A beautiful girl was right across from me. Her shiny, soft fur and crystal blues eyes lit up under the sun as she cuddled in her owner’s lawn. As an ordinary, overweight cat, my confidence ceased to exist, but I still kept eye contact as a way to seek her attention. “Meow!” I said, but no response back. Then she looked at me for a split second and turned away in indifference. Before I had a chance to impress her, the owner grabbed her in an instant and the two zoomed down the road in a red Porsche.

Whew! I tried sprinting after the car and found myself panting in failure. Then a large, intimidating greyhound walked by on its leash. The dog was fast transportation, I thought. I wasn’t going to let a little scariness stop me so I leaped onto the his back and chanted, “Run dog! Run!” The hound took off in a chase for its life. It turned out he was frighted by me. Nevertheless, we headed aimlessly in the car’s direction.

After passing a couple of blocks and entering the city, he thrusted me off into an alleyway. Thanks to his lighting-fast speed, I managed to catch up as the red Porsche halted at a near stop light. I looked around vigorously, trying to figure out my next move. Only seconds remained before the light would turn green so I had to act fast. I decided to hop on top, but I was too slow. Then I found a taxi parked by the curb, ready to take off. I lunged onto the taxi’s hood and, with my claws implanted in the metal, I trailed behind my dream girl.

The taxi and Porsche stopped shortly after at a loud restaurant. I sprung off in glory and waited for her to pop out of the car. After seeing no such thing, I began to scatter about the car, looking intently for signs of a cat. “Meow! Don’t hide from me! I came here to see you,” I said. Again, not a sound was heard. But then I turned around to take another look and there she was the whole time, listening quietly behind me.

“Meow, I am James,” I said.

She snapped back, “Can I help you?”

“I think you’re pretty,” I said, making eye contact.

“You wasted your time coming here,” she said, eyeing my body.

“I am sorry to bother you. I’ll be on my way.”

Silence showed me the way home and told me things that I didn't want to hear. There I was, alone and insecure, dragging each paw on the pavement as I walked towards home. Minutes later, a little surge of energy traveled through my paws. My pace started to quicken. Then I found myself jogging on the sidewalk. I felt like I was in a new body, learning unfamiliar controls. My frustration with my weight was venting through my exercise.

I began to sprint intensely around the block. Surely my fat started to evaporate. I became lean and more attractive. My motivation was to impress this girl and finally my hard work paid off. Once I had achieved a skinny physique, I passed by her window, back straight, neck perpendicular to the ground, and the moment she saw me, her eyes fixated through the glass. I swung my head around to see her struggle her way up the street attempting to chase me. All my confidence was in me now. I hurried towards her and immediately flung into her arms. We toppled to the ground with my head buried in her smooth fur. I wasn’t just an ordinary cat anymore.

The trees were so lively and encompassing. The neighborhood looked extraordinary. I was picked up from the homeless cat shelter a couple of days ago. It was nice having a family even though they were of a different species. I couldn’t talk to them; It was all about snuggling in their laps and eating the crunchy pebble food they gave me. So I decided to spend most of my days out on the calm grass in front of my house.

That’s when I encountered a delusional cat on the neighboring lawn. One peek and I didn’t bother to look at him again. I don’t remember a moment where he wasn’t staring at me. I felt exposed by his fixated focus. Does he like me or is he planning something evil? Then I heard a mumble of sounds to the right of me. He was talking all the way from his lawn. If he wanted to converse, he was going to have to walk on over so I ignored it and continued to relax. It seemed like hours before I was finally picked up by my owner. Off I went, escaping the awkward stare. During the drive, I sat back in the seat trying to figure this cat out. He looked about my age, a little chubby and there wasn’t much to him, but I was curious; I was attracted to his mysteriousness. I couldn’t figure out what he wanted from me. Why isn't he approaching me? I was pondering what I should say to him when I got back. According to my instincts, I wanted to play hard to get. If he really wants me, then he is going to have to impress me.

I squinted at the sign of the market we arrived at. This was the tenth time I had been here and I still couldn't understand the big, bold shapes. The noise of the city flushed into my ears as my owner opened the car door by my seat. On my way towards the large building, I saw a cat go by on top of a taxi’s hood. The sight shocked me. Concerned, I walked over to the parked taxi to see if that cat was okay. To my surprise, it was the plump cat I had meet moments ago. I hid behind a another car and waited to see his next action. I felt a rush of fear when I began to contemplate the cat’s intentions. Is he an assassin? Why would he come all the way over here, risking his life on a car? I watched as he made his way closer to my owner’s car. As he was arriving at the doors of the car, I slowly crept behind him to hear what he was saying. I heard some meows and then something about wanting to see me. Then he swept around and I jumped in place, startled at being caught. At that moment I didn’t know what was going to happen. So I waited for him to speak.

“Meow, I am James,” He said, slightly shaking .

I quickly replied, “Can I help you?”

“I think you’re pretty,” he said quietly.

“You wasted your time coming here,” I said, trying to act mean.

“I am sorry to bother you. I’ll be on my way,” he responded.

He just walked away at the sound of his last word. I didn’t know what to say or do, so I let him take off. My owner returned with a bag of groceries, directed me back into the car, and drove towards home. Guilt settled in as the city moved behind me. Am I going to keep playing this game with him? Maybe he isn’t interested anymore. There are lots of other girls in our neighborhood. Jerkingly, the car came to a stop. The door was opened and I bounced out of the seat to look for the cat. I couldn’t find him anywhere. I still persisted on my search by the window.

Many days later, I saw him through the glass running past my house. He was thin and in perfect shape. I couldn't believe what I saw. I scurried out the door flap and went chasing after him, but I stopped halfway trying to catch my breath. I was too out of shape. Then he turned and sprinted towards me. We flew to the ground meowing with joy. This really was my dream neighborhood.

Yellow hues streaked across the grass on the lawn. James, a young, chubby cat was just enjoying a morning on his owner’s lawn, warming his brown fur under the sun. Then an unexpected sight caught his attention. Ashley, a female cat with blue eyes and white fur, roamed onto her owner’s lawn adjacent to James. James gazed at her with dreamy eyes, but Ashley only peeked at him and then cuddled up on the lawn.

The shape of the air suddenly distorted. James watched as Ashley was picked up by her owner and driven in a Porsche down the road towards Louiville City. James immediately reacted by chasing after the red Porsche. A slow start and few exhausting seconds later, James found himself in the street painting as he saw the car miles out. James transformed into a state of determination. He thrusted his head in every direction looking for transportation. A large greyhound dog was being walked on the sidewalk. James, without rationally decision, ran towards the dog and jumped on his back. In shock, the greyhound exploded down the street and into the city.

James' speedy ride came to an end when he was flung into an alleyway. The Porsche came to a halt at the stop light. He caught a glimpse of the smooth red polish on the car. James sprung from his crouched stance, and leaped towards a parked taxi about to drive off. He jumped on the taxi’s hood and digged his sharp claws into the metal surface. Vroom! The car abruptly took off in the same direction as the Porsche. James swung side to side as he held on tightly. Moments later, the taxi arrived at Jake’s Greens food market. James lunged out of the car seat and gravitated to a concrete pillar to get a view of the Porsche without breaking his cover. When it looked clear, he made his way onto the battlefield, carefully taking cover from her. James approached the car. “Meow! Don’t hide from me! I came here to see you,” James said, in a loud voice. There was silence in the vicinity. Then James heard a smack of saliva and spun around to see Ashley, motionless as a rock.. James’s body jerked upwards in an arc, but he managed to form some words.

“Meow, I am James,” he said, frozen in his tracks.

Ashley said, fiercely, “Can I help you?”

“I think you’re pretty,” he said, shivering under his fur.

“You wasted your time coming here,” she said, eyeing his chubby features.

“I am sorry to bother you. I’ll be on my way,” James finished, turning away.

Enormous amounts of energy entered James after the encounter. He was frustrated, angry and humiliated. James concluded that his overweight physique had hindered his chances and now he has realized the destruction it has had on his ability to get around town. His motivation was to have his dream girl.

For three weeks, James sprinted back and forth down the street for as long as he could. He began to build his endurance and strength. His hanging fat started to droop down into nonexistence. Now thin and strong after his efforts, he finally won Ashley’s attention. Taking a pompous stance, James strolled valently in front of Ashleys home. From the window sill, Ashley’s eyes widened and lit up. She propelled through the flap in the front door and sprinted after James. James turned around and the two met in the street. They sailed to the ground through waves of giggles. At four in the afternoon, the bright sun still shined.