"Tsk, tsk. Kristopher. Did you really think throwing clothes into a bag would cut it for packing? You obviously need to learn more. Take it all out and start again."

"But- Mami! Delily did the same thing!"

Mami glances over at my luggage, scanning the open bag I'm filling. Then she turns back to Kristopher and continued to lecture him about not being a slob, how I had actually folded my garments, etc. I'm proud that Mami is using me as an example of what to do. But there was one last thing I need that she had explicitly told me NOT to bring. I walk over to the double bed in our hotel room and lift up Toto, our young grey cat. 

Mami's head snaps around instantly as Toto lets out a meow. 

"Delily, what are you doing? I told you a hundred times, we are not bringing Toto with us."

She then proceeds to give me a whole lecture on why I can't bring Toto. I had heard variations of this lecture about five times, so I just tune her out and stroke Toto's soft fur. I had tried many times to convince Mami to let me bring Toto, but it was futile. Kristopher was fine either way. He liked Toto, but not so much that he would smuggle him, and in Kristopher's words, "get discovered, get nearly tossed overboard, and get shouted at for hours on end by Mami." Which meant it was all up to me to make sure Toto didn't get left behind. 

"Don't worry, Mami. I'm just trying to spend as much time with him as I can. We're leaving tomorrow. He needs more hugs before he gets left behind."

"Delily, your fixation with that cat is unhealthy."

I stare at Mami, almost with my jaw hanging open. She thought I was obsessed with Toto? I would just miss him! Luckily, Kristopher comes to my rescue. 

"Mami, Delily isn't obsessed with Toto. Remember, she grew up with him. It's like he's a family friend."

Mami stands there with her fists clenched for a while. Then, she releases them and sits down on the bed next to me and Kristopher. She reaches over to pet Toto, who is sitting in my lap. Kristopher voices what we are all thinking. 

"We'll all miss this cat." 

We finish packing and go to bed, Toto shuttling between us like a tiny heater throughout the night. When we wake up, he's lying on the edge of the bed, fast asleep. While Mami goes into the bathroom and Kristopher's distracted, I gently pick Toto up and slip him into the space that I had left between all my items in my luggage bag. He lets out a small, sleepy purr, and I place a few clothes on top of him and slip a soft, chewy cat treat into a gap. It disappears, and my plan is in place. Or so I thought. When Mami comes out of the bathroom, she immediately notices.

"Delily, where is Toto?"

I can't lie, so I just figured I'd tell half the truth. 

"He's in my bag, Mami." 

Mami lookes into my bag. Then she pulls aside a few of the clothes I had piled on top of him. 

"Delily, why is Toto burried underneath your clothes? I understand that you wanted him to be comfortable, but cats need to breathe. Pack these shirts somewhere else." 

"Okay, Mami."

I set my bag down and rearranged some of the items so that Toto could poke his head out, but I could still quickly grab them if I needed to. I realized that Mami would be watching very closely to make sure I let Toto out, so I would have to be crafty. We leave our hotel, and as we walk, we reach an alleyway that's littered with boxes and barrels, some big, some small.

"Let him out here, Delily."

"Can I have a few moments alone with him? I need to say goodbye."

Mami's face is stone as she thinks about this request. I'm holding my breath. Keeping Toto will all depend on this. Then her face softened ever so slightly, and I know I had won. 

"You can, Delily. I'll wait outside the alleyway. But, Kristopher will go with you, to make sure you let him go, and you have one minute."

I walk into the alley with Kristopher. Then I start whispering to him.

"Kristopher, don't tell Mami about this, but I'm going to keep Toto in my bag. I'm going to drop one of my grey shirts over this old box over here."

"Why would I keep this secret? If Mami finds out, I'm the one who's going to get yelled at."

I stare Kristopher in the eyes, wondering what will make him keep this secret.

"I'll owe you. But if you tell Mami, the deal's off."

His face breaks into a grin, and I know I was going to be at the mercy of one of his dares someday. But that was the only way I could think of to make him keep this secret. Owing Kristopher was dangerous, and he knew it. He might make you do a dare that would definitely get you in trouble, or make you buy him something expensive on a whim. He had been trying for years to get me, his little sister, to owe him, and he had finally gotten what he wanted.

"Of course, Delily. Of course."

I dropped one of my grey shirts over a Toto-sized box and silently moved it behind another stack of boxes, just enough that you can see the grey. Then I pushed Toto deeper into my bag and cover him with more items. He stirred, but didn't wake up. Then, we went back to the sidewalk. Mami poked her head into the alleyway, saw the grey, talked to Kristopher in a low voice, then nodded. She seemed satisfied. We continued our walk to the docks, three people and one stowaway.