"I almost got a kitten today." The woman's voice broke the silence of the living room. Setting down her keys, phone, and wallet, she walloped onto the couch with a sigh. "It was just so dang cute! But it had the feline version of HIV."
"Oh? So it's a good thing you didn't get it, then."
"What? Why would you say that?! That poor kitten needs someone to love it! Needs a home!"
"It's just heartbreak waiting to happen. I mean, honestly. How long does it really have to live?"
"That's beside the point. It deserves to be someplace nice, with people who love it! It's just a kitten, after all."
"So you'd rather have a cat for a short period of time than a cat that you know is going to be healthy and could potentially stay with you the rest of your days?"
"That's not what I said. But it was so cute! And it was abandoned! And, oh, my heart just went out to the poor thing! It just needs some love... Maybe I will get it after all."
"Or-- or. You could not get it and not worry about all the vet bills and trying to keep it alive even when it wants to die. And you won't have to get your heart broken by a dying cat. How 'bout that?"
"That just sounds plain evil."
"It's not evil. It's realistic."
"How do you know it's going to die so early, though? You can't possibly know that."
"It's just a hunch. I mean, you did say it had the cat version of HIV. That sounds pretty bad, if you ask me."
"Well, I didn't ask you!"
"Well, I'm not the one arguing aloud in an empty room."
"I-- Oh." The woman stopped and looked around, slowly realizing she had just had a fight with her own thoughts. And quite loudly.
"Besides. You know I'm right about the cat. It'll just die, and you'll be heartbroken. And you can't even afford to take care of it, anyways."
"I suppose you're right... I'll have to wait until another day to get a kitten. That poor baby... I hope someone gives it a good home." Fiddling with the hem of the blanket that hung limply over the back of the couch she was sitting on, the woman sighed shallowly. The sound of a door opened came from behind her, and her roommate stepped out into the living room.
"Hey, you talkin' to someone?"
"Nah. You must've been hearing things." She smiled delicately as her roommate shambled back into his room, shrugging off the talking he'd heard as a dream. "I really have to stop talking to myself out loud..."
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