My Nemesis & Walking My Cat

Sometimes Correlation IS Causation

I love my apartment complex, The Sea Hag Luxury Apartments.

The Sea Hag Luxury Apartments sit up on a hill above the Pacific. The leasing agent told us the apartment had a “glimpse of the ocean,” but from our deck we can see all the way to Japan!!

But really, the best thing about The Sea Hag?

The Neighbors.

I love these people.

Most of the time.

Everybody except for:

MY NEMESIS

The Sea Hag is a newer complex. We don’t have a whole lot of amenities other than the ocean view. They claimed they would be opening a gym, but that was 18 months ago.

I dream of a day when I can make excuses NOT to go to the exercise room.

But back to the matter at hand:

MY NEMESIS

At most apartments we’ve lived at, I end up with a Nemesis. It’s just how my life works. Here, it’s no different.

The Sea Hag Luxury Apartments have one amenity and we don’t use it.

The Dog Park.

In addition to us not using it, nobody else uses it either.

Why don’t we use the Dog Park?

We have cats.

The Sea Hag’s Dog Park is right next to our building. One day I thought, “I think Shadow would like to go for a stroll in the Dog Park.”

Shadow up to his usual hijinks!

Shadow is an almost all black cat who is extremely adventurous. We got him as a kitten and now he’s seven years old.

All he ever wants to do is go outside. But we live on an upper floor and once he almost flung himself off the porch after a hummingbird.

There was only one thing I could do!

I went down to the Mini Pet Mart and bought a few things to take Shadow on a walk with. Why not, right?

I got him a harness and a beautiful pink leash. Pink is his favorite color. Don’t ask how I know this. It just WORKS on him and he seems to enjoy it.

After I got him outfitted in his harness and leash, we walked down the stairs like we were on a mission.

We strutted over to the unused dog park, opened the creaky gate and went in.

Nobody was there. As usual.

He was having fun. We ran all over the Dog Park like he was a dog! And he does have the personality of a dog.

Were we breaking the rules of the dog park? I don’t know. Probably, but he loved it. He loves to play with dogs! Not that there were any.

We spent the next twenty minutes, on-leash, exploring and smelling everything. And finally, we were ready to go home. Back up the stairs.

The Incident With My Nemesis - September 29, 2022

Just as Shadow and I were exiting the Dog Park, along came MY NEMESIS.

Okay, he wasn’t my Nemesis yet, but he was about to be.

I had never spoken with this man before. He looked to be about sixty-five years of age.

He has a companion canine of indeterminate breed. The dog is mid-sized with a brownish coat.

My Nemesis is balding and could pass for Santa Claus if he put on a few pounds.

As we shut the gate to the Dog Park behind us, My Nemesis said, “Ah, good evening to you sir, how are you doing this fine evening? I was just—”

And he stopped mid-sentence.

Gobsmacked!

He spotted my “dog.”

Shadow.

A cat!

He recoiled.

His dog recoiled.

His face soured.

I noticed his aversion to Shadow. Perhaps he has severe cat allergies??? We WERE outside.

I said, “Hey, good to meet you, we just moved in here and—”

His eye twitched, he looked at Shadow, frowned, turned while I was in mid-sentence and walked back to his apartment.

He muttered to himself as he wandered away in a haze of feline confusion.

He thought we were going to be the best of friends. Just two dog lovers that loved taking their dogs for a walk.

I can’t be sure if it was Shadow’s favorite pink leash or just the fact that he is a Cat, but My Nemesis HATED us now.

Note: My Nemesis has never once used the Sea Hag Luxury Apartment’s Dog Park. I have it on good authority that he actually lets his dog take a crap in the woods so he doesn’t have to clean it up with one of those little green bags.

Shadow and I were hurt. Emotionally.

We were new residents at The Sea Hag, and were looking for friends! And that’s how My Nemesis treats new residents who like to go for a walk with a cat on a hot pink leash??

It has only gotten worse since “The Incident.”

My Nemesis lives in the same building as us, just on the other side of the building.

We have to cross paths with him regularly. If I am walking past him with a bag of groceries, he turns his head and looks away. Sometimes mutters to himself. He can’t even make eye contact with me and it’s been about two years of this!

But his animosity towards me and my proclivities of walking Shadow knows no bounds! He has turned his vitriol on my family.

Now that he knows who my wife

K.L. Rockwell

and son

Fineas Rockwell

are, he won’t talk to them either!

K.L. Rockwell is a very gregarious person, and just the other day she said to him, “Hey there guy, how ya doin’ eh?” (she’s from Northern Wisconsin). But he knows she’s with me. The Cat-Walking Cat Lover!

So now… he is “Nemesis Mine.”

He will forever hate me for walking the cat. Or putting that flashy pink leash on him. But probably both. I will never know because he won’t speak one word to me.

There will be no Truth and/or Reconciliation between me… and MY NEMESIS!!

Our feud will go to the grave.

But he does have a cute dog.

Feel no pity for him. He doesn’t even USE the dog park!!

Shadow on the deck, looking out at all the places he could be walking!

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