Two days later, the lawyer showed up.
Ken was cleaning the front room in the main house when he was startled to see a man in a dark suit coming to the door. He opened the door before the man could ring the bell.
"Can I help you?" he asked.
"I came about the cat," the man at the door said. It would have been hard to ask 'What cat?' because Carrie was rubbing against Ken's leg.
"What about the cat?" Ken said. He heard Dan come up behind him.
"Whose cat is this?" the man asked.
"It's Schrodinger's," said Dan. "What is this all about?"
"Is this cat registered?"
"Registered?" Dan looked perplexed. "Who the heck are you?"
The man reached into an inner pocket of his jacket and pulled out a business card. He handed it to Dan.
"Cecil M Nixon, Esquire," read Dan, "Attorney at Law."
"This town requires all pets to be registered," the lawyer said.
"Does that include geckos?" Ken asked.
Mr. Nixon looked annoyed. "I'm sorry. I believe that it principally applies to cats and dogs. Is this cat registered?"
"We will have the cat registered as soon as possible," Dan said.
"Good," said the lawyer. "I will be back to make sure that everything here complies with town, state, and federal laws." He made a mock bow to Dan and Ken and left.
"What was that all about?" asked Ken.
"I think it's harassment," said Dan. "Unless I'm greatly mistaken, I suspect that this is our new neighbor's way of making sure we know we are being watched. I think, unfortunately, we can expect to have a lot more of this happening."
"And who is this Schrodinger?"
Dan shrugged his shoulders. "Some guy who had a cat."
Luna was not amused when she heard about the lawyer's visit. "We'd better make sure we do everything as carefully as we can. They're watching our every move at this point."
"And now Luna Lagoon, and the rest of the commune, all gathered around the table..."
"This is a racist, imperialist, patriarchal, and colonial holiday." Sal was upset. "We should be in mourning, not celebration."
"It's a chance for us all to give thanks for what we have," said Viv.
"And where do you think we got all those things we have? From genocide and slave labor."
The two women stared at each other.
Luna was nearby and heard most of this. "Look, you're both right. Some awful things happened so that we could be here. And that's no reason not to be thankful. It's a reason to work to create a world that works for everyone."
"And that's what we're doing here," added Dan. "Hopefully we're creating that world in miniature."
Sal looked at both of them like they'd lost their minds.
Nancy came by carrying a stack of pies. "Don't worry about it. She goes through this every year. She's always grateful in the end."
Sal glared at her. Nancy glared back and suddenly the two of them were laughing. Nancy put down the pies before she dropped them.
"I'm sorry," Sal said. "I'm not trying to be a downer. I just don't want anyone to forget the pain and suffering surrounding this holiday."
"And you can remind us at our dinner," said Luna.
Dinner was a feast. There were vegetables everywhere, some arranged in such a way that they resembled a turkey. There were breads and pies and cakes and cupcakes. There was cider and beer and wine and water and cranberry juice.
And there were lots of people around the table. Luna and Dan and Sal and Nancy and Cat and Viv and Ken and Marge--and Ed and Ralph and Peter and Luna's mother and Ken's mother and Cat's mother and even Amanda and Steve.
And, as the meal ended, everyone said one or two things that they were thankful for.
When it came around to Sal, she said, "I'm thankful that I'm living in a place that understands the struggles that brought us here."
"And I'm thankful for you, Sal," said Nancy. "I'm thankful that you came with me here and that this place is here for both of us."
"And I'm thankful for all of you," said Luna, who was last. "This farm and this commune wouldn't exist without each and every one of you. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Here's to many more Thanksgivings here in the future."
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