the moon is far across the sky now.  we lay in bed in the otivo conference room. she was purring softly and quietly on my lap. leanne had switched off the movie, leaned her ear down to nooka’s chest, stroked her, then turned away from us.

tears rolled for the first time down my face and into my hair as nooka’s paw held my finger. i arranged her in the blankets and bent down to say i wasn’t ready to go to sleep yet. she’s talking about giving it up with nooka, letting her go to rest.