They need to be eq'd. 

Non-sequiter with no segue.

Audrey's cat passed away.  He was a good cat.  He was a good concious expression of cathood.

I can only hope that I handle his passing with sensitivity.  I mean, I was sympathetic and reassuring.  And yeah, I made a few jokes, but that's just my nature.  In the counselling business it was known as 'gallows humor'.  Frankly, I've found that at the saddest and lowest points, sometimes a laugh is the greatest gift you can give someone. 

At any rate, I hope I handle it better than the last time I dated a girl and her cat died.  Holy shit.

She had a kitten, named Vince.  Beautiful animal.  Playful, cute. 

Anyway, we played a lot of Euchre, which is a midwest card game, akin to hearts.  And she started a little trash-talking, because she was winning.

I was pretty competitive in those days, I guess.  Or something.  Maybe I was just some kind of raging asshole.

Ha, raging asshole.  Thats a nasty mental image.

Well, I wasn't a raging asshole, but more like...as a person I can be incredibly sensitive, coupled with these stark moments of sheer insensitivity.  I dont have moments like that much anymore.  I mean, I'll say incredibly insensitive things, but i know how to say them, with a guise of humor.  And it passes.  So I get away with it.

Anyway, she starts talking trash, so i fire back.  About the cat.

It probably wouldn't have been so bad, but I was really unapologetic about it.  I was an uncouth youth, what can I say.

She's since given me absolution for that and any and all of my other sins.  Although I tend to doubt the sincerity of it, if only because she hasn't written me in years.

Does owning a pet set us up for inevitable heartbreak?