The Race

Every morning after I take my shower and dress for work- the boyz excitement over the upcoming breakfast gets them pretty worked up.

Theo alternates between licking my legs and running back and forth down the hallway as if that will speed things up and his morning meal will be delivered sooner.

Thompson meows away, edging himself closer to the stairway. Diego tries to act cool but an occasional bellow gives him away.

The routine has become so pat that we have developed it into an unofficial race with specific rules. The foremost rule is that none of the boyz can run down the stairs before I begin my descent. If they do- they are disqualified. Theo breaks this rule almost every day and thus takes himself out of the race. Thompson usually gets a head start on Diego by standing at the top of the stairs. Diego usually waits until I start walking down the hall and then will prance in step behind me.

Usually Diego- even starting with a further distance to go- can beat Thompson down the steps. It's much easier for Thompson to run rapidly up steps where his momentum helps him keep his balance- than down steps where he has to carefully place his lone front paw on the next step before he lowers the rest of his body.

Thus I like to assist Thompson as much as I can- setting up my body as a screen to a clear path down for Diego. Whoever ends up downstairs first gets a hearty pat on the head from me and a vocal congratulations. That morning's loser likewise gets a pat of sympathy and encouragement. I swear the boyz understand all this competition but that probably isn't likely...