Sal

There is another man in Gia's life and his name is Sal. Sal is a bit of a grumpy old man. He's got only one eye, and that one doesn't work as well as it used to. He's lost a lot of fur over the years, so that entire patches of his body (especially around his nose) have become shiny and smooth.

He sleeps with Gia every night.

I don't even sleep with Gia every night. But there are some creature comforts that I just can't provide...Sal, however, is up to the task.

It's one of my favorite bits o' Weird Girlfriend Behavior (as opposed to Weird Kitty Behavior) that Gia displays. Here's the drill: She has had this motley little stuffed animal since she was 18 years old. It replaced another stuffed animal that she had since time began that either got lost or was thrown away while she was at college, I forget that part. Every night, every nap, every time she lays down to rest she has to have Sal near so that she can rub him all over her face, neck and upper chest. That's why his fur is missing in spots. From 23 years of lightly rubbing him all over her face.

It's a comfort thing. Whenever we go away, I suggest that she brings Sal with us so that she can fall asleep comfortably. She usually responds in horror "but what if I lose him? I wouldn't know what to do!". She's serious. She needs this little hunk o' fur like I need yummy Belgian beers.

It's also truly odd. She kinda blows lightly on him, ya know...to cool him off, then she lightly brushes him all over her face. The worst is when he falls behind the bed and she has a moment of panic before we locate him. Or if he lands on the baseboard heating. Because he needs to be cold. That's part of his charm.

He's, um, a cute little fella. Right?