Grime and Punishment

terrified of the back.
    Going back in the kitchen, Jane found that the cats were still eyeing each other over their food bowl in a stare-off to determine who would eat first. “Get on with it, you dopes!“ she said, giving them ear scritches they didn’t appreciate.
    Why didn’t Shelley go? She didn’t dare make a grocery-store run while there was a danger o Shelley catching her and asking where she was going. She found it was impossible to lie convincingly to her, even on small matters like tangerine juice. Jane would have to wait her out. It was like being in a castle under siege.
    To kill the time, she occupied herself with one of her least favorite duties. She checked on the hamsters in Todd’s room, which were living in precisely the kind of filth she’d imagined. “You are rats in disguise,“ she said to them. “You may fool children, but not mothers.”
    Popping the fuzzy creatures into a shoe box, she dumped the contents of their cage into a plastic trash bag—checking carefully just what she was throwing away. Once she’d tossed out their newborns not realizing what those repulsive little pink lumps were. She’d assumed they were evidence of some nasty digestive process she was better off not knowing anything about. Todd had been crushed, and had put no credence in Jane’s statement that if he’d cleaned it himself as he was supposed to it wouldn’t have happened. Sooner or later Todd would run out of friends to give the frequent offspring to, and they’d have to move out and abandon the house to the little rodents.
    In the meantime, she’d keep cleaning their cage occasionally. She knew she shouldn’t be doing this for Todd. It really was his responsibility. But there were reasons she continued to make regular forays into the hamster den. First, he was always so pleased when he came home and discovered that his little pals had a clean house. It was a refreshing change from the usual to have someone notice her efforts. Second, Steve had always been a bear about it, insisting that Jane was absolutely not to clean the cage. He didn’t consider the creatures as pets, but as a learning experience for Todd. Now that he was gone, it was a backward sort of way to assert her independence.
    Max and Meow had finished their breakfast and come upstairs to help her. They took up positions on either side of the shoe box and had their heads cocked alertly, listening to the hamsters scramble around. Jane had just put the hamsters back into their cage and was watching them burrow under the clean wood shavings when the phone rang. She shooed the cats out, slammed the door, and ran down to the kitchen to answer it so she could check on whether Shelley was gone. Her minivan was still in the drive as Jane lifted the receiver.
    “Jane? You sound out of breath. There’s not something wrong, is there?“ a male voice rumbled.
    “Hiya, Uncle Jim. Not a thing. What’s up?”
    “I’m calling about dinner Sunday—“
    “You are coming, aren’t you?“
    “If you want me.“
    “That’s a wimpy sort of thing for a macho cop to say. Of course I want you to come. If you didn’t come every month, I’d be left to the mercy of Steve’s mother and brother without any protection at all.”
    Uncle Jim, uncle in honorary terms only, asked, “Are they treating you all right, honey?“
    “As all right as they know how. It’s not their fault they drive me crazy.“
    “You’re doing okay, then?“
    “I’m fine, Uncle Jim. You haven’t got around to why you’re calling.“
    “Oh, just to warn you I might be a few minutes late. I’ve got to go out to the boys’ detention home and take a statement from a kid who cut up his sister with a butcher knife.“
    “Don’t try to kid me. You love nothing better than a nice hour of kicking ass at a detention home.”
    He laughed, then with mock-seriousness said, “Jane! What a way for a nice girl to talk.”
    Jane smiled to herself. To Uncle Jim she was still a girl. “You can’t tell me a Chicago inner-city cop is shocked by my language.“
    “Honey, nothing shocks me anymore. Except maybe that cheese dip your mother-in-law made last time I came over.“
    “See you Sunday then.”
    As they concluded their conversation, Jane noticed Shelley get in her minivan and leave. She was looking ravishing in a rich, maroon suit with black piping and black patent accessories that were only slightly less shiny and neat than her hair.
    The siege was lifted.
    Jane changed