i will arrive home at 6:15pm my cat will stretch and yawn to greet me he will manipulate me with affection until dinner be aloof until this time tomorrow i will be eager for your call which will not come before my mother's she will fume as i will have forgotten somebody's birthday she will scream me down to infancy over my obscenely thoughtless nature she will guilt trip and demonize challenge the decibel i will consider abandoning caution to push my voice against hers poised to fire back i will relent for fear of being impaled by my own words i will instead withdraw and heave the phone onto the floor and rescue it seconds later thankful i haven't broken it