story.....

[itsmeagain]

he was less than enamoured with the svelte, middle class twit demeanour, perfected, like that of Rishi, because that's exactly  what the Flowers guy is..a useless middle class twerp.

Maybe it required a more urban approach..a lorry driver, no nonsense, gruff yet ..Drinnnnngggg

' Yes..?'

'Ohhhh yah..zis ist Ilga..oh ma sweet cheeks, bloom of my effervescent, kind life. '

'That's about time..now see ere, we industrial industrious northern types, we only like women oo do as dare told..'

'Oiohh. Getting saucy , ya..right up my strasse, hehe hehe...

[poppy]

'What do you do with ze very naughty girls, yah?' asked a giggling Ilga.
'Hehehe, vell first I likes to ...ahh hum, I mean naughty gals get thrown over me knee and  ...'
And there we'll draw a veil over Major Flowers and Ilga, on privacy (and censorship) grounds, and return to Johnny and Rosie's Cat Cafe, where we find them both relaxing with a large mug of tea, a plateful of jammy dodgers and a purring cat on each of their knees.
'Isn't this so nice and peaceful, Johnny? Why don't we ...

Edited December 1, 2024 by poppy

[itsmeagain]

keep all the doors shut, feed the kitties, retire to bed and..well you know..we could do things..together things..you know".

The one upshot of which ( pardon the pun) was that a few weeks later, Rosie began with ' No period Johnny..what date did we retire early?'

Realising the writing was legibly on the wall, I said '2031 but it ain't arrived yet..why?'

'Oh Johnny..we could be having a 👶 baby', she said, her joy not tempered ....

[poppy]

by the fact she'd been throwing up several times a day. Our Rosie was made of stern stuff ... after all she'd put up with her father all her life, enough to nauseate the most robust digestive system, in my opinion.
'Darling, you will have to take it easy now. Leave everything to me. Would you like a nice cup of tea? And a bickie? That's supposed to be good for a dicky tummy. Here's a pillow for your back. Put your feet up, sweetheart. I'll bring you your book. Which one are you reading? Ooooh I AM excited! I'm going to be a daddy!'
'Oh Johnny, you are a sweetie, but stop fussing,' Rosie laughed, 'I'm ...
 

[itsmeagain]

fine and frankly, would be appalled if a baby was to begin kicking my insides. It's not your fault but Rishi and Keir have mashed up the nation.. '

A cacophony of musical pandemonium ensued, with Musical Youth walking into the cattery, guitars etc and a rendition of their ' Mash up de Nation'was delivered, having customers gyrating like a whirling dervish, and me laughing my head off.

'Rosalyn are you crazy..?"

"No I am' , came a simpering, mouse like voice, ' I feel it needed

[poppy]

strong and upbeat music to get my message across.'
If he hoped to be a representative of political dissent, he wasn't going  to be very successful. His demeanor was off putting, his voice affected and he walked with the look of a pouter pigeon. Since I agreed with the sentiment, it was rather disappointing. And the loud music was upsetting our moggies.
'Who invited HIM in?' I asked.
'I did,' said Clyde, 'I thought ...

[itsmeagain]

it behove me to influence modern subculture sociology, in a grimly counter capitalist counterculture. Only a complete stiff can deny that Rosie loves what I...

[poppy]

believe in, my revolutionary ideology!'
I looked at Rosie aghast, 'Is this true, Rosie??'
She had the grace to look a little embarrassed and squirmed in her chair.
'Well not entirely, Clyde. I mean I love your work ethic, you do such a wonderful job. And your rapport with our darling kitty cats is absolutely amazing. But your political views are ... how shall I put this ... rather bizarre, and to be quite honest, totally incomprehensible to me.'
'Well, that's it!' he stormed, 'I can see my time here has been totally wasted!' and with that he ...
 

[itsmeagain]

flounced theatrically, languorouslly, and with great finesse de large, ' well mon sweet cherie, Rosalyn, I shall forthwith treasure thy sweet memory...it's like sweet nothings whispered in my joyous ears..if ever you're 

[poppy]

feeling dispirited or neglected, you need only to call my name and I'll be at your side, your devoted servant, ready to whisk you away from this vile beast and transport you to the heights of ... '
'That'll be quite enough from you, you obnoxious pillock! OUT!!' and I grabbed him by his scrawny ear and shot him out the back door.
'Darling, was that absolutely necessary, after all ...
 

[itsmeagain]

Clyde is..better than you..in certain..departments..'

'Are you on..what I saw on tv..a truth drug..?', I asked, quaking with dread, 

[poppy]

'Don't be such a silly! You know I'm... we're ... expecting a little stranger, Johnny!  I wouldn't dream of taking any nasty, horrid drugs. It's just Clyde was so good with ... you know ... the cats and things. You always seem to be going off on secret missions and he was here, ready, willing and able.'
'Well, I've always felt Clyde bashed the shuttlecock from the feathered end.'
'Whatever do you mean by that?' Rosie looked perplexed. 'As far as I know he never played badminton.'
'Suffice it to say ...

Edited December 7, 2024 by poppy

[itsmeagain]

that..dear Rosie..he is..dare I venture..probably quite..amicable.. with ..Dorothy ', I said, my resentment causing me discomfort..I belong, dare I proffer the wisdom, dear reader, to a camp, oh so devoid of resentment, be it of straights, LBTQG pluses or minuses, and yet..from where cometh the bitterness..a conundrum for

[poppy]

for me to grapple with. Delving deep into my psyche I came to the conclusion that my ambivalence was caused by nothing other than the green-eyed monster.  Clyde idolised Rosie and he was her willing slave. And the cats adored him, following him around like some modern day bloody Pied Piper!
Well, I'd put an end to all that nonsense, I'm the big cheese round here and things could now ...

[itsmeagain]

begin taking shape for the better.

Next day, I was surprised to see  Clyde sitting in our extension, surrounded by kitties, idly regaling Rosie with a tale of woe. ' and HE thinks I'm amicable..sob..with Dorothy..sob..well I fathered a baby by my girlfriend Judicia. So not much of a friend was I. Sob..'

' Oh Clyde, Johnny is.. 

[poppy]

well ...just Johnny ...you know. He's a bit possessive, and now with the baby and everything. And you're a daddy yourself! How exciting! Do you live with your girlfriend Judicia? Is she a bit jealous too ... about Dorothy? I must ask Johnny how he knows Dorothy, I've never heard him talk about her before. Daddy has a lady friend called Dorothy, Dorothy Frobisher, I think her name is, I wonder if it's her? But she's quite elderly, at least fifty, so it's probably not her. She's a rather busty lady, she reminds me of one of those figureheads on the front of ships. Her top half arrives well before the other bits. Now tell me about badminton, I didn't know you played! It's the only game I was ever any good at. I'm very short-sighted and I could never see the ball coming but the floating shuttlecock gave me a chance to give it a good old whack. We'll have to have a game sometime ...'
And so Rosie prattled on, by which time ...

[itsmeagain]

Clyde was simpering happily on. I made them tea, proffered green jelly babies, and Clyde said" Johnny how long have you been friends with..

Edited December 9, 2024 by itsmeagain

[poppy]

Dorothy?'

'For crying out loud!' I groaned. Is there no end to this nincompoop's stupidity? How come I was making tea for the little cretin and handing round jellybeans!! Then I remembered Rosie had a craving for green jellybeans.

'None for you!' I said, snatching them away from Clyde, 'these are for Rosie. So how come you're not out there with the great unwashed proletariat educating them on the joys of Marxism-Leninism instead of swanning round here with your feet up?'

'The joys of who?' Clyde looked ...

[itsmeagain]

aghast.

'Personally, oh Esteemed One, I prefer Zen teachings to the ones of poxy Leninism, pseudo Trotsky followers and avowed disciples of Stalin..oh Esteemed Johnny..you are such a div.. even when she is

Edited December 10, 2024 by itsmeagain

[poppy]

a shining diamond, sparkling like the sun dances on water, her eyes like bottomless inky pools, the dawn trembles at her countenance ...'

'Oh shut up, you %@&* plonker!'

'I was rather enjoying that,' sighed Rosie.

'So what happened to your grim anti-capitalist counter culture then? I don't imagine they spend a lot of time stuck in the lotus position, oming away!'

'You're such a heathen, Johnny! I'm showing the way for all ...

[itsmeagain]

blighted humanity..eg people like you, stuck in a dystopian semi nuclear, isotype orientated, decapitated, vegetated, diarised, techno crazed, regulated, semi rotten, totally moribund mess and you come here acting Mr Big..only one Mr Big around and that is..moi', he opined, prancing like a character in a Wilde story, all elegance and acerbic frippery.

'Well you old 

Edited December 11, 2024 by itsmeagain

[niko]

He kept going, his voice dripping with irony and sarcasm, as if he were not just a participant in this dystopia, but an observer of it. 'You’re all here like puppets, controlled by the invisible strings of technology. Every step you take is predictable, every choice is predetermined. You think you’re in control of your life, but really, you’re just reacting to signals from your screens. 

[itsmeagain]

'The most operable, ineffable, logical, praiseworthy and, dare I add, effective, solution, would be this, namely, that all matters that remain equal are being dealt with in a truly punctual, relevant,.and, again, dopey manner, by this ludicrous individual known as Keir..you see ladies, he and only he, being held responsible for refugees in Rwanda, and oh does he merit the flak..this man is the largest idiot in today's 

[poppy]

sad and sorry collection of politicians.  Mind you there's plenty vying for top spot.'
'Well,' I said, 'enough of the political mumbo jumbo for one day. Off you trot now, Rosie needs her rest. Say ta tah, you know the way out. Don't let the doorknob hit you in the bum. And don't hurry back!'
'I thought he'd never go!' said Rosie,  'I'm sure he's getting worse, he never used to carry on like this. All he was interested in were the cats. Do you think he's ...
 

[friendofbooks]

I thought he would never leave!" Rosie said. "I'm sure he's getting worse; he's never acted like this before. All he cared about was cats. Do you think he really forgot his responsibilities or is he just pretending?