Mouse Girl

 I bought Marigold on an impulse. It was July of 2020. I was wearing a black muumuu patterned with funky colorful animals and a black, fabric mask. I was going to Petco pet supplies and then to Target. The two were situated directly beside one another. I have never failed to look at the mice when at a pet store that carries mice. They're often my first stop. Before buying bedding or pellets or whatever. Sometimes I sit on the floor--often, I've noticed, the glass tanks of mice are near the bottom of the small mammals  shelves. I suspect this is because more people find hamsters cute than do mice. Whatever. I sat on the floor on this day in July. It had been months since I'd hugged another person. The world was tumultuous and interacting with it was more stressful than ever.  So anyway. I sat on the floor of a Petco, wearing my cutest muumuu, and as I stared at this little orange mouse: she stared back.  I took this picture of the mouse I'd saw and texted it to my fri...