Doreen and Callie: Working stuff out

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Callie returns to her room and is able to strike an accord with her new roommate, and her new roommate's pet.



Jean-Paul was right, she had to talk to her roommate. It wasn't good for him, or even her, that Callie stay sleeping on his sofa. She needed to return to her room, to her bed, even though that meant dealing with the squirrel. The squirrel that liked to jump out at people randomly. Even though her teacher had informed her that apparently Monkey Joe didn't do that usually, Callie didn't want to risk it. After all if he did it once he'll probably do it again. Just like when a dog bites you, she figured. They're sweet and friendly and all until they decide that you look like a piece of meat.


That was why she didn't want to return to her room. What happened if the squirrel decided that her ear looked like a piece of food, or that her belongings looked like someplace nice to store things or relieve himself in. Squirrels are wild creatures, and even if they were tame Callie didn't believe you could ever fully break them of their nature. And when that happened she certainly didn't want to be on the receiving end of that.

Still, no matter how much she didn't want to deal with the squirrel, she reminded herself that it was her room. She had every right to be there just as much as Doreen and her pet. Not that she had more of a right for being first, no, but an equal right. And maybe, well maybe talking to her roommate would help, like Jean-Paul said. The thing was that she didn't quite know how to approach the younger girl without coming off as mean with regards to the squirrel.

Oh well, she thought as she opened the door. Here goes nothing.

"Doreen?"

Doreen looked up, she had been reading one of her comics in lieu of homework. She smiled when she saw her roommate come back. She knew that Callie had been out of town and didn’t think anything more of it than that. (The other girl had likely been stressed by the play if what Julian had said about it was true.) Doreen smiled like nothing was wrong, “Hi! Welcome back!”


"Hey." Callie reluctantly made her way over to her bed, making sure to keep an eye out for the vermin. "Is your squirrel around?"

Doreen nodded, “He’s sleeping in my sock drawer,” the drawer was open a little bit to accommodate Monkey Joe who was curled up in a bed he had made of socks. Her friend had two favorite past times: eating and sleeping. Running and jumping came close but nothing managed to really trump sleeping when he could get away with it.

Oh. Callie had been hoping that he was running around outside and not in the room. "Is that where you're going to keep him?"


“When I’m not sleeping and he wants to sleep he can be there or on the bed and he wanted to sleep in there,” Doreen explained like it was the easiest thing in the world.

"So you're letting him run free in the room?" Oh gosh, this was going to be difficult. "You can't put him in a cage or anything?"

“Why would I have to do that? He’s my friend. If you’re worried about vet stuff you can ask Kyle, Mom had him all checked out and everything,” she said simply.

Callie shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "Because he's a wild animal?"

Doreen almost laughed, but didn’t. “Oh… you think he…? No, he isn’t. He’s lived with us for almost two years now. He’s tamer than most house cats,” she said giggling.


Callie took a deep breath. "Doreen, I'm sure you probably think he's tame. But he's a wild animal. Like he has these instincts. And you can't ever fully break them of it. And I mean I know you said that what happened with Marius was a fluke, but it proves my point. And it could happen again. And it probably will happen again. And it makes me really uncomfortable." There. She had said it. It was like ripping off a band-aid. Maybe now she could get some relief.



Doreen gave Callie a very odd look, “What happened with Marius was Monkey Joe thought the granola was his. He knows it’s not now so it won’t happen again. Back home we kept it out so he and I could get it easily. He still isn’t quite settled in. But he’s really friendly. Ness likes him,” Doreen went over and picked up the sleeping squirrel who looked around groggily. “He’s been being really good about your plants and I give him a bath every day. Do you want to hold him? I promise he’s really friendly. We’re both still frazzled from moving… we had to do it pretty fast ‘cause of the court order.”

She jumped back a little on her bed. "No. That's fine. I...I really don't like animals. I mean like I do, in the wild where they're supposed to be, and like Mister Beaubier has rats in his room that stay in their cage mostly so they're okay. But not running around. I'm sorry. It makes me uncomfortable."


“Oh…” Doreen looked crestfallen, “I know it’s not a normal pet, but think of him more like a cat or a dog. He’s not like a rat or a mouse,” Doreen said. “Squirrels are actually really smart. And they don’t get rabies, did you know that? He’s never had fleas and he won’t be jumping on anymore people who don’t want him to,” she explained. “Besides, he can’t sleep outside. He called all the other squirrels ‘hicks’ and they don’t like him that much right now.”

Oh no. Callie had upset her. That was the opposite of what she had wanted to happen. "Doreen, I'm not saying he has to sleep outside. He can sleep inside. I'm just... I didn't want to bring this up. But you're going to keep him in our room and that freaks me out. And we're both settled in, and maybe we can find an agreement on him? Like during the day we get him one of those huge multi-leveled cages so he stays out of my stuff and I don't have to worry about that, but when you're in the room he can be free?"


“Oh, he’s only in here when I am during the day,” Doreen said, “Otherwise, he’s wandering around the mansion and outside. He knows how to get outside when he has to use to the bathroom if that’s another thing you’re worried about. He’s litter trained, because toilets scare him,” she said sagely. She couldn’t even imagine putting Monkey Joe in a cage. It’d be like having a cat in the cage.

“He knows to stay out of your stuff too, I told him. If you want, you can tell him too and I can translate, kinda. It’s a bit hard, but then you can talk to him and tell him yourself exactly what you don’t want him in so he knows,” Doreen offered.

"Doreen, please understand, I really don't want to have to move out. You say that he knows all these things and I have to believe you. But it would make me much more comfortable if he wasn't like completely free. I mean at least giving him some place he can go to if he wants. Like a box, or a cage, or even a little bed if he wants. I like to be organized." She gestured to her neatly arranged desk and bed. "And I guess if he's going to be in here as well he should have a place too? I mean you said not a cage or anything, but just like his own little area that's for him. It would make me more comfortable and it might help him settle in if he felt he was wanted?"

“I’ve always wanted to get him like a covered cat bed or something, but I can’t afford it,” Doreen said simply, petting her friend.

There was a deep sigh of relief from the pink girl. If the squirrel was going to stay in their room he was going to have his specific place that was all his. It was something. "Dori, I will gladly buy Monkey Joe a bed for him to sleep on. Think of it as an Easter slash 'Welcome to the School' type of present. My gift to you."

“You will?” Doreen said, still holding Monkey Joe, “I mean, you don’t have to, I don’t want you to feel like I’m asking you for it or something,” she didn’t beg.
"Oh no. No no no. I'm the one who's all... nevermind. I suggested it. And like I said, it'll be my gift to you. And him. To both of you."