Day 256 - Lisa

This might gross some out so reader beware.  I decided to write about this today because I almost stepped on a slug this morning on our porch.  When we lived in Livermore for reasons unknown to mankind we adopted a slug.  Yes, a slug.  He?  She?  Was with us for almost two or three years.  I think it was two, legend has it growing past three.  A slug you say?  Over the course of several weeks at night when I'd go in the kitchen, I'd see this slug on our dishwasher.  Sometimes at the bottom of it, sometimes near the top.  It wasn't hurting anything so I'd leave it.  It happen several nights in a row.  One day my mom, Tia Chickie and I were talking and it got around to us all noticing and leaving the slug alone.  We'd all seen it and none of us had the heart to kill or remove it.  Pretty soon, it was months and we gave it a name - Sluggo.  Sluggo started to get more comfortable and it would slither across the kitchen floor.  We'd find him by the refrigerator or around the cabinets but never ever past the cabinets out into the family room.  And generally only at night.  He became so much apart of our family that our dogs; Sammy & Simba and cats; Nicia & Maddie did not bother it either.  They'd step around it when they were in the kitchen.  Maybe sniff it.  Give a little nudge like, "hey little buddy" but that was it.  We all talked to Sluggo when we'd go into the kitchen at night for a snack or a cup of coffee.  Come morning time each and every day Sluggo would be gone.  One weekend we had a group of friends over.  My mom and I were in the kitchen prepping dinner and everyone was outside on the patio.  We heard all this commotion and our friend Theresa screaming about a slug.  I opened the screen door and asked what was going on and someone said, "oh nevermind Theresa saw a slug but Jeff scooped it up and threw it over there in those old flower pots.  It's gone."  At the same time in a state of panic my mom and I both shouted, "SLUGGO!"  "Oh no, what have you people done?"  It was then that we realized no one else really knew about Sluggo.  LOL  It had been our little family secret.  Well, not really a secret but we just never talked about it.  Needless to say, our friends thought we were completely off our rockers (for awhile).  The afternoon ended up being a bit of a memorial to  ole Sluggo.  We told them stories about Sluggo like the night it brought a partner to the kitchen.  We had assumed all this time Sluggo was a male.  Someone in the group asked what did you do when you realized you now had TWO slugs in your kitchen?  My mom quickly replied, "turned off the lights to give them some privacy."  And I said, "dropped a bit of wine on the floor for them to enjoy."  Now, I realize most of you out there are thinking my friends slowly backed away from the house never to return.  Wrong!  They embraced Sluggo!  Jeff became the villian and a campaign was launched by our friend Jason. Followed by some hysterically funny cartoons by Jeff.  We've now had a running joke going on about seven years.  Sadly, Sluggo never returned.  Sure, a few other slugs made their way into our kitchen but they never stuck around or made their way into our hearts like Sluggo did.  We miss you Sluggo but you live on in our memories and you showed us what true and understanding friendships we have.