My mom, Tanya, loves to take naps. It’s usually on Saturday or Sunday, sometimes on both days!
This is the setup. It’s always in the living room, on the leather sectional. Golf or tennis is on television. On the rare occasion, it might just be a random TV show. Sambuca is usually tucked in the corner of the couch, snuggled into mom’s feet. A big pillow is on the opposite side, and what is a nap without a cozy blanket.
Depending on my mom’s mood, sometimes Mousie joins us.
Who is Mousie, you ask? She is momma’s favorite stuffy.
When I arrived at Tanya’s home, one of the first things she showed me was this stuffed animal. She sat down on the carpet in front of me and explained, “Appy, this is Mousie. Mousie meet Appy, our new puppy.” Yes, you read right. My crazy human gave me a proper introduction to a stuffy.
I lean towards it. I sniff. It smells like Tanya.
Nice to meet you. Do you talk on your own, or only when there is a hand up your butt?
“This belongs to mommy. We never, ever, EVER play with Mousie. Sambuca and you have your own stuffed animals to play with. This special one is all mine.” Yada, yada, yada.
I look towards Sambuca. She nods her head. Never, ever play with The Mouse.
It does make sense that Mousie is important to my mom. You see, she was adopted when she was 18 months old. She was a very quiet little one and tended to shy away from people. One day, a close friend of her new mom and dad brought her a stuffed mouse when they came for a visit.
Tanya named her Mousie. Her amazing IQ was already showing through.
As she got older and started to talk, she would tell her parents “Mousie is hungry or Mousie wants grape juice.” Mousie became a part of her.
Sambuca shared that Tanya always sleeps with Mousie. Even if she goes somewhere for just one night, Mousie gets packed with the luggage. Mousie has travelled a lot with Tanya over the years, on trips to the United States, the Caribbean and even Europe. The stuffy has had a few operations and makeovers over time, and still holds a big place in our mom’s heart.
I got it. The thing means a lot to momma. Don’t touch it. Don’t play with it. I wonder if I can lie on it. Especially since it smells like Tanya.
I’ve learned over time to respect Mousie and her importance to my mom. She has a permanent home on Tanya’s bed and, sometimes, she will join us on the couch for nap time.
During one of our naps, I actually got to lie my head on Mousie. Hee hee. Tanya got up to do something and came back to find me snuggled up to Mousie.
“Ahhhh, Appy. That’s sweet.” She grabbed her phone to snap a picture.
“This warms my heart.”
Mine too, momma. Mine too.
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