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KingRat.
Herbody tensed and she reached for the cupboard handle, then stopped.
Francescabit her lip.Howdid he keep avoiding the poison?Itwas almost like he knew that the little blue pellets weren’t good for him.Likeit or not,KingRatwas a survivor, just like her.Shelaughed mirthlessly, as she realised that she had more in common with a rodent than with most people.
ShefilledHotWillywith boiled water and clutched it to her stomach as she slid onto the floor next to the cupboard.Slowly, she prised open the door and peaked inside.KingRatstood on his haunches, his paws wrapped around the end of a celery stick from her compost bin.Thelittle white diamond on his forehead froze as his glassy obsidian eyes stared atFrancesca.
Sittingback, she attempted not to scare him.Theystudied each other for a long moment, neither moving a muscle.Eventuallydeciding that the food was worth the danger, he began cautiously chewing again.
‘Hey,’ she said.
Hey!Sheimagined his reply.
‘Youenjoying that?’Shewrinkled her nose at the slimy green stick.
Don’tjudge.Oneman’s trash is another man’s treasure.
‘True.’Whydid the rat sound like aJewishgrandfather fromBrooklyn? ‘Sotell me, what’s it like being a rat?’
It’sokay.Can’tcomplain.
‘Really?Eventhough everybody hates you?’
Whohates me?
‘Youknow…people.’
Couldrats shrug?Idon’t worry so much about what others think about me.It’swhatIthink about myself that’s important.
‘Ah, a philosopher rat.’
Whatabout you?
‘Whatabout me?’
Whatdo you think about yourself?
Shepaused a moment before answering.Itwas a surprisingly big question for such a small rat. ‘IthinkI’mhard to love.’Herthroat thickened around the last word and tears moistened her eyes.She’dnever admitted that to anyone before.Butit made sense.Herparents practically abandoned her at the first opportunity.Hersiblings barely acknowledged her existence.Thenagain, she didn’t make much of an effort with them either.
Therat digested her statement, along with more celery.Areyou really?Oris that just the story you tell yourself?
Wasshe really getting into this with a rat? ‘Well, health-wise,I’ma mess.Ihate the idea of being a burden to anyone.Idon’t like most people, soIguess that makes it hard for them to like me.Ican be snarky and irrational.I’ma liar.’Shethought aboutKrishand how she hadn’t trusted him with her secrets, when he was pretty much the most trustworthy person she’d ever met. ‘AndI’ma coward.’
Wow.Okay.That’sa lot of self-loathing in one go.Nowtell me your positive qualities.
FrancescahuggedHotWillyand examined her toes.Shecounted each one to make sure they were all there.
I’mwaiting.
‘Just…give me a second.I’mthinking.’
Youshouldn’t have to think that hard.
‘Okay.Okay.Whatabout this?I’mgenerally quite clean.’
Excuseme?
‘Imean,Itake a shower almost every day, so…yeah.I’mclean.’Thatbeing said, she remembered the timeKrishfound her in her office after not sleeping for three days.Shehadn’t been very clean then.
