Chapter Ten: Velveteen’s Return!

“Velveteen, what do you mean, ‘twitchy things?’” asked Mamma Gattina.

Fig. 7. Mamma Gattina
Mamma Gattina was the Spirit of The Ultimate Gift From Above. Like Mallard (See Meet Crab Wren), she was a shining beacon of pure white light. Unlike Mallard, she was a cat, who carried her kittens around by the scruff of the neck, and soothed them back to sleep when they woke up in the middle of the night from a bad dream, such as one in which they lapped up the very, very last drop of the delicious sweet cream from their saucer, which was the worst thing which any of them could possibly imagine, so Loved and well-cared-for and pampered were they.

Specifically, Mamma Gattina was an elegant, luxurious Doll Face Persian Long Haired Beauty. She had the round head, short face and muzzle, snub nose and chubby cheeks characteristic of her breed, an old, dignified (and the most popular) cat breed.

She looked like a fluff ball. Her coat was beautiful, sumptuous, flowing, and silky. It was almost pure white, except for just the very tips of her small, rounded ears, and the tufts of fur on either side of her sweet face, which were black. Underneath lay a muscular, stocky, sturdy body.

Mamma Gattina was Velveteen's cat.

Also, she was Velveteen’s therapist. One of Velveteen's therapists.

Also, she was Velveteen's actual big sister.

You wouldn't have known at first that Mamma Gattina was either of these things, Mamma Gattina being a cat and all. But she was!

Mamma Gattina , or, as Vel liked to call her, “Glamour Puss,” (or “GP” for short) had a calm personality. Mamma Gattina had been put to the test at the start of their second-ever session.

Velveteen had worn a beige floral lace boho top and “old hangouts” style Levi’s 501 skinny jeans, nude tone naked sandals, champagne Allen Bastille sunglasses with gold plated palladium frames, a Gorjana paloma cuff in gold and an Anya 18k gold plated triangle ring. Velveteen had drifted into Mamma Gattina ’s office like a spring breeze, and, casual as her outfit, asked Mamma Gattina “Do you think I should kill myself?” as if she were asking Mamma Gattina if she (Velveteen) should buy a new blouse.

Mamma Gattina communicated with her big, expressive deep blue eyes and her soft, melodious voice. Only in their second-most recent session had Velveteen first heard Mamma Gattina take on an arousingly protective tone, specifically in reference to Velveteen’s fear that Velveteen’s probation officer, Elite Black Tiger Super Prawn Faery (Prawn Faery for Short) (Please see “Meet Elite Black Tiger Super Prawn Faery (Prawn Faery for Short),” would get mad if Velveteen bought a new toy.

“If that Elite Black Tiger Super Prawn Faery (Prawn Faery for Short) has a problem with you buying a new toy,” she growled, ears flat, “you just have her talk to me.”

Velveteen: (Sobbing uncontrollably): “This is so hard! I didn't know it would be so hard!”

Mamma Gattina : “Hey, you’re the one who looked at all that ****, Velveteen.”

Velveteen: “Wh-What?”

Mamma Gattina : “Meow."

"Sorry, that came out wrong," Mamma Gattina went on. "What I meant to say was, “Velveteen, what do you mean, ‘twitchy things?’” she repeated.

Velveteen answered, “I don't know, it’s weird, I get like these twitchy things, where it's like, you know how when you’re just starting to fall asleep, you get like this twitch? It’s like that, only i literally get like these fits. And it's like I just literally have one after another. And it's like I actually really don't mind it, because it's like that's how I know at least I'm falling asleep. But then it was like I started getting them really bad, like I was literally thrashing around, because it's literally like apnea or something, and I'm like gasping and making these sounds -- “

Mamma Gattina: What kind of sounds?

Velveteen (rubbing her forehead): Like can't breathe sounds.

Mamma Gattina and Velveteen were sharing a bottle of Oyster River Winegrowers 2017 “Morphos” Cayuga & Seyval Blanc, "full of life and with a natural effervescence,” much like Velveteen herself.

The appetizer course arrived:

A mix & match half dozen oysters (Peter's Point, Moon Shoal, Glidden Point and Belon) with lemon, cocktail sauce & mignonette, and
Two fried fish head “small plates,” with fish sauce vin & scallions)

Mamma Gattina suggested that Velveteen should see a neurologist, because she didn't want Velveteen to stroke out.

Velveteen said, “I tried making an appointment with one after I was hit by that 2017 Ford Expedition SUV, and they wouldn't take my insurance."

Velveteen wondered if anybody else had uncontrollable muscle twitches as a result of PTSD.

That, however, was just more of Velveteen's “crazy nonsense,” as Velveteen’s mother (who was dead) constantly reminded her at such moments.

And if you had asked Saran about Velveteen's “twitchy things,” Saran would not have answered you, because Saran does not know you.

And if, truly, Saran were to comfort Velveteen, all she would need to do would be to slip her right foot out of her sandal and ever-so-gently brush her toes against Velveteen's.

As Velveteen, or Vel (as her friends called her), felt Saran’s toes lovingly caress the top of her foot, she experienced a rush of pure joy. All ten of her toes dug firmly into the floor of her favorite booth, Booth 36, at her favorite restaurant, Fine Dining Establishment. Like a bird freed from her cage, she impaled another wedge of lemon on her oyster fork, splattering more juice across the (by now) not-so-giant-anymore dollop of horseradish and the okra garnish.

And at that moment, all ten of Velveteen's LumiDecoNails toe nail stickers lit up. “Code red!” she cried, locking eyes with Saran. “We’re going on a mission!”