Hampster Weaning

Date: 8/10/2022

Three days now, there's a hampster in a small cage on the kitchen counter between the fridge and sink where I stack dishes to clean. There is nothing else in the cage, not even wood shavings. And a small glass bowl of chips with a lid beside it. I take some chips, pop them in my mouth and I'm sealing the plastic lid back on when something big in the bowl moves. It's another hampster! I'm eating hampster shavings and poop. I spit them out over the sink but there are still pieces in my mouth so I fill a glass with water to rinse. The water tastes like vinegar. "Did Dad say anything about hampsters in a bowl in the kitchen?" I ask the kids who are watching Saturday Morning Cartoons. "No." "No." "No." G is walking upstairs. "Did you put these hampsters here?" He explains, "They were weaning out the older hampsters at the pet store." I know there will be no arguing with his logic. "Can you at least bring some stuff for them like shavings and food? We can't just stack hampsters up in the kitchen until they die." "OK," he agrees.