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“Oh, I didn’t know that!” Satya Auntie beamed. “Tell me more.”
“Well, she’s called Fluffy Panda, FP for short. She also answers to Princess Fluffy Panda.”
“Jesus,” muttered Sita.
“She’s a total nightmare, but I love her,” continued Reeva. “My best friend, Lakshmi, bought her for me to help me with my—uh, you know, stress. She hates organic food, people, all other cats, and, often, me.”
Her aunt laughed. “Aren’t cats amazing? I feel like we can learn so much from their absolute refusal to be anything but themselves. And they’re always so at peace. Really, we all need to be more like cats.”
“That is so true,” cried Reeva. “I’ve been thinking that ever since I got her. Sometimes I look at her, waving her bum in my face or collapsing in the middle of the empty bathtub like it’s her god-given right to do whatever she wants, and I’m almost jealous. I wish I was brave enough to do what I want. Like nap in the office or say no to baby showers.”
Sita shook her head. “You sound insane. And where has it all come from? We Indians don’t do pets.”
“Uh, that’s so racist,” interjected Jaya. “And not even true. Some of my Indian friends have dogs. Little adorable fluffy ones.”
“And I bet they don’t let them in their beds,” said Sita. “Call me racist if you want, but no Indian is going to treat their dog like a member of their family. Not if they’ve ever been to India.”
“Uh, I definitely treat Fluffy Panda better than a member of my family,” said Reeva. “She’s the best family I’ve ever had.” Then she realized what she said. “I mean—”
“Whatever, you prefer your cat to your family,” said Sita. “We get it. Just don’t tell the twins.”
Reeva bit her bottom lip, hesitating. “I haven’t told you yet, but I’ve been having really bad nightmares lately... like really bad. I can barely sleep. And they’re all about FP and the twins. The twins are always screaming.”
“No surprise there.” Sita shrugged. She glanced over to the open door into the living room, where the twins were sitting in unusual silence, with thumbs in their mouths and eyes transfixed on the dinosaur cartoon on the television screen. “They’llbe at it again when the dinosaur dies. You’d think TV directors would know better.”
“No, it’s not like that,” said Reeva. “It’sdark.Their screams are bad. Last night...” She paused as she remembered waking up in the middle of the night dripping in cold sweat. No wonder her patch was now 8.9 centimeters. “I think I saw the cat die. Only it was an all-black cat, not black-and-white like FP. And the twins were holding it, screaming and crying. They were covered in blood.”
Jaya’s mouth dropped open. “Oh my god! Is it, like, a premonition? Have you checked in with Lakshmi?”
“I got a selfie of them curled up in bed earlier. I’m not worried; it’s more just exhausting having all these nightmares.”
“You do look tired,” said Sita. “Bags. Under the eyes.”
“Do you know what the dreams could mean?” asked Satya Auntie. “It sounds like your subconscious is trying to tell you something.” She looked at Jaya. “Not... necessarily predicting the future, but maybe showing you what’s on your mind?”
Reeva nodded. “I figured I must just miss FP more than I thought. Or I’m anxious generally. I mean, that’s a fact. I’m always semianxious.”
Her aunt reached out to put a hand on hers. “I’m sorry, Reeva. Night terrors are awful. And not getting enough sleep can make us feel terrible.”
“True that,” said Sita. “I hardly ever slept the year after I had the twins. And I made the worst life choices.”
“You should totally get hypnotherapy,” said Jaya. “It could help you uncover the meaning of your dreams.”
“Oh my god, not this crap again,” cried Sita. “No offense, Satya Auntie.”
Their aunt suppressed a smile. “None taken. I’ve never done hypnotherapy.”
“It’s amazing,” cried Jaya. “Like, super healing. Will you do it, Reevs? There’s a hypno-influencer I know who does it. I can probably get you a free session if you let me do a post on you?”
“We’re not all like you, Jaya—sacrificing our privacy for freebies,” said Sita.
“Please, Reevs, will you?” asked Jaya. “I’ll pay for it!”
“Uh, no, sorry.” Jaya looked so crestfallen that Reeva found herself saying, “But if you send me a link, I’ll take a look.”
Jaya squealed in excitement.
“I think Hemant used to have a cat,” said Satya Auntie unexpectedly.
