I've got a fever. I tried cowbell, but it's not working.

The roommate situation is coming to an end. The straw that broke the camel's back came this morning. I stumbled out of my bedroom suite in the nude to perform my morning ritual, in which I commune with my cat and lovebird, feed them, and take a shower. It is a beautiful thing, really; I cradle my kitten like an infant, she gazes into my eyes and purrs, and Tyler sits on my shoulder, lording over the scene with regal composure. All of a sudden, Dad nonchalantly walks in and starts rambling about the home renovation. I am disturbed, mostly because I don't like to be naked around my Pop, but also because he is like a stone thrown into my placid lake of interspecies harmony. Tyler, being the troublemaker that he is, takes off and lands on my father's balding head with a squawk. Tyler knows that my father hates him, so he does this out of spite and amusement. This transforms my father into a cowering ninny, and he doubles over and bellows, thus scaring the Tonkinese who was only moments before purring rhythmically in my arms. She starts struggling and clawing for freedom and manages to give me a solid kick in my naughty bits on her way down. [That seems to be happening a lot lately. -Ed.] Needless to say, it was quite a scene.

Things calmed down, and I calmly told my father that I was going to be leaving him on or before the end of the month. He put up his hands and apologized, "Trey, I'm doing the best I can." I put my hand on his shoulder and said, "Dad, I know you are. Times are tough, but if we can get through this, we can get through anything."

It was a good moment for us. I would have hugged him, but then I realized I was still naked, and it would have been awkward.