Rainy Days and Saturdays…

 The past two Saturdays at work have not started well.

Last Saturday I arrived at work 15 minutes early, which is not unusual as I try to be punctual or early. Unfortunately, Dave was running late so by the time he got there we only had 15 minutes before we opened. I had to rush to get the entire brewpub ready by myself. I went outside to get the only bar mat I can lift by myself and started to bring it inside. I started to lose my grip on it so I hefted it up and somehow cut the middle finger on my right hand (Dave thinks there might have been metal shavings from construction on the brew house on the sidewalk where the mats dried). Immediately I was grossed out because bar mats are gross and all we do is spray them down with a hose and let them sit out overnight to dry. It’s not a huge deal since they just go back on the floor anyway, but I hated the idea of having a cut from something that gross.

I threw it down behind the bar and noticed that now my finger was bleeding pretty good. Dave came over and asked if I was okay (he heard me curse when I got cut) and I showed it to him before heading to the bathroom to wash it out. As the water came on the blood splattered all over the sink and as water washed the blood away more would bubble up. I washed it really well with soap and water and wrapped it in a paper towel. I started to pace around the dining room and every time I checked on it there was more blood. Just as Dave asked if I was okay again I started feeling really light headed and dizzy so I sat down. Dave brought me a water and told me to take a few minutes to calm down. I kept apologizing because something like this had never happened before. I’m usually okay with the sight of my own blood.

Dave brought over the first aid kit and cleaned up the cut and bandaged it. At that point I knew I needed to lie down or I was going to pass out. I could see my car parked on the curb right outside of the window so I figured it would be nicer to lie down on the leather backseat than on the bar floor. I asked if I could go lie down in my car, which apparently (to this day) Dave thought was a bad idea (and I have no idea why). Meanwhile we had opened, another bartender had come in, and one of our members was at the bar. Dave asked the other bartender to get my purse and follow us. He put my arm around his neck and started to help me out back and right in front of the ladies room I passed out and fell onto the floor. I was only out for a split second, but when I came to I was still very dizzy and couldn’t speak in complete sentences. The member came over and asked if he could help so Dave sent him for a wet washcloth to put on my neck. Within just a few minutes I felt okay again. It was really embarrassing and I kept apologizing because I hate needing other people like that. I was worried they might think I was a drama queen because it was really not a bad cut at all, but they all said I was fine. I was able to stay at work and finish my shift with no problems.

Then this morning I got there early again and had to wait for Dave. As I was sitting in my car I saw in my side mirror a squirrel dart across the street about 50 yards behind me. Moments later I saw an orange cat sneak behind it. The cat stopped just far enough in the street to be in traffic and stared at the squirrel which was under a truck on the curb. I felt worried about the cat and wondered if I should get out of the car and scare it off somewhere, but I decided against it. I also wondered if I should stop watching it just in case something bad happened. No sooner had I finished that thought when a small red car came up the street toward me. The lady driving the car honked her horn but the cat turned and ran back into the street and she hit it! 🙁

The cat flopped around and looked like a fish out of water. I could not believe what I was seeing and my heart was breaking for this poor kitty suffering in the street! The woman in the car stopped at the stop sign about 20 feet in front of me and I saw there were two younger teenage girls in the backseat. They all looked back and when they saw the cat they started freaking out. The woman made a U-turn and went back by the cat who had rolled over just underneath the truck (but still very visible from the street) but did not stop.

I was distraught, but I tried calling Animal Control. Their answering machine said since they are fully funded by dog license fees they cannot deal with cats. Then I tried the local Humane Society but they weren’t in. I wrote a note to the owner of the truck letting him know what had happened and asking him not to run the cat over. Dave pulled up as I finished the note and I told him what happened. Together we went to check on the cat and the poor thing was dead but its eyes were still open. A woman out walking her dog saw the cat and said she didn’t know who it belonged to but said it was a very friendly cat. I had to put aside my emotions and go open the bar.

Dave tried to call the same places I did and he finally reached someone who said to call the sanitation department. They said they would be out shortly. Dave left for the morning and when I checked about three hours later the cat was still there! I called again and was told that they don’t do dead animal pickups on weekends and that they would be out on Monday. I tried to explain that we serve food, so walking past a dead cat in 90 degree heat probably wouldn’t be good for our sales, but she said nothing could be done until Monday. After I hung up I realized Monday is a holiday so they probably wouldn’t be there until Tuesday. By the time Dave came back he was upset that it was still there so he called and spoke to a supervisor who said they would be right out. When I left for the end of the day (6.5 hours after the cat died) there was a sanitation truck parked out front and a man with a shovel was walking down the wrong cross street. I flagged him down and asked if he was looking for the cat. He said he was and that he apologized because he said the complaint was made around 11am but he didn’t get a call until about 15 minutes ago. I pointed out where it was and let him do his job as I drove away.

Needless to say I got some extra kitty love from Sophie and Chloe when I got home. I don’t work next Saturday, but let’s hope this trend of bad things happening on Saturday mornings stops.