Rob S. Friedman
December 2025
Petey in Paradise
Near the Hanalei Canoe Club of Kauai, Petey is pawing at my screen door. The sun rises over the mountain peaks. Roosters call good morning to each other, drowning out Petey’s pathetic and heartbreaking mewl.
He’s persistent with his nearly human words. His tenacity and range annoys my wife. But I can make out a few as ‘feed me’ and ‘maybe some water?’ as ‘some of that chicken would be nice.’
We were cautioned about the feral cats: Do not yield to their practiced cons, and with an ever-raised index finger to my face, my wife reminds me to reserve my empathy for the more deserving.
But this, my birthday present from her — the days of sand and margarita nights for the feat of lasting eight decades — how does it require abandoning the needy, in this case, Petey, my broken doppelgänger?
Rob S. Friedman 