“Hey, you again… Kyle, right?” I smiled at the tan, athletic, blonde boy behind the counter. Despite his deep tan, his face was currently turning an even deeper red. I paused a moment, wondering why he always seems so flustered around me, before pointing to the plastic carrier I was holding. “Sorry, I’m here for her, but I’m a couple minutes early still. Should I wait for you to call us up to the counter?”

This seemed to spur him into action and he blurted out quickly, “Yes, me, I’m Kyle… I mean uh, yes, I can check you two in right now, please bring her up here so I can have a quick look.” He reached for a nearby file and started pulling out papers and arranging them on the counter as I walked forward and set the carrier down.

“This is Snowball.”

I reached into the cage and pulled her out onto the counter. Her elegant, long, white hair fluffed out as she settled back into her preferred rounded sitting position, making her look just like her namesake. Proudly, I looked up to meet Kyle’s eyes, expecting the usual reaction I get when people meet her for the first time.

‘Oh my gosh she looks just like a fluffy little snowball!’

‘What amazing fur she has, so soft!’

‘Wow, so well behaved, is she really a cat?’

Instead I was surprised to see him shaking and clutching his sides with barely suppressed, silent, laughter.

“I’m so sorry, I’m not laughing at you… well, not entirely, it’s just… could you have possibly named her anything more cliche? A white longhair named Snowball? Really?”

Wiping a tear from his eye, he took a deep breath. “I am so sorry, I’m being horribly rude. She’s absolutely lovely by the way.”

I stared at his face, still a bit tear-stained from his laughter, cheeks still pink, with its giant, infectious grin, and a slow, deep laugh began to rumble up within me. It continued as he began to laugh again with me, Snowball the cliched cat retreating from the loud noises and exaggerated movements back into the safety of her cage.

Kyle, huh? What an interesting person I’ve found.