Friends By ILEANA MUNTEANU
The day the baby came home, Fifi the Cat and Missy the Dog were sitting quietly in the living room.
Now, you might be wondering: “What do Fifi and Missy look like?”
Well, let’s take a look…
Fifi is a big Persian cat.
He’s mostly gray, with a touch of white around his neck—like a little bowtie.
His fur is long and smooth, soft as velvet.
But what Fifi loves most is his tail. It’s thick, fluffy, and full of pride.
He sways it slowly along his body, like a dancing cobra, showing off its beauty
for all to see.
Missy is a Maltese dog, dainty and gentle.
Her long, silky fur is pure white from head to paw.
She has round black eyes and a tiny black button nose.
And when she’s too hot, too tired, or too excited—a little red tongue slips out
of her mouth.
And what about Missy’s tail?
Ah, that’s the best part!
Missy talks with her tail.
With just one glance, you can tell if she’s happy, curious, or a little sad—no
words needed at all.
The Day the Baby Came Home
It was a sunny day, but going outdoors was out of the question. It was too
cold.
Fifi was purring next to the fireplace, in his favorite spot.
Missy was trying to sleep as well. From time to time, she opened her eyes to
look out the window.
"Why isn’t Mommy home yet? She’s been gone for such a long time!"
Snow began to fall—the first snow of the year. It was mid-December.
When Mommy finally entered the living room, Fifi opened one eye.
Missy jumped up, as usual, ready to welcome her beloved.
But something was different.
"What’s happening?"
Mommy wasn’t scooping Missy into her arms or giving her a hug, as she always
did.
This time, her arms were full. She wasn’t alone.
She was carrying something—something very important.
It smelled like Mommy... but also different.
"One moment, please, Missy!"
Mommy walked into the bedroom, Missy right at her heels.
She placed the bundle in the new crib that had suddenly appeared a few weeks
ago.
Then she took off her coat, and finally Missy was able to jump into her lap and
give her a big kiss.
But suddenly, the bundle started to scream!
Mommy gently set Missy down, rushed to the crib, and—just like that—she was
busy again.
Days passed.
Missy was trying hard to understand why her life had changed so suddenly.
"Fifi, do you like this? What do you think? Why is Mommy ignoring us?"
No answer.
Fifi, getting older, needed more rest. All he wanted was to be left alone,
curled in his warm and cozy corner.
Mommy was always busy.
So busy that Missy had to remind her when it was time for dinner.
And how did she do that?
First, she stared deep into Mommy’s eyes—so deeply that anyone would
understand: I’m hungry.
But not Mommy!
She was too busy: feeding the Baby, changing the Baby, holding the Baby... over
and over again.
Mommy had forgotten Missy.
"I’ll find a way to remind her I’m here!"
Missy trotted into the kitchen, to her little dining corner—two plastic bowls, one for food and one for water.
"Let’s remind her!"
She grabbed the bowl in her mouth and padded into the bedroom, where Mommy was still busy with the Baby.
"Here I am! I need food!"
Mommy burst out laughing.
"What a smart girl! Here, come on—I completely forgot about you and Fifi. Sorry, I’m really sorry. Come on, guys!"
"Mission accomplished!" Missy thought.
"Fifi should thank me. He never does! Cats always think they’re the
most intelligent, the most... everything.
Now just think—if it weren’t for me, who in the world would have fed
him?"
Months passed...
The Baby was growing.
Little by little, Fifi and Missy were getting used to their new life.
They were learning to accept the Baby—maybe even like her.
Missy was the first to get curious.
She approached the playpen, sniffed around, even stood on her hind legs to get
a better view.
The smell was familiar, but new. She could feel what Mommy loved so much about
this little creature—still just a "thing" in Missy's mind.
Missy was actually excited to be near the Baby, and even happier to sit
close to Mommy again.
Sometimes, Mommy would even scoop her up and let her kiss her face, just like
before.
Fifi was less impressed. Of course—he was a cat.
He continued sleeping through most of the days, happy in his quiet corner.
Until one day…
"Where’s my favorite cushion?" Fifi looked
around.
"If I don’t find it, I can’t sleep!"
He checked the living room, the sofa, the armchair—nothing.
Then he tiptoed toward the Baby’s room.
There, in the playpen, was his cushion.
"I knew it!" he said to himself.
"Mommy moved it again. Just like she moved her attention. Now
there’s someone more important than me in this house..."
But he was tired, and the cushion looked so inviting.
Without a second thought, Fifi jumped into the playpen, curled up, and started
to purr.
Baby looked at him with wide eyes.
She recognized Fifi—he was like one of her stuffed animals, but bigger. And
warmer. And he made little noises.
She reached out to pet him, gently touching his fur just the way Mommy had
shown her.
Fifi purred louder and louder.
Soon, Baby was leaning against him, her tiny hand on his soft back, her eyes fluttering closed.
When Mommy peeked in, the Baby was asleep, hugging Fifi, her head resting on the cushion.
Picture perfect.
Do you know how many things can fit in a playpen?
A lot!
Cushions, blankets, picture books, and toys. So many toys.
Stuffed animals of every kind—horses and cows, ducks and geese, dinosaurs, and
of course... Teddy Bears.
Missy had a few toys too—not nearly as many. Her favorite was an old fabric bone, chewed and frayed, but still dear.
"Cats don’t need toys," Missy thought. "They have their tails."
As she got more comfortable around the Baby, Missy began to notice the toys.
They smelled like Mommy... and something else.
One day, a toy fell out of the playpen—right next to Missy.
Startled, she grabbed it and gave it a good shake.
Then she sniffed it again.
"It smells like… Baby!"
Her tail wagged wildly. She was thrilled—the mystery was solved!
Now that she recognized the smell, Missy wanted more of those toys.
Her old bone suddenly seemed boring and... yucky.
She especially liked the Teddy Bear. It looked so soft and huggable.
"If I want the Baby to share her toys with me, I’ll share mine first!"
Missy trotted off, grabbed her bone, and ran back.
She leaped into the air and dropped it right inside the playpen.
"Here’s my bone. You can play with it as long as you want. Now... can I please have that Teddy Bear?"
And would you believe it?
As if she understood perfectly, the Baby picked up the Teddy Bear—her favorite too—examined his eyes and ears, then held him by the paw and lowered him gently to the floor, right next to Missy.
From that day on, the Baby shared all her toys with Missy.
They had a lot of fun together.
The Baby would drop the toys out, and Missy would pick them up and toss them
back in.
"But what about Fifi?" you might ask.
Well, Fifi kept sleeping—he was an old cat, after all.
But he liked the smell of the Baby too.
And he kept coming back to the playpen, to his favorite cushion.
So everybody was happy.
And they lived happily ever after—as best friends.
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