Wednesdays are trash days. I don't always remember this, and thus I'll go to take my trash out to the can and the can will be gone. I never took the time to figure out where the trash cans actually go on trash days; I would just take the bag back inside and wait for them to magically reappear.
Today I got lucky. Bundling up my trash bag, I scurried out to the trash nook to find that one can remained to be taken out to wherever it is that trash cans go to be emptied. The man responsible for taking out the trash was standing to the side, staring at the nook warily. As I approached, he told me, "There's a rat in there."
"Oh, I know. There's nine of them. Babies. And at least one adult."
"There's a big one. He jumped on me last time I tried to take the cans out. That's why I'm not moving that one. There's a rat in there."
I was smirking, the sort of expression that says
aww, the big man's afraid of the little rat. "I'll take it out for you. Where does it go?"
"Around the corner next to the street."
So setting down my trash bag, I boldly swaggered (well, maybe not
swaggered) over to the can, peeking inside. "Ratty ratty ratty," I called. "Cute little squeaky butt." The trash man (for want of a better name) had backed away considerably, and was staring at me as if I were doing something simultaneously brave and insane. Chuckling, I dragged the trash can out of the building, through the gate and onto the sidewalk. As I was wheeling it to the street, I heard a rustling from inside. A rat, not a big fat rat but a little baby, had scurried to the top of the trash bags in what I can only assume was full panic mode. Even though the trash can was a good four feet tall, the tiny rat flung himself from the edge, landing sprawled on the sidewalk, then took off at high speed, scurrying around the corner. With a laugh I sped after him, but he had already dissapeared.
Delivering the trash can to the curb, I returned to the apartment building, where the trash man was waiting.
"Did you see him?" He asked in a hushed voice, as if the rat might hear and come after him.
"Aww, he was just a little thing."
Shaking his head the man returned to sweeping the courtyard, muttering about rats.
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posted by Sophielynette @ 2:53 PM