This work was last updated November 28, 2019

"What the-?"

I looked up from my phone and at the cashier. "What?" I replied.

"Where the hell did you get a rat in a Walmart?" The cashier, whose nametag was so generically plastered with the name 'Jennifer,' said.

"Rats are everywhere," I mumbled, turning back to that article I found while waiting in line. "You can't expect that a Walmart is exempt from that."

"But where the hell did you get a rat in Walmart?" Jennifer, in a fit of morbid curiosity, examined the rat from afar. "Wait, oh my god, that's still alive. How the fuck did you find a living rat and catch i-"

"That's what the chicken wire is for."

"Chicken wire? We don't even sell chicken wire!" Cashier Jennifer eyed the roll of wire, a confused look spreading across her face. "Well, I mean, I guess the Home Depot next door does, but we can't check those out he-"

"Can you try?" My patience started to thin. Not all of us had all the time in the world to spend waiting in line.

"Try what?" Oh, she was totally trying to test me.

A sigh escaped my lips. "Try scanning the chicken wire. If it doesn't work, then I'll just go to Home Depot."

"I am NOT going anywhere near that rat."

"Okay, fine, Jennifer. I'll go complain to customer service that I'm being denied service for trying to purchase something that I found in Walmart!"

"Go ahead! I'm not- I don't- You've got a fricking rat!" Surprising plot twist, it's the cashier making the fuss this time around. "And you've got chicken wire you can't even find here, and just a pile of cheese!"

"Can you at least let me buy the cheese?" I jerked my thumb at the product. "You sell that here. And I found the rat here in the store, too. But I didn't find those two together; I got the cheese after I got Larson."

"Who???"

"Larson." Employee Jennifer gave me a confused look and I could almost see the fear in her eyes. "The rat."

Miss Jennifer's gaze "You know what, I give up. Just- give me the cheese and I'll check it out."

I rolled the cheese over to her and she pulled it across the scanner, touching it warily with only two fingers. Larson let out a squeak and Sister Jennifer almost shrieked in response.

"10.35" She said, gaze trained on Larson as I swiped my card through the reader.

"Thank you!" I said and held up a basket to the conveyer belt. "Come on, Larson. Get in here. Get in here you fat little thing." After successfully wrangling the little devil into the basket and throwing the cheese in to keep him occupied, I tucked the chicken wire under my arm and left. Next destination, Home Depot to check buy this damn wire.