My car pulls up into the car port. It’s 9:25PM to be exact. I know that because right before turning off the car, I catch a glimpse of the lime green clock flickering right above the CD player. Its late, I think to myself. I grab the bag of clothes to my right, the ones I wore during the first part of my day, and step out. I have 2 jobs by the way. Reason to the extra clothes. My usual 9 – 6 corporate job, and the night shift of working at my father’s restaurant. Out of the car I am, the habit of grabbing my keys to open the door occurs. My hands full of bags, keys in one hand, and who knows what else on my mind, I push the door open and stick my head in first, making sure no one random is in my house. Hey! these days, you never know, there. are. kooks. out there. The door is fully open and I am greeted by a meowing cat, one that I believe just dreams of escaping, and a dog as hyper as a crazy clown. I hear them. Hi hi hi hi hi hi hi. They are so excited to see me. I say hi back, out loud. Seriously, they are so happy. I smile, tell them to hold on, as if talking to an actual person, and go drop my keys on the counter, and the bags in my room. They follow me everywhere I go. The ritual.

The pets have finally calmed from excitement. The dog is out in the kitchen somewhere, and the cat … well, still meowing. I’m in my room. Tv on, Chelsea Lately to be exact, the computer on, facebook on the screen, bathroom light on, room light on, hallway light on. Everything is on. The girls, my roommates, are with their boyfriends. I smile and think, the roles have reversed. I go to the kitchen and run into the dog on my way. Really? You still want to play? I ask her. The dog. I could swear she smiled back. Ok, I tell her, let’s go. I slip on my sandals and walk to the front yard. I turn on the hose, and we play. Well, kind of. I’m also watering the plants my dad said I should, because they were dying. 2 birds with 1 stone kind of thing. The dog doesn’t know any better. In the mean time, I’m trying to teach her how to grab the hose and move it from one bush to another. I’ll update you on what comes out of that. Come on, let’s go in! I shout. Oh ya, I remember t’s almost 10. Working late, you lose track of time. She shakes, I tell her to shake again, she doesn’t and we walk back inside. The ritual.

I sit on my bed, in my pj’s, bowl of cereal in my hand, and I finish watching tv. I don’t want to go to bed just yet, I tell myself. The second I lay on that pillow, tomorrow will come, and it will feel the same again. I switch over to my computer. Anything new on facebook? As if I hadn’t checked just 10 minutes ago. Ok, I lied, 5 minutes. I can’t help it … I. love. Facebook…Like you don’t. Bored again, no new updates, and the same people always saying the same thing (me probably being one) I turn off the computer. I sit down, tired of the tv yapping about who knows what, I walk around the house, making sure the doors are locked, and I tell myself. Ok, I guess it’s bed time.

My ritual.